Speaker Series Sign-Up, Information, and Resources
July 28, 2026
NEWT’s Speaker Series is an ongoing forum for education and inspiration about eco-centric topics. We gather with experts and enthusiasts to listen, learn, and discuss.
Upcoming Events
A Biologist’s Eye: Cultivating Curiosity in Our Backyards
Zoom Webinar | October 7, 2026 from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Northeast Wilderness Trust’s free, virtual 2026-2027 Speaker Series kicks off on Zoom on October 7 with Dr. Doug Tallamy.
Dr. Tallamy, a lauded entomologist and widely cited authority on pollination ecology, will give a presentation on the relationship between forests and pollinators, explaining how a wide array of these critical insects relies on forest ecosystems for part or all of their life cycles. Tallamy will then join NEWT’s Wildlands Ecologist Jason Mazurowski for a discussion about how wilderness conservation can play a role in the wider effort to reverse pollinator declines and restore ecosystems. The webinar will close with a Q&A between Tallamy, Mazurowski, and the audience.
Dr. Doug Tallamy is a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has spent four decades studying how native plants and insects depend on each other—and what happens when that relationship breaks down. His books, including Bringing Nature Home and the New York Times bestseller Nature’s Best Hope, have changed how people think about the land around them. Doug’s central insight is both simple and profound: the private land across the United States adds up to more acreage than all national parks combined. That land can either support wildlife or work against it. The choice belongs to the people who live there.
Previous Events
A Biologist’s Eye: Cultivating Curiosity in Our Backyards
Zoom Webinar | April 2026
Biologist and author Thor Hanson and veteran conservationist Kathleen Fitzgerald discussed Hanson’s new book, Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door, which celebrates curiosity as an essential ingredient for appreciating and connecting with Nature.
Old-Growth Chronicles: Saving the Salmon Forests
Online Zoom Webinar | February 2026
Northeast Wilderness Trust’s 2026 Speaker Series kicked off with award-winning author and journalist Lynda Mapes.
Mapes presented highlights from her latest book, The Trees Are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forest, a bicoastal exploration of old-growth forests, the perils they and their inhabitants face, and the people working to protect them. Mapes and NEWT’s Wildlands Ecology Director, Shelby Perry, then discussed the ecological and societal benefits of old-growth ecosystems and answered questions from the audience.
When Humans Pull Back: How Abandoned Places Recover and Rewild
Online Zoom Webinar | December 2025
Author and journalist Cal Flyn joined Northeast Wilderness Trust to speak about her experiences researching and visiting places around the globe where human disturbance has diminished. Flyn and Nicie Panetta, Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Vice President of Advancement, then discussed the remarkable process of recovery these places undergo when natural communities are allowed to flourish.
Speaker Series: Leave it to Beaver(s)
Online Zoom Webinar | November 2025
Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Speaker Series continued on November 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET with award-winning environmental author and journalist Ben Goldfarb! Goldfarb gave a virtual presentation on beaver ecology, which he documented in his book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. He then engaged in a discussion with Northeast Wilderness Trust’s President and CEO Jon Leibowitz about the ways in which these remarkable rodents shape ecosystems and hasten the rewilding process.
Speaker Series: Rewilding Across Continents
Online Zoom Webinar | May 2025
This webinar featured Kathleen Fitzgerald, Sebastián Di Martino, and Tom Butler, veteran conservationists with decades of combined experience rewilding landscapes and ecosystems across North America, South America, and Africa. Fitzgerald and Di Martino gave presentations on their work, followed by a discussion moderated by Butler where they compare key insights and reasons for hope.
Kathleen Fitzgerald is the Project Director, Enduring Earth at The Pew Charitable Trusts, former Vice President at the African Wildlife Foundation, partner at Conservation Capital, and was co-founder and Executive Director of Northeast Wilderness Trust.
Sebastián Di Martino is Conservation Director at Rewilding Argentina, where he oversees the reintroduction of species and environmental restoration.
Tom Butler is a Senior Fellow at Northeast Wilderness Trust, as well as a founding board member and past board president. A former editor of Wild Earth journal, Butler is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including Wildlands Philanthropy, Plundering Appalachia, Keeping the Wild, and ENERGY: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth.
The Role of Large Carnivores in Rewilding Ecosystems
Online Zoom Webinar | March 2025
Panthera’s Dr. Mark Elbroch presents on the key role large carnivores, particularly wild cats, play in healthy ecosystems, and shares other insights from his decades of research into mountain lion ecology. Mark and Shelby Perry, Wildlands Ecology Director at Northeast Wilderness Trust, discussed the most pressing obstacles to the restoration of North America’s large carnivores while exploring avenues of potential conservation progress.
