Not one, but three, new members have joined the WCT Board of Trustees. Mark Boelhouwer, Thomas (Tom) Janssen, and Robert (Bob) Wagner were officially voted in as trustees at the Annual Meeting, held August 16, 2025. The following post presents their full E-interviews, which appear in condensed version in the latest issue of the Trust newsletter.
Mark Boelhouwer
My family has been involved with the WCT almost since its inception. When my father, Cornelius Boelhouwer passed in 1986, we could think of no better remembrance than setting up,a WCT fund in his name. It still exists today
I have been coming to Wellfleet every year since 1962. My parents bought a place on Indian Neck in 1970 and I have had my own nearby since 2015. Most of my summer jobs throughout high school and college were in Wellfleet- the South Wellfleet General Store, Lima’s, the lighthouse. I love it in Wellfleet and look to retire here. I love the beaches and ponds especially and can think of no better day than one involving one of the ocean beaches followed by a swim in one of the ponds.
I have two daughters who love Wellfleet as much as I do and come as often as they can. I have spent my career in the elevator profession and still work at American Elevator Group. When not in Wellfleet, I reside in NYC .
Tom Janssen
I first visited Wellfleet as a teenager. I had a friend whose cousin owned a restaurant in town and he introduced me to the area. My memories are a jumble of Images, vistas, spectacular beaches, massive dunes, and mirror ponds that reflected all the colors of a sunny, fall day. I was hooked.
I arrived in New England in the mid ‘60’s as a freshman at Northeastern University. I came from New York and arrived in Boston having only known of the area from cousins who lived in Cambridge and other relatives on Cape Cod. They painted an image of the area in broad, strokes leaving my imagination to fill in the blanks. I was born in Queens, NY and expected the world to be crowded, noisy and filled with the aromas of lands far away. Boston was nothing like that. Streetlights and sidewalks were rolled up and tucked away at midnight. I learned to search for all the exciting, pastoral places waiting to be explored. From the Emerald Necklace, to Jamaica Pond and the Arboretum and back through the Mt Auburn Cemetery, I became a regular visitor. I love trees and find solace in their presence.
It is said that society only grows great when old men (and women) plant trees, knowing they will never sit in their shade. I believe that to be true.
After I was graduated from Northeastern, I moved to the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, near the West Virginia border where I learned to farm the land, grow orchards and raise and care for animals. I bought an old sugar farm with a well-worn log cabin that needed love and tender care. I carefully disassembled it and repaired the rotted logs with newly cut poplar trees. It caused great concern when felling those majestic guardians of the forest, but I learned how to be judicial when choosing the right tree. It helped the others to grow taller and more formidable. I felt justified.
We lived there for a few years after my daughter’s birth, but New England called and we headed back north. I returned to school and pursued graduate courses in Boston. After that, a job opened in a television station newsroom. I had interned there recently and was excited to be offered a position.
Fast forward 35 years and that internship led to a fulfilling career in journalism that afforded us a lifetime of memories and good times.
I had one job left to do. The final listing on my CV, the one project I had been waiting for. It wasn’t in journalism, not really, but it was in TV. I had been hired to help in the transition from an analog production to the exciting new world of digital transmission for a cable network station out of Charlotte, North Carolina. While it wasn’t the exciting, fast paced world of television news that I had spent my adult life living, it was the equally exciting, fast paced world of competitive auto racing. From NASCAR to Formula One we broadcast around the world with new programming and experimental technology. I loved it but after a number of years New England called again. This time it was Wellfleet. Full circle.
From those first days on the dunes as a teenager to present day trips to the dump we never lost the thrill or love of this town and all it offers.
From the early days of vacationing here in the 80’s to moving day in the 20 teens, Wellfleet was always the place we were going to hang our hats and never leave.
I have no desire to travel anymore because I’m living in the place I love the most. It’s like being on vacation all the time.
I’m excited to be part of the team at the Conservation Land Trust. It embodies all that I believe in when it comes to preserving the natural beauty of one of the world’s most treasured gems.
Bob Wagner
How did the Conservation Trust come to your attention?
Being professionally involved with the land trust community in Massachusetts, I had the opportunity to occasionally work with Mark Robinson at the Cape Cod Compact of Conservation Trusts, so I was aware of the growing land trust movement on the Cape. It didn’t then take long for us to find the Wellfleet Conservation Trust properties and trails upon our arrival in town. In fact, a recent acquisition of the trust’s is adjacent to our property.
What are your fondest Wellfleet memories?
Oh, so, so many since 1994 – watching our kids grow up loving the beach and all that Wellfleet and the Cape offers, sunsets from the Duck Harbor ridge, beautiful low tides on the flats working with our oyster farmer friend, full moon rising kayak tours on Duck Creek, hikes with our dogs on Seashore trails, glassy surf sessions.
What would your perfect day in Wellfleet look like?
All of the above capped off by a bonfire BBQ on the beach!
What was your life like before or outside Wellfleet?
Growing up on Long Island, NY, I was acutely aware of the negative impacts of poorly planned and over development. This led me to pursue a natural resources planning graduate degree at the University of Vermont. Being in Vermont, I concentrated my field work on protecting farmland. After a stint with the Vermont Department of Agriculture where I helped with the development of a statewide strategy to promote farmland protection techniques and a few years on the personal staff of then-VT Congressional Member, Jim Jeffords, I joined the American Farmland Trust and opened their Northeastern Field Office in 1985. My work with the organization eventually involved participating in the passage and funding of state and local programs to protect farm and ranch lands across the country. I remained with AFT until I retired in 2016.
What was the most satisfying aspect of your work?
Meeting and working with farm and ranch families, their neighbors and advocates was an honor and highlight.
What other boards and concerns have you been a part of in Wellfleet?
I currently serve on the Wellfleet Housing Authority, the Local Housing Partnership and the Community Preservation Committee. I previously served on the Maurice’s Campground Planning Committee.
What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?
With our younger daughter, I hiked the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu in 2017. I was then fortunate to follow this up with a tour of the Galapagos Islands.
Besides the blue heron, which is the WCT logo, are there other animals or birds you often observe?
My wife, Janet and I, are big fans of shore and marsh birds with the Great Blue Heron being one of our favorites.
Did anything famous conservationist writers/activists make an impact on the way you view nature?
The work of Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keefe for sure.
WELCOME, MARK, TOM AND BOB!
Wellfleet Conservation Trust 
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