1 00:00:02,959 --> 00:00:03,792 (audience applauds) 2 00:00:03,792 --> 00:00:08,640 So as you can see, we have a wonderfully diverse array 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:10,410 of expertise up here. 4 00:00:10,410 --> 00:00:12,900 And I wanna make sure we have some time for questions. 5 00:00:12,900 --> 00:00:14,760 I'm gonna throw out a couple questions. 6 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,360 If you are, you know, chomping at the bit to ask 7 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:20,790 one of our panelists a question, just raise your hand 8 00:00:20,790 --> 00:00:23,520 and I'll see you and we'll shift to audience questions. 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,440 But why don't we start with you, Allie, I've got a question 10 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,563 for you and I'm gonna have to wear my glasses. 11 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,860 So we have been talking about, 12 00:00:31,860 --> 00:00:34,650 I called it connectivity climate community, 13 00:00:34,650 --> 00:00:37,410 we call it climate change, biodiversity wellbeing. 14 00:00:37,410 --> 00:00:39,930 I love the fact that we are all speaking 15 00:00:39,930 --> 00:00:43,770 the similar language when we talk about our body of work. 16 00:00:43,770 --> 00:00:47,520 And so in your work of managing forest for carbon storage 17 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,300 and climate resilience, how do you manage this tension 18 00:00:51,300 --> 00:00:55,620 that I mentioned earlier, we demand a lot, 19 00:00:55,620 --> 00:00:57,990 there's a lot of trade-offs that we demand 20 00:00:57,990 --> 00:01:00,423 of our forests and our ecosystems. 21 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,240 And maybe just as an example, 22 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,880 you can share some insights into finding the balance 23 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,450 that maximizes carbon sequestration while also 24 00:01:09,450 --> 00:01:12,600 considering the crucial aspects of biodiversity 25 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:14,580 and water quality and economic development. 26 00:01:14,580 --> 00:01:16,080 So just, yeah, all of it. 27 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,430 Great simple question there, Heather. Easy one to solve. 28 00:01:20,430 --> 00:01:23,280 Well, you know, first off, I really encourage folks 29 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,910 to be careful about this idea of maximizing right, 30 00:01:26,910 --> 00:01:28,590 one goal over others. 31 00:01:28,590 --> 00:01:32,910 We do know from history that when we seek to maximize 32 00:01:32,910 --> 00:01:35,160 one goal in the forest or anything 33 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,470 can have really unintended consequences, right? 34 00:01:37,470 --> 00:01:39,690 Maximizing timber, right? 35 00:01:39,690 --> 00:01:41,070 We know that that did not lead 36 00:01:41,070 --> 00:01:43,530 to the best ecological outcomes. 37 00:01:43,530 --> 00:01:48,210 I also think that's happening in some carbon offset programs 38 00:01:48,210 --> 00:01:50,550 right now that really focus just on the carbon 39 00:01:50,550 --> 00:01:52,380 and aren't thinking about resiliency 40 00:01:52,380 --> 00:01:55,380 or community needs and dynamics. 41 00:01:55,380 --> 00:01:58,410 So really, you know, thinking about every parcel, 42 00:01:58,410 --> 00:02:01,410 this is something that foresters really are great 43 00:02:01,410 --> 00:02:04,710 at doing, is sort of looking at what are the needs 44 00:02:04,710 --> 00:02:05,543 of the land? 45 00:02:05,543 --> 00:02:07,860 What are the goals and objectives of the landowner? 46 00:02:07,860 --> 00:02:10,680 Thinking about how you can optimize or balance 47 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:11,970 those goals, right? 48 00:02:11,970 --> 00:02:13,290 There are gonna be trade-offs. 49 00:02:13,290 --> 00:02:15,510 You can't do everything on every parcel, 50 00:02:15,510 --> 00:02:17,610 but that's really critical. 51 00:02:17,610 --> 00:02:21,210 The other thing as far as carbon and resilience, 52 00:02:21,210 --> 00:02:22,860 they are really complimentary. 53 00:02:22,860 --> 00:02:26,520 And I think, you know, I use the term resilient carbon 54 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,250 because I think we really need to consider 55 00:02:29,250 --> 00:02:31,350 not just carbon now, those benefits, 56 00:02:31,350 --> 00:02:34,320 but we wanna sustain those benefits so that forest 57 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,560 needs to be healthy, productive, you know, 58 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,900 have as minimal stressors as possible. 59 00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:43,530 There's a lot of degraded conditions from past land use 60 00:02:43,530 --> 00:02:47,166 or poor management decisions or invasive species, 61 00:02:47,166 --> 00:02:47,999 you know, you name it. 62 00:02:47,999 --> 00:02:50,250 And thinking about ways we can improve 63 00:02:50,250 --> 00:02:52,500 the ecological functioning of those forests 64 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:54,930 that does give us those carbon benefits 65 00:02:54,930 --> 00:02:55,920 into the future, right? 66 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,220 So that can really compliment those things. 67 00:02:59,220 --> 00:03:01,980 And the other third part about this is really, 68 00:03:01,980 --> 00:03:03,930 it's a challenge when we think about carbon, right? 69 00:03:03,930 --> 00:03:05,400 We're managing and thinking about 70 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:07,770 what we do on a parcel level, 71 00:03:07,770 --> 00:03:10,560 but we do our carbon accounting on a state level. 72 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:12,930 But we all know that greenhouse gases 73 00:03:12,930 --> 00:03:14,550 are a global issue, right? 74 00:03:14,550 --> 00:03:16,290 So we have this scale issue. 75 00:03:16,290 --> 00:03:20,790 And so I really encourage folks to think broadly 76 00:03:20,790 --> 00:03:22,860 about what our choices mean. 77 00:03:22,860 --> 00:03:25,860 I think there's a real danger when we think about 78 00:03:25,860 --> 00:03:29,340 let's really try to maximize carbon in our forest, 79 00:03:29,340 --> 00:03:31,440 and we don't think about what the implications 80 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,870 of that are to carbon elsewhere, right? 81 00:03:33,870 --> 00:03:38,160 So if we are buying wood that's coming from other forests, 82 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,130 we're having those carbon implications elsewhere, 83 00:03:41,130 --> 00:03:44,370 perhaps even larger, because then we're importing that wood 84 00:03:44,370 --> 00:03:46,770 that takes greenhouse gases and we lose 85 00:03:46,770 --> 00:03:48,810 that local community aspect. 86 00:03:48,810 --> 00:03:51,240 We lose some local sovereignty from producing 87 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:52,350 our own materials. 88 00:03:52,350 --> 00:03:55,470 So it's really a complex issue that doesn't end 89 00:03:55,470 --> 00:03:56,520 at the forest boundaries. 90 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,010 And so thinking about how we can, you know, 91 00:03:59,010 --> 00:04:02,250 use forest to be really the, you know, 92 00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:04,920 benefit all of us have these benefits 93 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,920 and have a community, local community responsibility 94 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,650 to steward our forest and provide all of these things, 95 00:04:13,650 --> 00:04:16,740 you know, wildlife habitat, our needs, 96 00:04:16,740 --> 00:04:18,300 our recreational needs, right? 97 00:04:18,300 --> 00:04:21,090 It's a lot that is at risk. 98 00:04:21,090 --> 00:04:23,820 And I really appreciate that Heather called out, you know, 99 00:04:23,820 --> 00:04:26,340 forests themselves are at risk from climate change. 100 00:04:26,340 --> 00:04:31,340 And so this idea that we can, you know, count on them 101 00:04:31,770 --> 00:04:35,070 to do the work that they're doing might require us 102 00:04:35,070 --> 00:04:37,740 to do some stewarding in the future, right? 103 00:04:37,740 --> 00:04:38,640 It's a give and take. 104 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,250 We really rely on forests for a lot, 105 00:04:41,250 --> 00:04:43,830 and so we really need to consider that 106 00:04:43,830 --> 00:04:46,233 in our management decisions as we move forward. 107 00:04:47,100 --> 00:04:48,690 Awesome. I love that. 108 00:04:48,690 --> 00:04:52,890 Yeah, I love the idea of checking yourself 109 00:04:52,890 --> 00:04:55,560 around maximizing, so that's great. 110 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:57,663 Tim, this one is for you. 111 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,920 What strategies or approaches to forest management 112 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,440 do you think we should take to balance the needs 113 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,800 of biodiversity conservation and the recreational demands 114 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:09,240 that we have on our forest, 115 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,730 which I know here in Vermont have been growing 116 00:05:11,730 --> 00:05:13,740 and growing over the last decade. 