Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA) Annual State of the River and Annual Meeting. Land to Water: Managing Terrestrial Landscapes to Support Healthy Waterways, a talk by Allison Gill, assistant professor in biology at William’s College.

What Happens on Land Doesn’t Stay on Land

Ecosystem ecologist Allison Gill will discuss how the way people treat land impacts waterways, like the Hoosic River. All are welcome. No registration needed for this free program co-hosted by Williams College Center for Environmental Studies.

Upland forests, meadows, residential streets, and agricultural fields can be critical nutrient sources to local waterways. Their land use and management are a key to protecting water and aquatic habitat quality. Allison Gill will discuss land-based strategies to support healthy waterways at local to regional scales.  Strategies include protecting and building organic matter in the soil to reduce nitrate leaching; supporting biodiverse communities that maximize nutrient uptake on land; and planning municipal leaf removal programs to minimize phosphorus getting to waterways through storm drains and sewers. Together, she believes, such management strategies can support efficient nutrient cycling on land ecosystems and limit the problems of nutrient loading in our rivers.

An assistant professor of biology at Williams, Gill received a BA from Mount Holyoke College, a PhD from Boston University, and was a Grand Challenges in Biology Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Her research is published in journals including Ecology Letters, Global Change Biology, Biogeochemistry, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Plant & Soil, and Ecosystems. Her research focuses on how interactions between plants and microorganisms influence carbon and nutrient cycling in forest, grassland, and wetland soils, and considers how these processes respond to global change.

A brief Annual Meeting of the Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA) will proceed the presentation, with a review on some of HooRWA’s major activities, the presenting of the Tanzman Friend of the River Award, and an election of board and officers.

Griffin Hall is the building to the east of the college chapel at 844 Main Street, Williamstown. Parking is behind the chapel. Room 5 is upstairs. Light refreshments provided. For more information on location review this campus map.

DATE: Tuesday, February 13

TIME: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

LOCATION: Griffin 5, Williams College, 844 Main St Williamstown, MA 01267