Maggie Jones ’85 recognized for commitment to conservation

Maggie Jones '85 has served as executive director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) in Mystic, Conn., a position she’s held since 1992.
Maggie Jones '85 has served as executive director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) in Mystic, Conn., a position she’s held since 1992.

Maggie Jones ’85 will be honored with the Goodwin-Niering Center Alumni Environmental Achievement Award for more than 20 years of leadership in community environmental education and land conservation. The award recognizes, celebrates, and honors Connecticut College graduates who have gone on to make significant contributions in a wide variety of fields.

The award presentation and talk are open to the public and will be held at Thursday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in Blaustein Hall.

As the executive director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC), a position she’s held since 1992, Jones’s work exemplifies the many ways that a passion for the environment, combined with an outstanding liberal arts education, can greatly benefit society.

“One of the most rewarding things about a job that involves nature and the outdoors is that there’s always something new and unpredictable,” Jones told Connecticut Magazine in 2013. “You never know what you might see outside. Nature is always changing.”

Jones received a degree in botany and ecology at the College, and earned a degree in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Jones recently worked closely with botany professor and president of the DPNC Board of Trustees Page Owen on the project to protect the Coogan Farm property in Mystic, Conn., a plan to save the last 45 acres of heritage farmland along Route 27.  Jones and the Farm Implementation Team, a committee of the DPNC, are working to improve trails and turn the site into a public park for the surrounding community.

“Unlike many leaders, Maggie embraces the entire mission, not just one part,” said Kim Hargrave, former director of education at the DPNC. “What stands out most is her daily presence at DPNC and being involved in all that happens — writing grants, pulling invasive species, rehabbing a hawk or leading the charge to save the Coogan Farm.”

Jones has continued to pursue her interests in research projects, land preservation efforts, leading field trips, and as a member of the Connecticut Ornithological Association, Connecticut Botanical Society and local land trusts.  Her research on forests and their impact on the bird population has been published in multiple science publications and books.  

Jones is a lifelong resident of Connecticut and currently resides in Stonington.


- Alex Breakstone ’16



March 18, 2014