The Little River Conservancy is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)3 organization, formed by community members concerned with the preservation of the Little River.
Kristen McLean – co-founder
Kristen McLean has resided in the Village of El Portal since 2014. She is passionate about networking a wide range of community partners on environmental and educational issues related to the Little River, the surrounding communities, and the marine health of Biscayne Bay. When she is not working on the El Portal Resiliency and Sustainability Task Force (RSTF), or the Little River Conservancy, she holds down her day job as the Executive Director of Business Development/Primary Industry Analyst for Books and Entertainment at The NPD Group, a global research company.
Hugh Gladwin – co-founder
Hugh Gladwin came to Miami in 1981 and taught at FIU until his retirement in 2018. He moved to El Portal in 1984 and has been active working for the Village in many roles ever since. Trained as an anthropologist, he does social science in many modes. His work since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 has focused on how people work together to sustain themselves in the face of environmental and economic change, particularly in disaster situations. He was appointed by Commissioner Audrey Edmonson to be a member of the first Miami-Dade Climate Change Advisory Task Force in 2006 and has done many research projects on these issues funded by the National Science Foundation and FEMA working with NOAA, Miami-Dade County, and other agencies.
Adam Old – co founder
Adam Old is the Director of Planning & Policy at Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, where he oversees the planning and policy for the development of housing affordability, economic development, and historic preservation. He is an advocate for walkable neighborhoods, connected transit, better cities, and the preservation and repair of natural ecosystems in Miami and South Florida. He also lives on the north bank of the Little River in the heart of El Portal.