New Faces at the Forest Society

Welcome Sarah & Jack!

Anna Berry | May 26, 2021
A view from Creek Farm in Portsmouth.

One of the new staff members, Sarah Kern, will be based at the Forest Society's Creek Farm Reservation in Portsmouth.

The Forest Society recently announced the addition of two people to its staff:

 

Sarah Kern, Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator

Sarah Kern poses for a photo at Creek Farm. (Photo: Dave Anderson)
Sarah grew up on the East Coast while traveling to visit family out west and learned to love the outdoors through camping, hiking and exploring. She joined the Forest Society in May 2021 as the part-time, year-round Creek Farm Education Program Coordinator, bringing with her over 25 years of educator experience in a wide variety of settings both formal and informal. From public school classrooms to private, preschool to university, Sarah has found that connecting and learning with her community is what inspires her. 

After leaving public school education, Sarah grew the education program at the Center for Wildlife by 70% in just 3 years, allowing the community to connect with and learn about the environment we live in and how our health is intertwined. Creek Farm brings all of her passions together from flora to fauna, history and future, and most importantly the dynamic community that has so much to share! Sarah lives in Strafford, New Hampshire with her two children and a menagerie of rescued animals and can be found skiing in the winter, kayaking in the summer, and always looking up to see who is flying overhead.

 

Jack Minich, Conservation Easement Steward

Jack Minich poses for a photo outside.
As an Easement Steward, Jack Minich is responsible for ensuring the conservation values of protected properties are being upheld according to the terms of the deed.  To accomplish this, the stewards monitor properties in person and through the use of aerial imaging technology.  Jack also brings skills from his past work experiences in invasive plant management to the team.

Before joining the Forest Society in May 2021, Jack worked in education, trails and environmental restoration positions from the North Woods of Minnesota to the Austrian Alps to the Mojave Desert in southern California. Most recently hailing from Minneapolis, MN, where he led a youth development trail crew, Jack moved with his family to southwest New Hampshire in 2019 to continue his Masters in Conservation Biology at Antioch University-New England and work in conservation in southern Vermont.

When not working, Jack can be found running the trails in the conserved Andorra Forest or on his mountain bike linking together Class VI roads across southwest New Hampshire.

He replaces Zach Pearo, who is now the Forest Society's Land Steward & Volunteer Coordinator, as the conservation easement steward covering the southwestern region of the state.