ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM:  SPRING 2024

3/13

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12-1:15 pm

SPEAKER:  Celida Moran, Conservation Educator and Edgar Alvarez,  Bilingual Conservation Educator, POINT BLUE CONSERVATION SCIENCE

Point Blue Conservation Science is a leader in climate-smart conservation, to help ensure that wildlife and our own communities continue to thrive in the decades to come.  During this Forum representatives from Point Blue will present more about their work and in particular the Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed program (STRAW) and the Community College Conservation Internship (CCCI).   

In-Person Presentation:  Lindley Center for STEM Education Room 138 or via Zoom

3/27

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12-1:15 pm

SPEAKER:  Ingrid Stearns, Public Programs Manager, SONOMA LAND TRUST

Sonoma Land Trust is a local, non-governmental, nonprofit organization that works with private landowners, the Sonoma Ag & Open Space District and other public agencies to set aside and protect the open, natural, and working lands and waters of Sonoma County.  Since 1976, the Sonoma Land Trust has protected nearly 58,000 acres of land in and around Sonoma County.  Ingrid Stearns is the Public Programs Manager for Sonoma Land Trust and also a former student at SRJC.  

In-Person Presentation:  Lindley Center for STEM Education Room 138 or via Zoom

4/3

(W)

12-1:15 pm

SPEAKER:  Nicole Tai, GREENLYNX:  Breaking down that Building:  Building Deconstruction and Reuse. 

Nicole Tai, along with COO Brandon Bugge, runs GreenLynx, a deconstruction and building materials reuse facility located on Santa Rosa Ave. Deconstruction is the process of dismantling a structure to maximize the recovery of reusable material. Current demolition waste practices result in no reuse and very little recycling of lumber and wood products. Nicole will touch briefly on state laws that impact construction and demolition waste, and how current loopholes prevent recycling and reuse of wood. She will discuss how GreenLynx achieves a diversion rate of 80-90% through deconstruction, which is 15-25% over State requirements. She will explain the critical role that reuse and deconstruction play in creating the circular economy that we must implement to reduce climate emissions. Nicole will also discuss her work with Zero Waste Sonoma to develop a Sonoma County Construction, Demolition, and Deconstruction Model Ordinance that will likely go into effect in late 2024.

In-Person Presentation:  Lindley Center for STEM Education Room 138 or via Zoom

4/10

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12-1:15 pm

SPEAKERS:   Nina Adarkar, Rose Antaki  and Emma Wood, Goldridge Resource Conservation District

The Goldridge Resource Conservation District (RCD) facilitates stewardship projects to address water quality, climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem health, and water quantity on private and public lands by providing technical assistance, outreach, education and project implementation.  Come here more about several of the RCD's current programs through the Climate Corps and GrizzlyCorps Fellows. 

• Nina Adarkar, Farm to School and Monarch Recovery Coordinator, GrizzlyCorps Fellow.  Food justice education and natural resource management. 
• Rose Antaki, Forest Conservation projects Assistant, Climate Corps Fellow.  Healthy forests and fire safe communities. 
• Emma Wood, Climate and Agriculture Resilience Fellow, Sustainability Service Corps Fellow.  Sustainable land management and conservation. 

In-Person Presentation:  Lindley Center for STEM Education Room 138 or via Zoom

4/24

(W)

12-1:15 pm

SPEAKER:  Thea Hensel, Co-Chair, Santa Rosa Southeast Greenway

A lot has happened with making the Southeast Greenway a reality since its start in 2009.  The Southeast Greenway Campaign is a community effort that set out to transform a vacant two-mile corridor of open space connecting Spring Lake Park and Farmers Lane into a vibrant urban greenway for all.  After years of effort, their work is paying off.  The City of Santa Rosa is in the process of purchasing the land from Caltrans with the help of a grant from the Sonoma County Ag + Open Space District.  The Greenway will also provide pedestrian pathways and bike route options connecting the western section at Farmers Lane to the Prince Memorial Greenway, which ultimately connects to the Joe Rodota Trail and Western Sonoma County. This is a huge leap in connectivity for all of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.

In Person Presentation:  Lindley Center for STEM Education Room 138 or via Zoom

5/1

(W)

12-1:15 pm

Careers in the Environmental Field Panel:  a panel presentation from those working in a variety of environmental fields. 

In Person Presentation:  Lindley Center for STEM Education Room 138 or via Zoom