Olson to head Wilton wildlife preserve, focus on conservation, recreation

PHOTOGRAPHER: Lee Coleman

Margo Bloom Olson of Saratoga Springs has been appointed executive director of the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, succeeding long-time director Sarah Clarkin.

Clarkin resigned the executive director position in June after a decade on the job.

The preserve and park is a partnership between the town of Wilton, Saratoga County, The Nature Conservancy and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Over the past 15 years the preserve and its partners have protected more than 2,300 acres on the east side of the Northway.

“It is an honor to be selected for the executive director position at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park,” Olson said in a written statement. She termed the lands “a treasure, providing the perfect environment to fulfill the mission of the organization.”

One of the missions of the preserve is to protect and monitor the Karner blue butterfly, which is on the state and federal endangered species lists. The park is home to the largest population of the Karner blue butterfly in the eastern United States.

Olson, who starts her new job Nov. 1, will be responsible for advancing the mission of the preserve, including overseeing its initiatives in educational programming, conservation and recreation.

Olson has worked as an environmental educator for the Five Rivers Environmental Center in Delmar before developing environmental programming, exhibits and curricula as education director at the Junior Museum in Troy, which has recently become the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology.

As a volunteer, she helped lead the recent fundraising effort to create new playgrounds and outdoor recreation space at Lake Avenue Elementary School in Saratoga Springs.

Olson’s local experience includes serving as curator of education at the National Museum of Racing and her most recent position at Skidmore College was as a member of the Office of Campus Life.

She serves on the Advisory Board of Children and Nature Saratoga and has been a consultant for several projects with the Children’s Museum at Saratoga

Linda Baker, chair of the executive board of the preserve, said Olson “brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of our mission, including conservation, education, and recreation.”