117 00:05:13,740 --> 00:05:16,110 So maybe you can share some thoughts around that. 118 00:05:16,110 --> 00:05:17,370 Yeah, for sure. 119 00:05:17,370 --> 00:05:18,930 Well, I think, you know, 120 00:05:18,930 --> 00:05:22,500 Allie kind of just queued us up a bit for this as well, 121 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:23,333 given that, you know, 122 00:05:23,333 --> 00:05:26,250 you presented how we should be thinking holistically 123 00:05:26,250 --> 00:05:30,630 across the state about how we can't necessarily maximize 124 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:32,640 one objective in any one location. 125 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:36,600 Instead we need to try a variety of different strategies 126 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:37,740 to use my own word for that. 127 00:05:37,740 --> 00:05:40,560 But, you know, thinking at a state level 128 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,680 and from there kind of across, you know, 129 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,560 the kind of the matrix of different habitats that we have, 130 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,130 the forest that we have at various scales across the state. 131 00:05:50,130 --> 00:05:53,550 So in this way I think we really need to continue 132 00:05:53,550 --> 00:05:58,550 to think about our forest ecosystems at multiple scales. 133 00:05:59,910 --> 00:06:03,150 So I think a lot about like Vermont conservation design, 134 00:06:03,150 --> 00:06:06,180 I lean heavily on that and have a lot of faith in that, 135 00:06:06,180 --> 00:06:09,120 in that it's a statewide accounting 136 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,030 of our interior forest blocks, 137 00:06:12,030 --> 00:06:15,090 the connectivity between those blocks, 138 00:06:15,090 --> 00:06:18,030 even the risk of development within those blocks 139 00:06:18,030 --> 00:06:20,580 and the change in land use in those areas. 140 00:06:20,580 --> 00:06:23,400 I lean heavily on the bio finder tool, 141 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:24,690 Natural Resource Atlas, 142 00:06:24,690 --> 00:06:28,140 which shows our significant natural communities, 143 00:06:28,140 --> 00:06:33,000 deer wintering yards, riparian areas, vernal pools, 144 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,450 wildlife crossing corridors, and all these ways, you know, 145 00:06:36,450 --> 00:06:39,030 really thinking about how, you know, 146 00:06:39,030 --> 00:06:40,170 I think a lot about forest, 147 00:06:40,170 --> 00:06:44,070 but how it's all part of an interconnected system. 148 00:06:44,070 --> 00:06:47,850 And then from there, I am really encouraged 149 00:06:47,850 --> 00:06:52,850 by the rapid development and focus on ecological forestry, 150 00:06:53,250 --> 00:06:56,130 which is really kind of this movement away 151 00:06:56,130 --> 00:07:01,130 from production forestry or I would say, 152 00:07:01,260 --> 00:07:04,950 and more into thinking about forests, not just for the trees 153 00:07:04,950 --> 00:07:06,330 or tree products in those forests, 154 00:07:06,330 --> 00:07:09,570 but how forests are ecosystems. 155 00:07:09,570 --> 00:07:14,520 And in this way, thinking about, you know, like in the case 156 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,800 of Audubon Silviculture With Birds in Mind, 157 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,190 how we can through the tool of forest management 158 00:07:20,190 --> 00:07:24,630 through logging, harvesting, and other forms of stewardship, 159 00:07:24,630 --> 00:07:28,470 you know, restore habitat conditions to our forest 160 00:07:28,470 --> 00:07:30,510 across the Vermont landscape. 161 00:07:30,510 --> 00:07:32,070 You know, thinking about components 162 00:07:32,070 --> 00:07:36,030 like large diameter snags, legacy trees, 163 00:07:36,030 --> 00:07:40,590 structural diversity within our forest, the role value, 164 00:07:40,590 --> 00:07:43,350 of course, woody material, find woody material 165 00:07:43,350 --> 00:07:48,350 and how through forest planning, harvest design 166 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,860 and logging practices, we can complement, improve, 167 00:07:52,860 --> 00:07:56,280 maintain these features in our forests. 168 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:01,280 To balance the, you know, values of how we use our forests 169 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:06,810 is challenging, thinking about how we can maintain 170 00:08:06,810 --> 00:08:10,530 recreational opportunities and economic opportunities 171 00:08:10,530 --> 00:08:11,363 across the state. 172 00:08:11,363 --> 00:08:14,010 We have to take a variety of different strategies. 173 00:08:14,010 --> 00:08:19,010 I think a lot about how we can through industry 174 00:08:19,110 --> 00:08:23,640 kind of promote, you know, sustainable practices 175 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:25,290 through like product recognition, 176 00:08:25,290 --> 00:08:28,440 how our forest products are produced from sustainable 177 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,790 forestry practices, programs like Audubon Vermont's, 178 00:08:32,790 --> 00:08:35,640 Bird Friendly Maple Program that recognizes producers 179 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:40,080 for producing maple syrup from sugar bushes 180 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,440 that are sustainably managed using ecological 181 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,080 silviculture cultural practices, 182 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,920 but also thinking about ways that we can reward 183 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,070 and incentivize landowners to undertake these practices 184 00:08:53,070 --> 00:08:53,913 as well. 185 00:08:56,070 --> 00:08:59,820 Again I think that Vermont is unique in that, for example, 186 00:08:59,820 --> 00:09:01,860 like our use value appraisal program, 187 00:09:01,860 --> 00:09:05,040 it connects our consulting forester community 188 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,060 with over 2 million acres of privately owned forest 189 00:09:09,060 --> 00:09:12,300 in Vermont, roughly 80% of Vermont's privately owned 190 00:09:12,300 --> 00:09:13,590 as we know. 191 00:09:13,590 --> 00:09:18,090 And so being able to kind of bring those principles 192 00:09:18,090 --> 00:09:20,640 of ecological silviculture to those landowners, 193 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,310 especially through our consulting forestry community, 194 00:09:23,310 --> 00:09:27,570 is a really powerful mechanism to be able to help landowners 195 00:09:27,570 --> 00:09:31,350 think about how to balance these values, these needs 196 00:09:31,350 --> 00:09:33,453 across the forest in Vermont. 197 00:09:34,650 --> 00:09:36,003 Terrific. Thank you, Tim. 198 00:09:36,894 --> 00:09:39,834 (audience applauds) 199 00:09:39,834 --> 00:09:44,400 So, you know, I love the tone of this conversation 200 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,310 and being able to really unpack all the different demands 201 00:09:47,310 --> 00:09:49,110 that we have of our forest. 202 00:09:49,110 --> 00:09:53,880 And the one that is a favorite for me is the cultural 203 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,750 and spiritual dimensions of what forests provide for us. 204 00:09:57,750 --> 00:10:01,860 And I, you know, it's not a too much of a leap of faith 205 00:10:01,860 --> 00:10:04,560 to then get into health and, you know, 206 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:08,850 the idea of having a prescription, a forest prescription 207 00:10:08,850 --> 00:10:10,650 is fascinating and exciting. 208 00:10:10,650 --> 00:10:13,020 And I wonder if, Michelle, you want to just talk 209 00:10:13,020 --> 00:10:16,950 a little bit more about what a nature prescription is? 210 00:10:16,950 --> 00:10:20,280 And you did share a little bit about some of the outcomes. 211 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:22,470 I wonder if there's maybe a story or other outcomes 212 00:10:22,470 --> 00:10:24,270 you wanna share about nature prescriptions? 213 00:10:24,270 --> 00:10:29,270 Sure, yeah well so it's a very broad and general term 214 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,940 and has been used in all sorts of different ways. 215 00:10:35,940 --> 00:10:39,680 The way it works with the prescribed outside program is, 216 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:42,903 so this is a pediatric group, right? 217 00:10:43,770 --> 00:10:48,690 So a doctor will, so often, you know, 218 00:10:48,690 --> 00:10:51,570 we have a screener, we're looking for nature deficit. 219 00:10:51,570 --> 00:10:55,170 How often have you been outside in the past two weeks? 220 00:10:55,170 --> 00:10:58,470 Or, you know, whatever the time period is, it's pretty, 221 00:10:58,470 --> 00:11:01,350 how much time do you spend on a screen? 