Well-qualified BCONE webmaster, and more, eager to take the baton from Boyle this spring…and run with it. 

By Steve Dwyer 

The only constant in life is change, which happens to be afoot at BCONE with the installation of Anne Lazo as executive director-elect and Michele Hurley as assistant to the director. 

Lazo has accumulated years of experience with BCONE, as she’s been a part of the working team since almost the organization's inception. During this time, BCONE has benefitted from her years of results-driven experience as the Chief Executive Officer at Eagle Soars Consulting and Motorhead Advantage. 

It's within these CEO positions that Anne directly manages the building of brand awareness for clients, with a focus on creating greater loyalty with employees, vendors and customers. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Her more than 36 years of professional experience will permeate the BCONE organization as Lazo prepares to succeed outgoing Executive Director Susan Boyle, who announced her retirement in 2022 and is effective this spring. 

One word for the transition is “bittersweet” to Anne and the entire organization. To Lazo, Sue has been a friend and a mentor, and her imprint on BCONE operations will be lasting. On the flip side, Anne knows the show must go on and is excited about this golden opportunity. And why not: it was Sue who tapped her to take over the post. 

“Sue approached me earlier in 2022 and asked about my interest in the ED post,” recalls Lazo, who was officially appointed during the Fall 2022 BCONE Board of Directors meeting. “At first, I thought she was kidding.” 

It's no joke, and one key reason is this: “I’ve worked with BCONE since almost the start, know the organization, I’ve read every word ever e-blasted or put on social media about BCONE, and know the lay of the land. I have such a passion for the organization,” says Lazo, who, among other roles, has been BCONE’s webmaster. She also is closely affiliated with the New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association and the New York City Brownfield Partnership. 

“What’s exciting is that BCONE gets stronger each year -- and I can’t wait to form an even closer relationship with our new leadership team:  President Melina Ambrosino and VPs Almariet Roberts and Nancy Struzenski.” 

Turning A Page 

Anne Lazo will be ably assisted by Michele Hurley, a 1992 Boston College alum with a degree in business management and marketing. Regarded as “a very detail-oriented and organized person, Michele has worked in the marketing department for an environmental company and as an administrative assistant for a stock brokerage firm. After a few years, she told me that she opted to pursue a career in education as she had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. 

“I’ve also been told that my patience and ability to multitask -- think 15 preschoolers at once -- will serve me well. I am excited to be part of this innovative team,” she notes. 

Meanwhile, Anne looks forward to working with Melina, Almariet and Nancy, adding that “my goals are aligned with the leadership team. I was able to see their leadership and organization styles when Tiesha Green and I worked with them on the 2022 NSCW. One way I can complement the strengths of the leadership team is with my skills that have been cultivated on the business end of the equation.”

Melina, on the other hand, had established an affinity for financial services, tax credit strategies and serving in consulting mode for developers. Anne says she’s eager to use her business acumen to build membership and recruit a new breed of professionals to join BCONE, starting with engagement at live or virtual events. 

“One goal is to break out our messaging. Find out why our members joined BCONE and use it to make BCONE appealing to others. Everyone joins for different reasons. We want to engage our members and get them to articulate their ‘why.’” We aim to attract more professionals across different industry groups like attorneys, architects, lenders, insurance companies and more. We’re eager to hone our messaging to accomplish that goal. It would also be ideal to have more of our members write stories for our digital platform.” 

Hurley landed at BCONE in early 2023, as “a friend of a friend of a sister-in-law mentioned that she had heard of an opening at BCONE and that it was a very flexible position -- she thought of me.” 

Michele contacted Melina, and “we had a fantastic initial conversation. She set up an interview with the board. I did some homework of my own and learned about brownfield redevelopment. Some of the names, both individual and company, sounded familiar; in fact, one of the companies was a client of my late husband. (Tragically, Michele lost her husband in March of 2020 “very suddenly and unexpectedly.”) 

“BCONE is something he would have supported and maybe even been a part of,” says Michele.  “When offered the job as an executive administrative assistant, it was a very easy decision for me. I look forward to learning more about the industry he was passionate about and working with an incredibly talented and diverse team of professionals.” 

BCONE is “not only supportive and encouraging but makes me feel like an integral part of the team. I am especially interested in the Education & Scholarship committee and hope to become more involved in that aspect,” she says.  

