Saving Special Places 2022
New Hampshire's Annual Land Conservation Conference
The Saving Special Places Conference is organized by UNH Extension, together with:
Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust | Land & Community Heritage Investment Program | NH Land Trust Coalition | Society for the Protection of NH Forests | Southeast Land Trust | The Nature Conservancy (NH) | USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Saturday April 2, 9:30am - 12:30pm
Virtual Conference via Zoom
Saving Special Places provides professional development and networking for land trust staff and their board members, other conservation/watershed organizations, conservation commissioners and other municipal boards, and natural resource professionals from New Hampshire and beyond.
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer, PhD is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. Learn More
Carolyn Finney
Carolyn Finney, PhD is a storyteller, author and a cultural geographer who is deeply interested in issues related to identity, difference, creativity, and resilience. She is the author of Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors, among other books. Learn More
If you are interested in purchasing books by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Carolyn Finney, visit https://bookshop.org/ and select your favorite local bookseller (Use Choose a Bookstore in the top right).
Registration
The registration fee is $40, which includes access to live workshops (via Zoom) during both days of the conference as well as post-conference access to view the recorded presentations for ALL eight workshops and the two keynotes. Not familiar with using Zoom? Here is an introduction you can view.
Click the registration link below to register and sign up for workshops. Be sure to remember your username and password - this allows you to go back into the registration system to change workshop selections up to the day of the conference. Note that you can only select ONE workshop in each of the three sessions and there is a capacity limit for ea. Everyone can attend the two keynotes, but you need to sign up for the keynotes so we know how many people to expect. Please note that online registration is credit card payment only.
You must register using the downloadable PDF registration form and MAIL your registration + check no later than 3/18/22.
Workshops and Schedule
FRIDAY, APRIL 1
10:45AM - 12:00PM Session 1 Workshops
1A: The Power of Birds to Amplify Conservation, Stewardship, and Community Outreach
Presenters: Sara Barker, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Peter Kleinhenz, Tall Timbers Research Station and Conservancy
We believe land trusts can help birds, and birds can benefit land trusts. This workshop will introduce the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative and how various resources can help foster partnerships and reach diverse audiences. We'll teach about birding tools such as eBird, introduce funding programs, and showcase a success story from Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy – all illustrating how birds can be useful when making decisions about conservation investments, engage new and diverse communities, and accelerate and amplify conservation and land stewardship.
1B: Manchester Cedar Swamp All Persons Trail: The Whole Trail Experience
Presenters: Joanne Glode and Megan Latour, The Nature Conservancy NH
Completing construction of the trail is just the beginning of the journey! Come learn how The Nature Conservancy integrated community feedback and partner guidance to develop extra features to increase accessibility and engagement along the All Persons Trail in Manchester. Using the lens of inclusion, we’ve created signage, interpretive features, transportation options and more in an effort to provide more equitable opportunities to access nature and enhance the experience for all.
12:30 PM-2:15 PM
Conference Welcome
Land Acknowledgement by Denise & Paul Pouliot of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People
OPENING KEYNOTE: RESTORATION AND RECIPROCITY - ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
Ecological restoration can be understood as an act of reciprocity, in return for the gifts of the earth. This talk explores the ecological and ethical imperatives of healing the damage we have inflicted on our land and waters. We trace the evolution of restoration philosophy and practice and consider how integration of indigenous knowledge can expand our understanding of restoration from the biophysical to the biocultural. Reciprocal restoration includes not only healing the land, but our relationship to land. In healing the land, we are healing ourselves.
2:30 PM - 3:45PM Session 2 Workshops
2A: Make Your Website Inclusive with Accessibility Improvements
Presenter: Paul Hansen, Ecopixel
Learn how to make your website accessible to people with disabilities — and easier to use by all. I’ll explain what web accessibility is, who it helps, and how to spot and fix common web accessibility issues. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about and discuss actionable improvements to their own websites. (Presenter Paul Hansen is co-lead of the TYPO3 Accessibility Team and web developer at Ecopixel, creators of websites for conservation, collaboration and community.)
