This three-part series, co-hosted with the Wildlands Stewardship Training Center, will provide information, tools, and peer support to help land trusts understand how they could manage lands under their direct stewardship in ways that mitigate and/or adapt to current and projected climate change impacts. The goal is to provide examples and manageable, actionable suggestions that may already be in their toolboxes to build confidence to tackle the challenge.
Register
Cost: $20 MLTC members (staff & Board); $35 non-members
One registration is valid for one organization for the entire 3-week series.
Three Thursdays in January.
Week 1 -- Setting the Stage
January 16, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Fran Blanchard, Senior Director for Strategic Readiness Initiatives, DCR, and Bob Murray, VP of Stewardship and Decarbonization, The Trustees
In this first session of the series, the presenters will talk through some terminology used in the practice of "climate-informed stewardship" to develop a shared understanding of this work and its impact. The speakers have expertise designing and implementing processes that support prioritization, efficient workflows, and measurable outcomes. They will share ideas on ways to approach "climate-informed stewardship" such as: best practices in this field; building off foundational practices already in place; leveraging already-existing goals to make decisions; building in criteria for prioritization; and some tools and resources available to support this stewardship work.
Week 2 -- Forests
January 23, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (note different time)
Laura Marx, Climate Solutions Scientist, TNC
Trees grow slowly, but we’re already seeing the impacts of climate change even on these long-lived species. You’ve done the hard work of protecting your forests from development. Now learn some practical ways you can move forward with climate-informed forest stewardship: how to choose what threats or climate impacts to focus on, what types of forests might benefit from active versus passive management approaches, how to have confidence in your choices and communicate them to your members and the public, and where you can find help and funding.
Week 3 -- Water / Wetlands
January 30, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Alex Hackman, Director of Ecological Restoration, Mass Audubon
Aquatic ecosystems are dynamic, need space to move and adjust, and function best when well-connected. Land managers seeking to prepare wetlands for the future need knowledge and tools. This session will include practical advice and perspectives for understanding the needs of wetlands, assessing current conditions, and seeing opportunities to encourage more healthy and sustainable ecosystems able to adapt to changing conditions.