We’re thrilled to introduce you to Clara Franzoni, PRLT’s brand new Regional Land Trust Fellow from Greater Portland Council of Governments’ Resilience Corps! The Resilience Corps is a fellowship program hosted by GPCOG in partnership with AmeriCorps and the Environmental Protection Agency designed to build capacity in our region at the municipal and nonprofit level. Fellows gain job experience and build their professional networks while receiving training, mentorship, and professional development in their desired field of future work. Clara will be with us for 11 months and will be working on water quality monitoring, trail stewardship, outreach events, and volunteer recruitment.
Clara recently earned a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in both Environmental Conservation & Sustainability and International Affairs. Throughout her college career, she held environmental public outreach and naturalist roles with Connecticut State Parks and New Hampshire Sea Grant, as well as worked as an undergraduate research assistant at UNH's Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Lab. She also studied abroad in New Zealand through the EcoQuest Centre, conducting field research on benthic invertebrates in local wetlands affected by flooding.
Get to know Clara with us:
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Clinton, Connecticut, right on Long Island Sound. I spent much of my childhood on the water, whether that be on sailboats, looking for crabs at low tide, or kayaking and paddleboarding with friends. My parents always encouraged me to get outside and involved—my mom recently joined the board of Clinton Land Trust, so I’m no stranger to land trust events as well. I went to school at the University of New Hampshire and loved finding ways to get out on the water with friends within the Seacoast/Southern Maine area.
What’s your favorite PRLT property?
I am going to be spending a lot of time at the Mill Brook Preserve during alewife migration season, so I am excited to explore that property more and witness the river as a migration route. I recently visited Rivermeadow Nature Preserve and loved how beautiful the river and boardwalks looked with fresh snow. I am excited to explore more PRLT sites as the year continues!
What’s your favorite way to get outside?
Walking and hiking near the water are the simplest and best ways for me to reconnect with nature. When I’m at home, I love to hike with my dogs, but any way I can get out and explore near a body of water is really special for me. I also got SCUBA certified last May and completed some open water dives at Nubble Lighthouse, so hopefully I can get some more dives done when it gets warmer too!
How else do you spend your time outside of work?
I just moved to Portland in January, so I am excited to explore the area more. I love listening to live music, thrifting, reading, and taking pictures, and I hope to do that more since moving to Maine. In the summer, I’m hoping to go surfing, camping, and explore new trails and hiking spots too!
Quick! What’s your favorite…
Mountain – Rahotu (Mitre Peak) on Milford Sound on the South Island of New Zealand.
River – Hammonasset River! I used to run environmental canoeing programs through the basin of this river as a seasonal employee of Meigs Point Nature Center.
Craft project – I’ve been into junk journaling: I love collecting and thrifting postcards, prints, and stickers from anywhere I go to decorate my room and journal.
Podcast – The Broski Report with Brittany Broski, or Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
Poet – Does Homer count? (I’ve been rereading The Odyssey to prep for the Christoper Nolan movie). Also, I grew up on Shel Silverstein and will always hold his books close to my heart.
Travel destination – Martha’s Vineyard
Musician – I’m currently attempting to get tickets to see Harry Styles in concert again… he’ll always be one of my favorites. I also saw Mt. Joy in concert for the second time this fall, and they are the best!
In one sentence, why PRLT?
Local land trusts like PRLT inspire and support people in environmental conservation (like me!), igniting a passion for stewardship of our water and land resources across generations.
How do we reach you?
clara@prlt.org