Our People
Christopher Polatin, MS, CERP – Principal & Restoration Ecologist
Chris Polatin works as a restoration ecologist through his companies Polatin Ecological Services, LLC and Land Stewardship, Inc., which dedicate themselves to ecological restoration planning, invasive plant management and native plant establishment. Chris is passionate about ecological restoration and has worked in the environmental field since 1999. He has a BA in Environmental Studies (conservation science & natural history) (University of California Santa Cruz) and an MS in Conservation Biology (Antioch University New England). He is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP #0009) through the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). Chris chairs the Gill Conservation Commission, serves as a committee member for the Gill Town Forest Steering Committee, board member for Friends of the Fannie Stebbins Memorial Wildlife Refuge, as Massachusetts director for the Society for Ecological Restoration – New England Chapter, and is active on the Certification Committee for SER.
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Joan Deely, MS – Senior Project Manager & Permitting Specialist
Joan Deely has worked with Polatin Ecological Services, LLC and Land Stewardship, Inc. for eight years managing projects, preparing management plans and monitoring reports and filing/representing permit requests with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and municipal conservation commissions. Joan also presents workshops and presentations on invasive plant identification. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology from University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MS in Resource Management and Administration from Antioch University New England. She serves on the Northfield (MA) Conservation Commission.
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Jessica Applin, MS –Director Ecological Services
Jess has been with LSI since 2016. She works as a project manager and oversees our baseline monitoring program. Jess brings a strong interest in wildlife to our team, holding a BS in Biology and an MS in Conservation Biology from Antioch University – New England. A Massachusetts native, Jess has been a participant with many of our state’s conservation organizations, including The Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee, The Nature Conservancy and the Trustees of Reservations. Over the winter, Jess worked as an Adjunct Professor at Westfield State University where she taught “Principles in Environmental Science”. In addition to her work with invasive plant species Jess is a Level II certified CyberTracker and a member of The Wildlife Society. More information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-applin-8b6a2459/
Eric Foley– Field Operations Manager
Eric joined the LSI team in 2021, as our Crew Operations Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecological Forest Management and a Certificate of GIS from Paul Smith’s College. Eric brings a strong background in forestry to LSI, having worked with the US Forest Service in both Idaho and Washington State as a Forest Technician and Wildland Firefighter. He has also volunteered with the Temple, NH Conservation Commission for over 15 years.