222 00:11:01,350 --> 00:11:04,290 It pretty easy to detect, you know, 223 00:11:04,290 --> 00:11:08,190 find those kids that are indoors all the time. 224 00:11:08,190 --> 00:11:11,733 And boy, there are very, very many of them. 225 00:11:13,410 --> 00:11:17,820 And so it's a, you know, screening 226 00:11:17,820 --> 00:11:22,110 and then the pediatrician, you know, is alerted to that. 227 00:11:22,110 --> 00:11:25,230 And then the pediatrician will give the nature prescription. 228 00:11:25,230 --> 00:11:28,500 So will recommend to the caregiver, the family, 229 00:11:28,500 --> 00:11:31,740 whoever's there and with the child 230 00:11:31,740 --> 00:11:34,500 that the child should be getting outside 231 00:11:34,500 --> 00:11:37,500 for certain number of hours, at least per week 232 00:11:37,500 --> 00:11:38,910 to set as a goal. 233 00:11:38,910 --> 00:11:43,380 And we don't necessarily in our program 234 00:11:43,380 --> 00:11:46,560 the target isn't, you know, traditionally it's thought, 235 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:49,085 okay, well we need to, it's physical activity 236 00:11:49,085 --> 00:11:50,790 that kids are needing. 237 00:11:50,790 --> 00:11:52,800 And yes, they do need that. 238 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,560 And you know, we have an over overweight, 239 00:11:55,560 --> 00:11:58,200 you know, obesity epidemic in the country 240 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:03,060 and outdoor time is the way to solve that problem. 241 00:12:03,060 --> 00:12:07,230 We actually view and are targeting more mental health, 242 00:12:07,230 --> 00:12:11,460 anxiety, depression, and just overall, you know, 243 00:12:11,460 --> 00:12:13,920 all of the negative things that come along with, you know, 244 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,220 being sucked into a screen, right? 245 00:12:17,220 --> 00:12:20,370 That addictive, you know, all the things 246 00:12:20,370 --> 00:12:24,450 that they're being faced with as well as social isolation 247 00:12:24,450 --> 00:12:25,890 and things like this. 248 00:12:25,890 --> 00:12:29,280 Even though we are more connected than ever, 249 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,940 in some ways we're also more disconnected than ever. 250 00:12:32,940 --> 00:12:37,940 And so right, so we're targeting, you know, anxiety, 251 00:12:39,030 --> 00:12:41,460 depression, you know, behavioral issues 252 00:12:41,460 --> 00:12:45,360 that a focus, ability to pay attention. 253 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,360 And just the belief that it's good for kids 254 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,330 to be outside in nature. 255 00:12:51,330 --> 00:12:55,743 So the doctor will refer, tell the patient, you know, 256 00:12:56,820 --> 00:12:58,770 that they should be spending time outdoors 257 00:12:58,770 --> 00:13:00,690 and refer them to a set of activities. 258 00:13:00,690 --> 00:13:05,690 So we have an activity provider that posts activities 259 00:13:06,930 --> 00:13:08,010 every week. 260 00:13:08,010 --> 00:13:13,010 And eventually we want to work with specific patient groups 261 00:13:13,230 --> 00:13:17,910 that have specific diagnoses for example, kids in the, 262 00:13:17,910 --> 00:13:22,910 you know, under psychiatric care to actually bring them out, 263 00:13:24,630 --> 00:13:26,970 you know, hold their hands and bring them outside. 264 00:13:26,970 --> 00:13:29,250 We're finding that we need a social work component. 265 00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:31,890 So what does it take to actually get people, you know, 266 00:13:31,890 --> 00:13:33,720 tell them to go outside? 267 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:37,920 You can do that, but it might not actually, you know, 268 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,410 work to get them outdoors. 269 00:13:40,410 --> 00:13:44,760 So we're finding we need resources and that sort of knowhow 270 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,970 to work with caregivers to say, okay, let's talk through 271 00:13:47,970 --> 00:13:50,700 your schedule, how can we make this work? 272 00:13:50,700 --> 00:13:51,690 And what do you need? 273 00:13:51,690 --> 00:13:54,180 Do you need a bus pass? 274 00:13:54,180 --> 00:13:57,423 Do you need an Uber to come get you? 275 00:13:58,350 --> 00:14:01,890 If we bring a bus by Saturday morning, you know, 276 00:14:01,890 --> 00:14:06,690 hop on and right, so we're looking at, 277 00:14:06,690 --> 00:14:08,940 do we need transportation partnerships 278 00:14:08,940 --> 00:14:12,960 and lots of resources to figure out what will motivate 279 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:17,010 and allow people to actually take advantage 280 00:14:17,010 --> 00:14:21,120 of these recreation programs. 281 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:25,440 Yeah, and then it's measuring what difference does it make? 282 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:30,300 So we might go out and measure and survey people 283 00:14:30,300 --> 00:14:33,660 or take measurements before and then after 284 00:14:33,660 --> 00:14:37,110 during and after maybe a 10 week program. 285 00:14:37,110 --> 00:14:39,600 So this is the kind of research 286 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,303 that we're doing along parallel. 287 00:14:43,410 --> 00:14:45,210 There's lots of room for evidence there. 288 00:14:45,210 --> 00:14:49,080 The UK has institutionalized this practice. 289 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,240 So it's called social prescribing 290 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,120 and their national healthcare system 291 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:58,380 now it promotes it and it's covered, right? 292 00:14:58,380 --> 00:15:01,110 It's pretty amazing. They've really bought into it. 293 00:15:01,110 --> 00:15:05,730 So they're calling it nature-based social prescriptions. 294 00:15:05,730 --> 00:15:08,640 So we're trying to learn a lot from them 295 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,060 they've taken a leap of faith and yeah. 296 00:15:12,060 --> 00:15:15,960 Terrific. That's fascinating. Fascinating. Okay. 297 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,440 So big room of people, there's gotta be questions out there. 298 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:22,443 What questions might you have for our panelists? 299 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:25,230 Okay, thanks. 300 00:15:25,230 --> 00:15:27,330 Can I add something while folks 301 00:15:27,330 --> 00:15:28,410 are getting to the questions? 302 00:15:28,410 --> 00:15:31,500 I just wanted to bounce off what Tim was talking about 303 00:15:31,500 --> 00:15:33,150 Biodiversity Plug. 304 00:15:33,150 --> 00:15:36,870 An upcoming should be starting project 305 00:15:36,870 --> 00:15:41,010 between UVM extension Forestry and Audubon Vermont, 306 00:15:41,010 --> 00:15:43,290 and some other Vermont organizations. 307 00:15:43,290 --> 00:15:47,400 We received grant through the Forest Service to promote 308 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:52,140 and better understand biodiversity management in forests. 309 00:15:52,140 --> 00:15:54,930 So we'll be doing a lot of outreach to landowners 310 00:15:54,930 --> 00:15:58,320 or foresters about what folks can do to promote biodiversity 311 00:15:58,320 --> 00:15:59,910 and doing some demonstration sites. 312 00:15:59,910 --> 00:16:02,820 So if you are interested, if you work in biodiversity, 313 00:16:02,820 --> 00:16:04,800 like please reach out to one of us, 314 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:06,270 we're gonna be forming a steering committee, 315 00:16:06,270 --> 00:16:08,550 we want to hear what folks are doing. 316 00:16:08,550 --> 00:16:11,490 So if that's of interest, just gonna plug that, 317 00:16:11,490 --> 00:16:13,623 we'd love to hear from folks about that. 318 00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:16,653 Terrific. Thank you for that. 319 00:16:18,900 --> 00:16:22,380 We got a question over here, Allison. Oh, thank you. 320 00:16:22,380 --> 00:16:24,843 Allison has a mic. We're gonna use it. 321 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:27,113 Or you can shout, 322 00:16:27,113 --> 00:16:29,790 I can always repeat the question if we can't all hear. 323 00:16:31,341 --> 00:16:32,174 [Audience Member] It's not on. 324 00:16:32,174 --> 00:16:33,007 All right. 325 00:16:33,007 --> 00:16:36,879 So Michelle, I'm really fascinated by the work 326 00:16:36,879 --> 00:16:39,360 that you're doing and I think maybe similar to a lot 327 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:41,610 of people here, because I don't have any expertise 328 00:16:41,610 --> 00:16:43,980 in sort of the social dimensions or wellbeing side 329 00:16:43,980 --> 00:16:44,910 of forestry. 330 00:16:44,910 --> 00:16:46,410 And when you were talking about all the work 331 00:16:46,410 --> 00:16:48,660 that's been going on in these sort of urban areas 332 00:16:48,660 --> 00:16:51,870 and within sort of the realm of pediatrics, 333 00:16:51,870 --> 00:16:56,100 I can't help but think that we've gotta have similar issues. 334 00:16:56,100 --> 00:16:59,850 It's nature deficit even within rural areas. 335 00:16:59,850 --> 00:17:02,280 I mean, how many people, not even children, 336 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,710 people don't get out into the forest anymore. 