Laudholm Trust Welcomes a New President.

Laudholm Trust welcomed Nik Charov as the new president of the Trust last week.  To find out more about Nik, check out the Wrack - blog of the Wells Reserve and Laudholm Trust or read the press release below.  Welcome Nik!

Incoming Laudholm Trust president Nik Charov stands with retiring president Diana Joyner, who for the past 4 years has led the Wells nonprofit.

WELLS, Maine, July 11, 2012 — Nik Charov has been hired as the new president of Laudholm Trust, the fund raising arm of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, according to Bruce Read, chairman of the Trust board. A search committee composed of Laudholm Trust board members and the retiring president, Diana Joyner, chose Charov after reviewing a strong field of candidates from around the country. Charov will be working with Joyner as he assumes full responsibility as president.

“We are delighted to have a seasoned professional like Nik join our team,” said Read. “Nik’s extensive and proven experience in fund raising and event planning, as well as his passion for the environment, will serve our communities well as the Wells Reserve at Laudholm continues to prosper and grow.”

Charov has been working in science education and environmental preservation for nearly a decade. For the past four years, he has been director of institutional advancement for New York Restoration Project (NYRP), a non-profit organization dedicated to reclaiming and restoring New York City parks, community gardens, and open space. He was responsible for managing more than 90 corporate, foundation, government, individual, and partner relationships that helped raise $10 million annually for operations and programs. He also oversaw fund raising for MillionTreesNYC, a $28 million citywide capital campaign and the nation’s largest and most ambitious urban forestry program.

Prior to his position at NYRP, Charov was the senior grants manager for the New York Hall of Science in Queens, the city’s hands-on science museum and research center. He holds a philosophy degree from Stanford University.

As president, Charov is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of Laudholm Trust, including managing membership, interacting with donors and business partners, working with the Wells Reserve staff, developing fund raising programs, and overseeing the Trust’s signature events such as the Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival and Punkinfiddle, a National Estuaries Day Celebration.

A husband and father of two preschool boys, Charov is no stranger to Maine. He has spent more than 30 summers exploring the tide pools, pines, and breakwaters of Peaks Island.

Charov is the sixth president in Laudholm Trust’s 30-year history. The Trust was formed in 1982 to protect and preserve historic Laudholm Farm, but soon became a driving force for the creation of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. With the support of its 1700 members, Laudholm Trust has contributed millions of dollars to the reserve for research, education, stewardship, and preservation.

Charov can be reached at 207-646-4521 ext 144 or nik@laudholm.org.

The Friends of Rookery Bay receive grant on behalf of the Rookery Bay Reserve

Blog posting from Bruce Robertson, Friends of Rookery Bay

Rookery Bay Reserve recently announced the completion of a Florida Division of Historical Resources grant-funded assessment of historic sites on state-owned lands and the creation of a comprehensive, multi-layered database of historic and cultural resources within the managed boundary.  The grant funds enabled Rookery Bay Reserve’s stewardship team to work with a contractor to complete visual surveys of known and suspected sites in the reserve, document artifacts, photographs, and historical deeds records from the National Archives, and combine these data with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other advanced technology into one comprehensive computerized catalog of records and details, all viewable in layers on a map.  This tool will be used for future management of cultural and historic sites in the reserve.  The project was financed in part with historic preservation grant assistance provided by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, administered through the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, assisted by the Florida Historical Commission.  The grant was awarded to the Friends of Rookery Bay on behalf of the Reserve, and was one of 12 awards from a pool of nearly 100 applications.  The $50,000 project comprised $25,000 from the granting agency with matching funds from the Reserve.