The Northeast Wilderness Trust recently announced their 20th Anniversary Spring Speaker Series for 2022, which celebrates the theme We Are One of Many. The series includes four virtual events focused around conversations on nature and neuroscience, biodiversity, wildlife, and listening to stories embedded in the land. You can find the list of events here, or read below for more information.
Nature & Neuroscience, April 5th, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Register here
Have you ever taken a walk in the forest and left feeling refreshed and less stressed? Forests have benefited humans in many ways throughout history, and scientists are trying to understand more about the benefits for our brains. What can forests help with? Who do they help, and how? Learn about emerging neuroscience with Dr. Susan Masino of Trinity College.
The Story of Biodiversity, April 19th, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Register here
The well-being of all our wild kin is directly related to humanity’s well-being. Join Melina Sakiyama, founder of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, to hear the story of biodiversity on Earth and how the current extinction crisis intersects with the forefront social, economic, and political issues of our time. You’ll learn about the new movement to empower youth to take action for conservation that treats land as a living being rather than a resource, and how you too can make a difference even at an individual level.
Wild Animals We Thought We Knew, April 26th, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Register here
Naturalist and professional tracker Susan Morse has traveled North America photographing and studying some of our most iconic creatures, including cougars, bears, caribou, wolverines, and Canada lynx. Her studies of scent-marking and “babysitter trees” have contributed to the new body of research that shows how little we have understood these animals, potentially resulting in management assumptions and practices that are inappropriate. Sue argues that it’s time to approach conservation and management with humility. With global warming and habitat fragmentation already impacting the lives and populations of many species, there is no time to lose. This presentation will offer a fresh synthesis of new discoveries. Sue’s breathtaking wildlife photos will illustrate the talk.
Talking in Circles, Speaking Another Language, May 3rd, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Register here
Join Rich Holschuh for a place-based perspective on listening to the layers of stories embedded in the land. Languages embody the worldviews of those native to a particular place, formed over deep time and in close relationship with their homelands. These values persist and offer lasting examples, despite centuries of attempts at erasure.