Committees, Events Power Up 

BCONE committees and events are poised to become even more comprehensive and formidable each year, and Anne plans to work with Almariet to continue cultivating that effort. 

With oversight from the Executive Team, the Marketing Committee, for instance, is crafting BCONE-specific messaging as a recruitment mechanism, honing in on ways to enlist additional members and sponsors across all industries that participate in redevelopment projects. Almariet plans to work with all the committees to ensure they are supported,” Anne says.  

Examples would be to recruit municipalities that have properties for redevelopment. In addition, attorneys, architects, developers (without brownfield-specific expertise), property owners, environmental insurance companies and lenders may not be aware that BCONE, and brownfield redevelopment, is a niche opportunity to ply their craft. Many banks, for instance, don’t grasp the mission of brownfield redevelopment and, as such, might take a pass on extending financing. If they become better educated about the industry, some might take a different approach. 

One new opportunity for BCONE is partnering with Alvernia University in Reading, PA. Board member Joe Kraycik and the Pennsylvania Expansion Committee have been working on an educational and networking event called the “CBCL Conference.” Planned for April, the conference is sponsored by the College of Business Communication and Leadership (CBCL) and focuses on sustainability and other vital issues. Joe thought it would be a good partnership and brought members of BCONE in as part of the conference agenda, with Rick Shoyer (immediate Past President of BCONE) and Mary Ann Manley (BCONE member and speaker at prior NSCWs) speaking at sessions. BCONE will also sponsor a networking event for faculty and students at the end of the day. 

Within the Marketing Committee, Jeff Campbell has launched an initiative to post content to the BCONE site on a more regular basis, and Lazo is eager to coax members to prepare articles for the digital platform to share their industry expertise. 

Speaking about BCONE events, Lazo is eager to work with the Executive Team and Expansion Committees to balance live and virtual events, including Regulatory Roundtables and Hot Topic events. The goal of NSCW, the organization’s annual conference, is to establish a diversified geographic balance of cities/states that host the event, such as the 2022 conference in Stamford, Connecticut event, which went off increasingly well. NSCW is booked for Worcester, Massachusetts, in September of 2023, and will build on the success of previous events. 

Looking back, Anne pointed out how former BCONE president Rick Shoyer established a blueprint for “getting more people involved in committees. Volunteers are important, and Rick was great at getting volunteers on board.”

Lazo sums up her new executive director post opportunity: “I’m excited for the year ahead and am grateful for the opportunity and the trust people have had in me over the years. I will miss Sue terribly and wish her the best in retirement, but also can’t wait to dig in with the leadership team and get started!”

Posted March 16, 2023

On February 3rd, BCONE hosted an evening of axe throwing and networking at a Stumpy’s Hatchet House in Fairfield.   This event was sponsored by SESI Consulting Engineers, APL-PACE LABS, ESA Environmental Consultants, GZA, Triumvirate Environmental, 

Resource Options, and YORK Analytical Laboratories.  This fun and stress-relieving activity was enjoyed by a group of more than 30 environmental consultants, subcontractors, engineers, and attorneys who connected with old friends and met new ones -- all while burying the hatchet.

A quote from attendee Jack Lennox, "The event was great - we shut the place down. We should have T Shirts made that say 'I Survived BCONE Axe Throwing.' It's fun, but definitely dangerous." Don't worry, Stumpy's Hatchet House makes sure that all are safe.

Posted February 14, 2023

BCONE hosted the Annual Post-Holiday Networking Event at Barcelona Wine Bar in West Hartford on January 31st. Over 50 people came out to enjoy Barcelona’s delicious food and drinks and reconnect after the busy holiday season. It was wonderful to see such a wide range of professionals within the industry come together for this event. We had representatives from DEEP, local municipalities, UCONN Tab, attorneys, engineers, labs, service providers, environmental consultants, and BCONE board members all come together to share ideas and drive business. We also had some individuals travel from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts to join us in Connecticut! Thank you to our Gold Sponsors, VHB and Resource Options as well as our Silver Sponsors, Alpha Analytical, Day Pitney, ERIS, and HRP Associates.

We are so pleased with our first Upstate NY Networking event. We had over 35 people in attendance!  We drew a crowd from all over the area with guests from Western MA to Buffalo and Plattsburgh to Long Island. 

Thank you to all of our sponsors: Alpha Analytical, Bousquet Holstein, Knauf Shaw, Labella, PWGC, and Weston & Sampson. We would also like to thank the City Line Grill for hosting such a great event.  

