Julia Rogers, the Senior Land Protection Manager at the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), will present at the April Berkshire Green Drinks gathering on Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 PM in person at Barrington Brewery, 420 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington, and online via Zoom. Julia will talk about Follow the Forest, a nationally significant conservation initiative led by HVA.

The Housatonic Valley Association and partners across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont are working together to connect and protect a forested, climate-resilient wildlife corridor stretching from the Bear Mountain Bridge through the Hudson Highlands, the Taconics, Litchfield and Berkshire Hills, the Rensselaer Plateau, Green Mountains and Adirondacks to Canada. This inspiring vision combines The Nature Conservancy’s climate connectivity modeling with community science and collaborative conservation action.

Two aspects of Follow the Forest have created a “catch-fire” momentum: resonance across diverse audiences—from high-level academia to people of all ages—and scalability to a hyper-localized level while demonstrating impact at a monumental scale. Follow the Forest makes GIS models relatable and easily comprehensible by land use decision-makers and the public. Julia’s presentation will describe the Follow the Forest Initiative, how individuals and organizations can be involved, and how their work integrates with that of others, such as the Staying Connected Initiative and Berkshire Wildlife Linkage. To learn more, visit followtheforest.org.

The in-person gathering begins at 5:00 PM at Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington. The presentation will start at 6:00 PM. If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP at this link: https://April2023-Berks-Green-Drinks.eventbrite.com

If you’d like to virtually attend this event ONLINE, you must pre-register. Register at tinyurl.com/April2023-Berks-Green-Drinks

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Julia Rogers is the Senior Land Protection Manager at the Housatonic Valley Association. She has a B.A. in biology from Colby College and an M.S. in natural resources and the environment from the University of Connecticut. Throughout her career, Julia has worked with land trusts in south-central Pennsylvania, northeastern Connecticut, and the Hudson Valley of New York in fee-land stewardship, conservation easement stewardship, and new conservation projects. She also has extensive research experience – working on projects relating to invasive plant species, non-native earthworms, and tropical rainforest restoration. At HVA, Julia works with partners throughout the region to advance conservation projects and the Follow the Forest Initiative.

What is Berkshire Green Drinks? Berkshire Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month. A guest speaker talks for about 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM, and the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join and bring along questions!

What is Green Drinks? Green Drinks is an international forum where people who work in the environmental field and environmental enthusiasts meet for a drink and snacks at informal sessions. There will be a lively mix of people from non-profit organizations, academia, government, business, and the general public. Green Drinks is a great way of catching up with people you know and for making new contacts. These networking events are very simple and unstructured. Come along and you’ll be made welcome.