Where Are They Now? Catching up with former HCT Land Stewardship Coordinator Matt Cannon

Matt Cannon surfed onto the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) scene as an AmeriCorps member and eventually became HCT’s Land Stewardship Coordinator. He now plays an important role with the Maine Chapter of Sierra Club, and credits his HCT experience for helping him build valuable skills that help vital environmental work get done.

“Change takes time,” he wrote. “It takes trust and relationships. I value every interaction I have and respect everyone’s point of view.”

Matt is one of the talented and dedicated people who have spent part of their careers on the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) team. Their efforts have helped HCT become a leader in creating public-private land conservation partnerships that help sustain Harwich as a livable, vibrant community for current and future generations.

We thought it would be fun to catch up with some of these HCT alums, reminisce about their experiences in Harwich and find out what they’re up to now.

We reached out to Matt by email and he was kind enough to thoughtfully respond to questions about his career and his time with HCT:

When were you at HCT and what did you do?

I originally worked with HCT through my AmeriCorps Cape Cod placement, serving one day per week with the land stewardship team, monitoring properties, leading walks, coordinating volunteers, and helping with events.

Then, after a year in Washington, D.C., I moved back to the Cape, and I was fortunate to have HCT and Chatham Conservation Foundation team up to hire me full time, through The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts.

As a young person trying to live on the Cape, this full-time opportunity was pivotal in my career. I was hired as the Land Stewardship Coordinator, where I worked on trail maintenance, public access opportunities, herring and eel counts, public events, including the owl and wolf shows and the Music & Art Stroll, public appearances, volunteer coordination, as well as habitat restoration at White Cedar Woods, Bank Street Bogs as well as habitat restoration at White Cedar Woods, Bank Street Bogs (now known as the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve), and other initiatives.

I supported fundraising as needed, coordinated our AmeriCorps projects, assessed new potential acquisition projects, and supported whatever else Mike and the Board needed!

What do you do now?

I am the State Conservation & Energy Director for the Maine Chapter of Sierra Club. I lead our policy/organizing/lobbying work. After moving to Maine, I started volunteer lobbying with the Maine Chapter until I was hired.

For the last six-plus years, I have worked in various roles, but generally I lead our statewide campaigns to promote more solar and wind power, and battery storage development. I represent the Sierra Club in various coalition spaces, I lobby, organize and educate — whatever is needed to build a powerful grassroots movement that protects our environment and stops pollution.

I have recently worked to protect the Portland community from harmful impacts of fugitive coal dust, effectively banning a coal pile on the waterfront. I’m working on increasing public transit access for all Mainers. Right now, I’m focused on the state legislature to pass bills to further our mission, and moving into November, I will be active in endorsing candidates and ensuring they win the election.

What did you learn from your HCT experience?

So much! I will start with the staff as examples of bringing professionalism, experience, and fun into the workplace. Executive Director Mike Lach, Jane Harvey, former Director of Development and Alva Chaletzky, former Administrative Assistant were motivating, positive, and our team was ideal for the work we did. In particular, Mike was an incredible mentor. He was inspiring to work with, managing a LOT of projects, relationships, deadlines, volunteers, and more.

Being able to work alongside him and learn from how he interacts with community members, especially ones who might have different interests than HCT, taught me how important being a part of the community you work in is. And, it taught me how long it can take to build trust, which is essential for land deals in particular, when developing land can sometimes offer more monetary benefits.

 

I learned what community organizing was, but I didn’t realize it until I started organizing. Every interaction matters. Being authentic and honest is critical to any work. And, making sure you don’t take yourself too seriously, as we should all be enjoying life!

Additionally, I learned to take care of other staffers and volunteers. In conservation and climate work, we are all working for long-term goals, and we need each other. We need volunteers, we need the public to want to take inspired action over many roadblocks and hiccups. Sharing meals, telling jokes, taking a few minutes to relate is where a lot of the work is done.

I also learned so much about life and work from our volunteers. I really feel so fortunate to have had this life/career opportunity that helped lead to where I am today.

How did your HCT experience help as you moved on with your career?

I think about community organizing and making change through the local efforts in Harwich. Mike and the team have been involved in some projects for decades. Change takes time, it takes trust and relationships. I value every interaction I have and respect everyone’s point of view. Local conservation takes on land use, economic development; recreation, politics, and funding issues. Working through a land acquisition project touches on all of these, plus the long-term stewardship and ongoing engagement.

Why is preserving nature important to you?

Humans are a part of nature, we cannot exist without clean water and clean air. In our developed world, more natural places are even more important to preserve and enjoy. The connection to something bigger than ourselves and a reminder that we have to stop pollution and care for our land for the next generation is the motivation.

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