We are working on some great ideas and are planning some important events in the coming months.  We hope you will consider membership with BCONE. Click here to join now.

Posted February 6, 2023

Outgoing President says Org. taking huge strides in many areas due to work of the entire board

By Steve Dwyer 

Becoming president of Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) at the start of 2020, Rick Shoyer III, had both an opportunity and a challenge in front of him when his tenure started as COVID-19 hit the U.S. shores. 

Three years later, BCONE navigated through the rigors of the pandemic in precision-like fashion by keeping communication and outreach epoxy-tight via a host of virtual events, as well as virtual member-oriented events that included book club and hiking club introductions. 

Starting with the Charlie Bartsch Memorial Scholarship program, BCONE fanned out even more to offer additional scholarships, all geared to acknowledge and award gold-standard students who aspire to be brownfield professionals. 

In addition to offering scholarships at the University of Connecticut, City College of New York (CCNY) students were awarded scholarships for outstanding projects in  its successful Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments courses, which went fully online for the first semester 2020 due to restrictions. The course was overseen by instructor Angelo Lampousis, Ph.D., lecturer and undergraduate advisor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences with CCNY, and a BCONE board member. 

Efforts like the CCNY course along with a continuing education component allowed young professional to become certified quicker and get to work. 

Young environmental and engineering professionals -- perhaps armed with a fresh, vibrant brownfield vision for the future -- engaged with BCONE either casually at events and then ultimately became members, board members and even board President. Indeed, young professionals are now woven deeply into the BCONE fabric, and the future appears bright. Shoyer cited the Developing Professionals initiative as an example. 

BCONE looked to continue expanding geographically across Pennsylvania, regions of New England, and Upstate New York, all to expand beyond entrenched footprints of New Jersey, New York City metro area, the Greater Philadelphia, PA area, and Connecticut. 

Mid-Atlantic states such as Delaware, Maryland and others were more involved with  BCONE with  their own BCONE workshops and events. BCONE also oversaw more significant outreach to USEPA Region 4 that encompassed engaging with the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and others -- with Rick Shoyer establishing a presence as a contractor to provide training and grant application reviews. 

Shoyer traveled to an underserved community in Florida to provide consulting on brownfield redevelopment, leveraging his skills as an investigation and remediation expert classified as a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) and N-2 Industrial Operator in the state of New Jersey. This effort and his other efforts in USEPA Region 4 were as a BCONE subcontractor to the ICMA Technical Assistance for Brownfields program for Region 4. 

Taking the Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop (NSCW) event beyond New York/New Jersey and into Connecticut proved to be an excellent strategy—and the event also expanded from one day to 1.5 days. BCONE enjoyed a large number of new NSCW participants thanks to staging it in Connecticut. 

These days, BCONE is able to balance virtually-held events with in-person ones, the latter integral because there’s no substitute for “shaking hands and looking someone in the eye,” he says. 

The outgoing President, who handed over the reins to newly installed President Melina Ambrosino at the end of 2022, sums up his 3-year stint this way: “I’m proud of our executive board: It’s the strongest one I can think of. We were able to make progress in so many areas due to the work of the entire board. 

“It became evident that if you listen and you reach out, you can encourage members to step up and spread their intel both within and outside the BCONE family and share their areas of expertise. We were able to do a lot of really great things, and I appreciated the support of Executive Director Sue Boyle and the entire board, the Committee chairs, for their efforts to keep us moving forward.” 

Shoyer, who received his BS in Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., has spent the past 38-plus years investigating and remediating organic and inorganic substances both in-situ and ex-situ.

He spoke about four key topics recently: 

On engaging with state regulators: “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished to strengthen the organization, starting with state regulatory outreach.” One way is having a seat at the table with state regulators about brownfield-related developments occurring in the respective BCONE footprint to determine “what works and what doesn’t,” he says. Years ago, BCONE members might have been the ones proactively reaching out to their state officials; now, that script has been flipped.
  
“We have asked to participate at various state levels, been invited to join stakeholder meetings due to BCONE’s recognized expertise,” all to provide guidance within regulatory efforts. “BCONE has competencies across multiple professional levels—and our ideas have been asked for upfront.”

On renewable energy initiatives: BCONE everts have focused on sustainable and resilient development and redevelopment, and community solar projects. It has spotlighted the expansion of community solar projects in urban areas and economically distressed areas where businesses and residence can take advantage economically of solar programs. 

