Join MCE and partners to learn about industrial wastewater sludge and PFAS, the public health concerns for each, and what action you can take to protect you and your community!
Melissa Vatterott, Director of Policy & Strategy – Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Melissa came to MCE first as a legal intern in 2012, reviewing agricultural permits and researching and writing about our food system. From there, she was hooked on MCE! Melissa combines a background in law, environmental science, and agricultural economics with her love for Missouri to serve as MCE’s director of policy and strategy. Her work involves advocating for state and federal policies that better support clean water, clean air, resilient regional food systems, safe waste management, renewable energy, and our democratic processes. She works closely with partners and allies statewide and on the federal level to engage with concerned citizens and policymakers about needed policy reforms.
Adam Nordell, Campaign Manager for Maine Farmland Contamination – Defend Our Health
Adam worked for eleven years as an organic vegetable and grain farmer as the co-owner/manager of Songbird Farm in Unity, Maine. The farm focused on local markets, heritage grains and community involvement as pathways to strengthen a sense of place and history. Nordell feels that the local food movement gives people a direct, tangible stake in the health of their local ecosystems. In late 2021, Adam and his wife Johanna discovered severe PFAS chemical contamination of their land, drinking & irrigation water and their bodies. The discovery led to an immediate, voluntary closure of farm operations and launched Adam into an advocacy role, fighting for impacted communities and against continued contamination. He is excited to continue this work as part of the Defend Our Health team, where he will be organizing with people impacted by PFAS and advocating for a responsible, impactful allocation of state resources to support those communities. Adam has a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic. When he is not thinking about industrial chemical contamination, Adam can be found singing lonesome ballads with Johanna, exploring the Maine coast and hill country or looking for salamanders with his son Lulu.
Bill Pluecker has been farming commercially since 2005. During most of those years his operation was certified organic and operated a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program partnered with the Maine Harvest Bucks. He currently runs Begin Again Farm, a small vegetable operation selling primarily wholesale to local groceries and the Mainers Feeding Mainers program. Bill has served in the Maine Legislature since 2018. He represents House District 44 (the towns of Hope, Union and Warren) and serves as House Chair of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. He has two kids of whom he is very proud. Bill works to engage and energize the MOFGA community to take action to support clean soil and water, with emphasis on addressing PFAS contamination of farmland and building awareness and advocacy on this topic across the country. Helping to leverage MOFGA’s broad political power, Bill develops our advocacy communication channels and ensures that members understand priorities in MOFGA’s policy platform.
Ashlen grew up on a family farm in Northern Missouri next to one of the state’s largest corporate hog operations. Her family’s ongoing battle for justice and advocacy for family farms led her to the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, where she assists communities across the Midwest in navigating factory farm regulation and opportunities for public engagement. In addition to her role at SRAP, Ashlen has a growing passion for permaculture and inviting others to experience food production, which she practices as the director of the community garden in Trenton, Missouri.
