Virtual Lunch & Learn: Approaching Recovery: Conservation in the Wake of Helene, Panel Discussion Part I
Wednesday, December 11 at 12:00 pm EST
Hear from experts in the conservation, stewardship, and forestry management fields on how their organizations and agencies are beginning to approach recovery in the wake of Hurricane Helene. There will be an opportunity for Q&A at the end of the panel. Please find more information about our panelists below and please feel free to submit questions in advance through your registration. A recording of this panel will be made available after its conclusion on our YouTube Channel. Part II of this Lunch & Learn will focus on our partners who work with public lands.
Panelists:
Michael Cheek
Michael is the Region 3 Forester and Mountain Division Director for the NC Forest Service. The NC Forest Service’s primary purpose is to ensure adequate and quality forest resources for the state to meet its present and future needs. NC Forest Service is a government agency responsible for providing land management assistance to private landowners.
Liz Hillard
Liz is the Senior Wildlife Biologist for the Appalachian Region at Wildlands Network. Wildlands Network uses science-based research and innovative policy to reconnect and restore Wildways, helping prevent biodiversity loss and promoting climate resilient landscapes. By collaborating with local partners and people like you, we empower communities across North America to safeguard and connect their wild spaces.
Dr. Liz Hillard helps direct and manage the study design, implementation, and analysis of Wildlands Network’s road ecology research focused on the important Pigeon River Gorge/Interstate 40 corridor within the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. In addition, she works to build partnerships and engage the public in wildlife habitat connectivity and conservation efforts throughout the Southern Appalachian region. Liz currently serves on the Board and as the Secretary for the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society.
Lang Hornthal
Lang is the Co-Director of EcoForesters, a non-profit professional forestry organization dedicated to conserving and restoring our Appalachian forests through education and stewardship. Lang’s business background and sustainability mindset bring a different lens to EcoForesters mission of helping private landowners keep their forests healthy. A passionate advocate for forest stewardship, Lang can be found collaborating with partners and seeking opportunities that will help forests be more resilient in the future. He likes to spend his free time with family and friends outside and can usually be found listening to music or watching the Red Sox.
Sarah Sheeran
Sarah is the Stewardship Director at Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. Sarah joined SAHC’s Stewardship staff in 2014, but has served on the Land Management Committee since 2010 and has been a long-time volunteer. As Stewardship Director, she oversees the organization’s program of monitoring and managing our conservation easements and properties we own, manages SAHC-owned land outside of the Roan Highlands and assists landowners with caring for their property’s natural resources.
Sarah previously received her BS in Biology from James Madison University and her MS in Ecology from UNC-Chapel Hill. With a background in plant conservation and horticulture, she previously worked as a plant ecologist for a local environmental consulting firm and later served as Director of Education and Conservation at an outdoor recreation and adventure company.
