Here is our fall newsletter.  It introduces our new Executive Director, Christine Young, and features some of our upcoming events.

The Rensselaer Land Trust (RLT) is pleased to announce Christine Young, Esq. as our new Executive Director.  Christine has been providing RLT with pro bono legal counsel for the past one and a half years, assisting with negotiations, meetings and drafting conservation easement documents.  Christine is a Cum Laude graduate of Albany Law School.  She also holds a MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh Scotland and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  Christine's professional affiliations include the Land Trust Alliance, New York State Bar Association, Rensselaer County Bar Association, Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Estate Planning Council of Eastern New York, and Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Rensselaer Land Trust's (RLT) Executive Director, John Middlebrooks has retired after four years of spearheading the organization. John had many accomplishments while working for RLT including doubling the amount of protected land holdings, both owned outright and those on which conservation easements are held; leading the organization through national accreditation; negotiating public fishing access and construction of a boat launch and parking area with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a RLT property along the Hoosic River in Eagle Bridge, New York; working together with Garry Brown of Brown's Brewing to promote RLT's Tomhannock Reservoir conservation efforts through the development of Brown's Tomhannock Pilsner; assisting in an office move, name change and new logo.  Prior to joining RLT, John worked for thirty years for the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation and Historic Preservation.  He was RLT's first Executive Director and was pivotal in transforming RLT from a small all-volunteer organization to a staffed nationally accredited land trust.  John will continue to work with RLT as an advisor.  Rensselaer Land Trust thanks him for his efforts and wishes him well in the future.