Aimee Dorval was surveying the sandy areas along the Connecticut River for beetles when she noticed the large number of four-wheeler tracks that ran through the area around her. She was there to monitor species of tiger beetle, which are an indicator of environmental health, and the tracks were a sign — a sign not only of the pressures on the beetles’ habitat but of Dorval’s future.

“If somebody had protected that piece of land better, or there was signage up,” she said, trailing off. “Maybe now it is protected, but looking back on it, that’s why I feel like I’m here now and I want to be effective,” Dorval, 42, said as she reflected on the experiences that brought her to her new position as executive director of the Androscoggin Land Trust.  

The Trust hired Dorval in September; the nonprofit’s leaders hope her background in fundraising and outreach will help elevate their efforts in conserving Maine’s land for all Mainers to enjoy. Established in 1989, the Trust stewards, maintains and protects over 5,000 acres of Maine land from Jay to Durham.

While Dorval is not a native Mainer, she attended college in Maine, and later made a decision to move back because she loved the area. She lives in Unity with her partner, two children and a yellow Labrador retriever named Rufus. She also spends time at a family home in Livermore.

Dorval grew up in Coventry, Connecticut, a mostly rural town where nature was central to her life. From a young age, her grandmother helped foster a love for the natural world. She would sit with her and watch the birds as they ate at the feeder and, if they couldn’t identify a bird, they would pull out their trusty field guide.

“She always kept herself educated,” Dorval said. “She weaved in life stories with (the birds). One of her favorite birds were cardinals. Cardinals usually bond for life and she always had stories about bonding and commitment. Those things stayed with me … she was my first environmental teacher.”

Dorval said her father was also a mentor to her; she learned how to hunt from him. While she didn’t anticipate a career in environmental work – in high school she was looking at the medical field – she said she felt a strong calling to work in nature. She received her bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Unity College, located in Unity.

In her career, she has worked as a research assistant for the state of Connecticut and an environmental consultant at Baystate Environmental Consultants in Massachusetts, as an administrative assistant for Unity College, and most recently as a development coordinator and executive assistant at 7 Lakes Alliance in​ ​Belgrade Lakes.

While working in higher education and as a development coordinator, she did fundraising. Fundraising is one of Dorval’s main focuses as ALT’s new executive director. The funds raised by the land trust go toward expenses like maintenance, outreach and legal obligations.

“I’m hoping that in the next few months and years that I can combine my fundraising experience with my conservation experience and then demonstrate to this community some of the importance of that and help expand the outreach and the overall importance of why we need to protect the lands that we have in Maine,” Dorval said.

Jim Pross, an attorney and president of the Trust board of directors, said the board is excited to have someone with Dorval’s background on the team and hopes that because of that, the ALT will be able to reach more people with their message.

“We’re really hoping that Aimee’s experience and background in fundraising will really help us to tap into some of the people in the communities that we serve and connect with them and help them connect to some of the lands that we manage, own and protect,” Pross said.

Outreach is a clear goal of both the Trust and Dorval. She said the Trust’s commitment to social justice was one of the reasons she was drawn to the nonprofit. In June, the Trust published a letter, titled Standing Up for our Communities, which stated that “Staying silent in times of injustice is a privilege. We stand in support of racial equality, and all those who are working to achieve it.”

“We can’t say that the land is for everybody if everybody can’t come to the land,” Dorval said. “There are people in the greater Lewiston-Auburn area that may not be able to go up to Livermore or Jay to visit our lands because they may not have the transportation to do so.”

The Trust’s board’s desire to work for social justice is rooted in the fact that land ownership, conservation and theft have been historically used as tools of oppression, and have contributed to the marginalization of Black, indigenous and people of color. Additionally, social justice advocates say many individuals may not have access to natural lands due to lack of transportation or cannot enjoy natural spaces for reasons including racism, homophobia, transphobia and poverty.

“Another goal of ours that ties into the theme of this year’s annual meeting is to try to find ways to improve our messaging and to use Aimee’s talents to reach out to some of the marginalized communities within the Lewiston and Auburn area, within Androscoggin County,” Pross said.

Pross said due to COVID-19, several events including a river cleanup and river race that typically generate support from the community and local business had to be canceled. Other traditions, like the annual newsletter to members and a yearly meeting, will continue.

Dorval said her favorite thing about Maine’s environment is how varied and diverse the landscape is; the natural environment ranges from the deep woods up north and the agricultural fields in mid-Maine, to the sandy beaches in southern Maine, she said.

“All sections of Maine have these different pieces. I love that I can go just a few hours in any direction and be somewhere new.”

This year’s annual meeting will be held online at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. To register for the event, go to androscogginlandtrust.org/2020-annual-meeting or call the ALT at 207-782-2302 with questions.

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