Soil scientist and climate strategist Franklin Egan and conservation easement donor David Litke are the two newest Trustees of the Centre County Farmland Trust. Both were elected at the November 17 CCFT annual meeting to a three-year and one-year term, respectively.
Egan, a Boalsburg resident, worked with the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture for several years before co-founding RegenAll, a non-profit to help local businesses and governments work through climate action planning.
Egan worked a few years ago with the Centre Region Council of Governments on a local climate action plan for State College and surrounding communities. He was energized by that process and “jumped at the chance” to serve on the CCFT Board of Trustees.
Farmland preservation is an enormous lever from the perspective of local climate planning, he says.
"Well-managed farmland can sequester carbon dioxide in healthy soils and can also help landscapes be more resilient in the face of the extreme temperatures and precipitation that climate change will bring to our region,” says Egan.
"Well-managed farmland can sequester carbon dioxide in healthy soils and can also help landscapes be more resilient in the face of the extreme temperatures and precipitation that climate change will bring to our region,” says Egan.
“By constraining suburban sprawl, preserved farmland can push communities to make better choices about housing and transportation. Over time, encouraging smaller, more dense homes and shorter commutes and daily travel will have an enormous effect on greenhouse gas pollution and climate change."
David Litke
David Litke, helicopter pilot and owner of Polarblast sand-blasting company who donated a conservation easement on 55 acres of farmland off Blanchard Street in Bellefonte, joins the board in January. Litke served in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam as an air evacuation medic. He built his own helicopter from a kit and obtained his pilot’s license. He is concerned about farmers having access to land suitable for farming and wants to see his fields continued to be farmed, rather than be developed into houses or apartment buildings.
Linda Friend & Catherine Smith Re-Elected
Linda Friend (left) and Catherine Smith (right) were re-elected to three-year terms. Friend is retired from Penn State, a Penns Valley resident with experience in sheep and beef cattle farming who is committed to conservation best practices and farmland preservation. She also volunteers for PAWS and serves on the board of the AAUW in State College.
Catherine F. Smith lives near Spring Mills on 68 acres farmed for more than two centuries. She and John Smith manage their farm, ChicoryLane (chicorylane.com), for ecology, diversity, habitat protection, waterway protection, and aesthetic appreciation as guided by goals set in a conservation easement held ClearWater Conservancy. Catherine is a retired Professor Emerita of English in Professional Communication, University of North Carolina-East Carolina.
To learn more about all of the CCFT Trustees, please visit: https://www.centrecountyfarmlandtrust.org/who-we-are
Comments