“We have not met our goals in taking advantage of the resources to do these things with underserved communities to the full extent we can. We could be doing more and are on a path to improvement. Many things go with that, and communities need to get involved.” He says that BCONE is eager to demonstrate that brownfield redevelopments—with solar and beyond—is more than adding money to local tax rolls, but about broadly creating sustainable communities—that’s the endgame. 

On affordable housing: “There is a huge need for affordable housing, as we still struggle with fully executing this opportunity. The goal is to maintain and improve the social fabric of neighborhoods, and this is a real challenge. A lot of brownfield tax incentives and grants are there to target these initiatives—we’re on the right track to getting there.” 

On the diversification of professionals that engage with BCONE: “We are still very heavy on the environmental, engineering and consulting side of the professional spectrum. We would be better served if we had a more diverse group to bring in other professional disciplines and perspectives. There’s a push to work more on these areas because brownfield redevelopment is a team sport—and lacking a good team negatively impacts projects.”  

Posted February 5, 2023

The Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE) and Pennsylvania Society of Women Environmental Professionals (PA SWEP), hosted a post-holiday reception in King of Prussia, PA on January 12^th.  Approximately (55) Environmental Professionals attended and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Mike Bliss of AWT and Joe Kraycik of Environmental Standards of the BCONE PA Expansion Committee for their efforts. Thanks to all sponsors and attendees who helped raise money for BCONE’s and PA SWEP’s scholarship funds. Please reach out to Mike Bliss or Joe Kraycik for interest in BCONE membership and Ammie Martin for PA SWEP Membership. Stay tuned for more events coming up soon including BCONE’s Happy 2023 event in Albany NY on Feb 2, 2023 and one in CT on Jan 31, 2023, and more joint events with BCONE and SWEP chapters throughout the Northeast.   PA Event sponsors: Terraphase;  Pennoni; Environmental Standards; Eurofins; Synergy Environmental; GZA; Brightfields; Eldredge; AWT. 

Led by Ambrosino, They’re Hitting The Ground Running 

Three women are now the highest-level leaders of the BCONE Executive Team ready to tackle 2023 with vision, execution, and results -- all with an emphasis on networking and education. 

By Steve Dwyer              

To Melina Ambrosino, the newly elected President of BCONE, the collaborative success that she anticipates generating with newly-elected Vice Presidents, Almariet Roberts and Nancy Struzenski, is one marked by the supreme synergy that balances their professional experiences and capacities. 

Ambrosino, who serves as another president -- that of president for Cherrytree Group, Newton, Mass. -- has established a significantly successful reputation for strategizing the dispersal of brownfield tax credits. Melina says it’s a huge benefit for a board of directors to have such a balance across this vast and eclectic industry.

That’s the beauty of how BCONE is structured as it consists of professionals from a wide universe of professional capacities -- ones that align to foster opportunity and growth in advancing brownfield industry initiatives. 

Almariet Roberts, skilled in lab and field research, is Project Geologist at HRP Associates Inc., Hamden, Connecticut. She has vast experience researching mineral interactions within microbial mats and examining the effects of cyanobacterial metabolisms and increased pH on the dissolution of diatoms. Almariet is an experienced office administrator with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit sector. 

Nancy Struzenski Farrell, with more than 30 years of experience in the environmental laboratory business, is Vice President of Technical Sales at Alpha Analytical, and she’s based in Binghamton, New York. Nancy specializes in providing laboratory analytical testing services to a variety of clients, including consultants, environmental firms, government agencies, and developers.

Melina can’t wait to see the three board leaders collaborate in 2023 and become one epoxy-tight team that executes and delivers. Appointed as one of 15 BCONE board members in early 2021, Melina had submitted her application for nomination during the January 2020 meeting. She has been involved in the Massachusetts Expansion Committee and NSCW conference planning. 

“I joined BCONE [in 2021] to meet other industry leaders and professionals. I’d not have met Almariet and Nancy if not for BCONE: It’s been one of the best working relationships I’ve ever had, and we’ve become friends as well. I know nothing about lab or testing, and that’s Nancy’s expertise -- I can direct people to Nancy. I know nothing about fieldwork, and now I can direct them to Almariet. What we want in the end is to point more developers and clients to all these experts, and encourage them to attend educational seminars.”

