Student Profile: Misha Mytar
Rapid and unplanned development can have a devastating impact on the environment, and Misha Mytar is determined to do something about it. She enrolled in the Muskie School's Community Planning and Development program in 2006 after returning to her native state of Maine a few years earlier with a BA in Anthropology from Yale University. Her decision to pursue a master's degree at Muskie was not difficult, as she states, "I choose Muskie for its program in land use and environmental planning, for its strong commitment to sustainable development and for its sensitivity to rural issues."
"The School's location and connections in Portland have also provided me with opportunities to build my professional experience by getting involved with the many environmental planning initiatives in and around the city." One of those initiatives is Clean Air – Cool Planet in Portland, where Mytar works part-time as a Municipal Climate Change Intern creating an inventory and analysis of Portland's greenhouse gas emissions while also meeting with the Mayor's Sustainable Portland Task Force, city staff and community members to create a Local Action Plan for emissions reduction.
In addition to her work with Clean Air - Cool Planet, Mytar is also an environmental planning consultant for Hancock County, helping plan a wildlife corridor connecting Schoodic Peninsula to Schoodic Mountain and contributing several pieces of a baywide use inventory in Blue Hill Bay. The Switzer Foundation recently acknowledged Mytar's commitment to conservation planning, naming her one of 22 Environmental Fellows for 2007 — an award of national prestige for graduate students showing great promise as environmental leaders.
"My goal is that, by integrating environmental science and conservation tools with land use planning and policy, I can help reconcile growth and conservation in Maine. The Muskie curriculum is providing me with the background in land use planning as well as important skills to help integrate and implement this newly gained knowledge."
