DANBURY, CONN. — Highstead Director Bill Toomey will discuss the future of New England’s woodlands and natural habitats in a talk at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Western Connecticut State University.

Toomey’s lecture on “Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the New England Landscape” will be presented as part of the Research Seminar series sponsored by the WCSU department of biological and environmental sciences. His presentation will be at 4 p.m. in Room 219 of the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. A reception with light refreshments will follow the talk. Admission will be free and the public is invited to attend.

Founded in 1982, Highstead now encompasses about 150 acres of varied woodland, meadow, pond and swamp habitats in the Redding area of Fairfield County, providing extensive trails for habitat viewing, plots and plant collections for conservation studies, and facilities for lectures, workshops and research. In 2005 Highstead’s board of directors approved a broadened mandate for physical expansion of the arboretum and introduction of additional research and outreach programs to promote woodlands conservation at the local, regional and national levels. Dr. David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest at Harvard University and president of the Highstead Foundation board, served as co-author of the “Vision for the New England Landscape” report released in May by the Massachusetts-based Wildlands and Woodlands Partnership.

Noting much of the New England region has reforested since the mid-19th century to restore woodlands cleared by colonial and early American settlers, “Vision for the New England Landscape” observed a renewed decline in forest cover in every New England state because of land development in recent decades. The “Vision” statement called for public policy, scientific research and citizen action to promote woodlands conservation.

“New England has a second chance to determine the fate of its forests,” the report summary observed. “The Wildlands and Woodlands Vision calls for a long-term conservation effort to retain 70 percent of New England in forestland protected from development through a balance of privately owned and managed woodlands and large protected ‘wildland’ reserves. Though bold, the vision is achievable and financially prudent, and ensures that New England retains the natural resources that shape its identity.”

Toomey, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at Fairfield University and master’s degree in soil science from North Carolina State University, has nearly two decades of professional experience in the field of environmental sciences and conservation. Prior to joining Highstead, he worked for 10 years for The Nature Conservancy in southern New England, serving as landscape project director for Conservancy program sites including the Quinebaug Highlands in northeastern Connecticut and the Westfield River Highlands in western Massachusetts. He also served as a coordinator for major gift fundraising as a senior associate director of philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy. Previously he managed the residential recycling program in San Jose, Calif., and worked as an environmental consultant.

For more information, contact WCSU Associate Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr. Patrice Boily at boilyp@wcsu.edu or (203) 837-8569.

 

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