Global Travels Inform Local Conservation

From TLC News, November 2007

After traveling and working in exotic places such as Thailand, Japan and Ireland, Leigh Ann Cienek has returned to her home state and is now bringing her worldly perspective to TLC as Conservation Planner.  A Guilford County native, Leigh Ann developed an affinity for the outdoors during summers spent at a camp on Kerr Lake that focused on water sports like sailing and canoeing. 

Leigh Ann attended UNC-Chapel Hill as an undergraduate and began her global travels during her senior year, when she studied in Thailand and explored ways of combating air pollution in Bangkok by using alternative fuels.  After graduating with a B.A. with Highest Honors in Environmental Studies, Leigh Ann lived in the Pocono Mountains and taught at a YMCA outdoor education center.  She then continued her career in teaching abroad in Kyoto, Japan.   On her journey back home, she joined the Willing Workers of Organic Farms, an international volunteer organization where volunteers live and work on a farm in exchange for room and board, and traveled to Thailand, Eastern Europe and Ireland. 

After her travels, Leigh Ann returned to UNC-Chapel Hill, where she received a Masters in Planning from the Department of City and Regional Planning and participated in internships with the City of Raleigh and the Carolina Population Center.  She describes her studies in graduate school as focusing on “tools and techniques for promoting vibrant urban and natural areas that help improve our quality of life”

In her new position at TLC, Leigh Ann is developing long-term conservation plans for TLC’s priority areas, such as Mark’s Creek and the Deep River.  She works collaboratively with state agencies and local governments in creating conservation plans.  The tools of her trade include GIS, modeling and knowledge of local land use policy.  For example, in the Mark’s Creek area, Leigh Ann is using land that TLC and its partners have acquired in the area as a springboard to determine how future acquisitions could tie into this conservation land, as well as how to connect other community assets such as schools, community facilities, greenways and parks. 

“Conservation planning helps you take a holistic approach to looking at landscapes,” she explains.   “I really enjoy the partnership aspect of my position, because I work with many different groups and individuals who bring a vast amount of knowledge and creative ideas to the table.”

Her travels continue to inform her work.  "I enjoyed learning about how people connect with the land in different ways," she says.  "From meeting a mother raising cattle in Ireland to a Shinto priest in Japan, I realized that the natural environment can fulfill so many different needs for people."

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