Upcoming Webinars

While many of us are spending more time at home, HHLT is bringing nature to you with a new webinar series.

PREVIOUS WEBINARS

The Hudson Highlands are More Popular Than Ever
Learn How HHLT is Responding and How You Can Help

November 24th, at 1pm
Wednesday, December 2nd, at 7pm

As the pandemic continues, people are flocking to the Hudson Highlands like never before, and demand for our parks and trails has never been greater.

But the challenges to our undeveloped lands are mounting: many people are moving to the area permanently. Scores of new visitors are impacting the natural resources in our popular parks and trails. All this while New York State is facing serious budget constraints. Plus, we need to ensure our parks are inclusive and accessible to everyone.

Catch up with HHLT and learn how we are meeting these challenges, and what you can do to help protect our open spaces.

UPDATE: The webinar recordings are now available:  November 24th webinar and December 2nd webinar

Websites and resources mentioned during the webinars include:

Bringing Plant Diversity to Your Landscape
Invasive and Native Plants of the Hudson Highlands

Thursday, July 30th, 1-2pm

UPDATE: The webinar recording is now available.

Hosted by HHLT, with expert speakers including:
• Ryan Goolic, Terrestrial Invasive Species Project Manager with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
• Jennifer Lerner, Senior Resource Educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County

Join HHLT and our partners at the NYNJTC and Putnam CCE to learn how you can help restore native habitats and preserve healthy biodiversity across our shared Hudson Highlands landscapes. Our speakers will share practical tips for how you can eradicate invasive plants and create a native plant garden on your own property.

You’ll learn about common invasive plants of the Hudson Highlands, with specific management techniques for each species. You’ll also learn how replacing invasives with natives can help create contiguous habitat to support pollinators, birds and other local wildlife, with examples of native plants that are adapted to our geographic region and can work well together in a management landscape.

Open Space has Gone Viral
What’s the Response in the Hudson Highlands?

Friday, June 12th, 11am-12:30pm

UPDATE: The webinar recording is now available.

Hosted by HHLT, with speakers from:
• NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
• New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
• Scenic Hudson

Highlands area trails “went viral” on social media even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Little did we know there was an actual biological virus coming in our future. Now, with millions of neighboring city residents cooped up inside for months, we have even more people flocking to the Highlands to experience the great outdoors.

What a challenge to solve! On one hand, this is public parkland paid for by the residents of New York State. On the other, the same mountains that shape the beauty of our region also form physical limitations, creating bottlenecks at access points and along the trail. This leads to overcrowding and a health hazard during a pandemic. This webinar will discuss how the balance between public access and overcrowding is being addressed, and answer questions from the community.

Amphibians and Vernal Pools

Thursday, May 21st, 1-2pm

UPDATE: The webinar recording is now available.

Why did the amphibian cross the road? Have you ever encountered a frog or salamander on the road on a rainy spring evening and wondered where they are heading? Join our May webinar to find out!

Our speakers, Nicole Wooten, HHLT’s Natural Resources Manager, and Laura Heady, Conservation and Land Use Program Coordinator for the Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation/Cornell University, will discuss the importance of woodland pools and the annual migration of forest amphibians.

Connect with Nature Using Mobile Apps!

Thursday, April 30th, 1-2pm

UPDATE: The webinar recording and slides are now available.

Are you curious about the natural wonders in your own backyard? We’ve teamed up with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to offer a live online training on popular nature apps, including eBird, iNaturalist, and kid-friendly Seek. Join us this Thursday, April 30th at 1pm to learn how to capture and share your nature observations, all while contributing to community science and informing conservation in the Hudson Highlands. No scientific background required!

The training session will be led by Julia Rogers, HHLT’s Stewardship Coordinator, and Brent Boscarino, NYNJTC’s Invasive Species Citizen Science Program Coordinator.

Don’t forget to have your smartphone handy during the webinar. We suggest downloading the free apps to your device and creating accounts before you login to the webinar. (You can find detailed instructions for setting up iNaturalist and Seek here.)

Plant a Pollinator Paradise w/ Putnam CCE

Saturdays, May 2nd and 9th, 9:30-11 am

UPDATE: The webinar recording will soon be available on the Putnam CCE website.

Pollinators are in trouble, but luckily each of us can have a part in ensuring a healthy environment for them. Join the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County for a two-part online course that will provide an in depth and interactive look at how to plan and create a pollinator garden on your property. Whether you have acres or just a front porch, you can create a pollinator habitat!

Be sure to check out our “Nature Time” videos and connect with us on Facebook for more ideas on staying connected with nature from your home.

Photo credit: Bob Cipolli, 2020; courtesy of LightHawk