Jacob van de Sande

Project Manager, Eastern Washington County

Department: Land Protection
Region: Downeast
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Jacob was born and raised in the woods in central Vermont, but went to summer camp in Maine and always had a passion for the ocean. Upon graduating from College of the Atlantic, he went to work for the state and federal government doing research on wild salmon in the Downeast Rivers and moved to Washington County.

Jacob went to graduate school at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, where he did research on anadromous brook trout in New Brunswick and Quebec. Upon returning to Maine, he went to work for the Downeast Salmon Federation (a Columbia Falls based non- profit founded in 1982) as Hatchery Manager and Education and Outreach Coordinator. For more than 14 years he raised and stocked hundreds of thousands of salmon from the Pleasant River Fish Hatchery and the East Machias Aquatic Research Center. He developed and delivered educational programs and activities to thousands of students, community members and visitors to the region.  Jacob joined the staff at MCHT in 2014 as a project manager in Washington County.

Jacob is passionate about rivers, forests, and oceans and how anthropogenic change affects the complex ecological interactions between them and how conservation can protect and restore those connections. Jacob lives in East Machias with his wife Sayber, his son Cob, nephew Blake and  supports stepdaughter Violet, stepson Cyrus and older daughter Terra in their adult lives.  He loves all things outdoors including hunting, fishing, hiking, paddling, biking, skating, skiing, snowboarding and snow kiting.

Jacob has been with MCHT since 2014.

On land conservation: “I love where I live. Here in Washington County, we have a unique opportunity to conserve and restore a landscape and its connection to the north Atlantic that can be more productive, more beautiful, and support more a more vibrant and sustainable economy and communities.”

On the job: Jacob works with landowners, communities, and conservation partners to identify and buy land that has exemplary ecological, scenic, cultural, and recreational values, and whose conservation benefits the people and ecosystems of Washington County.