1:00 PM ET Pollinator Pathways and the Green Corridor: Improving Biodiversity on Protected Lands in Our Own Yards! Mary Ellen Lemay, Landowner Engagement Director, Aspetuck Land Trust, Connecticut

More than nine states are in various stages of launching Pollinator Pathways, a landowner outreach strategy that in only five years has quickly taken the region by storm. They introduced a very scalable initiative, a blueprint for success, that focuses on three important points—native plants, no pesticides, rethink your lawn. Each town created their own team, providing education (LEARN) demonstration sites (SEE), providing action steps for homeowner yards and native plant sales (DO). The Aspetuck Land Trust Green Corridor takes in a broader scope of biodiversity with a focus on land protection and land stewardship in a six-town study region. As Pollinator Pathways open up to Green Corridors, Mary Ellen will demonstrate why our yards are stepping stones on the journey across our landscape.

2:00 PM ET Designing Landscapes + Corridors to Support Biodiversity and Climate Resilience Evan Abramson, Founder and Principal of Landscape Interactions

Humanity’s impact on Earth is now so profound that a new geological epoch has been declared. The Anthropocene is defined by an acceleration of carbon emission, sea level rise and glacier and sea ice melting, plus mass extinction of species globally. Farms, wildlands, sub/urban greenways, rural communities, and large-scale solar developments provide immense opportunities for expanding regional biodiversity through the implementation of native pollination systems. Animal and plant species biodiversity equals ecological resiliency. Since 2019, Landscape Interactions has worked at the intersection of science, outreach and design to create, plan and implement functionally diverse native pollinator habitat, specifically targeting the species at greatest risk of local extinction for each project location.