Mark Bean joined FoHVOS in 2017 and is a member of the stewardship committee. Mark’s connection to FoHVOS started with the Private Land Stewardship Program. He learned of FoHVOS and the program at the 2015 Hopewell Harvest Fair where he stopped by the FoHVOS booth and followed a suggestion to sign up for a free on-site consultation by Mike Van Clef. It was that introduction to natives and invasive management that helped Mark and his family embark on their land-stewardship journey.
Mark’s professional background is with technology and financial services. He has previously served on a board promoting STEM education and was the Vice Chair of the NYU/Stern Alumni Council. His interests in our local environment and land stewardship are a direct result of the the numerous environmentally-focused organizations which serve our local community.
Mark earned an M.B.A. through the Executive Program at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Prior to that he earned his B.S. in Business Administration and Computer Science from Rider University. He has over 20 years of experience in Financial Services and holds both the CFP® and CRPC® designations.
Mark, his wife Samantha and their young daughter Emma live in Hopewell Township where they have transformed their contractor grade landscaping and acres of lawn into what they have named, Flutter By Meadows. Previously, their property provided minimal benefit to wildlife, except for the deer who devoured most everything in sight. The Bean family shares their Flutter By Meadows story in hopes of inspiring other ordinary homeowners to begin their own land stewardship journey. The Bean family’s journey began in 2016 when they converted a 1-acre detention basin into a native grass and wildflower meadow in their backyard. That first step has since served as a proof-of-concept for a number of similar projects that have taken root in the Hopewell Valley. Each year since, the Bean family has continued to expand Flutter By Meadows into a habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. They have added two other meadows, surrounded their home with multiple beds of native landscaping, planted a grove of native pine trees, installed a large rain garden and have removed many invasive plants. When they are not “yardening” they are likely hiking trails or enjoying open spaces. There is also a good chance that you will find at least one Bean family member talking about the benefits and the rewards of proper land stewardship, whether it be Emma at her nature school, Mark in the community or Samantha on her blog www.flutterbymeadows.com.