The Somerset County SWCD is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Supervisors, representing the diverse interests of our county.
Board Meetings are held the third Thursday of the month at 5 PM at the USDA Service Center in Skowhegan
The April 18, 2024 Board Meeting will be start at 5:30 instead of 5:00
ANN MEFFERD, CHAIRPERSON
Ann Mefferd is owner/operator of One Drop Farm/Seedlings by Annie, an organic farm in Cornville, which over the years has produced lamb, pork, four-season veggies, eggs and lots and lots of seedlings. Upon moving her farm to Maine in 2008, Ann served for seven years as chairwoman of the Maine Grain Alliance (MGA), a nonprofit organization working to promote grain traditions in Maine from earth to table and founders of the Kneading Conference. She currently sits on the MGA board of directors.
Ann served as an executive officer of the Skowhegan Farmers' Market where she has vended since 2009, and helped to establish innovative programming adopted across the state to aid low-income families in gaining access to fresh, local produce. Ann is involved in education and apprenticeship development for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and gets to judge veggies at MOFGA's Common Ground Fair. She co-owns and is contributing editor for Growing for Market Magazine, an internationally distributed magazine geared toward sustainable market gardeners. She lives in beautiful Cornville with her husband, Andrew, and two tiny humans, Jasper and Cleome.
JON DOTY, TREASURER
Jon Doty was elected to the Board of Supervisors in December 2019. A graduate of Skowhegan High School who completed his master's degree in forestry at the University of Maine, Jon is a consulting forester with Two Trees Forestry of Winthrop, helping private landowners understand and manage their land. In his free time, Jon enjoys skiing, canoeing, biking, hiking and trail running, among a slew of other activities. Jon volunteers with the Appalachian Mountain Club to maintain a section of the AT in the Bigelows, and helps the Somerset Woods Trustees and 7 Lakes Alliance with stewardship efforts. Newly re-settled in Madison, Jon is looking to become more active in the community and help ensure that Maine’s woods and waters remain ecologically healthy, commercially productive, and enjoyable for recreation.
GWEN HILTON, VICE CHAIRPERSON
Gwen Hilton and her family have managed the Hyltun Family Farm in Starks for decades. Farm businesses over the years have included various livestock operations, hay production, forestry, and adaptive reuse of farm buildings. Gwen and her husband, Ernie, were awarded the Somerset County Conservation District Outstanding Woodlot Owners of the Year award in 1999. Forest management for sustainable timber production and hayland nutrient management are ongoing practices on the farm. Gwen has also implemented a delayed mowing program to preserve bobolink and other grassland bird habitat, and strives to maintain habitat for the resident bees and other pollinators.
In addition to being a farmer, Gwen is a professional Town Planner, who has provided planning services to a number of Maine towns, including the Town of Starks where she is chair of the Planning Board. For more than 10 years, Gwen has served as a Commissioner on the Maine Land Use Planning Commission. Gwen has a B.S. degree in Biology and a M.S. degree in Geoenviromental Studies.
Gwen enjoys almost anything outdoors, including hiking, canoeing, camping, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, wildlife watching and gardening.
COLIN HOFFMAN
Colin Hoffman was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2021. He has worked as the head brewer at Bigelow Brewing Company in Skowhegan since 2016. Previously, he worked in Maine and New Jersey as a certified arborist climber. Colin has a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Science from SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, NY and has worked on numerous field research crews studying elk in Oregon and greater sage grouse in Nevada. He and his wife Liz met as teaching assistants for Dendrology class while at SUNY-ESF.
Colin is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hiking, hunting, trapping, foraging, gardening and simply being outside. He is an active manager of his 56-acre property in Madison cutting firewood and raising chickens, ducks, and sometimes pigs. The property has a number of different habitats including a beautiful bog which acts as wading bird habitat that is home to sandhill cranes, otter, beaver, and numerous waterfowl species.