337 00:17:04,710 --> 00:17:07,110 And so I'm wondering if anybody is doing any work 338 00:17:07,110 --> 00:17:11,400 looking at that or if you have any ideas 339 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,920 or if anyone's talking about how we can encourage 340 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,950 people to get into our forest here. 341 00:17:16,950 --> 00:17:18,090 Sure, yeah. 342 00:17:18,090 --> 00:17:22,830 So, oh the question is, what about in rural areas? 343 00:17:22,830 --> 00:17:25,650 What about nature deficit among rural populations 344 00:17:25,650 --> 00:17:29,550 and how, you know, and that sort of medical 345 00:17:29,550 --> 00:17:32,610 or you know, public health, you know, 346 00:17:32,610 --> 00:17:34,890 element to getting people enticing 347 00:17:34,890 --> 00:17:38,100 and incentivizing people to get outside. 348 00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:41,010 Yes, there is work going on in rural areas 349 00:17:41,010 --> 00:17:44,220 in the realm of nature prescriptions 350 00:17:44,220 --> 00:17:48,870 and yeah, so our program received a grant 351 00:17:48,870 --> 00:17:51,570 from the Department of Conservation Natural Resources 352 00:17:51,570 --> 00:17:55,710 in Pennsylvania, and we are, you know, one of, 353 00:17:55,710 --> 00:17:59,460 I don't know a handful that they are supporting 354 00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:02,730 and I think we might be the only urban program, 355 00:18:02,730 --> 00:18:05,610 the others are rural. 356 00:18:05,610 --> 00:18:09,843 So when I go to our meetings and we are sharing our issues, 357 00:18:11,010 --> 00:18:16,010 we share issues, right, there's so many barriers, right, 358 00:18:16,470 --> 00:18:21,470 to getting outside when that's not what you do right? 359 00:18:22,710 --> 00:18:25,230 Culturally and or it's not within the realm 360 00:18:25,230 --> 00:18:29,790 of the resources that you have access to. 361 00:18:29,790 --> 00:18:34,623 So I would say yes, that work is being done. 362 00:18:36,300 --> 00:18:40,470 I can't necessarily point you to anything local here, 363 00:18:40,470 --> 00:18:42,243 but I don't know, does that help? 364 00:18:43,438 --> 00:18:45,210 [Audience Member] Yes, I think I'd to follow up. 365 00:18:45,210 --> 00:18:47,163 Sure, yeah. 366 00:18:50,100 --> 00:18:52,656 Terrific, other questions over here? 367 00:18:52,656 --> 00:18:53,883 -Got the mic? -Yeah. 368 00:18:55,860 --> 00:18:57,180 Is it working? 369 00:18:57,180 --> 00:18:58,013 [Audience Member] Can you hear me? 370 00:18:58,013 --> 00:19:00,000 -Yeah. -We can hear you. 371 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,590 I'm just gonna stand up so I can see, 372 00:19:01,590 --> 00:19:04,020 my questions to everyone, but probably particularly 373 00:19:04,020 --> 00:19:06,690 to Michelle and it's also a comment. 374 00:19:06,690 --> 00:19:09,510 I teach in a liberal arts college in northern New York 375 00:19:09,510 --> 00:19:11,730 and I run a nature education program. 376 00:19:11,730 --> 00:19:15,480 And so I'm curious if you've had the opportunity yet 377 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:17,670 to see not only the public health benefit 378 00:19:17,670 --> 00:19:18,900 of getting people outdoors, 379 00:19:18,900 --> 00:19:22,890 but is there a connection then to those people 380 00:19:22,890 --> 00:19:26,160 having more investment in protecting nature and investing 381 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:28,740 in the forest because of that outdoor time? 382 00:19:28,740 --> 00:19:30,120 That's my question. 383 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:32,610 My comment is, I've been watching for years 384 00:19:32,610 --> 00:19:37,140 grant opportunities in my state to fund the work that I do. 385 00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:41,190 And what I find is if I wanna buy things, game cameras, 386 00:19:41,190 --> 00:19:44,280 for example, I can always find funding for that. 387 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,880 But what I can never find funding for is staff 388 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:49,710 to take people outdoors. 389 00:19:49,710 --> 00:19:52,860 And so really I just am saying this for all of us 390 00:19:52,860 --> 00:19:56,070 because we have input for, you know, 391 00:19:56,070 --> 00:19:58,443 folks who are doing state management for, 392 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:02,520 we need to connect people to these forests if we want them 393 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,490 to be invested in caring for these forests in this future. 394 00:20:05,490 --> 00:20:07,950 And one way to do that is get them into the forest. 395 00:20:07,950 --> 00:20:10,710 And if we don't pay for staff who are educated 396 00:20:10,710 --> 00:20:13,710 to take you in to respect the forest, 397 00:20:13,710 --> 00:20:15,760 I don't know how we're gonna do that, so. 398 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:19,757 Oh yeah. 399 00:20:19,757 --> 00:20:21,000 (Panelists laugh) 400 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,160 A lot of support for that one. 401 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,470 Oh, I totally agree. 402 00:20:25,470 --> 00:20:29,880 Right, and this is where we found that missing link 403 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:31,590 between, you know, when telling someone 404 00:20:31,590 --> 00:20:34,188 they should go outside and get into the forest 405 00:20:34,188 --> 00:20:36,213 and then what, right? 406 00:20:37,500 --> 00:20:41,700 We are finding that we almost need like a social work 407 00:20:41,700 --> 00:20:44,340 or a community health. 408 00:20:44,340 --> 00:20:47,460 We call it a nature navigator, so we have in the past 409 00:20:47,460 --> 00:20:50,370 had what we call this nature navigator person 410 00:20:50,370 --> 00:20:54,450 with a community health worker sort of background 411 00:20:54,450 --> 00:20:58,380 as well as environmental education, right? 412 00:20:58,380 --> 00:21:01,833 And I think typically right, 413 00:21:02,929 --> 00:21:05,520 so often there, right? 414 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,260 You need a living wage, right? 415 00:21:07,260 --> 00:21:11,860 To provide this, a fundamental and essential service. 416 00:21:12,930 --> 00:21:17,010 And you're right, that it often doesn't make it into budgets 417 00:21:17,010 --> 00:21:20,760 and or it's seasonal or it's temporary, it's part-time. 418 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:25,290 I agree that this is a missing link and it's a major part 419 00:21:25,290 --> 00:21:30,290 of in the system in the UK that it is a recognized role 420 00:21:32,550 --> 00:21:34,620 that is funded this sort of link worker, 421 00:21:34,620 --> 00:21:36,540 they call it a link worker. 422 00:21:36,540 --> 00:21:40,830 Yes, so we're looking more to build models for that 423 00:21:40,830 --> 00:21:44,070 and hopefully funding will come with it. 424 00:21:44,070 --> 00:21:44,943 Very exciting. 425 00:21:45,930 --> 00:21:47,613 Allie, Tim, anything to add? 426 00:21:49,860 --> 00:21:53,640 Well, you know, in Vermont I can think of a couple 427 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:58,640 different mechanisms by which we do get young folks outside. 428 00:21:58,860 --> 00:22:00,780 You know, I mentioned in my own experience 429 00:22:00,780 --> 00:22:03,990 the Green Mountain conservation camps run through the state, 430 00:22:03,990 --> 00:22:08,400 which are very affordable, talking about a six night 431 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,634 week long experience that, 432 00:22:11,634 --> 00:22:13,740 I believe it's only still about like $200. 433 00:22:13,740 --> 00:22:14,820 Yep, exactly that. 434 00:22:14,820 --> 00:22:19,320 Like, that's nothing for an entire week away, you know, 435 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,880 60 kids at a time each week, these camps, you know, 436 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:28,880 train, not well train, they educate, you know, 437 00:22:29,010 --> 00:22:32,220 hundreds of kids a summer on concepts 438 00:22:32,220 --> 00:22:37,220 of wildlife management, ecology, hunting, fishing, sporting, 439 00:22:37,530 --> 00:22:38,853 outdoor sports. 440 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,260 You know, Audubon Vermont has a series of day camps 441 00:22:43,260 --> 00:22:47,490 as well and entertains and hosts, you know, 442 00:22:47,490 --> 00:22:51,060 hundreds of kids a year throughout the summer 443 00:22:51,060 --> 00:22:52,863 as well as through school groups. 444 00:22:53,910 --> 00:22:57,030 You know, Vermont has alternate Fridays 445 00:22:57,030 --> 00:23:00,420 in a lot of schools like GISP, where students can get out 446 00:23:00,420 --> 00:23:03,600 and you know go skiing or go visit a place 447 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,400 like Merck Forest & Farmland Center. 448 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:07,620 We have a lot of non-profit spaces in the state 449 00:23:07,620 --> 00:23:09,240 where we have really strong environmental 450 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:12,270 education programs for students. 