Preserving nature in Freeport, Maine: Avangrid’s Ben Shepard Wins 2025 International Volunteer Award
After moving to Freeport, Maine over ten years ago, Ben Shepard discovered 200 acres of conservation land owned by the Town of Freeport close to his house. As an avid hiker and runner since his teenage years, this property sparked an interest and a passion.
“The conservation property, Florida Lake, has lots of natural beauty and hiking trails – and when I first saw it in 2014 – it was in a state of disrepair,” he said. “So, I started to look for ways to get involved to maintain and enhance the property.”
Ben Shepard
And involved he is. In addition to lending his own hands and sweat equity at Florida Lake, Ben stepped up even further in 2018 to serve on the Freeport Conservation Commission, a town board made up of seven residents that oversee five conservation properties in the town.
News of his work in L.L. Bean’s hometown of Freeport recently made it across the Atlantic to Spain: Shepard’s dedication to protecting natural environments led to him winning a 2025 International Volunteer Award from Avangrid’s parent company, Iberdrola, which boasts an employee volunteer community of more than 23,000 worldwide. Shepard, a director of projects with Avangrid, joined three Iberdrola colleagues in the United Kingdom, Poland and Spain in receiving 2025 recognition.
“I am thrilled that Ben has been recognized with Iberdrola’s International Volunteer Award for his time and commitment to protecting, preserving and connecting natural spaces in the Freeport community,” said Pablo Colón III, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation. “Thanks to his efforts, his leadership, and his ability to inspire others to get involved with these extensive trail maintenance projects, the Freeport Conservation Trust is able to give more visitors the opportunity to safely enjoy the beauty of Maine’s forests, farmlands, wildlife habitats and shorelands.”
“We collaborate often with the Freeport Conservation Trust (FCT). The Commission and Trust work well together to achieve the shared goal of ensuring public access to nature in Freeport and preserving open spaces in a town of about 8,700 residents,” Ben said.
Ben and his son at work on the trails.
FCT is a local non-profit land trust that owns 1,700+ acres of property, including scenic farmland, shorefronts, and vast woodlands.
So, what does a typical volunteer day looks like? “I usually squeeze in my volunteering work as I have time,” Ben said. “This can be during days off, or if a have a little time before or after work. I keep a Google Earth map of the property that tracks the trail system, assets on the property and areas that need attention.” He says work can range from clearing downed trees that are blocking trails, to building bridges out of lumber to keep people out of wet areas, to hauling gravel around using a wheelbarrow to improve the trails.
Why this cause? “I’ve been an avid hiker and runner since my teen years, so I was eager to have a part in creating good quality trails in my town,” Ben said. “I was also inspired to work on conservation causes by visiting amazing natural areas across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Ireland and Portugal.”
In addition to working with the other Conservation Commission members, Ben and fellow volunteers collaborate with the FCT with projects and offer help when they can. “The Town of Freeport has funded Maine Conservation Corps (which is affiliated with AmeriCorps) to work on our properties, which I have set up and managed. We have also worked with volunteers from the public to help maintain our properties.”
Throughout the years, Ben’s had a lot of interesting experiences during his volunteer time. This includes an almost-too-close encounter with a large snapping turtle, battling flooding caused by beavers, and even consoling a mud-covered friend after she fell into one of Florida Lake’s many muddy areas during the April 2024 solar eclipse. “She took it in stride, but luckily since then that part of the trail has been fixed up.”
Ben’s passion also includes encouraging others to get involved. “In general, the conservation lands and trails system local to where Avangrid Networks operates are maintained with very few resources, and just with volunteer labor,” he says. “That means many of these lands and trails need repair and investment. The local municipalities and non-profit land trusts that maintain these lands and trails are usually more than happy to accept volunteer help to keep these conserved lands accessible and pleasant places to visit.”
As part of our Avangrid in the Community series, we’re shining the spotlight on employees who generously give their time and energy to passions that drive them.
