Presenter Biographies

Dori Barton, MS; Arrowwood Environmental. Dori is a founding partner and principal wetland ecologist and hydrologist for Arrowwood. Her professional career spans more than 25 years and areas of expertise include wetland delineations and functional assessments, wetland restoration plan design and implementation, wildlife habitat evaluations, stream geomorphic assessments, and hydrologic evaluations.  Dori is also a permit specialist and manager for many of Arrowwood's larger projects. Dori has a strong commitment to her home community and currently serves as Chair of the Huntington Selectboard, a board on which she has served for 15 years. 

Contact: dori@arrowwoodvt.com

Alexander Dimm, Senior University of Vermont. Alex will be graduating with a BS May 2025

Dan Farrell, VT Fish & Wildlife. Dan has worked since 2021 as an assistant ecologist for the Wildlife Diversity Program at the VT Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD). He documents and maps occurrences of natural communities and provides assistance to program staff related to ecological and botanical information. He worked for the department years ago in a similar capacity. Between stints at VFWD, Dan worked for a dozen years on the science team at The Nature Conservancy of Vermont where he was a spatial analyst and managed the development of spatial tools to support decisions related to the conservation and restoration of Vermont’s terrestrial wetland and aquatic systems. He also provided GIS, science, conservation planning, and data support. Before that he worked as a River Watershed Assessment Assistant at the VT Department of Environmental Conservation and an independent contracting ecologist. He has a B.S. in Environmental Science from Columbia University and an M.S. in Botany from the University of Vermont. Dan enjoys gardening, backcountry skiing, swimming, hiking, and running.

Contact: dan.farrell@vermont.gov

Jack Feldman, Senior University of Vermont. Jack will be graduating with a BS in May 2025

Grace Glynn is the Department Botanist at VT F&W, where she oversees the mapping, monitoring, and conservation of >600 species of rare and uncommon plants. Grace has worked as a consulting wetlands ecologist throughout Vermont. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Botany from Connecticut College and a master’s degree from the Field Naturalist Program at the University of Vermont. She reviews development project permits under Act 250 and Section 248 to determine potential impacts to threatened and endangered plant species. In her free time, Grace enjoys trail running, growing native plants, and exploring the swamps of Vermont

Contact: Grace.glynn@vermont.gov

Lucy Gross is currently a graduate student in UVM’s Field Naturalist program. She has previously worked in ecological restoration and land management in both Minnesota and Massachusetts, restoring prairies, wetlands, forests, and riparian habitats. Her interest in the intersection of ecological health and agriculture culminated in farming for a year at a community farm before beginning graduate school. Lucy spent last summer tromping through Jay State Forest’s uplands and wetlands, mapping its natural communities and wildlife habitat. 

Contact: Lucyanna.Gross@uvm.edu

Eric Hagen, MS, Arrowwood Environmental.  Eric graduated from UVM’s Field Naturalist Master of Science program in 2020, where he studied botany, silviculture, ecosystem mapping, and conservation design. After graduation, Eric worked at a land trust in British Columbia, where he designed and implemented wetland restoration projects. Now at Arrowwood, Eric’s work focuses on wetland delineation and functional assessments, wetland restoration, wildlife and botanical surveys, and conservation design.

Contact: eric@arrowwoodvt.com

Jim Henderson, Environmental Program Manager, Bennington County Regional Commission. Jim is the Bennington County Regional Commission Environmental Program Manager, a member of Southwest Vermont Trout Unlimited, a member of the Batten Kill Comprehensive Invasive Species Management Association and is on the Board of Directors for the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance. He became involved with the BK-CISMA - a partnership among local organizations -  to help control invasive plants, restore, rehabilitate, and increase riparian buffer zones along surface waters. With the BKWA, BK-CISMA and TU, he coordinates spring and fall buffer plantings of native trees and shrubs. He is always looking for new sites and volunteers to help plant!   

Contact: jhenderson@bcrcvt.org

Ken Johnston is a dedicated research technician in the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont (UVM). His work primarily involves supporting various research projects that explore the complex interactions between the Earth’s physical and human environments. Kenneth’s expertise in fieldwork and laboratory techniques is crucial for studies related to climate change, water resources, and environmental health. Ken just accepted a position with The Nature Conservancy in NH.

Laura Lapierre has been the Manager of the DEC Vermont Wetlands Program for over 10 years and has over 15 years of experience evaluating wetland and terrestrial ecosystems throughout northeastern North America. The Vermont Wetlands Program administers the Vermont Wetland Rules, assesses the State's wetland health, maps wetlands, and assists voluntary restoration. She has a diverse technical skill base including natural resource delineation, bat and bird acoustic studies, botanical surveys, rare species surveys, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping, report preparation, and providing expert testimony in litigation proceedings and the State Legislature.  Laura Lapierre holds a 2005 - 2007 Masters in Biology @ McGill University and she is a Professional Wetland Scientist and a NH Certified Wetland Scientist.

Contact: Laura.lapierre@vermont.gov

Aaron Marcus (they/them) works as a Wetland Scientist and Botanist at Dubois & King, and previously maintained the rare plant data in VT F&W’s Natural Heritage Database for 17 years. Aaron has also served as a Seasonal Botanist monitoring RTE plants for Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forest.

Contact: amarcus@dubois-king.com

Erin Rodgers, Program Manager, Trout Unlimited. Having joined Trout Unlimited's New England Culvert Project as an intern in 2011, Erin now leads habitat restoration and connectivity work in Vermont, western Massachusetts, and western New Hampshire. She focuses on assessing the links between aquatic organism passage and flood vulnerability of bridges and culverts, then working with towns and other agencies to replace the worst structures. She has also started to increase the number of in-stream habitat restoration projects on public and private lands, as well as establish a new research and monitoring program at many of these sites. Erin completed her doctoral degree at Antioch University New England during which she studied the effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee flooding on stream communities and the population dynamics of brook trout in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Contact: erin.rodgers@tu.org

Scott Smyers is Vice President and Senior Scientist and recently became a partner at Oxbow Associates, Inc. a wetlands and wildlife consulting company specializing in rare amphibian and reptile study and mitigation. He has studied the behavior and ecology of amphibian and reptile species native to the eastern United States for more than 20 years. He has conducted field research, including radio-telemetry, on freshwater turtles ; as well as two venomous snakes. He has led field studies for pond-breeding amphibians using various trapping techniques. Mr. Smyers provides consultation services for all phases of projects (permitting to construction oversight), including residential and commercial developments, utility projects, roadway improvements, airport expansions, and development within military facilities. He also conducts wetland delineations, mitigation design, permit preparation, construction oversight, and monitoring of restoration/mitigation areas. He continues to work on independent research on the evolutionary biology and ecology of amphibians and reptiles in New England. His research interests are broad, but include life history plasticity and population biology of amphibians, ecology of freshwater turtles, ecology of snakes, and the functional ecology of larval caddisflies in ephemeral ponds.

Contact: smyers@oxbowassociates.com

Nikki Walsh, Senior University of Vermont. Nikki will be graduating with a BS in May 2025