Bernie Gracy was elected President of the ALA in 2021.  Bernie and his wife Debbie have owned a camp on Little Averill for the past 6 years. Bernie is a budding outdoorsman and Debbie is a noted landscape photographer. 

A resident of Hollis NH, Bernie just graduated with an MS in Natural Resources Conservation (Aquatics) from Paul Smith's College in the Adirondacks.  He is a member of the North American Lake Management Society and was a featured speaker at NALMS 2023.

Susan Gresser and her husband moved to St. Johnsbury VT in 1992 after living in MN for 3 years which included portaging canoe trips in the Boundary Waters and Quetico.

Susan is drawn to the water. They stumbled upon Little Averill in the mid 1990's when exploring the lakes of VT. They bought their land in 2007 which they camped and cleared over the next 4 years. Now that they have a cabin they come up year round. On most days there's no place Susan would rather be. 

Gennette was born and raised in Canaan, VT, spending her summers at the Carr cottage on Cottage Road.  As a teen, Gennette was a cook at Quimby Country, then moved to the Burlington area to pursue work in Human Resources. 

Currently living in Fairfax, VT with her husband Lonnie Burke, 2 ponies, 2 cats, 3 goats and 10 hens, Gennette splits her time between her physical home and her “soul’s home" on the lake. An avid outdoors woman, Gennette enjoys gardening, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, kayaking, snowshoeing and anything else in the fresh air.  In the Carr tradition, her homes are a gathering place for family and friends and a space for her other passions -- cooking and preserving.

Connie has been a member and past Director of the ALA since 2017.  Her roots are in Canaan VT.  Her family has been on Little Averill since the late 1940s with a camp built by her parents before the road was completed.  

After a stint in the Pacific Northwest, Connie returned to the NEK and ended up across the River in Colebrook NH. She and her husband Rob enjoy hiking, canoeing, and maintaining a snowshoe trail that leads from the Lake View Store to the Averill Mountain overlook.  Connie is also a part time assessor for the Town of Pittsburg NH.

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Dave is the proprietor of the historic Lake View Store in Norton VT.  The LVS is the "nerve center" and local hang out of the community where Dave "holds court".  Beyond providing a great selection of local meats, fresh fish, and grocery items; ethanol free gas for snowmobilers, and a State of Vermont reporting station for hunters in the NEK;

Dave has done an untold number of rescues and emergency services for stranded drivers and members of the community.  Dave also supports the ALA Citizen Science initiatives by storing and refrigerating our samples and related gear at the LVS and facilitating pickup by State of Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation.

Kim has a long history with the NEK, and particularly in Essex County, dating back to the 1970's.
 

He's a lifelong woodsman and hunter.

He maintains a residence in Chittenden County, where in 2019 he retired from a career in human services and acquired a camp on Big Averill.
 

You'll find Kim on the lake or in the surrounding forest in any season, with autumn and winter being favorite times of the year. Summer lake life is spent boating and fishing.

Kim also serves as a lay monitor, who collects and submits water samples and other data to the State.

Don Tase lives in Colebrook, NH, where he and his wife Linda raised three kids.  Don first laid eyes on the Averill Lakes in the summer of 1976, when he came to work as a forester for St. Regis Paper Co., and then Champion. 

In 1988, Don and his family bought a parcel on the 'southeastern shore of Little Averill, at that time, water access only. In the late 1990's an easement was secured and a road was built into the parcel off the East Branch Road (the Rodin Road).

After Champion sold, Don joined a consulting firm to manage the remaining NH lands, and also a number of other tracts across Vermont and the Adirondacks.  Retirement came in the 2015?+/- and much more time on the lake. Maybe even a lake trout every now and then.

In the early 2020's Don started do lay water sampling for the State, and has gotten a bit more involved since. And pleased to be joining the board of the ALA.  He considers himself very fortunate to have a place on Little Averill, and to live close enough to enjoy it frequently.

Larry is a life long Vermonter born in Shoreham and then spent most of his formative years on the shores of Lake Champlain in Grand Isle.

With his wife he built a homestead and raised a family in East Fairfield . His degree in Environmental Studies from UVM of course lead to a career in woodworking!

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Larry has been enjoying the unique beauty of the Averill Lakes since the late 80's and started building his shared camp on Cowan Rd on Little Averill when the Champion lots became available.

Recognizing the important work the ALA pursues Larry is happy to join with his fellow board members in supporting the beauty and character of the Averill Lakes.

Tim's father Fred built the first camp on the east shore of Little Averill in the early 1960s and he spent uncountable summer days and nights there ever since, lovingly maintaining the family’s rather unique camp and keeping a watchful eye over the lake and its surroundings.  Raised in nearby Canaan, he and his wife Sarah reside in Vergennes, where they raised two children in a house overlooking Otter Creek.

His interests, besides spending time “upta camp”, include writing articles for the state’s surveying society, hiking, paddling and cross-country ski racing.

As a licensed land surveyor, long-employed by a civil engineering firm that serves much of the state, he is cognizant of both the joy of building and the responsibility of protecting and maintaining our traditional landscapes. A few years ago he provided researched professional testimony related to the water levels of our lakes.

Tim has been working with two other ALA members in preparing a petition to exclude wake-boats from the Averill Lakes. As a member of the board he hopes to continue to work with ALA members to promote the responsible use and enjoyment of these beautiful lakes and their surrounding.