Rich Bard

For 15 years, Rich Bard has been exploring and experiencing the best that the far reaches of the Maine coast has to offer by every means possible: on foot, snowshoes, and skis; by boat, kayak, and canoe; by snowmobile, atv, pickup truck, and even small airplane. As a wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for more than a decade, his territory included all of the Bold Coast and surrounding areas, and his work fostered a deep connection with the wild places of the region known as Downeast Maine. In 2014, Rich became the Executive Director of Downeast Coastal Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust that works to protect and preserve natural areas for recreation and wildlife habitat in coastal Washington County, Maine. With many partners, the Conservancy identifies the most exemplary, most beautiful, most iconic places in the Bold Coast region and ensures that they will remain open for public use far into the future. Rich took to this position like a duck to …well, you know. ...and he remains proud of his contribution to the critical work of conserving special places for future generations. For the duration of his time in Downeast Maine, Rich was part of the steering committee of Cobscook Trails, a collaboration of many conservation organizations and government agencies, which jointly produces a map brochure of the hiking opportunities around Cobscook Bay and the Cutler Coast areas. This work gave Rich extensive knowledge about the hiking trails and recreational opportunities across the area - not to mention that it got him out into the wild! Prior to his big move to Maine, Rich Bard grew up in the Catskills region of New York, where he was sure to be found exploring the woods, either on foot or on horseback. He earned his BS in Animal Science from Cornell University, which led to his early career as a zookeeper, elephant trainer, and foster-parent to endangered animals at The Bronx Zoo and the Audubon Institute Species Survival Center in New Orleans. After many years working with captive animals, the call of the wild led him to spend four adventurous years in Arizona and New Mexico tracking the whereabouts of highly endangered Mexican wolves, which had been restored to portions of their former range after a brush with extinction. Today, Rich lives in East Machias, Maine where he loves to hike, paddle, ski, snowshoe, and generally search out the secret sweet spots with his wife, Rebecca and son, Max. He also loves to visit with his stepdaughter Zoe and her two children.