Tom is a retired maple syrup producer in Ashfield who had had a lifelong appreciation for open spaces and productive farmland. As a young teen in suburban Pennsylvania, he witnessed the neighboring cornfield turn into house lots and new homes. A year later the neighboring farm shut down and the open spaces he played in became housing developments. This was the deciding moment in his life to avert this trend by advocating for the preservation of open space and farms.
He has been involved with the FLT since it was born in Ashfield by two friends in 1985. In town, Tom has served on the Ashfield Select Board and the Solid Waste and Recycling Committee, is very active building and maintaining trails with the Ashfield Trails committee, and helps maintain nearby Trustees of Reservations properties. Tom is an avid cyclist and also serves on the FLT D2R2 Planning Committee.
At home, he builds and maintains trails on his farm, and does forest management for maple sugaring, riparian habitat, wildlife, and birds. Skiing in the winter and gardening in the summer eats up any unusual spare time.