451 00:23:12,270 --> 00:23:16,950 And the key is to continue to support the funding 452 00:23:16,950 --> 00:23:20,520 for these programs so that we can continue to, you know, 453 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,580 reduce economic barriers to getting young folks 454 00:23:23,580 --> 00:23:27,450 outside from our urban and rural communities 455 00:23:27,450 --> 00:23:28,770 across the state. 456 00:23:28,770 --> 00:23:30,330 So I'm very proud of my state in the way 457 00:23:30,330 --> 00:23:33,420 in which we go about getting young folks out 458 00:23:33,420 --> 00:23:34,500 reducing these barriers. 459 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:37,770 Certainly there's a lot more we can always do, 460 00:23:37,770 --> 00:23:40,290 but I'll just promote those. 461 00:23:40,290 --> 00:23:42,960 Awesome, yeah get them while they're young for sure. 462 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:44,490 All right, we have a question over here 463 00:23:44,490 --> 00:23:46,650 and then someone have a hand back there. 464 00:23:46,650 --> 00:23:48,000 Okay, thanks. 465 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:48,833 [Audience Member] All right. 466 00:23:48,833 --> 00:23:50,700 Oh, she's got a mic already back there. 467 00:23:50,700 --> 00:23:53,130 -[Audience Member] Yeah. -So let's go with her. 468 00:23:53,130 --> 00:23:55,830 And you can hear me? Okay. 469 00:23:55,830 --> 00:23:57,210 Hold it a little closer. 470 00:23:57,210 --> 00:23:58,350 -[Audience Member] All right. -There you go. 471 00:23:58,350 --> 00:23:59,510 Well, all right. 472 00:24:00,870 --> 00:24:03,390 So I was really impressed Heather, 473 00:24:03,390 --> 00:24:08,390 with a 18 million acre target and I represent 474 00:24:09,630 --> 00:24:12,120 the Forest Service, the Forest Legacy program, 475 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:15,060 and this year in Maine, you know, we had an event 476 00:24:15,060 --> 00:24:17,370 where we celebrated 3 million acres 477 00:24:17,370 --> 00:24:19,410 with the Forest Legacy program. 478 00:24:19,410 --> 00:24:21,960 And so I'm just curious, as I go back 479 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,590 and I talk to my colleagues, is this 18 million acre 480 00:24:25,590 --> 00:24:29,640 within, you know, and ours was a national number, you know, 481 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,680 and this is within the Southern Appalachian, 482 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:36,063 so I'm just like, TNC always has these ambitious goals. 483 00:24:38,112 --> 00:24:39,390 Is our, you know, 484 00:24:39,390 --> 00:24:44,390 is this TNCs goal or are you looking at every organization 485 00:24:44,790 --> 00:24:48,540 that works in land easement and land acquisition 486 00:24:48,540 --> 00:24:51,510 to achieve that 18 million acres? 487 00:24:51,510 --> 00:24:53,579 I was wondering who was gonna ask this question. 488 00:24:53,579 --> 00:24:54,412 (audience member laughs) 489 00:24:54,412 --> 00:24:55,440 I look at that 18 million acres 490 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:57,559 and I'm like, okay, I am gonna know this. 491 00:24:57,559 --> 00:24:58,530 (audience member laughs) 492 00:24:58,530 --> 00:25:01,860 Yeah, so excellent question. It is a huge number. 493 00:25:01,860 --> 00:25:03,420 There's no doubt. 494 00:25:03,420 --> 00:25:06,480 And I think the mantra for the Nature Conservancy 495 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,370 in recent years has been there's no way 496 00:25:08,370 --> 00:25:11,100 we can do this alone, which is one of the reasons 497 00:25:11,100 --> 00:25:13,650 why we've started a grant program 498 00:25:13,650 --> 00:25:17,010 to really start to incentivize and cover costs 499 00:25:17,010 --> 00:25:21,030 for protection in the places that we think 500 00:25:21,030 --> 00:25:23,220 are really important and priority places 501 00:25:23,220 --> 00:25:27,603 up and down the Appalachians, but also just to, 502 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:33,680 you know, yeah, just really (laughs) really 503 00:25:33,900 --> 00:25:38,640 build capacity across the swath of organizations 504 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:40,260 that are doing this work. 505 00:25:40,260 --> 00:25:45,260 So it's huge, 5 million of that number is protection work 506 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,392 definitely includes partners any way 507 00:25:50,392 --> 00:25:54,360 that the Nature Conservancy is helping to support, 508 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:57,300 even if it's not monetarily, but just, you know, 509 00:25:57,300 --> 00:26:02,300 with our science and through other ways that we partner 510 00:26:03,210 --> 00:26:06,630 with our partner organizations. 511 00:26:06,630 --> 00:26:09,990 And then 13 million acres is restoration work, 512 00:26:09,990 --> 00:26:12,120 and we are doing the vast majority of that 513 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,250 with our federal partners where we have the opportunity 514 00:26:14,250 --> 00:26:19,250 to do really big improvements on federal forest land. 515 00:26:20,070 --> 00:26:23,553 So burning a 100,000 acres at a time or more, 516 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,720 that number is through 2030. 517 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:32,370 So it's not next year's number. 518 00:26:32,370 --> 00:26:35,970 But yeah, I think it's always good to hold out, 519 00:26:35,970 --> 00:26:39,270 in my opinion, it's always good to hold out a number. 520 00:26:39,270 --> 00:26:43,560 It's what we need, it's what we need to do to really 521 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,560 ensure the viability of this network. 522 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,683 And so if we don't set our sights on that, 523 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:54,690 we're bound to fall short and if we do set our sights on it, 524 00:26:54,690 --> 00:26:56,670 we can continue to put that vision out there 525 00:26:56,670 --> 00:26:59,133 and incentivize others to work with with us. 526 00:27:01,100 --> 00:27:02,543 So thank you for that question. 527 00:27:03,870 --> 00:27:06,810 Hi, Georgia Murray, Appalachian Mountain Club. 528 00:27:06,810 --> 00:27:11,810 And we've been doing close to home recreation work 529 00:27:12,660 --> 00:27:15,060 recently with like the base circuit trail 530 00:27:15,060 --> 00:27:16,800 that goes around Boston. 531 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,350 We have the New England Scenic Trail, 532 00:27:19,350 --> 00:27:21,780 and some of my coworkers that work 533 00:27:21,780 --> 00:27:25,950 in those more urban communities have recognized 534 00:27:25,950 --> 00:27:29,550 that if we're gonna engage in, you know, 535 00:27:29,550 --> 00:27:34,230 bringing in diverse groups, black and brown communities, 536 00:27:34,230 --> 00:27:39,230 that the challenge is not only, that the resource challenge 537 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,650 goes to, they don't even have the time or the capacity 538 00:27:43,650 --> 00:27:46,920 to like, say write a grant or knowledge. 539 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:48,930 And so one of the things one of my colleagues 540 00:27:48,930 --> 00:27:53,930 was focusing in on was how do we as a bigger organization 541 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:59,240 help those groups, you know, with those, you know, 542 00:28:00,363 --> 00:28:04,590 we know where the grants are, we know how to write grants. 543 00:28:04,590 --> 00:28:07,320 Is that the mechanism that we can really help 544 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,600 bring those folks into the fold? 545 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,870 And I'm just wondering if you've thought about 546 00:28:12,870 --> 00:28:17,670 that across the panel as well, because the resource question 547 00:28:17,670 --> 00:28:21,723 is really huge in bringing in diverse partners, I believe. 548 00:28:22,860 --> 00:28:24,690 [Heather] Yeah, go ahead. 549 00:28:24,690 --> 00:28:29,550 Well, the IRA funds that are going out now to states 550 00:28:29,550 --> 00:28:33,390 and to various partners that to, you know, for, 551 00:28:33,390 --> 00:28:35,970 it's one and a half billion to be spent 552 00:28:35,970 --> 00:28:40,970 in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods, Justice40, right? 553 00:28:43,770 --> 00:28:46,200 C-Just communities. 554 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,760 And so there are, you know, it's right now 555 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:54,090 being distributed through agreements 556 00:28:54,090 --> 00:28:56,460 and we have pass through partners. 557 00:28:56,460 --> 00:29:00,720 So yeah, this system is set up to support 558 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,660 smaller organizations and groups that don't necessarily 559 00:29:03,660 --> 00:29:07,110 have the capacity to manage a federal agreement. 560 00:29:07,110 --> 00:29:12,110 And yeah, those requests for proposals are going out soon. 561 00:29:13,170 --> 00:29:17,700 So we are hoping is gonna be a big 562 00:29:17,700 --> 00:29:21,063 sort of capacity building. 563 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:26,070 It's an experiment, this is kind of a first time investment 564 00:29:26,070 --> 00:29:28,950 of the size with this focus. 