Abbott Appointed Vice President for Policy and Land Management
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jack Savage, VP for Communication & Outreach
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
(603) 224-9945, ext. 330;
CONCORD, N.H., Jan. 5, 2006—The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests announced the hiring of Will Abbott of Holderness, New Hamsphire, as its new Vice President for Policy and Land Management. Abbott will oversee the Forest Society's public policy initiatives and direct the Forest Society staff that manages its more than 40,000 acres of forest land in over 90 communities. Abbott, along with three other Vice Presidents of the organization, will be part of the management team of the Forest Society led by President/Forester Jane Difley. He starts Jan. 17, 2006.
"Will's background is ideally suited to this position," said Difley. "We're confident that he will work well with the NH Congressional delegation, the State Legislature and state agencies to advance the public conservation interests the Forest Society advocates. He brings substantial depth of knowledge and breadth of experience to our organization as we work to make possible our vision of New Hampshire as a living landscape where working woods and protected lands are woven into the fabric of our lives."
Abbott is well-known in New Hampshire politics and policy, having served during the 1980s on the staff of then-Congressman Judd Gregg. He was also Executive Director of the New Hampshire Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP) from 1988 through 1993, an innovative public/private collaborative program that led to the acquisition of some 100,000 acres of parks, wildlife areas, and historic sites statewide. He also served as Executive Director of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness from 1993-2003, and most recently as Executive Director of the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory.
"For more than 100 years the Forest Society has been a strong and respected advocate for conservation of the Granite State's forest resources," Abbott said. "I look forward to working with the team of people the Society has assembled to build on this legacy.
"There are not many jobs I'd consider leaving the Mount Washington Observatory to take," Abbott added, "but this is one. I am genuinely excited about this opportunity to serve the Forest Society and the people of New Hampshire who benefit from the Forest Society's work."
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (www.forestsociety.org) is the state's oldest and largest non-profit land conservation organization. In order to preserve the quality of life New Hampshire residents know today, the goal of the Forest Society, in partnership with other conservation organizations, private landowners, and government, is to conserve an additional one million acres of the state's most significant natural lands for trails, parks, farms and forests by 2026.
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