Land Preservation Committee Members and Meeting Schedule

David Gordon, Chair
djg392dimples@gmail.com

David retired as a self-employed metals trader in 2008 and now serves as the Chair of the Northfield Township Land Preservation Committee (LPC).  He previously served as a Northfield Township Planning Commissioner (2002-2008) and Trustee (2004-2008).  In addition to his work as a township official, he helped revive the community watchdog group Northfield Neighbors in 2002 to defend the Township Master Plan. 

Prior to going into business, he was a newspaper reporter for six years at The Star-Ledger in Newark, NJ.  His professional experience in that field and as a business owner gives him the skill set to benefit the LPC as a collaborative leader exploring the best paths to achieving the resident’s priority of Land Preservation.   

David moved to Northfield Township in 1980, married his wife Suzy in the home they built on Hellner Road and raised their son, Dylan, who is a musician now living in Brooklyn, NY.   He enjoys golf, nature walks with his wife and maintaining walking paths on his and his neighbor’s property.

Paul E. Berry 
peberry@umich.edu

Paul has worked as a botanist throughout his career, starting at the Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, and then at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the University of Wisconsin, and lastly at the University of Michigan, where he was a professor and director of the herbarium. He particularly appreciates plant diversity and likes to identify and help preserve areas that exhibit high ecological value.

Paul and his wife Lois have lived in Northfield Township since 2008. He enjoys stewarding his property by culling invasive species and planting in their place a variety of native tree species, as well as some exotic ones like dawn redwood. Each year his garden continues to expand, always with lots of garlic. His life has recently taken a more aquatic turn, as he combines rowing on the Huron River, sailing on Baseline Lake, and swimming at the Washtenaw Community College Fitness Center.

As a new member of the Land Preservation Committee, Paul hopes to be able to help the township balance the growth of developed tracts with the preservation of farmland and woodlands within its boundaries.

Rachel Smith,
Board Representative
smithr@northfieldmi.gov

Judith Moldenhauer
judith.moldenhauer@gmail.com

Judith Moldenhauer teaches Graphic Design at Wayne State University. Her work focuses on user-centered visual communication – designing things that help people easily find, understand, and use information such as maps, instructions, and forms – and on letterpress printing and wood engraving. 

She was introduced to the love of nature and the desire to preserve it as a Girl Scout and has continued to be an advocate of land stewardship: the idea that we humans are part of the environment and have a responsibility to care for it. She has been able to put that idea into practice on the 14 acres in Northfield Township where she and her partner have lived since 1986: keeping acres in cultivation (hay), protecting wetlands and trees, growing organic vegetables, and restoring native plants to the property.  

As a long time, member and supporter of organizations that support land conservation and preservation, such as the Huron River Watershed Council, she sees being on the Land Preservation Committee as another opportunity to help preserve and protect farmland and natural areas. She believes that it is important to promote policies and practices that can sustain clean air and water and biodiversity and also provide a good income for farmers and good food for our tables. 

She enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching, cooking and baking (she is especially known for her apple pies), music, good conversation, and learning new things.

Raven Tuttle
r2tuttle@gmail.com

Born on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, and moving to a tract house in Detroit, made me long for country life. Forty years ago, my husband and I moved to a Civil War-era farm house here in Northfield Township. We planted gardens, ran a nursery and raised a family here. So this is home; worth preserving and sharing with future generations. That's why I want to join with others that share this desire. It is our privilege to preserve the land.

Steven Sherman
szsherman@gmail.com