2B: Adapting to Climate Change in Your Stewardship Program
Presenters: Maria Janowiak and Maddie Baroli, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
This interactive session will help you incorporate climate change considerations in stewardship activities. We will walk through the “Quick Start Guide to Adaptation Planning for Land Trusts” to explore questions such as: 1) What are your stewardship goals? 2) What climate risks and vulnerabilities may affect those goals? 3) What actions can you can take on your land to help address climate risks? We will share adaptation strategies and tools and discuss how to begin evaluating your stewardship activities through a climate lens. Walk away with motivation and ideas for action.
2C: Developing the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: NextGen Advisory Board, a Case Study
Presenter: EJ Porth, Gallatin Valley Land Trust
When perpetuity is part of the mission, we must constantly consider who will support and lead this work in the future. For land trusts, thinking about the future is imperative. EJ Porth with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust in Bozeman, MT will share a model for engaging the next generation of conservation leaders. Through their NextGen Advisory Board GVLT has engaged a new generation of donors and created a feedback loop to learn about community challenges and ensure the mission of the land trust remains relevant into the future. Join us to learn tips and tricks on engaging millennials.
SATURDAY APRIL 2
9:30 AM-10:45 AM (Session 3 Workshops)
3A: Getting to Know Wildlife Corridors Across NH
Presenter: Katie Callahan, NH Fish and Game
Join us to learn about the new statewide wildlife corridors data! the NH Wildlife Corridors model is a GIS-based, landscape permeability model that predicts linkages between two or more areas of high-quality wildlife habitat. This analysis extends TNC’s Connect-the-Coast project to map the entire state. Sixteen focal species are included to provide an umbrella for connectivity analysis. Habitat generalists, habitat specialists, area sensitive, and barrier sensitive species capture the range of variation in dispersal behavior. This model can identify key areas for land protection and strategic locations for restoring connectivity in fragmented landscapes.
3B: Can Solar Lower Property Value without Ruining Conservation Value?
Presenter: Amy Manzelli, BCM Environmental & Land Law
We all know conservation easements are a classic tool to accomplish many wonderful objectives, including decreasing fair market value, which can reduce the barrier to entry of land tenure. But, what about solar group net metering? Can it be used for the same purpose? Perhaps more importantly, if you can use solar group net metering to essentially decrease the barrier to entry of land, does that ruin the conservation values? Attend this cutting-edge workshop to learn what group net metering is, including a real-life NH example, and how it might work together with conservation easements.
3C: Conservation Renewal: Supporting the Whole Conservationist
Presenter: Paul Hardy, Center for Conservation Renewal
Major factors in the success of the land trust movement include the development of rigorous and replicable best practices. Trainings and conferences have emphasized technical skills, enduring conservation outcomes, and healthy organizations. Despite increasing levels of staff turnover, burnout, and stress, the wellness of conservation practitioners has received less emphasis. To support the WHY and wellness of fellow conservationists, we recently launched Conservation Renewal. Topics for the workshop will include navigating life and work transitions, life purpose, burnout, and founder syndrome.
11:00AM - 12:30PM
CLOSING KEYNOTE: TOUGH QUESTIONS - A CONVERSATION WITH DR. CAROLYN FINNEY
In this moment of unprecedented change, how do we build relationships across difference while remaining upright? What does it mean to "come correct"? What is holding us back? How might we move forward together? What’s on YOUR mind? Carolyn invites you to explore with her the power of reconciliation, accountability, possibility and emergence - let's do this!
Saving Special Places is made possible by our generous supporters
Thank you to our CONFERENCE UNDERWRITERS
Thank you to our CONFERENCE PARTNERS
Harris Center for Conservation Education
Squam Lakes Conservation Society
State Conservation License Plate program (Mooseplate)
2022 Conference Photo
The 2022 Conference banner photo shows Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, NH. The photo was taken by Jeff Lougee, The Nature Conservancy NH. Our thanks to Jeff for allowing us to use the beautiful image. Jeff also shared the scenic images we used in our social media posts, featuring Gray Mist Farm in Northumberland, Fourth Connecticut Lake Preserve, and Middle Mountain on the Green Hills Preserve. All photos are © Jeff Lougee/TNC New Hampshire.