Dr. Mark Elbroch is an ecologist, author, and storyteller. He studies mountain lion ecology in his role as Puma Director at Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization. He is also an animal tracker working to preserve ancient skills, and to elevate their applications in the modern world.
Rewilding North America, One Region at a Time: From “America’s Serengeti” to the Northeast
Online Zoom Webinar | January 2025
A presentation on restoring America’s prairie by Henry Pollock, Executive Director of Southern Plains Land Trust, followed by a conversation between Pollock and Jon Leibowitz, President & CEO of Northeast Wilderness Trust, comparing differing regional approaches to rewilding.
Henry Pollock is the Executive Director of Southern Plains Land Trust, a Colorado land trust working to restore “America’s Serengeti.” Henry has a background in ecology and conservation with a strong focus on quantitative, data-driven science and practice. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Ecology, Evolution, & Conservation Biology and nearly 15 years’ experience as a wildlife biologist and academic researcher.
Past speakers and topics have included:
|
|
2023 Speaker Series
“Biodiversity: The Language of Wilderness,” Ecologist Janet McMahon
On how old and wild forests act as lifeboats in the face of extinction, habitat loss, and climate change.
“Great Trees and Forests of the Northeast: Past and Present,” Bob Leverett, co-founder of the Native Tree Society, and Monica Jakuc Leverett
A virtual tour of treasured trees and forests in New England and New York, co-hosted by Northeast Wilderness Trust & Kestrel Land Trust.
“Protecting Half of Earth for All Life,” Dennis Liu of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation
Featuring stories of charismatic creatures, a discussion of how protecting one species often benefits others, and what each of us can do to support the miraculous species we love and need.
2022 Speaker Series
“Nature & Neuroscience,” Susan Masino of Trinity College
On how spending time in nature can profoundly affect human brains and health.
“The Story of Biodiversity,” Melina Sakiyama of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network
On the marvelous story of biodiversity, and how the well-being of our wild kin is directly related to the well-being of humanity.
“Wild Animals We Thought We Knew,” Susan Morse of Keeping Track
On fascinating new discoveries about wildlife we thought we knew all about…but are only beginning to understand.
“Talking in Circles, Speaking Another Language,” Rich Holschuh of the Atowi Project
A place-based perspective on listening to the layers of stories embedded in the land.
2021 Speaker Series
“Wild Carbon,” Mark Anderson of The Nature Conservancy
Ground-breaking science on carbon sequestration and storage in wild, old, and unmanaged forests.
“Meet an Old-Growth Forest,” Susan Morse
Ecologist and professional tracker Sue Morse guides us through the characteristics that set apart old-growth forests from their younger counterparts, from structure to wildlife.
“Rewilding: Past, Present, and Future,” Tom Butler of Northeast Wilderness Trust
A brief history of the rewilding movement, followed by a look at where we stand now, and where an eco-centric path forward might take us.
“Coyotes of the Northeast,” Chris Schadler, coyote researcher and advocate
On coyote population dynamics, past and present range, and their behavior, habits, and social lives.
“Radical Ecology, A Conversation,” Eileen Crist, author of Abundant Earth: Toward an Ecological Civilization
In conversation about how current ecological crises are linked to an implicit idea of human supremacy…and how a different future can be possible when this assumption is brought to light and questioned.
“Wilderness & Climate Change,” Bill McKibben, renowned activist and author
On how wilderness conservation means the difference between a liveable future for all beings and climate chaos.
“Natural Enchantment,” Jackie Morris, acclaimed illustrator and author (The Lost Words, The Lost Spells)
A journey of color and sound celebrating the wondrous creatures with whom we share this planet. Jackie shares her magical watercolor paintings and reads from some of her works, followed by a reflection on the ways art and language can bring people into deeper relationship with wild nature.
“Wilderness Ethics Book Discussion,” Laura Waterman, author
A guided discussion of Laura’s book, Wilderness Ethics: Preserving the Spirit of Wildness.
“Writing the Land” Poetry Reading, Co-hosted by Writing the Land
Four poets—Rachelle Parker, Kathy Kremins, Sylvia Karman, and David Crews—share their poetry inspired by Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Ambassador Preserves, accompanied by beautiful images of the landscapes.