565 00:29:28,950 --> 00:29:32,280 And so we'll see what happens. 566 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:36,480 I'm setting up some surveys to go out to grantees 567 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:41,480 before and during this funding so that we can track, 568 00:29:41,940 --> 00:29:43,650 you know, what difference does it make? 569 00:29:43,650 --> 00:29:44,730 How are people using, 570 00:29:44,730 --> 00:29:45,780 who's using the funds, 571 00:29:45,780 --> 00:29:46,800 what are they doing with it? 572 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,170 And what are the barriers, challenges, 573 00:29:49,170 --> 00:29:51,870 and what kinds of capacities are we building? 574 00:29:51,870 --> 00:29:53,430 So that's one way 575 00:29:53,430 --> 00:29:54,870 I'll add to that too. 576 00:29:54,870 --> 00:29:58,950 You know, among the philanthropic community, 577 00:29:58,950 --> 00:30:03,540 a lot of organizations are looking at how do we just give 578 00:30:03,540 --> 00:30:07,980 unrestricted support really to community organizations 579 00:30:07,980 --> 00:30:10,260 that need that capacity building. 580 00:30:10,260 --> 00:30:12,690 They've got the leadership. 581 00:30:12,690 --> 00:30:16,770 And we as a conservation community need to get better 582 00:30:16,770 --> 00:30:17,610 at doing that. 583 00:30:17,610 --> 00:30:20,400 The philanthropic community is having this conversation 584 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,013 and so are a lot of organizations. 585 00:30:23,970 --> 00:30:28,970 It's hard and it's tricky, but the more we can build, 586 00:30:29,460 --> 00:30:33,630 you know, real power and leadership at the local level, 587 00:30:33,630 --> 00:30:37,710 and I don't mean we, meaning we build and support 588 00:30:37,710 --> 00:30:41,400 power and local leadership and invest in that. 589 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,830 A lot of organizations in the social justice space 590 00:30:43,830 --> 00:30:45,930 and environmental justice space are saying 591 00:30:45,930 --> 00:30:48,120 this is what we need in order to be an equal partner 592 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:49,770 at the table. 593 00:30:49,770 --> 00:30:52,440 And so we need to think really hard about 594 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:53,850 how we can do that. 595 00:30:53,850 --> 00:30:57,510 And that also means, you know, being open 596 00:30:57,510 --> 00:31:00,600 to what the outcomes of our conservation work 597 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,310 is going to look like. 598 00:31:02,310 --> 00:31:05,100 It may not look like we think it needs to look. 599 00:31:05,100 --> 00:31:08,520 And that's where we get into real relationship 600 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:10,080 and dialogue with communities about 601 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,203 those long-term conservation outcomes, yeah. 602 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,520 And on the forest landowner side of things, 603 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,430 I've been really impressed with new funding 604 00:31:20,430 --> 00:31:23,070 that's coming out through like the IRA 605 00:31:23,070 --> 00:31:26,583 Forest Legacy program has some increased funding too, 606 00:31:26,583 --> 00:31:30,480 that really does focus on trying to serve 607 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:34,020 underserved communities better, or individuals, families, 608 00:31:34,020 --> 00:31:36,690 than maybe we have in the past. 609 00:31:36,690 --> 00:31:39,510 That's tricky because it depends how you define that, 610 00:31:39,510 --> 00:31:42,360 but I really, you know, that's a start. 611 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:44,550 And the Forest Legacy program this year 612 00:31:44,550 --> 00:31:49,050 has a first time funding to do tribal state partnerships, 613 00:31:49,050 --> 00:31:50,460 which is really interesting. 614 00:31:50,460 --> 00:31:53,790 You know, that's again, something that's uncharted in, 615 00:31:53,790 --> 00:31:56,400 you know, especially in Vermont but in our region, 616 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,370 but great that we're trying to move that needle forward. 617 00:31:59,370 --> 00:32:01,350 So I think there's a lot of room to go, 618 00:32:01,350 --> 00:32:05,640 but we do have a lot of funding coming in for forests, 619 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:07,830 urban forests and rural forests right now. 620 00:32:07,830 --> 00:32:11,400 So there's a lot of potential to serve more people 621 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:12,960 than we have maybe in the past. 622 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:15,783 That's great. Is there a question back here? 623 00:32:16,860 --> 00:32:18,600 Hi, thanks so much. 624 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:21,270 Love to learn more about what you were just talking about. 625 00:32:21,270 --> 00:32:22,923 My question is for you, Tim, 626 00:32:23,910 --> 00:32:27,360 and maybe everyone could speak to the kind of fine line 627 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:29,850 between conservation and restoration, 628 00:32:29,850 --> 00:32:31,650 and so particularly we mentioned 629 00:32:31,650 --> 00:32:33,360 the Vermont Conservation design, 630 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,680 I know it's still being developed, curious, 631 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:39,510 so like wetland, woodland, wildland, 632 00:32:39,510 --> 00:32:40,863 those natural communities. 633 00:32:42,516 --> 00:32:43,920 How is the people you're working with 634 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,280 guiding restoration practitioners, kind of the edges 635 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:49,980 of those ecosystems starting to get smaller 636 00:32:49,980 --> 00:32:54,630 and us trying to rehabilitate degraded areas 637 00:32:54,630 --> 00:32:57,240 and then re-expand those natural communities 638 00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:59,280 with climate change in mind? 639 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,500 There aren't plant pallets made for that yet, 640 00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:04,170 and we could use the plant pallets in wetland, woodland, 641 00:33:04,170 --> 00:33:07,500 wildland, but as you know, it's not necessarily keeping up 642 00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:09,120 with what's happening. 643 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:12,303 So just curious if you could speak to that. Thank you. 644 00:33:13,590 --> 00:33:15,483 Yeah, it's an excellent question. 645 00:33:16,410 --> 00:33:20,010 Well, first and foremost, in working with landowners, 646 00:33:20,010 --> 00:33:25,010 you know, our chief goal is to impress upon them the value 647 00:33:25,020 --> 00:33:27,900 of their lands, what they have on their land 648 00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:29,550 in terms of the various natural communities 649 00:33:29,550 --> 00:33:31,920 on their property, the condition of the forest 650 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:36,450 on their property, the land use history of their lands 651 00:33:36,450 --> 00:33:39,420 and how that's impacted the natural communities 652 00:33:39,420 --> 00:33:41,120 and the forest and their property. 653 00:33:42,030 --> 00:33:46,330 And from there, designing strategies to maintain 654 00:33:47,220 --> 00:33:50,310 first and foremost those natural communities that exist, 655 00:33:50,310 --> 00:33:55,310 but also where possible restore forest conditions 656 00:33:58,140 --> 00:34:02,700 towards largely older forest conditions that existed before 657 00:34:02,700 --> 00:34:04,770 diverse forests essentially. 658 00:34:04,770 --> 00:34:07,830 But beyond that, also getting landowners to think about 659 00:34:07,830 --> 00:34:09,900 what exists around them in the landscape. 660 00:34:09,900 --> 00:34:13,500 And so we, for every lender we work with, 661 00:34:13,500 --> 00:34:16,830 I do a landscape level analysis where I'm looking at, 662 00:34:16,830 --> 00:34:19,770 what exists within 2,500 acres of them. 663 00:34:19,770 --> 00:34:23,280 And I, again, I go to bio finder or Natural Resource Atlas 664 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:25,980 and I'm, you know, pulling up the natural communities 665 00:34:25,980 --> 00:34:29,400 and various ecological assets that exist around them. 666 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:33,300 And in that way, really work to contextualize 667 00:34:33,300 --> 00:34:37,350 what their forest means for the both their property, 668 00:34:37,350 --> 00:34:40,290 but around them, their landscape. 