New environmental planner/conservation joins town

David Morgan Morgan

A new conservation agent/environmental planner has joined town planning.

David Morgan --who is from Maine, has a master's in urban planning from Tufts and has worked as a research fellow for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – began work Nov. 8.

He steps into the position previously held by Emily Sullivan, who left in August. His annual salary is $67,817.

A Nov. 16 town news release says Morgan will assist with coordinating a range of sustainability and environmental planning and policy efforts in town. He also helps the Conservation Commission in administering and enforcing the states Wetlands Protection Act, the town bylaw for wetlands protection and managing property under Conservation Commission control.

Morgan comes to the town with several years of experience in environmental research, planning and policy. He previously worked as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education research fellow for the EPA, where he investigated ecosystem-based climate change adaptation and policy, especially concerning New England’s wetlands and coastal ecosystems.

Before his graduate study, he developed small, worker-owned businesses and led economic-justice policy initiatives. Morgan received his bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College.

“Arlington’s wetlands-protection bylaw was an inspiration when I drafted a similar ordinance for the City of Boston,” said Morgan. “The town and Conservation Commission have led on issues of environmental planning, and I’m thrilled to contribute to those efforts, from open space planning to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Municipal action on environmental issues is essential to ensure the places where we live, work and play—and the ecosystems we depend on—can thrive.”

His department oversees planning and community-development activities within the town and is committed to improving the quality of life in Arlington by improving housing opportunities, transportation access and economic development to enhance the vitality of our business districts, and preserving and promoting our community’s natural, historic and cultural resources.