December 15 Webinar to Highlight Benefits of Forest Conservation

“Saying Yes to Wildlands AND Woodlands” will feature leaders representing wilderness conservation and responsible forestry, discussing how both strategies can work together to address the climate crisis.

The subject of forest conservation will be center stage in a webinar on December 15 from 4-5:30 featuring Bob Perschel, Executive Director of the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), and Jon Leibowitz, Executive Director of the Northeast Wilderness Trust (NWT) as they share the value and imperative of working together to conserve critical forests in New England and beyond. Jon and Bob will be joined by Kristin DeBoer, Executive Director of Kestrel Land Trust, who will introduce the discussion and speakers, moderate the Q&A, and join the discussion.

While NEFF and NWT address forest conservation in different ways, they both will advance the case that wildland and woodlands landscapes are critically important solutions to preserving a healthy planet for all of its inhabitants.

“We’re very excited to have these conservation leaders join us to discuss how New England can best protect and steward its forests in a balanced fashion as the region sits at the precipice of climate change, biodiversity loss, development, and forest fragmentation,” says David Foster, Senior Conservationist at Harvard Forest and Board President of the Highstead Foundation, a sponsor of the organization together with the Wildlands & Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities Initiative.

Perschel and Leibowitz will discuss their perspectives on their organizations’ efforts and step into each other’s shoes (or hats) to better understand the other’s point of view and the value of an integrated approach to conservation. The result: a more complete picture of forest conservation in the northeast and its one-of-a-kind role in serving the planet and its inhabitants.

Who:         

Jon Leibowitz, Executive Director, Northeast Wilderness Trust

Bob Perschel, Executive Director, New England Forestry Foundation

Kristin DeBoer, Executive Director, Kestrel Land Trust

Hosted by: 

Highstead Foundation, the Wildlands & Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities Initiative, and Harvard Forest

What:       

Webinar: Saying Yes to Wildlands AND Woodlands

When:       

December 15, 2020 4-5:30 pm, EST

Where:       

Via Zoom Webinar – Registration Required by December 13.

Cost:         

Free

(Photo of Lion's Head in Salisbury, CT - the ancestral homeland of the Mohican people - by John Burk)