In the Spotlight: Natural Resource Technician John Thomas

You probably know Lancaster Conservancy through our nature preserves like Clark, Kellys Run, and Wizard Ranch. Maybe you’ve attended our educational programs or fundraising celebrations. But less often seen is the team of motivated, passionate, and talented people who make it possible for the Conservancy to protect and restore our natural lands and provide opportunities for our community to connect with nature. That’s why we want to introduce you to some of our team members doing critical work for our natural world!

John Thomas is the Conservancy’s Natural Resource Technician. He works with Forester Eric Roper to implement habitat projects including installing, establishing, and maintaining restoration projects such as meadows and tree plantings and removing invasive species.

Q: Why is restoration work important for the Conservancy to do? Why does the Conservancy need to manage natural resources on our preserves?

I wish we could simply preserve land and in doing so keep it “pristine.” Unfortunately, even for more “pristine” areas, this is not the case because of the scourge of invasive species. Invasive species are species that have not evolved in our local ecosystems; therefore, they spread quickly and displace or cause significant damage to native species.

Plant species from Europe or Asia such as garlic mustard and multiflora rose grow thick and crowd out spring wildflowers. Forest can be dominated by trees from other continents. Because these species did not evolve here, they typically escape predation from native insects, which gives them an advantage in the landscape. Of course, invasive insects and diseases have caused massive damage to our native plants and have caused some native tree species to decline or even become functionally extinct. The effects of invasive species cascade through the ecosystem.

For our location, invasive species and land use are the two biggest factors decreasing biodiversity. The lands we preserve have a history of ecological degradation. Timber harvests have frequently not accounted for the ecology or long-term health of the forest. Floodplain wetlands may be choked with legacy sediment. Many preserves include areas that were tilled for agriculture, which removed the native plants and animals and affected the soil.

The terminology “ecological restoration” is used to describe efforts to reverse ecological degradation. For example, we often plant trees or meadows in former agricultural lands. The goal is to have these lands provide better habitat for native plants and animals and improve biodiversity in our region.

Q: What’s your favorite part about your role at the Conservancy?

I am a plant guy, so I enjoy finding interesting plant species and plant communities. For example, in the course of my work I ran into a cool population of “shale barrens” plants on a bluff (schist actually) overlooking the Susquehanna River. Plants flowering at the time included Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) and violet woodsorrel (Oxalis violacea). I love that my job is to protect plant communities like this one.

John digs a hole to plant a tree at the Conservancy’s Falmouth Forest Garden

Q: What would you recommend to someone interested in a career in conservation or a job like yours?

For those who want to get involved in conservation, I would say first look for opportunities around you and things you can do now. Homeowners can plant native plants. Consider volunteering. If there is land that you work on or are connected to, advocate for it or work to improve its habitat value.

For those who wish to have a career in conservation, know that there are many different jobs that conservation requires from lawyers to biologists to heavy equipment operators. You may need to be patient for the right job opening, or you may need to be flexible about your location. Also, look at the education background of people who have the type of job you would like to have.

Q: What’s a favorite experience you’ve had on a Conservancy preserve?

There is something special about knowing the Conservancy’s nature preserves deeply. In the process of assessing the habitat needs of Welsh Mountain Nature Preserve, I fell in love with it. Who would think that a place not known as a wildflower mecca could have five species of orchids? Meanwhile Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve, which is known for being a wildflower mecca, upon closer inspection also has some interesting tree and shrub species. Mill Creek Falls has interesting plants not far from the parking lot and in the powerline cut. The High Family and Bellaire Woods nature preserves share a diabase geology and a rich plant community. Really all the preserves seem to have something that makes them special or interesting.