Adirondack Council Promotes Jackie Bowen to Conservation Director
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – The Adirondack Council has promoted Morrisonville native Jackie Bowen (she/her) to the position of Director of Conservation, where she will lead a team of professionals aiming to protect the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park.
Bowen had been serving as acting director since shortly after the departure of Megan Phillips, who took a job directing planning at the Adirondack Park Agency.
“We are very pleased to have Jackie directing our conservation efforts,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway. “She’s well qualified, highly motivated and a great team-builder. She first joined our conservation department on a two-year fellowship when we were considering an expansion. That team has now doubled in size, while Jackie was proving herself to be the best candidate to lead it.”
Bowen brings five years of Adirondack experience and a master’s in environmental law and policy to this role. She held different positions at the Council before becoming director, where she engaged on a range of environmental issues, including the Boreas classification, recreation on state land, and climate change. She also managed the Council’s Adirondack Farm Micro-Grant and Clarence Petty Conservation Internship programs. Apart from the Council, Bowen also serves on the boards of Champlain Area Trails and Cornell Cooperative Extension – Essex County.
“I have learned and grown with this organization, in part due to great mentorship along the way. And now, I’m excited to be leading the Conservation program at what feels like a truly pivotal time in conservation work,” says Bowen. “The last two years have brought into focus that nature is truly a refuge during trying times (if you can access it) and climate impacts are worsening across the globe. Bountiful, healthy landscapes like the Adirondacks will re-define what a refuge can and must be to humans, flora and fauna during our generation in the face of climate chaos. The work ahead has me ready and energized for this leadership role.”
As conservation director, Bowen will continue to focus on climate issues, while overseeing the Council’s other conservation goals. “I’m grateful to lead our team of five to approach this work, and the range of conservation issues we engage on, through humility, inclusivity, creativity, and boldness.”
Established in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the ecological integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park. It is the largest environmental organization whose sole focus is the Adirondacks.
The Council carries out its mission through research, education, advocacy and legal action. It envisions a Park with clean water and clean air, core wilderness areas, farms and working forests, and vibrant, diverse, welcoming, safe communities. Adirondack Council advocates live in all 50 United States.
For more information:
John Sheehan, Adirondack Council, 518-441-1340
