Announcements & Items of Interest
Summer's Here!
Members can visit the Museum and see new monthly exhibits at no cost and can choose from many free or discounted programs throughout the year, in addition to other benefits, such as receiving advance notice of programs, camps, and special events. For more program information, make sure to check the Events section of the Newsletter, or call 802-843-2111. Summer camps are filling up fast, so register quickly!
New Museum Director
On January 19, 2009, Lillian Willis of Chester, VT, and Ridgefield, CT, became The Nature Museum’s new Executive Director. She has extensive experience in communications, environmental education, volunteer recruitment, and nonprofit management. She is a past Program and Volunteer Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy’s 1756-acre Devil’s Den Preserve, Director of Communications and Marketing for a Connecticut Girl Scout Council, and Copy Editor for The Viking Press.
Her extensive volunteer work includes positions as a founding member and president of three nonprofits: the Six Town River Board, which trained adults to teach river ecology to fourth graders in six towns in Fairfield County; the Discovery Center, a nature center without walls; and the Norwalk River Watershed Association (NRWA). Accomplishments for NRWA included establishing an interconnecting trail system within towns in the watershed and securing and managing an EPA grant for a project that created a model septic system ordinance for the state of Connecticut, as well as other publications for the general public that educate citizens and businesses on ways to responsibly manage their properties to improve water quality and protect natural resources. She served for many years on the Ridgefield Conservation Commission/Flood & Erosion Control Board and then was elected to the Planning & Zoning Commission/Inland Wetlands Board. A Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor, she has been the advisor on over 25 Eagle Scout projects – all have been concerned with trail or bridge projects on open-space parcels.
Lillian has received numerous awards for her environmental work – principally for habitat restoration, public education, and creation of the very first public Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day held in Connecticut. An avid gardener, she has received awards from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut and the Garden Club of America for her conservation and historic preservation efforts, as well as the Catherine Beattie Award for horticultural excellence. Her most recent honor was the first Weir Farm Palette Award from the National Park Service at the Weir Farm National Historic Site for her programming partnership with NPS, work on the adjoining NRWA trail system, and workday efforts to remove invasive plants. She also is the co-author of a cookbook and The River Book.
Lillian is “well aware of the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits in today’s economic climate, but this small museum is incredibly imaginative and forward thinking, and bursting with potential. Its accomplishments at the Grafton location, at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder facility, and through the 400 school, library, and public programs the Museum mounted last year to service 40 communities in Vermont and New Hampshire are very impressive. I look forward to introducing more people to the Museum’s excellent programs, enhancing its facility, engaging more volunteers and members, and expanding the Museum’s influence as a regional environmental resource.”
Museum President Laurie Danforth said, “The entire Board is delighted to have Lillian on board. With her environmental knowledge, boundless energy, infectious enthusiasm, and can-do attitude, we know that the Museum is in good hands.”
View from the Board
As we celebrate the Museum’s 20th birthday we look back at the visionary people whose strong determination and clear direction brought about the creation of our organization. We owe a debt of gratitude to our founders Don Clark and Sue Hadden. From the beginning Don and Sue’s focus was to foster scientific wonder, beauty, and delight in New England’s earth, sea, and skies. This tireless dynamic duo used Don’s extensive personal collections as the foundation for the Museum’s displays and opened the original Museum above the Grafton Town Hall in 1989. Under the guidance of Don and Sue, and with the help of a committed board, the Museum began offering educational programs. So successful were their offerings that within ten years the Museum had already outgrown its home.
Once again hard work and clear purpose paid off as the visionary Board took a leap of faith and initiated a successful capital campaign to purchase the Grafton Grange as the Museum’s new residence. After extensive remodeling the Nature Museum opened in 1999 in its present location on Townshend Road. Over the last decade the Museum’s collections and educational programs have continually expanded. In 2008 we presented over 400 programs in 40 towns and touched the lives of almost 10,000 participants. This is a history of which we can be very proud. It is also good to remind ourselves that our beloved little Museum began with two dedicated individuals coming together with a passion for a common purpose. We certainly have cause for gratitude and for celebration, and celebrate we didl!
