TENAFLY, N.J.—After five years at the helm, Tenafly Nature Center Executive Director Peter Punzi will resign his position Aug. 12 to accept a new position as executive director of a 4,000-acre conservation center in northwest Connecticut.
Punzi took over at Tenafly Nature Center just prior to a tumultuous November 2014 referendum vote that defeated an expansion of the center into a new, larger on-site facility.
‘Couldn’t pass up’
“This is an opportunity you just couldn’t pass up,” he said of the new position at the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, Conn.
He said the facility has 40 miles of trails and a $30 million endowment. The facility includes 10 ponds, a nature museum, hills, woods, a marina, forested areas and more than half the shoreline of Connecticut’s largest natural lake, Bantam Lake.
Punzi said his departure left him “ambivalent,” but the upcoming opportunity “is exciting as well.”
He said in addition to conservation, education and recreation, the center is also involved in research. Punzi said the current director, Keith Cudworth, is retiring and he will get a chance to transition to the new position with guidance from the retiring director.
Punzi, 53, said he was proud of accomplishments during his tenure such as the Nature Center’s Butterfly House and Pollinator Garden, which he helped construct and fundraise for.
In addition, other successes included: rehabilitation of the main trail; a collaboration with Lamont-Doherty on remote sensing dendrometers; a new generator; Pfister’s Pond restoration work; and facility upgrades such as new carpets, exterior repainting, refurbishing outdoor bathrooms; and new facility signage.
He said his one regret is not successfully concluding fundraising for a new modern aviary with four bays to house and care for additional permanently injured, non-releasable, raptors for TNC’s education programs. The website notes fundraising has totaled 39 percent ($28,497.00) of its $72,300.00 goal.
‘Lemonade’ from lemons
“I’m proud of my body of work…that we made lemonade out of lemons,” he said of a need to get moving after the referendum’s 2014 defeat.
He said he hopes improvements continue on Pfister’s Pond restoration after council members review results from a recent aquatic analysis undertaken there.
“He is a very strong advocate for the Nature Center and done a fine job. People like Peter are going to be missed,” said Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin.
Asked about advice for a predecessor, Punzi said he would advise planning and outreach.
“Do some strategic planning as soon as possible and learn about people and the community,” he said.
A July 19 filing deadline for candidates applying for executive director of Tenafly Nature Center is shown on the nature center’s website at: TenaflyNC.org/Employment-Opportunities.
It notes the position includes a competitive package of salary and benefits, possibly use of a single-family, three-bedroom home on site “in desirable Tenafly NJ school district.”
Candidates are urged to send a cover letter, resume, daytime phone number and salary expectations.