New
District Foresters join the Maine Forest Service
AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and
Forestry’s Maine Forest Service recently hired two new District Foresters to
serve the people of Washington, Hancock, and Penobscot Counties. Terri Coolong
(Old Town) and Sandy Walczyk (Jonesboro) bring a wealth of experience to the
Maine Forest Service and are expected to contribute to the agency’s efforts to
promote active management of Maine’s woodlands.
Coolong comes to the Maine Forest Service after working 14
years with the Department’s Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), and an even longer
private sector career. She most recently worked in BPL’s downeast district from
Amity to Cutler and west to the Machias River. In addition to being licensed
foresters, Terri and her husband Roger are both licensed land surveyors and own
Coolong Land Surveys, Inc. in Lincoln. She graduated with Highest Distinction
in 1983 from UMaine with a degree in Forest Engineering.
Walczyk attended College of the Atlantic for her
undergraduate degree, where she studied wildlife biology and conservation
policy. Upon graduation, she worked as a wildlife technician on a variety of
research projects for several years. After several years of concentrating on
wildlife biology, she began to see forestry as a more direct way to impact
natural resources management. Walczyk
graduated from UMaine with a Masters of Forestry in 2012 as a member of Xi
Sigma Pi, the Forestry Honor Society. She worked for Seven Islands Land Company
in northern Maine, then returned to work as a consulting forester in Hancock
and Washington Counties.
Coolong can be contacted at 207-215-0679, or terri.r.coolong@maine.gov. Walczyk can be contacted at 207-441-4924, or sandra.l.walczyk@maine.gov.
Maine Forest Service District Foresters provide a variety of
services to Maine people. Their duties include providing technical assistance,
information and education to woodland owners, loggers and foresters; offering
workshops on forest-related topics to students from K-12 and into college; and
helping people comply with the state’s forestry rules.
“We’re very pleased to be able to place qualified foresters
into these positions,” State Forester Doug Denico said. “We look forward to
Terri and Sandy providing services to areas that have been underserved for some
time.”
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NOTE TO EDITORS: The
Maine Forest Service is a bureau of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation
and Forestry. Established in 1891, the Maine Forest Service's mission is to
protect and enhance Maine’s forest resources through forest fire prevention,
technical assistance, education and outreach to a wide variety of audiences,
and enforcement of the state’s forest protection laws. Maine Forest Service
offices are found throughout the state and provide Maine's citizens with a wide
range of forest-related services.
More information on the Maine Forest Service and its
programs is available at: www.maineforestservice.gov
For
more information about the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and
Forestry, go to: http://www.maine.gov/dacf
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