GREENWICH, N.Y. — The Agricultural Stewardship Association (ASA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Laura Kipper as Project Manager. Laura will be responsible for helping to manage new land protection projects and stewardship of existing conserved lands; including identifying and advancing conservation projects, conducting annual visits to conserved lands and assisting with implementing community conservation projects.
Laura is a native of Troy, NY and received bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Geoscience and Anthropology from University at Buffalo (SUNY). Since college she has worked in many different roles, with some of her most memorable jobs studying the primates at the Buffalo Zoo and interning at the Niagara Aquarium. She also completed a fellowship at DEC in the Department of Water and has done conservation stewardship work with Saratoga PLAN. Most recently, Laura worked with Open Space Institute (OSI) as the Palmertown Coordinator helping to develop a recreation and trail hub at the Southern foothills of the Adirondacks and with Saratoga PLAN as a farmland conservation consultant. She also holds a master’s degree in Biodiversity, Conservation and Policy from SUNY Albany where she focused her research on analyzing the food gaps in NYS to help ensure every New Yorker has access to fresh, healthy and affordable food.
Laura’s love for agriculture and farmland protection extends far beyond her professional career. Laura and her husband recently purchased sixty acres of vacant land and forest in the Town of Brunswick (Rensselaer County) with dreams to have their own farm operation in the future.
“Growing up in a suburban/city environment, I was never really exposed to agriculture/farming. In theory, I knew that my food came from a farm, but I never really made those intimate connections. When I took my first internship at a land trust it felt like something just clicked. Six years after that moment, I am now buying my own plot of land with dreams of being a farmer and dedicating my career to farmland conservation. Joining ASA feels like a dream to me. I get to work with and learn from the incredible staff, I’m helping farmers in my community to protect farmland forever, and I’ll help a new generation of farmers get on the land.” Kipper said.
When she isn’t working with ASA, Laura can be found walking the trails on her land with her three dogs and spending too much money at the Troy Farmers’ Market. Welcome to the team, Laura!
ASA has helped more than 155 families conserve over 27,000 acres of working farms and woodlands in Washington and Rensselaer counties. ASA’s mission is to protect our community’s working farms and forests, connect people to the land, and promote a vibrant future for agriculture and forestry in the region. For more information about ASA’s work, visit www.agstewardship.org.
–Agricultural Stewardship Association
