The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is excited to welcome Mike Lynch as its new Communications and Partnerships Manager, and it is pleased to announce leadership changes to its Board of Directors.

Mike joined NFCT’s team in February, replacing Chris Morris, who recently took a job in New Orleans, La., as the Proposal and Marketing Manager for Landis Construction.

“We are so pleased to welcome Mike Lynch back to NFCT team,” said NFCT’s Executive Director Karrie Thomas. “As a communications professional, thru-paddler and Saranac Lake local, he fits the bill. He also laid the foundation upon which Chris Morris has worked over the past seven years. I am looking forward to the ways our community will continue to connect and evolve with Mike’s contributions.”

Mike worked for the NFCT from 2015 to 2019, spending the first year as an Outreach Coordinator and the next three as Communications Director. He has worked as a licensed guide and was an employee of Mac’s Canoe Livery in Lake Clear from 2006 to 2009, when it ran the Adirondack canoe race series including the 90-Miler. Mike’s writing and photography has appeared in dozens of regional and national publications. Most recently, he worked as a reporter for the Adirondack Explorer, covering climate, recreation and wildlife. He lives in Saranac Lake, N.Y., with his family. He has been a volunteer baseball, softball, soccer and skiing coach for youth sports.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the great crew at the NFCT and the volunteers and partners that make our programs so successful,” Mike said. “I can’t wait to get on the water this paddling season and to tell the many great stories of the Northern Forest’s waterways and communities.”

New board leadership and members

The NFCT Board of Directors also recently added four new members and elected a new chair and vice-chair.

Brandon DeVito, of Saranac Lake, N.Y., was elected board chair. A member since 2022, DeVito developed a passion for paddling in the Adirondacks after working at the Sabattis Scout Reservation near Long Lake. He is a devoted outdoorsman with an enthusiasm for supporting paddlesports. He is a brand manager at High Peaks Distributing.

“I am stoked to have been elected as the chairman of the board, although I have some big shoes to fill,” DeVito said. “Not only do I get to work more closely with the 90-Miler, an event that’s near and dear to my heart, but I can help educate, steward and promote fun over the entire trail. I’m looking forward to serving our paddling community and the greater organization in this role.”

Cam Held, of Portland, Maine, was voted vice chair. A writer and photographer, he is the editor-in-chief at Maine The Way. He volunteered for the board in 2024.

Laurie Chandler, Russ Ford, John Bernardi, and Matt Strickland joined the board in 2025.

Chandler is a writer and educator from Maine whose first book Upwards detailed her adventures as an NFCT thru-paddler. Ford, of Vermont, has been a volunteer since the creation of NFCT and has paddled the entire trail in sections.

Bernardi is the President and CEO of United Way of the Adirondack Region and has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 40 years. A former Adirondack guide, John is an avid canoeist, fly fisherman, skier and naturalist. Strickland lives in the southern Adirondacks and is a sales representative in the outdoor industry. He is a board member for the 360 Adventure Collective, Pearsall Foundation, and the director of the Great Brant Lake Canoe Race.

“The NFCT board is a continually evolving group. It connects this organization to our roots and ensures that we are looking into the future while being grounded in the present moment,” Thomas said. “In the past two years we have seen my first hires term out, and welcomed people who are both deeply part of the organization’s founding and completely invested in our current moment. All of them believe in the promise of our future.”

The end of 2025 marked the departure for long-time board members Warren Whitney, Zand Martin and Thomas Hark. Nicole Grohoski and Eric Plaskonos termed out the prior year.