From the Ground Up: Conservation in New England

Beginning with Habitat: Advancing Conservation in Maine’s Most Important Landscapes - Justin Schlawin

An article written and read by Justin Schlawin. Justin Schlawin coordinates and directs Beginning with Habitat, a program of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Justin supervises staff; promotes collaboration with steering committee members and partners; advances landscape-scale initiatives; and facilitates the delivery of technical assistance on habitat conservation and management to municipalities, conservation partners, and private landowners. Justin lives with his family in Bowdoinham, Maine. Read the full article here [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/archive/beginning-with-habitat]. Discover additional content in the Summer 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up. [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/issue-11]

Bookshelf: Numinosity: A New England Forester’s Search for the Ineffable by Robert T. Perschel - Liz Thompson

A book recommendation read by Liz Thompson. Liz Thompson, Managing Editor of From the Ground Up, is an ecologist from Vermont who has explored, photographed, written about, and helped conserve many wild places. She serves on the board of Northeast Wilderness Trust. Read the book recommendation [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/bookshelf/numinosity-a-new-england-foresters-search-for-the-ineffable-by-robert-t-perschel] and discover additional content in the Summer 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up. [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/issue-11]

Another Epistle to Be Left in the Earth - Robert T. Perschel

A poem written and read by Robert T. Perschel Robert (Bob) Perschel joined the New England Forestry Foundation in April 2012 and retired in 2024. In his 40 years as an environmental professional, he has worked on forestry, large landscape conservation, and wilderness issues. Bob worked for the forest industry before establishing his own forestry consulting business and founding the Land Ethic Institute. He then worked in leadership positions for The Wilderness Society and Forest Stewards Guild. Bob has a master’s degree in forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a psychology degree from Yale College. Read the short poem here [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/archive/another-epistle-to-be-left-in-the-earth] and discover additional content in the Summer 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up. [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/issue-11]

A Climb to the Sky: Discovering Biodiversity on a Maine Mountain - Christopher Reidy

An article written and read by Christopher Reidy. Christopher Reidy is a Forest Ecologist with the Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP). He assists with the collection of botanical and ecological information to help document the occurrence and condition of rare plant populations and natural communities with a focus in northern Maine. He works closely with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and is responsible for coordinating the collection and management of monitoring data on state-owned Ecological Reserves to evaluate their condition and long-term trends in forest composition and structure. Before joining MNAP, he spent more than 29 years as a biologist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, serving in Maine, Oregon, Michigan, New York, Indiana, and Alaska. See the photos and read the full article here [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/archive/a-climb-to-the-sky]. Discover additional content in the Summer 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up. [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/issue-11]

Cultivating Biodiversity: A Soil Profile of a New England Farm - Joshua T. Anderson

A feature article written and read by Joshua T. Anderson. Joshua T. Anderson [https://www.joshuatanderson.com/] is a writer from rural North Dakota committed to foodways and flyways. His featured article on the intersection of soil health and human health appears in the fall issue of Earth Island Journal [https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/soil-care-home-care-great-plains], and his creative nonfiction essay on the dominance of the sugar industry in North Dakota’s Red River Valley appears in Open Space [https://northamericanreview.org/open-space/2025/joshua-t-anderson/adventures-sugarland] (the online journal of North American Review). Josh is the co-founder of the Flyway Institute, which brings artists to rural communities in support of conservation efforts throughout North America’s migratory flyways. His first narrative nonfiction book, Soil Horizons, will be published in 2027 by Plainspoken Books. Read the full article [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/archive/cultivating-biodiversity] and discover additional content in the Summer 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up. [https://www.fromthegroundupne.org/issue-11]