Board Members

Bill Durkin:  Bill is the President for The Friends. Bill has a true passion for environmental education, experiential learning, resource protection and land conservation. He has been connecting people to places for decades and his foundation for the appreciation of the environment lies in understanding the natural world and the interactions that the human population has with it. A significant tool in the protection of natural resources lies in educating the public via passive recreation, surveying wildlife habitats, ecology education, viewing farmlands and working landscapes, investigating water quality issues and systems thinking. Bill owned and managed a travel agency/tour operation company for decades and the experience of operating a small business has been invaluable. He has designed and coordinated complex international tours for schools and universities to destinations around the world with a focus on ecotourism.  

Bill has been on the Friend's Board for 30 years, serving as President the past 10. He has appeared before the U.S. House Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C. numerous times over the years requesting funding for Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. In 2012, The Friends, The Trust for Public Land and The Kennebunkport Conservation Trust were successful in securing $3 Million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and, with the team, privately fundraised $2.2M to help purchase 98 acres of pristine coastal habitat at Timber Point, an iconic parcel in the Little River Division at the refuge. Due to The Friends work, thousands of acres have been conserved leading to significant wildlife habitat protection. 

Bill's first introduction to Maine (originally form Philadelphia) was back in 1974 in a Field Biology and Ecology course in Dixmont. He graduated from St. Francis College/UNE with a B.S. in Environmental Science and later a Master of Science Teaching in Environmental Education from Antioch New England University. He co-authored the Open Space Plan for the City of Biddeford and also co-wrote a grant for the City to buy parkland for recreational use and wetland protection. He has been an advocate of Biddeford's River Walk and the Downtown Development Commission. His travel agency/tour operation business was in Biddeford for 22 years. He has a working relationship (volunteer) with various land conservation groups across the state. When able, Bill is out mountain biking, skiing, hiking and kayaking all over Maine, but, in particular, he treasures walking Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge trails with his wife Donna.

Glenn Evans:   Glenn Evans is the Vice President for The Friends. Glenn has served on the Friends Board of Directors for many years. He was the founding Vice President of the organization in 1987 and its second President when it incorporated in October, 1989. He wrote and edited the Friends newsletter for many years.  

Glenn received a BA in Biology from Colgate University in 1981 and a Master's Degree in Teaching (MAT) from Colgate in 1983. His Master's Thesis involved studying an acidified lake in the Adirondacks. While working on his Master's Degree he was instrumental in getting Colgate's Environmental Studies Program started.

Glenn taught for and directed environmental education programs for several years at various locales throughout New England and New York including at Ocean Park, Maine. In 1990 he and his wife Marianne Warner became caretakers for Maine Audubon's recently acquired Hamilton Sanctuary where he helped write the management plan and participate in the development of the Sanctuary over the ensuing years. The position also involved caring for Audubon's nearby Newman Sanctuary in Georgetown, Maine.  He also started teaching middle and high school science in Maine public schools which he continues to do today at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, Maine where he primarily teaches biology. While teaching at Mt. Ararat Glenn developed a close working relationship with the Topsham-based Cathance River Education Alliance (CREA) and the Cathance River Preserve where he's taken numerous students to complete environmental research and present their findings to the public. He also has mentored after school science programs at Mt. Ararat for many years including Science Olympiad, Science Bowl, and Seaperch Aquatic Robotics.  

Glenn and his wife Marianne continue to be caretakers for Maine Audubon, residing at the Hamilton Sanctuary where they successfully raised their twin daughters Morgana and Hilary. In his spare time Glenn enjoys vegetable gardening, hiking, cooking, playing music, and observing nature. 

Ward Feurt:  Ward is the Treasurer for The Friends. He retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2018. He worked for the Service for 44 years in the Southeast, Southwest and Northeast. He was Assistant Refuge Supervisor for refuges in the Northeast prior to serving as Refuge Manager at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. He is on the Executive Committee at Kennebunkport Conservation Trust for the new Meadow Woods Preserve. Ward is married to Christine Feurt, who serves as the Coastal Training Program director at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Their daughter teaches 5th grade in Salem, Massachusetts.  

