Audubon Hires New Director

For Bent Of The River

SOUTHBURY — Leslie Kane has been hired as the new director at the Audubon Center at Bent of the River, according to Tom Baptist, executive director of Audubon Connecticut. Ms Kane will oversee the education, public policy, and conservation programs at the 700-acre nature center and sanctuary. She will work in close conjunction with the stewardship board at the Bent, chaired by David Gropper, MD, of Danbury.

She will begin her duties at the Bent in mid-August.

“Leslie will bring to the Bent an array of talent, experience, and knowledge that will advance Audubon’s conservation mission in the greater Southbury community,” said Mr Baptist.

Ms Kane has worked for the Town of Guilford since 2001 as its environmental planner, inland wetlands administrator, tree warden, and geographic information systems administrator.  Her work there included short and long range planning, review of site plans, enforcement of Inland Wetlands Regulations, outdoor education for K–8 students, planning and design of municipal projects, and coordinator of the Inland Wetlands, Land Acquisition, Agricultural, and Planning and Zoning Commissions.

She also served the tree advisory board, scenic roads committee, Guilford Green Committee, and prepared and managed the budget for the environmental planning department, tree planting fund and land acquisition funds, including oversight of a $5 million bond for municipal land purchases.

Ms Kane worked for the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System from 1997 to 2000 as its tidelands watershed coordinator and director of Connecticut river projects. Her work there included directing Connecticut River Watershed projects encompassing 11 municipalities, four counties, and three Councils of Government, and planning and coordinating conferences and workshops.

Prior to that, Ms Kane worked as coordinator for land conservation coalition for Connecticut from 1993 to 1997 for The Nature Conservancy-Connecticut Chapter in Middletown. She has a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and bachelors’ degrees in anthropology and geography from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass.

“Leslie’s knowledge of Connecticut’s conservation community, plus her devotion to elevating science and conservation literacy, make her ideally qualified for the job,” said Mr Baptist.  “We can’t wait for her to begin work with us.”