This conference, held on November 6, 2017 at the Mohonk Mountain House Conference Center, featured speakers from a wide range of organizations and attendees from throughout our region. The case studies from New York, where conservation partners and communities are working to conserve unfragmented natural areas, helped us all understand better the importance of ecological connectivity.
Check out the links below for PowerPoint presentations from our speakers
and other resources, and visit the page of our followup
spring forum, Nature Across Boundaries: Engaging Partners & Stakeholders,
which took place on April 8, 2018, to view those presentations.
Videos of all our event presentations can be found on the Mohonk Consultations YouTube channel.
Introduction and Overview on Connectivity
Laura Heady — Mohonk Consultations and Conservation and Land Use Coordinator, NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University
Related resource: Hudson River Estuary Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Framework.
Habitat Connectivity in the Hudson Valley
Dr. Matthew Schlesinger — Chief Zoologist, New York Natural Heritage Program
Related resource: PATHWAYS: Wildlife Habitat Connectivity in the Changing Climate of the Hudson Valley.
Growing Connected, Resilient Communities
Karen Firehock — Executive Director, Green Infrastructure Center
Related resource: Evaluating and Conserving Green Infrastructure Across the Landscape: A Practitioner’s Guide.
Ulster County: A County-Wide Case Study
Amanda LaValle — Coordinator, Ulster County Department of the Environment
Related Resource: How to Identify Conservation Priorities Near You (with Ulster County case study map.)
Making Room for Wildlife on Private Lands
Dr. Heidi Kretser — Deputy Director, Conservation and Communities, Wildlife Conservation Society
Related resource: WCS Tools for Communities and Landowners and Impacts of Low Density, Exurban Development
Hudson Valley Conservation Strategy
Seth McKee — Land Conservation Director, Scenic Hudson
Nava Tabak — Director of Science, Climate & Stewardship, Scenic Hudson
Related resource: Hudson Valley Conservation Strategy
Hudson Valley Connectivity Case Studies:
Hudson to Housatonic Conservation Initiative: A Multi-State Case Study
Kara Hartigan Whelan — Vice President, Westchester Land Trust
Related resource: Hudson to Housatonic Regional Conservation Partnership
Dutchess County Biodiversity Blocks Map: A County-Wide Case Study
Robert Wills — Sr. GIS Project Coordinator, Dutchess County Dept. of Planning and Development
Related resources: 1) Biodiversity Blocks: A Sensible, Science-Based Way to Define Greenspaces.
2) Dutchess County Greenway Guide: Centers and Greenspaces
Millbrook Preserve: A Multi-Parcel Case Study
Seth McKee — Former Co-Chair, Town of New Paltz Clean Water and Open Space Committee.
Related resource: Millbrook Preserve, Town of New Paltz
For speaker bios and presentation descriptions, see the conference program.
THANK YOU to our conference sponsors:
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s
Hudson River Estuary Program
M&T BankHudson River Valley National Heritage Area
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