Jeff Porter to Lead The Nature Conservancy's Massachusetts Board of Trustees

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — January 9, 2009 — Environmental attorney and Wayland resident Jeff Porter has been named the next Chairman of The Nature Conservancy’s Massachusetts Board of Trustees, the organization announced today. Porter is Chairman of the Environmental Law Section at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, a nearly 500 lawyer law firm with offices on both the East and West Coasts and in London.

Porter has served on the Conservancy’s board for four years – including two years as Vice Chairman – providing active leadership on the executive committee, in government relations and in the development of the chapter’s regional and global conservation strategies.

“As a trustee, Jeff has played a leading role in advising the Conservancy’s priorities and government relations strategies, guiding us to legislative opportunities that have significantly advanced our conservation goals,” said Wayne Klockner, director of The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts.

“The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to preserve the diversity of life on earth by protecting the land and waters needed to survive,” said Mr. Porter. “Every day we learn more about the toll we’re taking on our environment, confirming the urgency of The Nature Conservancy’s mission here and abroad. I’m invigorated by the confidence of our superior Board of Trustees and professional staff that as Chairman I can help achieve our goals.”

Porter brings an in-depth knowledge of environmental law to his new role at The Nature Conservancy. He has been recognized as one of the nation’s top environmental lawyers by The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA, and has been a Massachusetts Super Lawyer since the inaugural publication of that list.

Porter also serves on the Board of Directors of the Boston Harbor Island Alliance, working to rehabilitate facilities on Georges and Peddocks Islands, provide affordable “green” transportation to the Boston Harbor Islands, and to develop renewable power for the Islands.

“Jeff has a personal passion for the natural world,” said former Board Chairman Bob Ackerman. “He’ll bring that passion, as well as twenty years of expertise, to his new role at The Nature Conservancy.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.