(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 14, 2012

(MAHWAH, NJ) – Ramapo College presents “Ecological Stewardship: Empowering Communities to Protect the Commons” as part of the Creating a Sustainable World: Voice of Key Practitioners lecture series offered by the College’s Masters of Arts in Sustainability Studies program.  The event will take place on February 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the H-Wing Auditorium. 

The presentation will feature guest speaker and Consulting Conservation Biologist Michael W. Klemens who will discuss how mutual learning between community and scientists empowers informed communities to become good ecological stewards by integrating local knowledge and expert investigation.  Klemens argues that by informing and motivating community members to become active stewards, local environments experience improved ecological resilience required for adapting to altered conditions due to climate change and development activity.  To improve such resilience, measures must be taken to create a lighter and more intelligent ecological footprint.         

Klemens earned a doctorate in conservation biology and ecology at the University of Kent U.K.  He spent 20 years researching herpetology in the U.S. and Africa and discovered that the methods used in Africa to promote conservation could be applied in the U.S. to close the gap between land use planning and conservation science. 

Klemens also founded the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, which undertook collaborative research resulting in planning tools for local and regional application based upon biological data and conservation concepts.  He has also worked as Senior Conservationist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Museum of Natural History.  In addition, he chaired a local planning commission for more than a decade.  He is also the author of books including the co-edited “Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Sprawl” from Columbia University Press. 

The event is free and open to the public.  However, off-campus attendees will require a parking permit at the security booth at the north entrance.  To make an advance request for a parking pass or for more information, please contact Professor Edelstein via email at medelste@ramapo.edu.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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