669 00:34:40,290 --> 00:34:45,290 So, you know, everything we do, we try to first understand 670 00:34:45,300 --> 00:34:48,780 what we have and then how we can maintain it, 671 00:34:48,780 --> 00:34:50,850 and where possible restore it. 672 00:34:50,850 --> 00:34:54,420 And by restoring, I largely think about how, 673 00:34:54,420 --> 00:34:55,530 again I already mentioned this, 674 00:34:55,530 --> 00:35:00,463 but I really want to emphasize restoring forest to, 675 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,410 you know, older forest conditions 676 00:35:04,410 --> 00:35:08,680 like various age structures, uneven age structure 677 00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:13,890 with canopy gaps and areas of regeneration, 678 00:35:13,890 --> 00:35:18,890 large diameter trees, legacy trees, as well as, you know, 679 00:35:19,890 --> 00:35:23,460 complex structure on the forest floor. 680 00:35:23,460 --> 00:35:28,380 We are trying to provide strategies in which landowners 681 00:35:28,380 --> 00:35:31,410 can complement and improve the forest ecosystem 682 00:35:31,410 --> 00:35:32,910 that exists on their property. 683 00:35:34,500 --> 00:35:35,790 Great. Thanks Tim. 684 00:35:35,790 --> 00:35:37,140 All right, we'll take one more question 685 00:35:37,140 --> 00:35:38,670 and then we're gonna move toward wrap up. 686 00:35:38,670 --> 00:35:39,903 So right over here, 687 00:35:41,940 --> 00:35:43,290 Question on forest carbon. 688 00:35:43,290 --> 00:35:45,900 I'm gonna switch gears for a minute. 689 00:35:45,900 --> 00:35:48,300 Carbon sequestration, carbon storage. 690 00:35:48,300 --> 00:35:51,090 We're seeing in Northern New England, 691 00:35:51,090 --> 00:35:54,540 many programs which are attempting to store 692 00:35:54,540 --> 00:35:57,030 and sequester carbon on large scale landscapes 693 00:35:57,030 --> 00:36:01,323 with private timber companies and other larger landowners. 694 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:05,460 How do we balance those carbon sequestration 695 00:36:05,460 --> 00:36:09,300 and storage programs, which may alter traditional 696 00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:12,000 timber markets with the demand for wood products 697 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,280 that we always know we're gonna have? 698 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:19,080 So if a landowner might alter that scenario 699 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,840 and lock up carbon for an extended period of time, 700 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,300 which is then no longer available for production, 701 00:36:24,300 --> 00:36:26,675 How do we balance that? 702 00:36:26,675 --> 00:36:28,320 That's for you. 703 00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:30,630 Yeah, so I'm familiar with 704 00:36:30,630 --> 00:36:33,240 sort of what you're referencing, Carl. 705 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:35,250 But yes, I mean, I think that's an example 706 00:36:35,250 --> 00:36:37,050 I was sort of alluding to before about 707 00:36:37,050 --> 00:36:41,250 maybe there isn't the balancing the community needs 708 00:36:41,250 --> 00:36:42,480 with those projects, right? 709 00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:45,030 So especially those large, large projects 710 00:36:45,030 --> 00:36:48,540 that's really critical to understanding the community, 711 00:36:48,540 --> 00:36:51,570 how the community has used that land historically, you know, 712 00:36:51,570 --> 00:36:55,740 and really engaging the community in that land. 713 00:36:55,740 --> 00:36:59,370 And we've seen that in other countries that carbon projects 714 00:36:59,370 --> 00:37:01,530 have not done that, and it's been really detrimental. 715 00:37:01,530 --> 00:37:02,730 And I think that's an example, 716 00:37:02,730 --> 00:37:04,740 we're seeing it kind of in our own backyard. 717 00:37:04,740 --> 00:37:08,940 So I am a little worried about that sort of thing happening. 718 00:37:08,940 --> 00:37:11,940 As far as balancing it, you know, it is really a struggle 719 00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:15,150 because we, you know, we do use wood products 720 00:37:15,150 --> 00:37:17,640 and wood products from a carbon standpoint 721 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:21,150 are really sort of the best products we have right now. 722 00:37:21,150 --> 00:37:23,880 They store carbon for as long as we use them, 723 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,400 and if we can use them to replace things like steel 724 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:29,940 and concrete right now, we do get carbon benefits, 725 00:37:29,940 --> 00:37:31,770 greenhouse gas savings above that. 726 00:37:31,770 --> 00:37:34,500 And then, not to mention it's something we can harvest 727 00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:37,110 from our own back backyard, so to speak, 728 00:37:37,110 --> 00:37:40,950 and see the impacts it has rather than having something 729 00:37:40,950 --> 00:37:41,880 harvested from elsewhere. 730 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:45,090 And we don't really know how that wood was procured 731 00:37:45,090 --> 00:37:47,520 or how the people who live there were retreated 732 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:49,590 or, you know, the human rights, you know, 733 00:37:49,590 --> 00:37:51,000 you can go on and on. 734 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,590 And so that's really concerning. 735 00:37:52,590 --> 00:37:55,890 So, you know, I think that project in particular 736 00:37:55,890 --> 00:37:59,220 in Northern New Hampshire, it's a good example 737 00:37:59,220 --> 00:38:02,258 about how we didn't know this was coming down the pike 738 00:38:02,258 --> 00:38:05,010 when lands were set up and agreements were made, 739 00:38:05,010 --> 00:38:10,010 that carbon is gonna be a commodified benefit that we have. 740 00:38:10,260 --> 00:38:13,380 And so I think we should be thinking proactively 741 00:38:13,380 --> 00:38:16,320 about other parcels and having these conversations 742 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,920 about how do we wanna see these large tracks of land managed 743 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,040 what is the best for the whole community in balancing 744 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:23,873 all those needs, right? 745 00:38:23,873 --> 00:38:27,240 Not focusing on one single benefit 746 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:29,130 over the detriment of others. 747 00:38:29,130 --> 00:38:31,680 So you know, I don't really have a great answer to that. 748 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,730 It's a real challenge and I think the more we all 749 00:38:35,730 --> 00:38:38,730 as a community can be part of those conversations, 750 00:38:38,730 --> 00:38:40,353 I think is really important. 751 00:38:41,190 --> 00:38:43,530 And it's sort of uncharted territory 752 00:38:43,530 --> 00:38:46,170 that we're working through, but again, like not, 753 00:38:46,170 --> 00:38:48,750 you know, thinking about how to balance 754 00:38:48,750 --> 00:38:51,060 all of those objectives together. 755 00:38:51,060 --> 00:38:53,010 You know, as I get further and further 756 00:38:53,010 --> 00:38:55,740 into the carbon world, carbon science, 757 00:38:55,740 --> 00:38:58,230 I really do think we should be producing more 758 00:38:58,230 --> 00:38:59,400 of our products here. 759 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:02,700 We have the ability, our forests grow much more wood 760 00:39:02,700 --> 00:39:03,600 than we harvest. 761 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,336 We can do it sustainably and well. 762 00:39:06,336 --> 00:39:10,320 And I think there's moral and ethical obligation 763 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:13,830 that we have to do so, and so how can we do that? 764 00:39:13,830 --> 00:39:15,720 Let's have a conversation about doing it better 765 00:39:15,720 --> 00:39:18,570 and doing it more, you know, without as much waste 766 00:39:18,570 --> 00:39:21,990 or reusing materials, all of that I think would be, 767 00:39:21,990 --> 00:39:25,290 I'd love to see more of that conversation happening. 768 00:39:25,290 --> 00:39:27,360 Great. Thank you, Allie. 769 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:30,600 All right, well I have one more question for you all 770 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:32,340 to wrap up. 771 00:39:32,340 --> 00:39:35,460 You know, we've talked about a lot of different things 772 00:39:35,460 --> 00:39:37,560 today, we've talked about a lot of different demands 773 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:38,400 on our forest. 774 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:41,850 And so looking ahead into the future a little bit, 775 00:39:41,850 --> 00:39:44,490 what do you think are the most important skills 776 00:39:44,490 --> 00:39:46,560 for foresters and conservationists 777 00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:51,213 and other practitioners to develop in the coming years? 778 00:39:53,250 --> 00:39:54,510 -Yeah, you go. -All right, 779 00:39:54,510 --> 00:39:56,340 and if we're going down the line, all right. 780 00:39:56,340 --> 00:40:00,390 I think not, so I think it's really important 781 00:40:00,390 --> 00:40:03,840 to not think there's one tool or one strategy, right? 782 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:04,673 It's a suite of strategies, 783 00:40:04,673 --> 00:40:07,620 and I think Tim alluded to this, right? 784 00:40:07,620 --> 00:40:09,780 We want a diversity within our forest. 