Time: August 21, 2:00 to 3:30 pm

As sea levels rise and tidal wetlands continue to encounter barriers to their inland migration, conserving land in migration corridors is a key strategy for the long term survival of wetlands.

In this virtual panel, we will hear from veteran conservation leaders about how their land trusts work to protect and restore natural habitats in their watershed, while balancing sustainable development in a changing climate. Seth McKee and Alex Wolf from New York’s Scenic Hudson and Mark Silberstein from California’s Elkhorn Slough Foundation will share their perspectives and experiences with coastal land conservation, including marsh migration pathway protection, as well as tips and best practices for building consensus among diverse stakeholders and nurturing connections between people and protected lands.

Together, we will explore two successful land conservation approaches from the West and East Coasts and discuss opportunities and next steps for pathway protection in the land conservation world.

If you weren’t able to make it, you can watch the webinar recording here.

Speakers

Alex Wolf, Conservation Scientist at Scenic Hudson, conducts research and analyses pertaining to Hudson Valley natural resources, with a focus on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience, as well as the ecology and conservation of local flora and fauna. Prior to joining Scenic Hudson, he was a researcher at several institutions including the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Alex has co-authored more than a dozen scientific publications. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioral Biology and a Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology.

Kevin Contreras is the Land Acquisitions and Conservation Easement Manager for the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. With a background in economics and geography, since 2001 he led the acquisition of 3,000 acres of conservation land in 40 transaction projects valued at $50 million implementing the 1999 Watershed Conservation Plan. He completed work on several highway habitat mitigation planning projects and helped develop a regional land acquisition plan with the Elkhorn Slough NERR.

Seth leads Scenic Hudson’s efforts to conserve land, create new parks and preserves, and help the Hudson Valley’s cities protect and enhance their land assets, local history and culture in an inclusive and equitable way. He joined Scenic Hudson in 1991 as Land Projects manager, became director of Land Conservation in 2007, and has been serving as Executive Director of The Scenic Hudson Land Trust and Land Programs since 2021.

Seth earned his B.A. from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and has a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked for The Nature Conservancy’s North Carolina chapter and the U.S Peace Corps before joining Scenic Hudson. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Marshall Islands.

A member and former chair of the Advisory Board of the Land Trust Alliance’s New York program, Seth also previously served on the board of directors of The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and as co-chairman of the Town of New Paltz Open Space Protection Commission. He holds a second-degree black belt in Okinawan karate, and enjoys hiking, cycling and kayaking.

Monique Fountain is the Director of the Tidal Wetland Program at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Tidal Wetland Program is a collaborative approach to estuary wide strategic planning that brings science to management using an ecosystem-based management approach that has regularly engaged over 100 scientists and stakeholders since 2004. This is a completely grant funded program that is unique to this Reserve.