Trail Champions Honorary Committee
Dick is the former Executive Director of Maine Audubon Society, BEP member, Department of Conservation Commissioner, and Founder of the International Appalachian Trail
Twenty-five years ago, Dick and two other Mainers shared their concept for the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) to extend the Appalachian Trail from its end atop Mount Katahdin into Canada. In 1994, Dick, the former Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Conservation and his colleagues persuaded the then Gov. Brennan to hold a news conference detailing their plan to build a 750-mile hiking trail that would link Maine with Canada. Today, a feat of 13 nations and 5,500 miles connects hikers on either side of the Atlantic.
A current member of the Maine AIT Chapter, Dick served as the President of the Maine Chapter Board until 2012, and then as treasurer. He participated in international meetings and trips to expand the IAT throughout eastern Canada and Europe. In 1957 after graduation from the University of Maine, Dick joined the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, as the Assistant Fisheries Biologist in the southern region.
During his work as the assistant fisheries biologist his primary responsibility was the management of Sebago Lake. He was the first to expose the DDT concentrations in Sebago salmon that resulted in much publicity and contributed, several years later, to the banning of DDT in Maine.
In 1969, Anderson became the Executive Director of the Maine Audubon Society serving until 1977 where he led the effort to develop Gilsland Farm as the new headquarters of the Audubon Society. He also did the early work to require a bottle return system in Maine. He was also named a member of the Board of Environmental Protection by Gov. Curtis and served as Chair of the Maine Mining Commission.