Midcoast Conservancy has welcomed Patricia Nease and Andrew Moriarity as its Maine Conservation Corps Environmental Stewards focused on lands and waters in its service area. MCC stewards volunteer for a 45-week, 1700-hour term of national service. They serve individually with nonprofits, state or federal agencies to increase organizational volunteer capacity and aid in the development and implementation of host sites land management plans.

Midcoast Conservancy’s MCC Railsback Fellow Patricia Nease hails from Michigan, where she fell in love with aquatic ecology. The Railsback Fellowship was created to honor Alan Railsback, the late founder of the Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association (now a part of Midcoast Conservancy). The MCC Railsback Fellow furthers Railsback’s legacy of passionate protection of midcoast Maine’s waters.

Nease joins Midcoast Conservancy after completing her master’s of science in fisheries at Purdue University. While in graduate school, Nease became interested in community engagement and science communication. During her year of service at Midcoast Conservancy, she hopes to explore both passions, working with the community and aquatic systems. Many of Patricia's hobbies involve making use of the outdoor opportunities in Maine

MCC Land Steward Andrew Moriarity grew up in Sanford, Maine. He studied at the University of New Hampshire in Durham and graduated in 2018 with a B.S. in environmental conservation and sustainability and a focus in forest ecology. Andrew has completed two prior AmeriCorps terms, first serving with a conservation trust in lakes region New Hampshire and then with a state park in mid-Hudson, New York. He is proud to return with the knowledge and experience he has gained to serve in his home state, the place that taught him to love wildlife and the natural environment.

Moriarity says, “I’ve always felt a connection with the natural world around me. Growing up, going outside was a way for me to relax and clear my head; when I was younger it was walking the jetty on Drakes Island or Wells Beach. In college if I ever got stressed because of classwork and finals, I would take a walk in the woods on campus (sometimes even in rain or snow) just to get my mind off of things for a while. This work, in the world of conservation and stewardship, is not only a way for me to enjoy what I do. It is a way for me to do my part, to insure that future generations can enjoy the environment the way I do.”