Patricia Gardner:  Patti is the Secretary for The Friends. She earned her B.S. at the University of Maine in Parks, Recreation & Tourism, and has worked in the tourism, interpretive education and retail fields. Patti is a committed wildlife and land conservation advocate and has special childhood ties to Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, specifically the Moody Division near where her grandparents resided on Moody Beach. She currently resides in the woods of southern Maine with her husband, young daughter, dog and flock of chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, all things fiber arts, hiking and foraging.

Natalie Lord:  Natalie grew up adventuring throughout the salt marshes of Braveboat Harbor in Kittery Point, Maine. A childhood spent exploring this division of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge has led her to a career as a marine science educator. One of her greatest passions is to share the magic of the outdoors and the marine environment with others. She believes in the power of experiential education to cultivate a habit for lifelong learning and environmental stewardship. Natalie is pursuing an MS at the University of New Hampshire in Natural Resource Management and hopes to use the degree for a career in sustainable aquaculture in Maine and beyond. 

Katie Conroy:  Katie grew up in Brooklyn, New York, but now calls Maine her home. She has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Clark University and a Master’s degree in Marine Conservation and Policy from Stony Brook University. Before settling down in Maine, she worked across the country on a variety of marine conservation and education projects. She is excited to be part of The Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. 

Sarvi Maisak:  Sarvi earned a BS in Microbiology and a Master’s in Public Health from Westminster College, with an emphasis on environmental health. She previously worked as a researcher for the CDC and occasionally teaches microbiology courses at York County Community College. She also serves as a board member and a volunteer of the Cape Elizabeth Food Pantry. Some of her time also goes to trying to conserve undeveloped spaces for future generations. She fell in love with Maine when she moved here from the West Coast in 2011 and her passion for the outdoors grows more every day with all the natural beauty Maine has to offer. In her spare time, you can find her hiking, kayaking, cycling, or swing dancing with her husband and two small children.

Anne Post Poole:  Anne was the chief librarian for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 19 years. She worked out of the Service’s premier training center – the National Conservation Training Center – in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  She moved to Maine in 2016 to be with her husband, Matt Poole, who is the visitor services manager at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.  Her last year included a year-long detail to help manage data and provide outreach services for the Northeast Region’s public affairs office. After leaving the Service, Anne worked for a year at the UNH Library before she stopped working completely in 2019.  She is a graduate of U. Mass Amherst (BA – English) and Catholic U. (MS in Library and Information Science).  She is a frequent visitor to the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge along with many other public lands where she loves to photograph, hike, and spend time with family.   

Bob Hamblen:  Bob joined The Friends of Rachel Carson Board in 2019. He is a retired city planner, having worked for the City of Saco most recently. Bob is a long-time supporter of the natural world and human participation in it. He’s the past president of both the Eastern Trail Alliance and the Eastern Trail Management District, and a long-time member of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Bob is a member of the newly created Saco Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and serves on the Maine Trails Coalition Leadership Council, and the York County Trails group. A long-time interest was fulfilled in 2019 when he became a certified Master Gardener through the University of Maine Extension Service. In his spare time, you can find Bob reading, sea kayaking and bicycling.

Jeanne Walsh: Jeanne recently joined The Friends of the Rachel Carson NWR Board after having moved back to Maine from Sanibel Island, Florida where she managed the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Nature Store and Lecture Series working very closely with Fish & Wildlife staff. A graduate of Georgetown University, she and her husband raised their family in Connecticut and in Bermuda where they lived for 5 years then back to the states where their youngest attended Cape Elizabeth High School. Jeanne is passionate about wildlife, enjoying the birds, gardens and her trail cam videos at their home in West Kennebunk. She is excited about the Friends’ mission to engage the public at the wonderful new facility on Brown Street.