The Board of Directors of the Mahoosuc Land Trust (MLT) has announced the appointment of Kirk G. Siegel of Albany Township, as Executive Director.
Kirk was a co-founder of the Mahoosuc Land Trust in 1988 and served as its first president from 1989 to 1992. During that period, MLT incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, hired staff and began acquiring conservation easements and fee properties. Kirk became legal counsel for the organization after receiving his law degree from the University of Maine School of Law in 1997 and clerking in the Maine Supreme Court in 1998.
A land conservation attorney who for two decades has completed successful projects throughout the state ranging in size from 10,000 plus acres to small Androscoggin River islands, Kirk embraces the land trust’s vision of conserving natural areas to benefit the communities of the Mahoosuc Region. “Our natural lands are a backbone of our economy and quality of life,” he says. “In the coming months, my colleague Barbara Murphy and I look forward to meeting with members and friends at their clubs, schools or kitchen tables, and hearing their views on keeping our work vital and relevant, and sharing our vision of community conservation.”
Kirk has spent over 30 years as a tireless advocate for outdoor recreation and trails, as a coach for Telstar Middle School and Gould Academy Nordic teams and as a volunteer for Bethel Village Trails and Mahoosuc Pathways. He and his wife, Martha, log many miles on the region’s hiking trails and ski tracks, fostering a keen awareness of the importance of stewarding the area’s natural resources and the multiple benefits they provide.
A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, Kirk received his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1982. He has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Bethel Outing Club, Gould Academy and the U.S. Biathlon Association.
Kirk will begin work at MLT on a part-time basis beginning in 2018 and will assume full-time duties in July. During this interim period, he will continue as a partner at Siegel & Crockett, P.C., managing the firm’s real estate title and closing operation, and passing the reigns to the real estate attorney whom the firm will introduce to the community this month.
Kirk’s office hours at MLT’s Valentine Conservation Center will be announced prior to Jan. 1.