He also worked with USFWS at the Vero Beach Ecological Services office where he worked to protect threatened and endangered species, while also taking part in the south Florida Coastal Program that included habitat restoration and research projects.Sign up for our newsletter to get submission announcements and stay on top of our best work. Prior to that, Gary was employed by the US Fish And Wildlife Services (USFWS) at Merritt Island NWR where his work included monitoring nesting seas turtles, shorebirds, bald eagle nesting sites, establishing a refuge-wide Florida scrub-jay monitoring program and serving as a wildland fire fighter.
Gary was previously employed with the Ohio Chapter of the Nature Conservancy where he was the project manager of the Big Darby Creek headwaters restoration project and created conservation plans for several TNC nature preserves. During his tenure he has focused on habitat restoration, conservation planning, prescribed fire, mapping and representing TWC within the regional conservation community as liaison to the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity. Gary joined The Wilderness Center in 2008. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Ohio SAF and is the program administrator for the Ohio Tree Farm Program. He has also been recognized on multiple occasions for his contributions to the Society of American Foresters and The Ohio Tree Farm Program. In March of 2021, Adam received the award of "Outstanding Individual in Private Service" in the field of forestry by the Ohio Forestry Association.
His experience and breadth of knowledge make him an invaluable guide for timber harvest administration, long term management planning, property tax programs, and a host of other services that TWC Consulting Forestry offers. Adam is dedicated to aiding private forest land owners with the management of their woodlands. In that time he has developed a startup business into a successful forestry consulting firm which is known throughout Ohio for their contributions to sustainable resource management and development. An environmentally-friendly alternative to modern burial, Foxfield Preserve also preserves natural land and provides sustainable funding for TWC's conservation efforts.Īdam has been with The Wilderness Center since TWC Consulting Forestry was launched in 2007. TWC's conservation burial ground, Foxfield Preserve, brings the peace of nature to those experiencing loss and grief. Through the Backyard Habitat Initiative and Dark Skies Conservation programs, TWC serves as a guide and resource to help our neighbors take small steps toward positive changes for the benefit of our community. TWC also operates a revolving land fund to assist other conservation organizations in obtaining critical parcels of land, and guides the management of nearly 15,000 acres of privately owned forest through TWC Consulting Forestry. What started as a mere 251 acres in 1964 has become more than 3,380 acres of agricultural land, forest, meadow, wetland and prairie in seven counties. TWC teaches the next generation to appreciate our natural world through school classes and educational programs for children and families, while also offering a variety of classes, workshops and clubs to interest learners of all ages, including virtual learning opportunities and programs in the surrounding community. Today, The Wilderness Center remains relevant and continues to stay ahead of the curve through innovative approaches to environmental science education and land conservation. Tom Soehnlen and Bernice McKenzie Frease, a state representative, also contributed toward the purchase. The Stark County Foundation, the Canton Garden Center, Dr. The Timken Foundation donated $67,500 for the purchase of the Sigrist lands and the adjacent Warstler property. Regula cared deeply about the environment and wanted to preserve the property's pristine forests, so he requested a grant from the Timken Foundation to assist King and Fritz with the formation of TWC.
King and Fritz saw that property could effectively serve the surrounding areas, but learned that a strip mining company was also interested.
Although they didn't yet have money to make an offer, when they found out about the Sigrist land, they approached Regula with interest, hope and a concept. Charles King and Arnold Fritz saw the need for a nature center in northeast Ohio. Charles King from Malone College and Arnold Fritz, president of the Canton Audubon Society, The Wilderness Center (TWC) has grown from a dream into a community treasure. Thanks to a humble beginning with the estate of Charlie Sigrist and attorney, retired U.S.