In January, Delaware Highlands Conservancy welcomed two new staff members.
Avery Siler joins the Conservancy as Land Protection Associate. Avery’s primary responsibilities 
are to assist with land protection projects by working with contractors to complete due diligence and helping prepare baseline documentation. She will also be coordinating the Regional Conservation Projects Partnership and working on other Natural Resources Conservation Service programs.
In 2015, Avery interned with the Kennebec Land Trust in central Maine, working on stewardship and outreach projects for their fee-owned preserves, returning the following summer as a Conservation Assistant focusing on property monitoring and assisting with their accreditation process. She received a B.A. in Art History with a minor in Geology from the College of William and Mary.
Cindy Taylor joins the Conservancy as Stewardship Associate. Cindy’s primary responsibilities are to manage annual visits to the Conservancy’s protected properties, ensuring the conservation goals of the agreements are upheld, and to communicate with landowners about environmental questions and inquiries related to their conservation easement. She also coordinates the Conservancy’s grants and funding opportunities.
Previously, Cindy worked as a research specialist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a field research assistant at La Suerte Biological Field Station in Costa Rica, and as a naturalist for The Great Basin Institute in Reno. She also contributed to multiple conservation research studies throughout her education in Pennsylvania and Alabama. Cindy has a Bachelor of Science in biology from Ursinus College and a Master of Science in geography from The University of Alabama.
