Welcome Simon Solomon,
Our New Executive Director

SKANEATELES, NY – The Central New Land Trust Board of Directors announced today the
addition of its newest Executive Director, Simon M. Solomon. Solomon joins the team of
New York’s sixth largest land trust, bringing with him sixteen years of land management
experience and a deep devotion to conservation and environmental education.

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Solomon served as the Executive Director of the Rogers Environmental Education Center in
Chenango County for more than ten years. During his tenure, Solomon successfully
transitioned the Rogers Center from a NYS DEC government-funded nature facility facing
closure to a thriving nonprofit environmental organization run by the Friends of Rogers with
diverse educational programs and community outreach. By 2016, the Rogers Center had
received the Chenango Business of the Year Award under Solomon’s directorship.

 

Solomon attended SUNY Brockport and SUNY Delhi with a concentration in natural resource
management. He served as President of the Sherburne Rotary Club 7170 from 2020-2021. In
his leisure time, he enjoys exploring the Adirondacks with his wife and two children. The
Solomons reside in Cazenovia. “I am looking forward to the challenges of running a multi-
preserve conservation organization,” said Solomon, who grew up in the Central New York area.
He continued, “Whether I was hiking the fields of my grandfather’s 180-acre farm in Otsego
County or fly fishing along the banks of the Jocko River outside Missoula, Montana, at my
grandparent’s cabin, I was instilled with a deep appreciation of nature at a young age. I have
spent my professional life infusing that love of nature into the work I do.”

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Solomon will be leading the Central New York Land Trust as the organization continues its 50-
year legacy of nature conservation. Since its inception in 1972, which resulted in the
acquisition and preservation of its first property - Baltimore Woods Nature Preserve, the Land
Trust has continued to protect the resources impacting Central New York residents with the
addition of 51 preserves and more than 3,400 acres to its management.

 

“We are excited for Simon to join us,” said Andrew Obernesser, Vice Chair of the Central
New York Land Trust Board of Directors. “He brings valuable experience to our organization
and enthusiasm for our mission. His collaborative leadership style and strong conservation
ethic are immeasurable assets to the Land Trust as we continue to expand our impact
throughout Central New York.”

 

The Central New York Land Trust has a rich history of land conservation with sites reaching
across eight counties in the Central New York area, such as Pleasant Valley Preserve in the
Town of Onondaga, an important tributary of the west branch of Onondaga Creek, Old Fly
Marsh in Pompey, which has been a fixture in the community giving residents an opportunity to
connect with nature, Tracy Lake in Tully, which contains the unique kettle lakes formed by
glacial retreat, and Whiskey Hollow in the town of Memphis, where visitors can traverse old
growth upland forests. The Land Trust also protects undeveloped land in the Dr. Robert J.
Vitkus, DDS Conservation Area directly adjacent on the east side to Skaneateles Lake, a source
of drinking water for multiple municipalities, including Syracuse. “Now, more than ever, we are
being called upon to take active steps to protect our land and water from the impacts of
development and to ensure that our resources will be there for generations to come,” said
Solomon. “I am excited to pair my life and professional experiences with the mission of the
Central New York Land Trust to reach those goals.”

 

Solomon succeeds Betsy Foote, Interim Executive Director and long-time supporter of the Land
Trust.

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For more information about the Central New York Land Trust, visit www.cnylandtrust.org or
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