Melina offered a huge tip of the cap to outgoing BCONE President Rick Shoyer, praising what he accomplished over three years. “Rick provided the three of us with an excellent foundation on which to build and grow -- Rick was an amazing hands-on president. We want to follow in that legacy. We see increased education and more robust BCONE networking events as being keys to making that happen.”  

Almariet says she’s “incredibly excited and honored to be working with Nancy and Melina. They are exemplary leaders in their industry, and their commitment to BCONE is inspiring. I think we have a dynamic team that brings a variety of skills to the table that will help effectively grow and strengthen the organization.”   

Nancy concurs, adding: “I can tell you that the three of us have the same goals and mission for BCONE and have worked very well together in the past. Melina and I were responsible, as co-chairs, for the first Connecticut NSCW in over 10 years, with an attendance of more than 225 people. Almariet and I co-chaired two Barcelone Wine Bar events before and after COVID with record attendance for an evening networking event. I feel this team works so well together and look forward to a very successful 2023.”

As Melina looks ahead, she identifies several areas that sit on the BCONE front burner. “One thing I’m passionate about is the opportunity BCONE provides young professionals, who are emerging leaders. BCONE is very supportive of young professionals, and it’s all part of what and why I’m very passionate about in 2023 and beyond: when you see how excited [college] students get when we are connected to education -- all to help them grow professionally, that’s the best gift.” 

She is also eager to leverage BCONE’s vast resources to drive better networking with industry people -- be it within a social setting, formal education (such as colleges and universities) or via BCONE’s many annual events -- think NSCW and more. Regarding virtual meetings, “people are ‘Zoom-fatigued.’ They crave more in-person interaction. While we still must rely on virtual meetings, in-person events and hybrid formats are paramount. At the 2022 NSCW, we had record attendance,” says Melina.  

Regarding her own experience at Cherrytree Group, which has pivoted in a big way toward advocating for and financing solar projects, Melina says the firm continues to hone its reputation for closing renewable energy deals that include solar and other renewable vertical applications, such as wind power situated on brownfields.  

About solar, she adds: “At BCONE, solar development is huge right now. Landfills that are closed or closing are prime candidates for solar redevelopments.” 

On how developers need to get better up to speed on what their financial opportunities consist of in order to fund projects: “We need to educate developers on what they can get in the context of brownfield tax credits. Many of them look at us and say, ‘what’s that?’ It sounds like witchcraft to them. Some very skilled and accomplished BCONE consultants can counsel developers about the dynamics behind applying for and obtaining these credits.”

A Champion for Environmental Justice 

Almariet says that, as she peers at some of her front-burner goals in 2023 across several key areas that regularly impact the brownfields redevelopment process, “environmental justice considerations in brownfield redevelopment is an issue I hope we will continue to focus on and build more content around for our members. 

“It is imperative that future redevelopment be inclusive and elevate the quality of life for the local community,” she says. “Underserved communities have been disproportionately impacted by brownfield sites and have historically been inequitably alienated from redeveloped sites. I believe that if a community has had to bear the burden of living with a blighted brownfield in their neighborhood, then they should reap the benefit from the redevelopment of that property.”

Almariet adds that “equitable redevelopment coupled with climate-forward initiatives will be the key to sustainable and resilient redevelopment in the future. It is important that stakeholders learn from past mistakes and make a commitment to improving these injustices in the future.”

Identifying challenges she’s most concerned about, Almariet points to post-pandemic where “it was challenging to navigate how to most impactfully engage our members. We adapted quickly to virtual events and were able to come up with creative new ways to connect with one another.”

Moving into 2023, Almariet believes that “one of our main goals is to create an ideal blend of in-person, virtual and hybrid events. Our focus is to create content with both regional and local significance that can facilitate the benefits of face-to-face networking opportunities while also maintaining the ability to communicate regionally relevant information virtually.”

Eager For NY Expansion 

Nancy says that “in my time with BCONE, I have grown from a member to the NSCW co-chair and then to one of two vice presidents. With my current territory and growth that I’ve incorporated into expanding Connecticut, I would like to see the Upstate New York presence grow and reach out to the Upstate New York territory to learn more about BCONE and be active in the organization giving NY a full presence.”

Looking at what she’s most excited about in 2023, Nancy says that “the new executive team has a goal to grow in an area of expanded membership and sponsorships -- both of which will put BCONE at another level.”

