Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
Address: 30 Peck Road, Wales, MA 01081 (Physical location for driving purposes)
Date: Friday, February 23, 2024
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Capacity: Registration/seating is limited to about 50 individuals, so please register early to ensure your spot!
Description: The Norcross Wildlife Foundation preserves and manages ecologically significant habitats that sustain and enhance biodiversity and wildlife populations in our region. We support an increased understanding of and respect for the natural world through environmental education, science, and community-sourced knowledge. We achieve our mission through our work on the NWF sanctuary, regional partnerships, and our support of new ideas and leaders in the conservation field.
Dan Jaffe Wilder
Dan Jaffe Wilder is an ecologist, horticulturist, and botanist with over fifteen years’ experience working with native plants and their associated ecology. His work has ranged from classrooms to nurseries to botanical gardens to wildlife refuges specializing in native plant ecology, propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes. Dan is currently the Director of Applied Ecology for the Norcross Wildlife Foundation whose mission is to protect, enhance, and expand wildlife through conservation, education, and support.
Nick Novick
Despite having a B.S. degree in environmental conservation, Nick Novick has been playing in the dirt under the guise of Small Planet Landscaping for about 20 years now. Previous work lives included baking, cooking, publications production and photojournalism. As for landcare, he’s done a bit of everything from lawn care to dry stone work to invasive plant control, but fruit-tree care and meadows currently comprise most of his field work. He served on the Board and edited the newsletter for ELA for about seven years. Amongst other projects there, he supervised the original installation of Washington Tower meadow at Mount Auburn Cemetery. He has spoken at numerous conferences and workshops and is always open to developing collaborations with other eco-minded folks.
Michael Nadeau
Michael Nadeau is one of the leading authorities in the field of sustainable organic and ethical land care strategies in the United States. He is sought after for creating attractive sustainable and restorative environments using organic practices that respect the ecology of the property and reflect the philosophy of the client. Michael’s organic and sustainable holistic land care approach maximizes wildlife habitat with specific plantings and techniques, improving the overall health of land, water, and wildlife.
He is a co-founder of CT NOFA’s Organic Land Care program, which has educated and accredited nearly 4,000 land care professionals since its inception in 2001. In 1999, Michael helped write the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care. He also co-authored the NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Course Manual, the only 100% organic handbook for the care of athletic fields and home lawns. To this day, Michael continues to teach courses within the program, lecture throughout the northeast region about organic land care and restorative practices, and offers a variety of organic land care and environmental restoration consulting services.
Leslie Duthie
Leslie Duthie has worked in ecological horticulture throughout her entire career. She spent the last 35 years managing 75 acres of public trails, woods and gardens in a private sanctuary in central MA. A speaker, an educator, a plant propagator, a grower of ferns, a mentor and a lover of open spaces. Leslie volunteered in her community on the open space committee, the tree committee after the tornado of 2011, and spent 22 years on the conservation commission where she helped to protect over 1700 acres of land.
