THE NORTH SHORE LAND ALLIANCE NAMES NEW CHAIRMAN

By Thomas Nothel

The North Shore Land Alliance has elected Hollis Russell as its new Chairman of the Board. Russell succeeds Hoyle Jones who has been Chairman of the Board since 2017.

Russell has served on the Land Alliance Board since 2008.  The organization’s mission is to conserve and steward Long Island’s natural and historic lands, waters, and environmental resources.

Russell was directly involved in the creation of the O’Neil Conservation Stewards Internship Program;  establishing a stewardship endowment for preserve maintenance of lands donated to the Land Alliance from The Nature Conservancy; and in the construction of the Land Alliance’s new Tavern House office.

Russell understands "the growing need for private conservation and intends to focus significant efforts on acquiring more conservation easements," stated the Board in a press release. "In addition to being ever ready to conserve some of our communities’ most emblematic places when they become available."

The Land Alliance emphasized the future sustainability through growing a substantial planned giving program.

One of the Land Alliance most critical projects is the Campaign for Red Cote Preserve — an appeal to save a beautiful, five-acre, open piece of land in Oyster Bay Cove from potential residential development by raising an additional $500,000 by February 2026.

Every gift — no matter the size — brings the Land Alliance closer to permanently protecting this special space.

Russell is a Partner at Law firm McLaughlin & Stern LLP, where he specializes in trusts and estates and charitable giving, focusing on private client planning.

He received his B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from Cornell Law School. He and his wife, Anne, reside in Locust Valley, where they actively advocate for land preservation and community stewardship.

“Hollis’s leadership, insight, and passion for conservation will help guide the Land Alliance through its next chapter,” said outgoing Chairman Hoyle Jones. “We are thrilled to welcome him as Chair and confident that under his guidance, our work will continue to thrive,”

The North Shore Land Alliance was founded in 2003, and has been accredited by the national Land Trust Alliance since 2014. 

The Land Alliance partners with landowners, non-profits and government agencies to protect over 1,500 acres of vital conservation-worthy lands within our community. Its mission is to ensure that Long Island’s natural and historic land treasures are preserved for current and future generations.