While recent events, like the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran, have left many women feeling discouraged or indignant, in our little corner of the world, there is cause for celebration as Greenagers has held its first Women in Conservation and Agriculture Conference—a day-long summit for local high-school-age women filled with wisdom, possibilities, and empowerment.
The purpose of the September 22 conference was twofold: to increase awareness about work in “traditionally male-dominated fields” and to introduce participants to local women professionals in those fields eager to share their knowledge and experiences. “We are very excited about this event,” said Samantha Suters, Greenagers Deputy Director and Head of Development. “It’s a first for us, but judging by the great feedback from local schools, it will likely not be our last.”
Although they anticipated 75 to 80 participants from area high schools (Mt. Everett, Monument, Pittsfield High, Wahconah, and Simon’s Rock), the actual number was closer to 50 due to an unexpected spike in COVID cases that week. Those who came enjoyed an intriguing menu of hands-on workshops ranging from tree-climbing/arboriculture, to gardening to combat climate change and invasive species, to seed saving and turtle tracking. They also had the opportunity to ask questions during the panel discussion and to hear Jen Salinetti of Woven Roots Farm’s moving keynote address.
Opening session: An invitation
The young women arrived in streams of gray sweatshirts, plaid flannel shirts, and blue windbreakers, chatting about the day away from school, the sudden change in weather, the need for coffee. The white tent provided shelter from the rain, but an unexpected chill caught many by surprise, tucked in webs of cloudmist by the surrounding hills—the wind pummeling, the first fallen leaves dotting the ground.
Sarah Monteiro (Farm Director at April Hill), who spearheaded the conference, shared her excitement in seeing so many young women eager to explore new territory and introduced the Greenagers staff involved in helping to make the day possible. She also thanked the conference sponsors who made the day possible—Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, Berkshire Grown, and Berkshire Natural Resources Council. Cecilie Macpherson (2022 Terracorps/Americorps Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator) gave welcoming remarks, including an acknowledgement that April Hill Farm was the ancestral homeland of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, and expressed Greenagers’ hope that the conference would “empower young women, foster dialogue, and create an inclusive space.”
Hands-on workshops: A chance to learn
Angela Sirois-Pitel, with the MA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), shared her experiences studying and managing bog turtle populations and rare wetlands in the Tracking Turtles workshop. “I never thought I could stay in the Berkshires and have my dream job,” she stated. “But here I am, a Restoration and Conservation Manager working with a team of people that cares for 8,000 acres of TNC-conserved lands in western Massachusetts.”
Sirois-Pitel and Nicole Kauffman provided an intricate introduction to “terrestrial turtle highways” known as bog wetlands and the urgent need to protect this habitat (the bog turtle population has been a federally threatened species since 1997). At the end of the workshop, students practiced using telemetry (or GIS, geographic information systems) to detect radio signals from ‘tagged’ turtles.
Jess Toro, co-owner of Native Habitat Restoration, led an interactive hike on the April Hill property for her workshop on managing invasive species, helping students identify common invasive plants and emphasizing how vital that work is for restoring floodplain forests, woodlands, and riparian areas that are critical habitats for endangered species.
Sarah Monteiro (Farm Director at April Hill), who focuses on small-scale and low-till systems in her work, led students through a series of seed-saving procedures that included gathering, separating, and safely storing seeds.
Maeven Broderick, who spent three summers with Greenagers before working for Rocky Mountain Conservation Corps and, later, the National Park Service, returned to share her passion and expertise in the tree-climbing workshop. Holding a Natural Resources Conservation degree with a focus in forest ecology from UMass Amherst, she currently works as a climbing arborist for Hartney Greymont in Concord, Mass. With fellow arborist Lorraine Fountain (also with Hartney Greymont), she demonstrated climbing knots, safety techniques, and open system setup (including how to jump/foot lock and move the bridge) to young women eager to step into the harness and test the ropes.
Broderick noted that fewer than five percent of climbing arborists are women. “It’s really rewarding,” she told the group enthusiastically. “I do things every day that feel really scary at first, but I love being connected to the trees. It’s made me more thoughtful about the environment and the impact I can have.” Fountain also stressed the need to get more women in the field, noting, “Women are often good at this work in an entirely different way.” Both Broderick and Fountain noted the benefits of being arborists, including “working outside, gaining strength and dexterity, facing new challenges, and solving new puzzles every day.”
Panel discussion: Putting the pieces together
During the midmorning panel discussion, Sarah Monteiro expressed her love for farming, which “is never the same from one day to the next,” and her belief in the importance of teaching people how to grow their own food. Her observation after working in agriculture for 16 years is that “[i]f you do something long enough, it is your profession.” Toro reflected on the fact that she and business partner Sari Hoy both did things that eventually led them to their own pathway and business. “You have to be willing to try things and fail in order to find the right fit,” Toro stressed. “Get out of your box when you feel it tightening around you.”
Nicole Kauffman, Assistant Land Steward, shared that she started her career working (literally) as a trailblazer with the Massachusetts Conservation Corps, switching at the beginning of this year to working with TNC on a prescribed fire crew in Georgia’s fire-dependent ecosystems. “I’ve had a lot of different opportunities and developed a lot of different skills,” she shared. She enjoys the challenge of being a “strong, smart woman in a male-dominated profession,” noting that in a recent competition, she entered wondering if she could keep up and ended in first place. Both Sirois-Pitel and Kauffman highlighted the collaborative nature of their work with TNC, the variety of daily challenges, and the rewarding sense of purpose they enjoy. “We’re fortunate to be in a workplace with strong female role models,” Sirois-Pitel added.
Several other panelists shared examples of “putting in the hard work to earn people’s respect in male-dominated professions.” Broderick shared the challenge of backing a truck that could tow up to 25,000 pounds with an accompanying chipper into a tight driveway on the first try, to everyone’s amazement (including her own!). After attending a tree-climbing competition in Mt. Washington, Mass. in May, involving just four women to 70 men, she is determined to compete next year.
In closing, the panelists stressed that, to enter trades that traditionally belonged to men, young women have to be willing to:
“Advocate for yourself.”
“Anticipate what people think and be ready to occasionally call out sexist comments.”
“Work around your own level of strength, and try your absolute best every day.”
“Take the safety protocols very seriously”
Listening to the conversations around the tables, it was obvious the panelists’ remarks were landing on fertile ground. One Pittsfield High student named Alexis observed, “I like how women are able to show men that we can be equal and do the same things they can.” Another student, Rochely, who became involved in community gardening through her aunt, noted, “It’s a great feeling to be part of something with other people.”
Keynote Address: “The Land Knows My Name”
Jen Salinetti, of Woven Roots Farm, began her closing keynote address: “Being a community member for 22 years, I am grateful to be able to say that I am an earth tender and caretaker.” Growing up as a trans-racial adoptee, Salinetti said she felt deeply separated from the earth but stressed, “I always knew the earth was my home and that I belonged there and was part of something far greater.”
During college, learning about indigenous peoples and regenerative agriculture came together for her in a new way. “I began to see my return to the soil as a responsibility,” she stated. “Just one teaspoon of soil holds more living organisms than the number of people living on this earth. If we look through the lens of conservation, we see our interconnectedness, how the choices we make directly impact the environment.”
As the clouds broke to patches of warm, vibrant blue, students and teachers returned to their buses, filled with a wealth of inspiring stories and practical advice from the day—futures brighter and broader than when they arrived. Greenagers staff, equally energized by how their efforts had come together, committed to continue to advocate for and connect young women in the fields of Agriculture and Conservation. For more information on Greenagers, visit their website.
