HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-18 EMC ltrhead event press release minutes
The EMC is a citizen board that advises the County Legislature on matters relating to the environment
and does not necessarily express the views of the Tompkins County Legislature.
TOMPKINS COUNTY
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
121 East Court Street Ithaca, New York 14850
Telephone (607) 274-5560; emc@tompkins-co.org
www.tompkins-co.org/emc
For immediate release
Media contact: Brian Eden, EMC Chair, 607-272-8595
Update ’18 Tompkins County EMC: Preserving Our Unique Natural Areas in a Changing Climate
When: Thursday, March 15, 5:00-7:00pm
Where: Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Public Library
101 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Join the Environmental Management Council and friends for an evening discussion on preserving our community’s
Unique Natural Areas in a time of climate change. EMC members will also give annual update on the group’s
activities; light refreshments to follow. This event is free and open to the public.
Scheduled Guest Speakers:
A UNA Journey at Malloryville Bog – Bob Beck
Bob Beck was raised on a dairy farm in Dryden and studied at Cornell with a focus on evolutionary and field
biology. Bob was a curator at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Library of Natural Sounds and served as a founding
board member and the first executive director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Bob has served for many years on
local environmental advisory boards, including the Town of Dryden's Conservation Board and the Tompkins County
Environmental Management Council, where he helped develop the County’s Inventory of Unique Natural Areas
(UNAs). Currently, he is chair of the Town of Dryden’s Rail Trail Task Force. After a short talk on his UNA
journey as a conservationist, homeowner, and land steward at the O.D. von Engeln Preserve at Malloryville, Bob
will delve further into his experiences in helping produce the UNA inventory.
Wetlands Mapping in Tompkins County – Nick Hollingshead
Nick Hollingshead specializes in geospatial applications for environmental research, conservation planning, and
natural resources monitoring. In 2013, Nick began working with the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network to create a
new wetland map for Tompkins County using the latest remote sensing data and geospatial technologies. The goal
was to develop a more accurate and complete wetland map to support local municipalities in their efforts to improve
wetland protections. The map, completed in 2015, can also serve as a baseline for understanding how Tompkins
County’s wetlands, and the ecological services they provide in terms of water quality protection and ecological
values, may change in response to climate change and other factors in the coming years.
Invasive species, why are we concerned? – Robert Wesley
Robert Wesley is an enthusiastic naturalist, conservationist, and educator. Staff Botanist at the Cornell Botanic
Gardens, he was for many years a lecturer in the Department of Natural Resources, where he co-taught wetland
ecology and management. In addition, Robert has consulted on biological conservation, vegetation management, and
invasive species management for many local, regional, and national groups, including the Tompkins County
Planning and Sustainability Department, the City and Town of Ithaca, Finger Lakes Land Trust, and the U.S. Forest
Service. He also enjoys environmental photography. Robert will outline how invasive species affect our important
natural areas, including the Tompkins County UNAs, particularly as our climate changes.