Nature Conservancy Hires Government Relations Director

New position helps the Conservancy advance conservation through legislation and public policy.

Concord, N.H. — Dec. 1, 2006 — Recognizing the influence of public policy decisions on conservation, The Nature Conservancy has decided to markedly increase its conservation efforts in the realm of public policy, and toward that end has hired its first director of government relations.

The Conservancy’s New Hampshire chapter has hired Joel M. Harrington of Concord as director of government relations, a new position that will allow the organization to more effectively participate in a myriad of public policy, finance, and legislative issues.

Harrington is already well-known for conservation policy in New Hampshire. He has served as vice-president of policy for New Hampshire Audubon since 2004, and before that was director of government relations for the New Hampshire Lakes Association. While working for New Hampshire Audubon, Harrington played a key role in brokering the state’s first mercury and sulfur emissions reductions law.

Harrington earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and English from the University of Rhode Island and his law degree from Vermont Law School. He has also worked for law firms in Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., and was a law clerk with the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General for NATO.

“We are very excited both about this new position, and having filled it with someone as well qualified as Joel Harrington,” said Daryl Burtnett, state director of The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire. “The Conservancy has been protecting New Hampshire’s natural heritage since 1961, and over the years we’ve established a solid track record of generating and using the best available science to guide on-the-ground land conservation. But given the pace of development and increasing large-scale threats like climate change and invasive species, we must also advance conservation through legislation and policy at the local, state and national levels. And that’s what Joel will be working on. He’ll be able to draw from expertise throughout The Nature Conservancy, where some of the most innovative practitioners conservation policy are making a lasting impact here in the U.S. and abroad.”

“I couldn’t be more pleased to work on behalf of the people of New Hampshire who benefit from The Nature Conservancy’s half-century work in the Granite State," Harrington said. "The Nature Conservancy is one of the most respected conservation organizations in the state and I hope to build upon the expertise of its dedicated staff and trustees to advance the mission of the organization at the federal, state, and local levels. The work we do in the next 10 years will have a lasting impact on New Hampshire’s landscape and our goal is to keep New Hampshire … New Hampshire.”

Among Harrington’s top priorities will be working with elected officials, agencies and partner organizations to increase public funding for conservation. Another will be working on initiatives aimed at reducing emissions that cause global warming.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Since 1961 The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has helped protect more than 265,000 acres of ecologically significant land and currently owns and manages 28 preserves across the state. For more information, visit www.nature.org/newhampshire.