Apse to leave land trust

Rachelle Curran Apse will step down this winter as Presumpscot Regional Land Trust’s executive director after nearly a decade.

Apse is moving with her family to Cape Town, South Africa.

“It has been such an honor to serve in the leadership of the land trust, expanding conservation and trails while connecting people with nature close to home. Our land trust has grown exponentially in the last decade, and it is only possible due to the hundreds of volunteers, members, supporters and community partners,” Apse said in a statement.

Matt Streeter, co-president of the board of directors, said, “(Apse) has led the land trust through the transformational change from an all-volunteer to a professionally-led organization. She built and cultivated the processes that have made us more effective and earned national accreditation with the Land Trust Alliance. She built an extraordinary staff who, with her leadership, did the hard work of adding over 1,000 acres of conserved land to our portfolio. We wish (Apse) and her family a fulfilling future as they embark on the next phase of their lives, and we look forward to hiring a new executive director who will continue the good work that (Apse) has done.”

Apse will continue as executive director through the end of the year and support the training for her successor. The three-person staff will continue with Toby Jacobs as program manager and Brenna Crothers as community engagement manager.

50 years ago

The American Journal reported on Oct. 3, 1973, that Olive Day, superintendent of the Westbrook Universalist Church School, announced it was to reopen for children in preschool through eighth grade on Oct. 7.