Steering Committee

has owned and operated The Birches Resort in Rockwood since 1985. He founded Wilderness Rafting Expeditions in 1980 and operated it for 25 years. John holds a B.S. degree in forest management from the University of Maine and has been a licensed professional forester since 1977. He is a licensed commercial pilot, a Master Maine Guide and Whitewater Guide for all Maine rivers. He was a founding member of the Maine Huts and Trails board, founding member of the Moosehead Region Futures Committee, and served on the boards of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Kennebec Valley Tourism Council, and the Moosehead Region Chamber of Commerce. John has served on the Maine Governor’s Forestry Advisory Council and the advisory council for the Unorganized Territories.

was the owner of the family camp, now passed to his son, and is a frequent visitor of the Moosehead Lake area for the past 60 years. A graduate of Brewer High School and University of Maine, Orono, Ron served in the U.S. Army. He is retired after a 20-year career with Agway, Inc. and as an appliance business owner in Brewer. Ron is a husband, father, and responsible and caring steward of the State of Maine.

holds an M.S. from the University of Maine in resource economics and a B.S. in natural resources, specializing in survey research and non-market valuation of natural resources. She worked for Kleinschmidt, an energy and environmental consulting firm, in Pittsfield for 19 years, where she served as corporate technical expert for survey research. She designed and led small and large-scale survey research efforts to estimate the recreational use of project resources and associated economic impacts, and conducted visual impact studies. Her work influenced the management of recreational resources at hydroelectric projects in Maine and other locations throughout the country. Previous to Kleinschmidt, Marcia worked at a firm in Wisconsin, where she studied the value of wildlife-related recreation and the non-use value of natural resources. Today, she is a consultant in outdoor recreational use and demand, frequently collaborating with clients, agencies, and stakeholders and coordinating their compliance, reporting, and planning activity. She is a peer-reviewed author of professional journal articles and was as an adjunct instructor of environmental policy at UMaine. Marcia is a life-long visitor of the Moosehead area, particularly Shirley and Big Indian Pond. She lives in Clinton, Maine, and is on the Board of Directors of Literacy Volunteers – Waterville, Area.

Captain Bill Baker’s service on the MRFC Steering Committee continues a remarkable career of service in Maine.

Bill’s formal education culminated in a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology, and two master’s degrees, in education, and child development, respectively.

After working in Maine in the fields of education, social work, corrections, and counseling, Bill moved to Monhegan Island, where he opened and operated a bed-and-breakfast and other small businesses, and also fished for lobster. Bill founded the Monhegan Emergency Rescue Service.

After fifteen years on Monhegan, Bill moved to Stonington, where, for twenty-two years, he owned and operated a marine-oriented business which included charter boat tours, a campground and small restaurant, and sales and rentals of various kinds of watercraft. In Stonington, Bill served on various governmental and community boards and committees, and with the Deer Isle Ambulance Service.

During his career in business, Bill worked closely with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Island Heritage Trust, Maine Island Trail Association, and the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors. He was instrumental in augmenting the protection of Eastern Mark Island which had a large Great Blue Heron rookery on it.

Bill holds a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s License, and he held a Maine Sea Kayak Guide license for several decades. He was licensed as an Emergency Medical Technician, Intermediate Level, for over eighteen years.

Bill “retired” in 2020, and now makes his full-time home on Moosehead Lake, near Greenville, where he avidly hikes, skis, and snowshoes throughout the Region. In addition to his work with MRFC, Bill also volunteers on the Rescue Squad at the ski area on Big Moose Mountain.

Kay York Johnson has joined MRFC’s Steering Committee to become more deeply involved with the Moosehead Region Planning Process initiated by Maine’s Land Use Planning Commission, and with other development plans that impact the Region. Kay believes that, with careful planning, the pristine beauty of the Region can be maintained while its economy becomes more vibrant and sustaining for both locals and visitors.

Kay is a Greenville native, graduating from Greenville High School in 1962. She studied biology and education at the University of Maine, Orono, earning her B. S. there in 1966. Kay also earned an M.B.A. from University of New Hampshire in 1989.

Kay has been employed as a teacher, business advisor, and director at several businesses. She has served on boards of directors of more than a half-dozen nonprofits in Maine, Texas, and Colorado, including on the boards of the Friends of Wilson Pond Area, and the Moosehead Maritime Museum in Greenville.

Now in retirement, Kay returned to Greenville more than a dozen years ago. She enjoys her volunteer work in preventing the introduction of invasive aquatic plants and animals to local waters. She pursues her interests in monitoring the water quality of Wilson Ponds, sustaining the Region’s history for future generations, and actively influencing the decisions made by governmental agencies which affect the environment and economy of the Region.

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Tom grew up hiking the trails and mountains of New England and fell in love with the North Woods when he visited Baxter State Park as a youth. He majored in biology and environmental studies at Colby College (82’) and earned a Master of Science degree in marine science at the University of Delaware. Early in his career Tom was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa, farmed oysters and scallops, and was a marine biologist for the state of Texas. Tom recently retired from his long-term job as a fisheries manager for the federal government, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Tom and his wife bought a camp on Lower Wilson Pond in 2021, and reside in Topsfield, MA in the winter.