Mianus River Gorge is grateful for the leadership and support of its Chairman of the Board, Tim Evnin.
Tim has been a Trustee for nearly 15 years and has been Board Chairman since 2011. Tim leads with spirit, a steady hand, and a genuine love for the Gorge. We caught up with Tim via Zoom to ask him a few questions.
What makes our organization’s mission powerful for you? Conserving the land is a passion of mine. The opportunity to be involved with the Mianus River Gorge, whose mission is focused on conserving and protecting the Mianus Gorge and the Mianus Watershed, is a perfect alignment for me. It is made that much more powerful because of the unique aspects of the Gorge, including undisturbed old-growth forest and soils and just the beauty of the river and steep slopes.
What interests you most about our organization? Our focus on applied ecology combining the latest science and good old fashioned hard work. A great example is our project to protect our old-growth hemlocks from woolly adelgid pests that have wreaked havoc on hemlocks throughout the east coast. In conjunction with Cornell University we are using the latest treatment, but still have to get in the forest, up and down the steep slopes, and treat a couple thousand trees by hand. We have a great staff that drives this multi-year work.
What motivates you? The MRG main preserve was saved by a group of local citizens. They used all of their financial and mental resources to keep the land from being flooded for a reservoir and lost forever. We have a lot to live up to! The organization has been going strong since the 1950’s — it’s a spectacular place, we are doing great work – so it doesn’t take much to get fired up about continuing the work our founders started.
What are some of your other interests? The ocean. I love to be in the water to surf, body surf, swim, and do some fishing. But also trying to help preserve and protect this vast and critical ecosystem. It is under pressure from so many directions and needs our help.