| 4/14/2009 9:32:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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Land trust hires director
Andrew Mackie is the first full-time executive director of the Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas, board president Frosty Roe, announced Thursday.
Mackie comes to Colorado with more than 15 years of experience in the conservation field.
Mackie grew up in New York's Hudson Valley, where he started working for the National Audubon Society at a sanctuary on the Hudson River.
Continuing to work for Audubon, Andrew moved to Southwest Florida as the assistant director of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
This 13,000-acre sanctuary is home to a large assortment of wildlife, including the Florida panther, Florida black bear, wood storks and alligators.
While at the sanctuary, he became involved with a regional land trust and a variety of land use issues ranging from Everglades restoration to a local conservation ballot initiative that raised funds for land conservation projects.
During this time, he also was recruited to serve on the board of directors for several organizations, including the Florida Native Plant Society, Collier County Audubon Society, Collier Environmental Education Consortium and the Southwest Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism.
As a project manager for Audubon, Mackie returned to New York in 2002 and worked with a variety of sanctuaries and nature centers across the state, including several new projects.
During this time, Mackie worked closely with the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Central New York, a cooperative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State and a variety of private organizations to restore and protect 50,000 acres.
This site is considered one of the most important waterfowl migration stopovers in the Northeast. Mackie left this position to complete his Masters of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in New Haven, Conn.
While at Yale, Andrew worked with a local land trust, creating a stewardship program for their holdings. He also worked with the Great Land Trust in Anchorage, Alaska.
While in Alaska, he worked routinely with conservation easements including writing baseline documentation for new easements and monitoring existing easements.
When asked, about the key to monitoring easements in Alaska, he responded, "Remember to keep shouting, 'Hey bear, hey bear,' when you are going through dense spruce forest."
Before accepting the position with the land trust, Mackie managed several projects under contract with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
He also completed oversight of a $3.5 million construction project, resulting in the creation of the Montezuma Audubon Center. The Center is sited on property with three created wetlands and restored grasslands.
In addition to his duties with the local land trust, Andrew looks forward to improving his fly-fishing technique on the Arkansas River. He is also a birder, hiker and backpacker.
"As soon as time permits," he said, "I hope to hit some of the trails with my dog and explore this great country."
Mackie can be reached at the Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas office in Salida at 539-7700.
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