Dan joined Restore Native Plants as a recurring volunteer and immediately fell in love with wildlife habitat restoration. Since joining the team full-time in 2017, he has been committed to sharing his passion for the role of native plants in building sustainable ecosystems.

Dan has reached out to numerous classes and clubs at local colleges, including Ramapo College and William Paterson University, inspiring students to create wildlife habitats in their backyards. He has connected students to volunteer and internship opportunities at Restore Native Plants, providing them with hands-on experience in invasive plant removal, native plant propagation, and full-circle restoration work.

In addition to community outreach, Dan has played an integral role in establishing and maintaining RNP’s wildlife habitat restoration sites. Under his supervision, Restore Native Plants shifted to onsite composting of all suitable organic waste, eliminating the environmental cost of transport and providing a native source of nutrient-rich compost for restoration areas.

Dan aims to fill the roadsides around Restore Native Plants’ headquarters with native wildflowers, impressing park visitors with the beauty of natural wildlife habitats. With the help of amazing volunteers, this goal is quickly becoming a reality.

Before joining Restore Native Plants, Dan interned for the Mahwah Environmental Volunteer Organization (MEVO), where he learned invaluable sustainable agriculture skills and how to mobilize volunteer involvement in conserving the natural world.

Dan began his environmental career with the Bergen County Department of Parks, gaining experience in balancing recreation and open space conservation in a suburban setting. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Ramapo College. As his capstone project, he was a writer and co-editor of a preliminary environmental impact statement for the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline, which has since been abandoned due to environmental and public safety concerns.

With every day being a new adventure, Dan is always enthusiastic about connecting new people to Restore Native Plants’ mission.