Posted January 1, 2023

If you are reading about the pre-and post-holiday events in which BCONE has and is participating, you’ll notice that many of them are collaborative events with other like-minded organizations.

    

BCONE kicked off the season on December 7, 2022, in Carlstadt, NJ.  Welcomed by a large, well lit sign reading “Construction Networking Holiday Party,” BCONE joined the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association (UCTA); BCONE sponsor and networking event organizer, Soil Connect;  the NJ Concrete & Aggregate Association; and CDE Group, producers of sand washing technology.  Many of these groups are new colleagues for BCONE and we enjoyed “breaking bread” with them.  It was a delightful evening sharing stories about clean fill, dirty dirt, and amazing technological advances to assist with change orders and soil movement filings with various agencies.  BCONE was delighted to see our colleagues from NYC and the NYC Brownfield Partnership as well as the NJ Licensed Site Remediation Professionals Association (LSRPA) in attendance. 

If you missed this networking event, there are several coming up after the holidays in CT, NJ, NY, and PA.  Check the website and register.  You’ll meet new colleagues and expand your network.

Posted January 1, 2023

by Colleen Kokas

Bucks County has long planned for a mix of industrial, residential and preserved open space and agricultural lands.  BCONE’s recent educational program on November 16, 2022, discussed the past 30 years of addressing brownfield sites in the county -- as told through the first-hand experiences of Bob White, the former Executive Director of the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority for 24 years.

Woven throughout the many case studies of successfully transforming large and small industrial sites, Bob sent a clear message about how he achieved success. The first was to create a team of the various stakeholders involved, including local and state elected officials, the community and the regulatory agencies.  The second was to communicate often to ensure that information is shared fully and timely.  The third was to plan, plan, plan.  That equates to having many sites in the pipeline, as you never know when the opportunity may arise to advance one of those properties closer to a completed cleanup or to vertical development.  Bob shared a quote that reflects this appropriately, in that "if you fail to plan, you will have a plan that fails."  Bob’s full story is captured in his book, "Repurposing the Past: How a Farm Boy and Marine Helped Give Bucks County a 21st-Century Facelift."  

Bob emphasized the importance of Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Program in contributing to the success of repurposing sites.  John Gross, PADEP Act 2 manager, spoke to the “mission creep” that is happening with the use of Act 2 within the agency.  There has been a trend in other programs within PADEP using Act 2 as an enforcement mechanic to obtain compliance -- a use never intended by the Act’s passage.  

John alerted the group to PADEP’s recent receipt of a USEPA Brownfield Assessment Grant for which they are developing a strategy for deploying those funds.  PADEP’s initial thoughts are to provide monies to small towns that do not have the capacity to assess sites and to evaluate retired coal-fired power plants for future green energy-related projects.  

The discussions were held at Aldie Mansion, a property owned and occupied by the Heritage Conservancy, a nonprofit agency with a mission that nicely complements the mission of addressing brownfields.  The Heritage Conservancy’s President and CEO, Bill Kunze, welcomed BCONE to the mansion, and outlined the agency’s work of preserving and protecting significant open spaces, natural resources, and our historic heritage.  In its 60+ years, the Heritage Conservancy has facilitated the protected over 15,000 acres of land to ensure our enjoyment to protect water quality and to ensure our future enjoyment of nature.  For more information on the Heritage Conservancy, or if you are interested in becoming a member, go to https://heritageconservancy.org/ or contact BCONE member and moderator of the event, Brian Clark (Brian.Clark@bipc.com), who serves on the Heritage Conservancy’s board.  

Posted November 28, 2022

We had a nice turnout for our networking event at the Seven Tribesmen Brewery in Wayne, NJ on October 19th. Plenty of time to meet and speak with all the attendees while trying out some high-quality, hand-crafted beers and snacking on amazing appetizers.

The discussion on ecological site assessments and the importance of improving the biodiversity of habitats by using native plant species was very informative. The wildlife photos shared during the presentation highlighted the beauty of nature and all the flora and fauna around us.

 

 

Thank you to our Event Sponsor GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. We couldn’t hold these events without generous volunteers like Kristen English, who organized the event, and our speakers Blaine Rothausen and Nicolette Albanese.

Look for more networking and educational events on BCONE’s website, in eblasts and on social media.

Thank you to our Double Platinum Sponsors for their support throughout the year.

Posted October 27, 2022