Karen Lombard
Director of Stewardship and Restoration
Massachusetts
Karen Lombard Director of Stewardship and Restoration for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. © Stephanie Dozois
Areas of Expertise
Stewardship, Restoration, Land Management, Ecology
Biography
Karen Lombard is the Director of Stewardship and Restoration for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts and has been working in stewardship and restoration with the organization since 1997. She leads a stewardship team that manages 8,000 acres of TNC fee land and monitors 2,500 acres of conservation easement land in the state.
Karen has nearly 30 years of experience in restoring and managing habitats on TNC and partner lands including floodplain forest restoration, application of prescribed fire and invasive plant control. She co-leads a regional network focused on improving management in coastal sandplain grassland ecosystems and is the chair of the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group plant evaluation subcommittee. In 2021, Karen led a team of TNC managers in the creation of a guidance document on managing for climate resilience on TNC lands.
She has an M.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Williams College.
In The Media
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Nature Trail Named for Island Conservation Leader
A popular hiking trail at the Hoft Farm Preserve names in honor of Tom Chase who worked to conserve the farm and hundreds more acres of open space across Martha's Vineyard. Read the article
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Becker Pond will be history after the dam comes down
To recognize her leadership on the project, Lombard was the first to operate the excavator to start the Becker Pond dam removal process. Learn more
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Failing Becker Pond Dam To Be Removed
Lombard emphasizes the importance of the Becker Pond dam removal for people and nature. Read the article
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Nature Conservancy Welcomes Hikers to New Washington Trail
TNC staff, partners and community members come together to celebrate the opening of a new trail at Coles Brook Preserve. Learn more
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Vineyard Conservation Projects Score State Grants
Supporting biodiversity on Martha’s Vineyard. Read more
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Cande Barn is about to get a new home and a new life
Lombard provides background information on the removal of Cande Barn from TNC’s Schenob Brook Preserve. Read the article
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Partnering to Save Sandplain Grasslands
Lombard shares TNC in Massachusetts' work on sandplain grassland restoration and how a network of conservationists are coming together to save them across their range. Read the field note
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On the market for a historic barn?
This one in Sheffield is on a deadline to find a few home. Hear from Lombard about the property
Stewardship in MA
Restoring Imperiled Grasslands on Martha’s Vineyard
The island is one of the last remaining strongholds of sandplain grasslands. TNC and partners are bringing back habitats and species once more common on the island.
How Does the Bobcat Cross the Mass Pike
TNC in Massachusetts is leading an effort to assess and map culverts under Interstate 90 to identify those that can serve as corridors for wildlife to pass under the road.
Connecting Lands for Climate Resilience
TNC data shows which landscapes will support plants and animals as the climate changes. We're working to protect them.