Your Board of Directors for Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy
The Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy (HTLTC) is pleased to have a dedicated board of volunteer directors. Here they are:
Max Morden
Max Morden, of Grand Bend, has a strong interest in work to protect the environment locally and globally. He says we are all trustees and stewards of the natural world around us. Max said the concept of a land trust is a simple yet powerful tool to convey this vision of trusteeship and stewardship. He says the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy gives landowners a practical way to leave a lasting local land legacy.
He has been co-owner of Morden Communications Inc. since 1994. Before that he was a lawyer with Eberhard, Morden Associates in London between 1979 and 1994, providing legal services in the areas of corporate law, real estate, wills, and estates. He worked in corporate litigation with Ivey & Dowler from 1973-1978.
He has a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of Western Ontario.
He has been very active in the community, having served as a member of the Rotary Club of Grand Bend including as Secretary.
Max served with the Grand Bend Area Community Health Centre from 2007 to 2013, having served as Chair from 2010 to 2012. He served as Co-Chair of the Lakeshore Eco-Network when it began in 2014 and he continues his service with them as a director.
Max is Chair of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy.
Roger Lewington
Roger Lewington, of Bayfield, is owner of RPL Properties and served for many years in general management and sales management positions with divisions of Saint-Gobain Corporation.
He is Past President of the Bayfield and Area Chamber of Commerce and has served in executive positions with community groups in the heritage, conservation, and recreation areas.
Roger says the land trust conservancy is a wonderful opportunity to secure and protect lands for the benefit of future generations.
Roger is Past Chair of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy.
Alison Lobb
Alison Lobb taught in the business division, at the former Centralia College of Agricultural Technology, for more than 20 years. She operated the Small Business Enterprise Centre in Seaforth for 15 years as a business consultant for the County of Huron. She has operated Lobb Entrepreneurship for more than 25 years, helping small business owners with record-keeping software. She is West Ward Councillor for the Municipality of Central Huron and has served as a municipal councillor for 25 years. She has been a Maitland Valley Conservation Authority director for more than 20 years and is a Past Chair. Her active involvement in community projects and conservation work has been extensive. She is a cash crop farmer in the Municipality of Central Huron in the former Goderich Township.
Jessica Smeekens
Jessica Smeekens is a Registered Professional Forester from Thedford. She is founder of Auxsable Forestry. She also runs Thedford Native Plants, a native plant nursery, with her sister, Sarah Smeekens.
Jessica is the Vegetation Services Coordinator for the West Region of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. In her work with the Ministry, she works to transition highways from non-native species into suitable native species and to combat the ongoing spread of invasive Phragmites and other non-native species.
Jessica said she loves the biodiversity and climate of southern Ontario and gets outside as often as she can in order to enjoy all four seasons. She grew up in Lambton Shores and deeply cares about local ecosystems.
Kerry Teskey
Kerry Teskey grew up on his family’s farm near Orillia and he now lives in Grand Bend.
He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Grand Bend and he serves as President-Elect.
He attended the University of Guelph, where he earned a degree in Agriculture with a specialization in Crop Science. During his studies, Kerry financed his education by growing and selling sweet corn on the family farm.
After graduation, he spent more than 30 years working for the DuPont Company in various roles related to vegetation management and crop protection, spanning across Canada and the United States.
Throughout his career, Kerry maintained a strong interest in botany and environmentalism. He and his family share a passion for the preservation of the environment and the region’s natural and historical heritage.
Paul Spittal
Paul Spittal, of Bayfield, is a retired educator who taught with the Avon Maitland District School Board, and the former Huron County Board of Education, between 1972 and 2003.
Paul has served as a president of the Goderich and Seaforth Lions Clubs.
He was a past councillor with Tuckersmith Township, prior to amalgamation into the Municipality of Huron East. Paul enjoyed working on the Huron East Recreation Board and the Heritage Committee.
He and his wife Joan restored a heritage farm property near Egmondville by planting more than 10,000 trees to reduce erosion into the Bayfield River and to help enrich the farmland there. He enjoys seeing how the trees at that property have grown today.
He has a Master of Education from University of Western Ontario. He also graduated from University of Waterloo and Stratford Teachers’ College.
Paul has been very active in his community, having served as a member of a number
of community organizations including: Community Living Central Huron; Goderich and Seaforth Lions Clubs; Huron East Recreation Board; Huron East Heritage Committee; and on Parish Council of Trinity Anglican Church Bayfield. Paul said he is looking forward to working with people in the historic area of the Huron Tract to permanently protect important natural areas.
Steve Bowers
Steve Bowers, of the Brussels area, is a retired forester and was previously a stewardship coordinator with the Ontario Stewardship Program of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
He currently owns and manages a 100-acre forested property and he owned and operated a livestock farm for a number of years.
He has served in executive and membership roles in several community groups involved in conservation and recreation.
Steve says land trusts are valuable tools to protect significant natural heritage features and he is pleased this tool is now available locally.
Don Farwell
Don Farwell, of Stratford, is a long-time educator who served for 26 years as a Principal with the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board.
He is also a Master Gardener and is leading a program to establish pollinator pathways through Stratford.
He has served in executive and membership roles of groups related to teaching, youth, and horticulture.
The relationship between humans and nature has long interested him and Don says groups like land trusts can help to prevent further degradation of the natural environment.
Philip Walden
Philip Walden is a lawyer from the Thedford area with offices in Forest, Parkhill, and Thedford.
His knowledge of the southern part of the Huron Tract region is an asset to the board. Also, his many years in the legal profession has proven very helpful to the Trust as it has progressed in the protection of the environment through land donations from individuals and donations of funds from individuals designated to purchase and maintain significant environmental properties.
Philip says he is pleased to have been asked to be a director of the Huron Tract Land Trust Conservancy.