This September, Hilltown Land Trust welcomed Tiffany Thibodeau as our new Office Manager and Tim Antrim-Cashin as our new TerraCorps Land Stewardship Coordinator. We also welcomed back Sarah Welch as our Community Engagement Coordinator. The TerraCorps-AmeriCorps members will be serving with HLT through the end of July. Get to know them in this interview, and join us for an upcoming event or volunteer workday to meet them in person!
What brought you to land conservation?
Tim: I came to conservation through recreation. Most of my strongest memories in the past decade take place in nature. It was inevitable that I was eventually going to feel an urge to help protect and steward the land that brings me so much joy!
Tiffany: Wildlife and nature have always been important to me, and I love having access to great trails in Western Massachusetts. I’ve been looking for ways to learn more about land conservation and love being a part of a local organization.
Sarah: I grew up hiking on land stewarded by a range of conservation groups, and one of my favorite places was Bald Pate Mountain in southwestern Maine. I looked forward to seeing the trailhead sign, which was beautifully decorated with carved and painted loons, every time I hiked there. Thanks in part to Loon Echo Land Trust, I believe that art can be a powerful tool for connecting people to the land.
What will you be doing at HLT?
Tim: I’ll be helping look after our properties and Conservation Restrictions as the Land Stewardship Coordinator. My year will be a mixture of working in the office and in the field, making sure our properties are well taken care of.
Tiffany: I am the office manager at HLT, so I’ll be working on recordkeeping, donation processing, and general logistics for the land trust.
Sarah: I will continue for a second service year in my role as the TerraCorps Community Engagement Coordinator, supporting HLT’s outreach and programming efforts.
What were you doing before you came to HLT?
Tim: Most recently, I helped my brother start a tiny house retreat in the Southern California desert. Over the course of a few years, we built tiny homes that see a lot of traffic from San Diego and Los Angeles. Interestingly, they’ve become a popular spot for solo female travelers looking to take a step towards more adventurous outings in the wilderness.
Tiffany: I was, and still am, writing content as a freelance writer. Prior to that, I taught math and science to students in elementary and middle school for 15 years.
Sarah: I was working on my MS in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England, which I completed halfway through my first service year. Prior to and during my master’s program, I led youth programs with nature centers and families in Amherst and Easthampton.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Tim: Getting to know the land! Already I’ve had an amazing time going out with folks who have intimate knowledge of the land they steward. I’m excited to gain a deeper knowledge of the land, which I hope will foster more meaningful, two-way interactions with nature.
Tiffany: I’m looking forward to supporting some of the community events — Gorge après Gorge, nature walks, etc. — in any way I can as I learn more about land conservation.
Sarah: I’m looking forward to the chance to expand and improve upon last year’s projects, especially November’s Gorge après Gorge 5k and Family Fun Walk.
Let’s play a game of Two Truths and a Lie. (scroll to the bottom to find out which are the lies!)
Tim:
- I have been to 49 states.
- I once drank so much maple syrup as a child, three of my teeth fell out the following week.
- I’ve skipped a stone halfway across the Connecticut River.
Tiffany:
- I have lived in four different towns in Western Massachusetts and five different states in the Northeast.
- I was once a zookeeper.
- I’ve had a cat, dog, and iguana as pets.
Sarah:
- I’ve hiked all the 4,000-foot mountains of New Hampshire.
- I’ve tried two foraged mushrooms: oyster and chicken of the woods.
- My favorite animal is the beaver.
Describe your perfect Hilltown Saturday.
Tim: It’s a not too hot, late summer day that starts with donuts and coffee and ends with sunset swimming. In between, I’m getting my hands on rocks of all sizes, first the big ones while rock climbing, then on the small ones while skipping stones. I’m a Hilltowns newbie, so much of this is hypothetical right now, but not for long! Taking any and all donut recommendations.
Tiffany: I live in Worthington, so it’s waking up and enjoying a cup of coffee before heading to Chesterfield Gorge with my partner and our pups. Then we’d stop at the Chesterfield General Store for a light snack before I went to volunteer or take a class at the Worthington Library. I’d enjoy French fries and a falafel burger for dinner at the Goldenrod Country Inn. Then, I’m either cozying up with s’mores by the firepit or inside by the wood stove.
Sarah: My perfect autumn day in the Hilltowns starts with watching the sunrise from Big View in Williamsburg with a mushroom and goat cheese croissant from Bread Euphoria in hand. Then, I’d head up to the DAR State Forest in Goshen for a morning paddle on Upper Highland Lake before hiking up to the fire tower for views of the Hilltowns and valley. I would spend the afternoon on the trails at the Conwell Property, observing the terrific diversity of mushrooms that fruit there every fall. Finally, I’d wind down with a book and a mug of rooibos tea at home in Haydenville.
Have you had any memorable wildlife encounters?
Tim: While driving out of a mountain canyon in Utah, I passed a golden eagle standing on top of a deer carcass. I stopped as fast as I could and got out of the car, but when the door shut with a thud, the eagle spread its wings and flew off. It was the closest I’ve been to a bird that size, and its wings seemed to take up the entire one lane road. It landed in a tree across a field where there was another golden eagle! A second later, they both took off, and I watched them soar in circles higher and higher up the mountain side until they were too hard to see.
Tiffany: In early Spring of this year, I was working at home and my dogs began barking. When I looked to see what was creating the stir, I found a raccoon had gone through the screen on my front door and was trying to turn the door lever to enter my house. Yes, a racoon was trying to break into my house.
Sarah: On the last day of winter, my dad and I were descending a snow-covered path in the White Mountains. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a patch of black grass on the trail underfoot. I blinked and looked again. There on the ground, just inches from my microspiked boots, was a sleeping black bear! I have never descended a mountain faster in my life.
Their Lies:
Tim: I once drank so much maple syrup as a child, three of my teeth fell out the following week.
Tiffany: I was once a zookeeper.
Sarah: I’ve hiked all the 4,000-foot mountains of New Hampshire.
