Ralph Peck, President, and his wife, Jane, have lived in Holden since 1974. For 15 years Ralph has been chairman of Boy Scout Troop 180, formerly known as Bob Elms’ troop. He was among those present with the Scouts when they demonstrated camping out at Trout Brook, in Winter Carnivals past. He is a native of Springfield, a graduate of Williams College and The University of Michigan Law School, and worked with the commercial real estate department at State Mutual and has practiced law independently.
Scott Morrison, Vice President, is a wetland and soil scientist. Formerly he was a park ranger working in several Massachusetts State Parks. His interests include environmental education and land preservation. In his free time he enjoys hiking, kayaking, and skiing.
Paul McManus, Treasurer, has managed to turn a life-long love of the outdoors into a career as an ecologist and wetland scientist. In addition to working with White Oak, he is active in the International Society of Wetland Scientists, and has served as the New England Chapter President. He lives in Holden with his wife Margaret. The McManus family and dog Minnie spends as much time as possible on the snow, in the woods, and messing around in boats.
Kenneth Strom, Secretary, a lifelong resident of Holden, is a Professional Land Surveyor and civil engineer with WDA Design Group in Westborough. He holds a BS Civil Engineering Technology from Central New England College. He has been a member of the Holden Conservation Commission for over 24 years and was involved with the Boy Scout program in Holden with Pack 46 and Troop 182 for nearly 20 years as Cubmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster in charge of the troop’s camping and high adventure activities. In his free time he enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, snowshoeing, and camping.
David Ayers.
Conor Boyan, Associate Board Member.
Richard Callahan has enjoyed a lifetime interest in nature. He received a BS in Biology from Holy Cross and a PhD in Entomology from UMass Amherst, where he developed methods to detect and measure the sub lethal effects of pesticides. He developed the method used to destroy Agent Orange, led large oceanographic surveys, cofounded a public pharmaceutical company and an electronic chip maker, and helped others start technology companies. He currently studies the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on honeybees. A runner for decades, he enjoys bike riding, kayaking, dog training, travel, and preserving natural places.
Craig McColl, a retired airline pilot who grew up in Holden, has degrees in history and education from The University of Connecticut and Assumption College. He taught history at the Thomas Prince School for nine years and led local history tours for many years. In his free time he took flying lessons and left teaching to pursue a flying career retiring from US Airways. He moved back to Holden in 1993 and joined White Oak because he believes in the mission of saving open space. He enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking and cross-country skiing.