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TOPSHAM — Jerry Bley, of Readfield, has been named the Maine Coast Heritage Trust 2022 Espy Land Heritage Award recipient.
The annual award recognizes an individual, organization, or coalition for exemplary conservation efforts in Maine.
“Jerry has been involved in land conservation in Maine on multiple levels for more than 30 years,” MCHT President and CEO Kate Stookey said. “Throughout his career, he has exhibited a keen ability to effectively collaborate with multiple organizations, municipal leaders, and state agencies to protect large scale tracts, small community parks, and everything in between.”
Warren Whitney, director of MCHT’s Land Trust Program said Bley has also played a leadership role in addressing community conservation needs, climate change resilience, protection of critical resources, and expanding outdoor recreational opportunities. As chair of then-Gov. Angus King’s Land Acquisition Priorities Council in 1997 and co-coordinator of the Maine’s Land Conservation Task Force in 2019, he “shaped Maine’s conservation priorities for decades,” Whitney said.
As principal of Creative Conservation LLC, a land use and environmental consulting business, Bley helps land trusts, families, and individuals develop sound strategies to conserve land. He works with families, sometimes needing to navigate complex family dynamics, to achieve conservation successes. He is also coordinator of the Pierce Pond Watershed Trust and a past president of MCHT.
In honor of Bley, the MCHT board of directors created a fund that awards $5,000 a year to a conservation charity in honor of that year’s Espy Land Heritage Award winner. This year, the financial award will be divided between Pierce Pond Watershed Trust, 7 Lakes Alliance, Forest Society of Maine, Francis Small Heritage Trust and Kennebec Land Trust.
Amy Bley photo
