The Delaware Highlands Conservancy is entering a new chapter with a new executive director.

Trey Talley has been named to lead the organization after serving as acting executive director since June, following the departure of longtime director Diane Rosencrance. His appointment took effect Aug. 24.

Talley is only the third executive director in the Conservancy’s more than 30-year history.

The Conservancy has helped protect nearly 19,400 acres across Pennsylvania and New York since its founding in 1994.

Talley joined the organization’s land protection team in 2018 and has spent the past eight years working with landowners, conservation organizations, government agencies and other partners throughout the Upper Delaware River region.

Radio Catskill’s Jason Dole spoke with Talley about taking on the new role and what he sees as the Conservancy’s priorities moving forward.

Talley said the appointment means a great deal to him personally after years of working with the organization and seeing its conservation efforts firsthand.

“I find that deeply inspiring,” Talley said of the Conservancy’s work. “It’s a great honor to help carry on that fantastic legacy.”

The Conservancy’s Board of Directors selected Talley following a national search. Board President Jacqueline Sailer said his experience with land conservation, organizational planning and communities across the Upper Delaware made him a strong choice to lead the organization.

Talley also worked closely with Rosencrance on strategic planning, conservation policy and regional partnerships before becoming acting director.

Rosencrance led the Conservancy for 10 years. During her tenure, the organization protected nearly 5,000 additional acres in Pennsylvania and New York, expanded its staff and established the 144-acre Van Scott Nature Reserve in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania.

Talley said continuing that land-protection work remains a major priority.

The Conservancy has several active land-protection projects and completed two earlier this year.

But Talley said he also wants to expand the organization’s educational work and its connection with residents who may never permanently conserve their property.

“There’s a lot of landowners in this region who maybe don’t want to conserve their land permanently, but they would love to improve the habitat,” Talley told Radio Catskill.

That could mean helping residents improve forests, manage meadows or turn portions of their property into pollinator habitat.

Talley said the Van Scott Nature Reserve can serve as what he called a “living laboratory” where landowners can see conservation and land-management practices that could be replicated at home.

Expanding Public Access

Increasing public use of the Van Scott Nature Reserve is another major part of Talley’s vision.

The 144-acre property includes more than three miles of trails and more than 70 acres of meadows and pollinator habitat. The reserve is open from dawn to dusk.

“One of my big goals is to share this place with more people,” Talley said.

The Conservancy is also looking to work more closely with local schools and student groups while continuing to expand environmental education programs.

The public will have an opportunity to meet Talley during the Conservancy’s annual free Meadow Party on Sept. 19 at the Van Scott Nature Reserve in Beach Lake.

The event will include activities for children and families. Talley and other members of the Conservancy community will also be available for coffee, bagels and conversation from 10 to 11 a.m.

Development Pressure Across the Upper Delaware

Talley is taking over as the Conservancy says development pressure is increasing across the Upper Delaware River region.

In New York, Talley pointed to housing and solar development. In Pennsylvania, he said communities are facing some of the same pressures along with growing interest in data-center development.

Talley said the Conservancy does not consider itself anti-development.

“We are pro-nature and we’re pro-conservation,” he said.

Talley said the goal is to protect areas that provide what he described as natural infrastructure — forests, waterways, wetlands and connected habitats that can improve water quality, reduce flooding and provide habitat for wildlife.

Development may still happen, he said, but thoughtful planning can help preserve the natural resources that make the region distinctive.

“Through careful planning and through sustained effort,” Talley said, communities can protect “those things that are most important and that make this region so special.”

Protecting water quality is a major part of that work.

Talley said erosion and pollution are among the threats facing waterways, while forests and natural areas along streams can help filter runoff and slow stormwater before it reaches rivers and creeks.

Those natural systems, he said, help keep water healthy for both people and wildlife.

Talley lives in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children and said living in the region has deepened his connection to the Conservancy’s mission.

Originally from North Carolina, Talley previously worked with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy through AmeriCorps. He holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago.

Talley said his goal now is to build on three decades of conservation work while expanding the number of people who participate in it.

More information about the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the Van Scott Nature Reserve and the Sept. 19 Meadow Party is available at delawarehighlands.org.