Laura Bower

Laura joined the Fund in February 2022 as the Pennsylvania Field Representative. In this position she coordinates land, water and resource conservation projects throughout Pennsylvania by identifying funding opportunities, preparing grant proposals and managing due diligence activities for real estate projects. She also utilizes GIS to create maps that help identify priority areas for conservation.

As a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, Laura has spent the past two decades conserving land throughout the state. She started her career protecting farmland in the northern regions of  Pennsylvania where she worked in county government administering the Pennsylvania State Farmland Preservation Program. Laura then served as the Senior Land Conservationist for Heritage Conservancy, a regional land trust located in southeastern Pennsylvania. She utilized her skills in land conservation transactions to assist the Conservancy in the permanent protection of nearly 200 properties totaling over 7,000 acres. With a deep interest in amphibians, she was the catalyst for the development and management of an annual amphibian crossing program that resulted in the safe migration of over 1,000 spotted salamanders and other amphibians across busy roads near the Quakertown Swamp, which is one of the largest inland wetlands in southeastern Pennsylvania; this program still provides safe passage for amphibians every year.

Laura holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Environmental Studies and Biology with a focus in Herpetology from East Stroudsburg University.