The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota Adds New Trustees

Additions Will Help Guide Efforts to Protect Minnesota’s Most Important Lands and Waters

MINNEAPOLIS — September 24, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota today announced the addition of five new trustees who will help lead its efforts to conserve the state’s forests, grasslands, lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.

Cheryl Appeldorn of Edina, Wendy Bennett of Golden Valley, Jim Glowacki of Britt, Sam Salas and John Willoughby of Minneapolis have all been elected to serve three-year terms on the Minnesota program’s Board of Trustees.

“We’ll be celebrating our 50th anniversary next year and we’ll be counting on our Board of Trustees to help us not only reflect on our accomplishments but also to help us plan our future conservation efforts,” said Peggy Ladner, director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. “All of our new trustees are committed to protecting Minnesota’s most ecologically significant lands and waters.”

Appeldorn is a conservation policy research consultant. She also serves on the board of Conservation Minnesota and is a member of both the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota and Friends of the Boundary Waters.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as a Nature Conservancy trustee because I have always been very impressed with the organization’s proactive, science-based approach to conservation,” Appeldorn said. “As a lifelong Minnesotan with family ties ranging from Pipestone to Winona to St. Cloud, I look forward to learning more about the Conservancy’s work in all of the beautiful landscapes throughout Minnesota.”

Bennett is a consultant for Medtronic Foundation and an active community volunteer. She’s also served as a board member for the Minnesota Environmental Fund.

“We’ve been supporters and fans of the Conservancy for years. I love the outdoors and have spent vacations cross-country skiing in northern Minnesota along the Gunflint Trail,” Bennett said. “My family has a cabin on Madeline Island in Wisconsin, and that has stimulated my interest in conservation in and around Lake Superior. I have traveled extensively and it’s made me conscious of the great beauty of the planet, but also its fragility.”

Glowacki is president of the JPG Group, a public relations and marketing firm with offices in Virginia, Duluth and Minneapolis.

“As a new trustee there will be much to learn. I am very impressed with the staff and the conservation work The Nature Conservancy is doing in Minnesota and elsewhere in the United States and internationally,” Glowacki said. “The Conservancy’s ability to bring diverse groups of people together to find solutions and resources to help the environment is amazing.”

Willoughby is a senior buyer for Target Corporation.

“I have always been impressed with the track record of The Nature Conservancy. I care deeply about conservation and have admired The Nature Conservancy for getting out there and doing the heavy lifting of making meaningful conservation happen. Now more than ever, the Conservancy’s work is of the utmost importance and I hope that I can help the Minnesota program continue to make strides to the future,” Willoughby said.

Salas is a retired teacher and headmaster of the Breck School in Golden Valley.

“The Nature Conservancy brings together people of knowledge, skill, passion and generosity to take care of nature, one of our greatest gifts. Their dedication to its balance, integrity, health and beauty results in immeasurable benefits for all of us,” Salas said. “It really works for the responsible stewardship of nature. I have great admiration and respect for its bold approach, its energy, and its commitment to meet the challenges of such an enormous task. It is a privilege to be associated with such a crucial project.”

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.