Board of Directors
Barbara WelchGraduating from Bates with a BS in Biology, Barb began a 39-year career in the Lakes Section at Maine Department of Environmental Protection. While there, she directed the Volunteer Monitoring Program for a number of years. She enjoyed visiting hundreds of Maine’s beautiful lakes, but the best part was working with the great volunteers around the state. She started an education and outreach program within the Lakes Section believing that people would take care of lakes if they understood which processes aided and harmed their fragile ecosystems. She helped design and implement LakeSmart, a program to help lakeshore property owners be more protective of lake quality. In 2017, she joined the LSM Board of Directors and currently is President of the Board.
Sibyl FrenchSibyl is the current Treasurer on the LSM Board of Directors and lives at Panther Pond in Raymond with her husband, Robert. They have both been certified invasive plant patrollers for at least 15 years, not only monitoring their home lake but also working with a state-wide team who have surveyed Moosehead Lake, lakes in Acadia National Park and, most recently, Big Lake. In recognition of her extensive monitoring work, Sibyl has received several awards from LSM. She received a B.A. degree in Biology with a minor in chemistry from Boston University and worked as an accountant for over 25 years, while raising their three sons. She is now retired. Sibyl is currently a Regional Coordinator for LSM and co-captain of her home aquatic invasive plant team. She has been involved with gloeotrichia research for Bates College and invasive crayfish survey for USM, and is also active in Raymond Waterways Protective Association and Panther Pond Association.
Linda BaconLinda’s love for lakes started from birth on the shores of Messalonskee Lake in the Belgrade lake chain. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with BA in Biology then went on to obtain a master’s degree from University of Maine with a focus on aquatic ecology. Her early career included four years collecting samples and managing lake data for various acid deposition projects. In 1988, she began working at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and within 9 months joined their Division of Environmental Evaluation and Lake Studies as a lake assessment biologist. Since then she has worked closely with volunteers, first through DEP, then through LSM. Linda sat on the steering committee that resulted in the formation of LSM as a stand-alone, non-profit entity. Since 1998, she has provided quality assurance oversight for the water quality monitoring branch of the program, has written numerous articles for the ‘Quality Counts!’ column in the newsletter, and has sat on the Board of Directors.
Joe MusanteJoe Musante is the water resources biologist for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, having worked in their environmental department since 2004. He graduated with a BA in Biology and a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Maine at Machias in 2002. He’s been involved with LSM for about 15 years, joining the Board in 2020. Joe now spends most of his summer field season tracking the water quality on the West Branch of the St. Croix River Watershed, as well as surveying for invasive aquatic plants. He hopes to help others in the area recognize both the need and enjoyment in lake stewardship. In his spare time, he thoroughly enjoys gardening, foraging for wild mushrooms, fishing, and spending time outdoors in Machiasport where he lives. Joe enjoys living every season in Maine. Every month brings with it another hobby, another foraging trip, and often another hatch of flies.
Robert (Bob) FrenchRobert lives at Panther Pond in Raymond with his wife Sibyl. He, along with Sibyl, have been involved with invasive plant patrolling for the past 15 years, surveying throughout Maine including Moosehead Lake, Acadia National Park, Big Lake, and several others. He is the recipient of the Plant Patroller of the year award and a member of a team that also won the award. He collaborated with USM on an invasive crayfish survey and with Bates College monitoring gloeotrichia on Panther Pond. He is a past President of the Bedford, Massachusetts Jaycees and also their HOA in N. Myrtle Beach, SC. Bob graduated with an AS degree in Aeronautical Technology and a BS degree in Business Administration from Boston University. After a career of being an Industrial Engineer for 24 years and self-employed for 14, he is now retired and continues to work with the Raymond Waterways Protective Association and Cumberland County on various erosion control projects.
Kathy HoppeBorn in the Midwest, Kathy came to Maine via South Carolina where she worked for the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and an environmental consulting firm. Finding SC too hot, she and her husband moved to Aroostook County where Kathy first worked for the University of Maine at Presque Isle before joining DEP in 1989 until retirement in 2022. As the lone Division of Environmental Assessment employee, Kathy worked with most of the Bureau of Water Quality programs including biomonitoring, lakes, Nonpoint Source Grants, wastewater, Small Community Grants, and stormwater. In the mid-1980s Kathy recognized the need to connect environmental knowledge and science to the human dimension in environmental protection/stewardship. As a result, Kathy worked on a number of stewardship campaigns including 8-Simple Steps, Stop Soiling our Water, LakeSmart, and ThinkBlueMaine. Kathy has been recognized with the Governor’s Employee Service Award; the Evelyn Jepson Award, DEP’s highest honor recognizing distinguished employee service to the environment, Maine communities, and the organization; Fish River Chain of Lakes for Distinguished Service to Save Our Lakes; Southern Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District’s Environmental Award; and as one of Maine Lakes’ 50 Lake Heroes. Kathy has a B.S. in Wildlife from Michigan State University (Go Green), and graduate work at Ball State University in education & outreach. Our Staff
- Alison Cooney
- Tristan Taber
- Christine Guerette
- Jonnie Maloney
- Brett Willard
- Wendy Porter
- Karen Brace
Board of Directors
- Barbara Welch
- Sibyl French
- Linda Bacon
- Joe Musante
- Robert (Bob) French
- Kathy Hoppe
Advisory Board
- Aria Amirbahman
- Roy Bouchard
- Holly Ewing
- C. Barre Hellquist
- Lloyd C. Irland
- David Littell
- Steve Norton
- Firooza Pavri
- Matt Scott
- Ken Wagner
- Karen Wilson