SRLT Board of Directors
The Board of Directors ensure the continued success of SRLT by setting policies and making decisions to further our mission
Tom Aversa, Chair
Tom was born in Boston and graduated from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has a life-long obsession with birds and all aspects of the natural world. Early work included stints with Massachusetts state parks, Massachusetts Audubon Society and both Boston zoos. Tom relocated to Seattle in 1996 to work as a zookeeper and environmental educator presenting raptor programs at Woodland Park Zoo before moving back to New England in 2010 to settle in central Maine. Previous volunteer work includes assisting The Nature Conservancy, Washington Ornithological Society and Seattle Audubon. He has co-authored four field guides on the birds of the Pacific Northwest . He and his wife Cheryl live in Unity.
Ellen Batchelder, Treasurer
Ellen is a Maine native who had plenty of access to the Maine outdoors growing up. After moving out of state for college, graduate school, and post-doctoral research, she returned as Associate Professor of Biology at Unity College where she taught Introductory, Cell, and Micro biology. She teaches currently at the Ecology Learning Center in Unity.
Ellen appreciates the benefits that a diverse natural ecosystem provides, as well as enjoying the quietness of being in nature. She joined the SRLT Board in 2018 to help preserve that experience for others while being a connected part of the human community. In addition to serving SRLT, she volunteers for several other local organizations.
​
Doug Miller
​
Doug moved to Maine from upstate New York in 1987 to become Superintendent of the Portland Water District. Doug and Nina moved into the watershed in Unity in 2021. As a semi-retired environmental engineer (P.E.) he has a lot to contribute to the Trust. He completed his bachelor and master’s degrees at the University of Connecticut but has continued to keep current in his field up to the present. Currently self-employed as a water and wastewater treatment consultant, he has been employed at various locations across the country as well as working overseas on projects in Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
After purchasing a residence near the Richardson Preserve, Doug became interested in supporting and contributing to SRLT. He and his wife Nina soon began working with the Stewardship Committee and then he was nominated to join our Board. He appreciates the benefits of natural ecosystems and understands how to keep our environment functioning to maximize its benefits for both human and non-human residents. He enjoys being outdoors while fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and contributing to trail maintenance.
​
​
Adrianna Bessenaire
​
Adri grew up outside of Maine, but quickly found happiness in the small town of Unity after travelling as a wildlife technician throughout the country. For four years following graduation from Unity College with a Bachelor's in Wildlife Biology in 2016, she was involved in conservation and research of many species including Greater Sage Grouse, Spruce Grouse, red squirrel, white-tailed deer and various songbirds and waterfowl. Her passion for the outdoors, forestry, and wildlife habitat conservation rings true in her efforts to steward, discover, and protect wild lands for all species (including humans) to enjoy. She currently maintains seasonal positions with Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Bureau of Parks and Lands.
Jonathan Milne
Jonathan has worn many hats during his 30 years in the conservation world. From park ranger in Oregon and at Baxter State Park, from land stewardship roles with the Nature Conservancy, Boothbay Region Land Trust, and the 7 Lakes Alliance to outdoor educator for the United States Navy and Colby College. He is humbled to work alongside this dedicated group to conserve land and help tell the story of this amazing region.
​
Tyler C. Hadyniak
​
Tyler Charles Hadyniak grew up in Freedom, Maine, and graduated with honors from Mount View High School, Class of 2011; the University of Maine at Farmington, Class of 2015; and the University of Maine School of Law, Class of 2018.
Before opening his solo practice in Freedom, Tyler was in private practice at Jackson & MacNichol, in South Portland, Maine; and Mailloux and Marden, P.A., in Belfast, Maine. He emphasizes in his practice veterans disability and family law. He has memorialized the beginning of his legal career in his December 2020 published book, There and Back Again: America Through the Eyes of a Traveling Veterans Disability Attorney. He has been interviewed for his veterans disability expertise by local media -- including Maine Public Radio, WSCH Channel 6, and WABI Channel 5 -- and national media like CNN's Michael Smerconish.
He served as a University of Maine System trustee from 2012 to 2014. He helped manage a western Maine state senator's campaigns in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. In 2024, he was recognized by the Maine Law Court for his pro bono legal work, including but not limited to helping Ukrainian refugees resettle in Maine.
He is chairman of the Freedom Planning Board, writes the Freedom column for The Midcoast Villager, and is on the Board of Directors for the Freedom Community Historical Society and the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust. In 2022 and 2023 he chaired the Town of Freedom Charter Commission, which drafted a constitution for the town 210 years after it was incorporated.
When not working, you can find him reading, playing ice hockey, running, or planning his next road trip. He lives in his hometown with his wife, Catherine, and daughter, Sophia.
Dana Ward
​
“Dan" and his wife, Julia Karet, purchased land in Unity in 1975 and were married there the following year. Inspired by Scott Nearing's Living the Good Life, In 1985, Dan started building a passive solar, round, stone house, and has been adding to the homestead ever since. Dan taught political science at Pitzer College in Claremont, California from 1982 until retirement in 2012, including two year stints teaching in Japan and China, as well as a sabbatical year in Vietnam, a Fulbright in Turkey, and frequent excursions to Latin America. Dan and Julia now spend half the year in Unity and half in Claremont. Appropriate technology, horizontal organization, decentralized systems, participatory democracy, and ecology have been decades-long interests pursued alongside research in American politics and political psychology.
STAFF
