None The Nature Conservancy in New York Press Releases Search All Press Releases Connie Prickett Phone: (518) 576–2082 x162 Email: cprickett@tnc.org

Climate Change Activist Bill McKibben and Bat Specialist Al Hicks to Speak in Newcomb

Keene Valley, NY — August 7, 2009 — Bill McKibben, acclaimed author of The End of Nature, has been rallying support from around the world to speak as one planet and call for a fair global climate treaty. Wildlife biologist Al Hicks is racing against the clock working with other scientists to prevent the extinction of bats in the Northeast. McKibben will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and the Adirondack Land Trust on Saturday, August 15, at the Newcomb Central School in Newcomb, NY. Hicks’s lecture, The End of Bats in the Northeast?, is one of three field trip/educational opportunities being offered before the meeting formally kicks off at 1:00. 

The event is free and open to the public. Participants are asked to register in advance.

This is an opportunity to find out why McKibben is clinging to the number 350. As founder and director of 350.org, he has travelled to China, Italy, Sweden, and other nations to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis. The number 350 refers to parts per million, and represents the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. In June, McKibben was quoted in the New York Times as saying “The number gives us a great deal of scientific information about where we need to go…”

“Unless we act quickly to curb greenhouse gas emissions, scientists tell us that ecosystems may collapse, new diseases and invasive species will proliferate, and weather patterns will become more erratic. Through 350.org, Bill brings a message of urgency, but also of hope and faith in humanity that we can work collectively to find solutions,” said Executive Director Michael Carr. 

The meeting will also feature a conservation update from Michael Carr, delivering the latest news on historic land protection projects involving the former Finch, Pruyn & Company lands and the Follensby Pond tract—175,600 acres in all. Find out how sustainable forestry fits into part of the conservation plan and hear firsthand about how the Conservancy is working with community leaders to find common ground and move the work forward.

At 11:00 a.m. in the Newcomb Central School Auditorium, state wildlife biologist Al Hicks will give an up-to-the-minute account of “white-nose syndrome,” a mysterious affliction causing bat populations in the Adirondacks and at least nine northeastern states to plummet. Hundreds of thousands of bats, including animals from well-established colonies in the Adirondacks, have already died. Hicks has been on the frontlines of this environmental crisis since the outbreak was first discovered in 2007.

“I’ve heard Al Hicks talk about this on National Public Radio and seen him quoted in the New York Times and the New Yorker. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from an expert about an ecological emergency taking place before our eyes,” said Meredith Prime, Board Chair of the Adirondack Chapter and Land Trust.

Participants should plan to arrive around noon for the annual meeting, or before 11:00 a.m. to attend the special lecture. Bring a bag lunch or call ahead to reserve an $8 lunch from Newcomb Central School students raising money for their trip abroad.

To register for this event, reserve a bag lunch, or obtain more information, contact Erin Walkow at (518) 576 - 2082 x133 or ewalkow@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. 

Since 1971, the Adirondack Chapter has been working with a variety of partners in the Adirondacks to achieve a broad range of conservation results. The Chapter is a founding partner of the High Peaks Summit Stewardship Program, dedicated to the protection of alpine habitat, as well as the award-winning Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, which works regionally to prevent the introduction and spread of non-native invasive plants 

The Adirondack Land Trust, established in 1984, protects open space, working farms and forests, undeveloped shoreline, scenic vistas, and other lands contributing to the quality of life of Adirondack residents. The Land Trust holds 45 conservation easements on 11,174 acres of privately-owned lands throughout the Adirondack Park, including 15 working farms in the Champlain Valley.

Together, these partners in Adirondack conservation have protected 571,000 acres, one out of every six protected acres park-wide. On the Web at www.nature.org/adirondacks .