785 00:40:09,780 --> 00:40:12,120 We also want a diversity across our landscape. 786 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,430 We know that that promotes resilience. 787 00:40:14,430 --> 00:40:16,830 We know that can promote the most like balanced 788 00:40:16,830 --> 00:40:17,970 ecosystem services. 789 00:40:17,970 --> 00:40:19,800 So I encourage folks to not think, 790 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:21,390 oh, I've done it this way, 791 00:40:21,390 --> 00:40:23,430 I'm gonna continue to do it this way, right? 792 00:40:23,430 --> 00:40:24,870 We're in a changing climate. 793 00:40:24,870 --> 00:40:28,020 We have a lot of different things going on. 794 00:40:28,020 --> 00:40:29,850 Climate crisis, biodiversity crisis, 795 00:40:29,850 --> 00:40:33,810 not to mention housing crisis and, you know, 796 00:40:33,810 --> 00:40:34,920 homelessness crisis. 797 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:37,290 We have a lot of things that are happening in our world. 798 00:40:37,290 --> 00:40:39,960 So trying different strategies, 799 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:43,650 reevaluating how the impacts did that work, 800 00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:46,530 did that lead to the outcomes I expected? 801 00:40:46,530 --> 00:40:47,760 Maybe try something else. 802 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,580 So I think that's gonna be really important, 803 00:40:50,580 --> 00:40:54,003 creativity and innovation moving forward. 804 00:40:55,140 --> 00:40:55,973 Awesome. 805 00:40:58,470 --> 00:41:03,470 I would say that just to build connections 806 00:41:05,190 --> 00:41:10,190 and perhaps partnerships with a different set of people, 807 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,840 individuals, you know, that you might typically, 808 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,843 so reaching out across, you know, 809 00:41:20,970 --> 00:41:23,640 find a doctor who's passionate about wanting to help 810 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:28,260 their patients and who wants to influence their, you know, 811 00:41:28,260 --> 00:41:31,650 workplace and or, you know, right. 812 00:41:31,650 --> 00:41:36,650 So it's working across disciplines of, you know, 813 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:40,050 backgrounds and you know, 814 00:41:40,050 --> 00:41:43,677 I would say that we need to branch out (laughs). 815 00:41:45,330 --> 00:41:48,930 Perfect. Tim, any final thoughts? 816 00:41:48,930 --> 00:41:52,050 Final thoughts on me, huh? Okay. Yeah. 817 00:41:52,050 --> 00:41:57,050 Skills, again, like, as y'all just said, very well, 818 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:01,410 just diversity, thinking about, again, 819 00:42:01,410 --> 00:42:04,350 the work that they do in the woods really does 820 00:42:04,350 --> 00:42:05,940 directly affect the ecosystem. 821 00:42:05,940 --> 00:42:09,870 So continuing to support our foresters and building 822 00:42:09,870 --> 00:42:13,350 the skills to be able to think as ecologists really, 823 00:42:13,350 --> 00:42:16,740 you know, like how the work they do in the woods 824 00:42:16,740 --> 00:42:20,880 really influences the ecology of the woods. 825 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,820 And from there, thinking about climate change effects 826 00:42:23,820 --> 00:42:27,300 and how we really need to be thinking about 827 00:42:27,300 --> 00:42:31,170 how to manage our now so as to be resilient, 828 00:42:31,170 --> 00:42:34,860 adaptable in a changing climate, trying to distill 829 00:42:34,860 --> 00:42:39,570 that science down into actionable tools for them 830 00:42:39,570 --> 00:42:41,580 is extremely important. 831 00:42:41,580 --> 00:42:46,260 Also really, our foresters are ambassadors. 832 00:42:46,260 --> 00:42:48,720 You know, they are out there meeting with landowners 833 00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:51,750 every single day across the state of Vermont, 834 00:42:51,750 --> 00:42:54,870 and they are talking about the fate of these forests 835 00:42:54,870 --> 00:42:56,220 with those landowners. 836 00:42:56,220 --> 00:42:59,790 And so being able to really work with our foresters 837 00:42:59,790 --> 00:43:02,790 to empower them to have really crucial conversations, 838 00:43:02,790 --> 00:43:06,360 to be educators, to be able to, you know, provide the tools 839 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,820 or resources to meet those landowners values 840 00:43:08,820 --> 00:43:11,430 and objectives is huge. 841 00:43:11,430 --> 00:43:16,430 So, you know, from there, oh, that's really it. 842 00:43:16,620 --> 00:43:17,490 Terrific. 843 00:43:17,490 --> 00:43:20,070 Well, I heard we started off this conversation 844 00:43:20,070 --> 00:43:23,610 with connectivity, climate and community, 845 00:43:23,610 --> 00:43:27,510 and I heard curiosity, creativity, and connection going out. 846 00:43:27,510 --> 00:43:31,710 So Allie, Michelle, Tim, thank you so much. 847 00:43:31,710 --> 00:43:33,210 Let's give our panelists a hand. 848 00:43:33,210 --> 00:43:36,214 and thank you all so much being part of the conversation. 849 00:43:36,214 --> 00:43:39,214 (audience applauds) 850 00:43:46,890 --> 00:43:48,060 All right, thank you everyone 851 00:43:48,060 --> 00:43:49,950 for such a lively conversation. 852 00:43:49,950 --> 00:43:52,290 I wanted to say I really appreciated one person's, 853 00:43:52,290 --> 00:43:55,110 one of the people asked a question made a point about 854 00:43:55,110 --> 00:43:58,410 this like, potential cycle that getting people outside will, 855 00:43:58,410 --> 00:44:01,020 you know, inspire them to do a bunch of other things 856 00:44:01,020 --> 00:44:02,730 related to protecting our forests. 857 00:44:02,730 --> 00:44:04,410 And I really love that point. 858 00:44:04,410 --> 00:44:07,020 'Cause I think that's absolutely true that. 859 00:44:07,020 --> 00:44:09,420 And is a point that ties all the people 860 00:44:09,420 --> 00:44:11,250 who are up on the stage today together, 861 00:44:11,250 --> 00:44:14,670 that if we're able to really focus on getting people outside 862 00:44:14,670 --> 00:44:16,020 as one of the really key pieces 863 00:44:16,020 --> 00:44:18,000 and having them have good experiences in the forest 864 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:20,820 and developing those relationships as early as possible, 865 00:44:20,820 --> 00:44:23,190 that they're gonna invest in protecting those forests 866 00:44:23,190 --> 00:44:25,410 for biodiversity, making sure that those forests 867 00:44:25,410 --> 00:44:27,900 are resilient to climate and all of the things 868 00:44:27,900 --> 00:44:29,460 that everybody in this room cares about. 869 00:44:29,460 --> 00:44:32,580 So thank you again to our panelists 870 00:44:32,580 --> 00:44:36,822 and to Heather for that conversation. 871 00:44:36,822 --> 00:44:39,810 I encourage all of you to explore all of these topics 872 00:44:39,810 --> 00:44:42,630 further through our contributed talks today, 873 00:44:42,630 --> 00:44:44,850 which we'll go into lots of little detail, 874 00:44:44,850 --> 00:44:47,793 more focused detail that touches on many of these things. 875 00:44:49,050 --> 00:44:51,540 And we'll be jumping into the first round 876 00:44:51,540 --> 00:44:54,240 of those contributed talks in just a moment. 877 00:44:54,240 --> 00:44:56,100 We have a coffee break now. 878 00:44:56,100 --> 00:44:58,380 And then we'll have lunch back here in the ballroom 879 00:44:58,380 --> 00:45:01,233 after the contributed talks, excuse me. 880 00:45:02,220 --> 00:45:05,220 followed by another round of contributed talks, 881 00:45:05,220 --> 00:45:07,110 another coffee break, and then working sessions 882 00:45:07,110 --> 00:45:08,310 this afternoon. 883 00:45:08,310 --> 00:45:10,740 And then we're gonna wrap up the day with a poster session 884 00:45:10,740 --> 00:45:13,890 with snacks and a cash bar in the fireplace lounge. 885 00:45:13,890 --> 00:45:16,500 And I'll reiterate that during the first up to, 886 00:45:16,500 --> 00:45:18,750 during the first 45 minutes of that poster session. 887 00:45:18,750 --> 00:45:20,160 And also throughout the day, 888 00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:22,260 you can vote for your favorite poster. 889 00:45:22,260 --> 00:45:24,510 All the posters that have orange sticky notes on them 890 00:45:24,510 --> 00:45:27,000 are in the competition for best poster. 891 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:31,260 And we'll be giving out an appreciative FEMC mug 892 00:45:31,260 --> 00:45:33,610 to the winner at the end of the poster session. 893 00:45:35,100 --> 00:45:37,050 Alright, so that's it. 894 00:45:37,050 --> 00:45:40,260 If you have any questions, come find me or any of the other 895 00:45:40,260 --> 00:45:42,810 FEMC staff or ECO AmeriCorps members 896 00:45:42,810 --> 00:45:44,580 and can those folks raise their hands 897 00:45:44,580 --> 00:45:46,203 just so people know who you are. 898 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:50,580 Okay, you might not really be able to see them well enough 899 00:45:50,580 --> 00:45:53,070 to find them, so you also could just stand and shout help 900 00:45:53,070 --> 00:45:54,393 and we'll come find you. 901 00:45:55,890 --> 00:45:57,340 And with that, enjoy the day. 902 00:45:58,315 --> 00:46:01,315 (audience applauds)