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Useful Links:

• NYS DEC Webinars (look under the Training and Education heading)
   
• Westchester CAC Guidance
   
• Liquidity Documentary

• Seeing the City for the Trees: Urban Tree Canopy Trends and Local Strategies:

  Register for Thursday, April 28, 2022, 2:00-3:30 p.m.

  The urban tree canopy encompasses trees found in the forests, yards, and along streets of cities, towns, and villages. These trees provide critical environmental and social benefits, contributing to resilient watersheds, improved water quality, carbon sequestration, reduced heat islands, and enhanced quality of life. This webinar will present why we should care about the urban tree canopy and lessons learned from a forest and tree canopy inventory conducted across Westchester County. Dr. Andrew Reinmann will share results and applications from the study including spatial and temporal trends in canopy cover and local strategies to maximize the efficacy and benefits of tree planting efforts.
  
  The webinar will also introduce the Planting Westchester initiative, which aims to empower residents to promote and address climate solutions, the restoration of natural resources, and food security through growing and maintaining trees and other plants. Millie Magraw will discuss how the program will use the urban tree canopy inventory to inform where new plantings should be targeted and to educate and engage municipalities in this work.
  Speakers:
  Dr. Andrew Reinmann, Assistant Professor, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center and Hunter College
  Millie Magraw, Water Quality & Planning Program Coordinator, Westchester County Dept. of Planning

  Next Steps in New York's Climate Leadership: The Draft Scoping Plan
  Register for Thursday, May 5, 2022, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

  New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs, fosters a green economy, and focuses on climate justice. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) of 2019 places New York on a path to achieve its mandate of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy use by 2030, and to reach economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.

  The Climate Action Council is responsible for developing the scoping plan to achieve the required reductions. The Council released its draft scoping plan on December 30, 2021, kicking off a public comment period that will extend to June 10, 2022. The Council must finalize the scoping plan by the end of 2022, and DEC must promulgate regulations to implement the final plan by 2024.

  Maureen Leddy will describe the statutory requirements, the process of developing the draft scoping plan and opportunities to provide input to the final plan. The presentation will include an overview of the various strategies recommended by the Council to achieve the required greenhouse gas reductions, with a focus on strategies related to land use, and recommendations related to climate change adaptation for ecosystems.

  Speaker: Maureen Leddy, Director, DEC Office of Climate Change

  About the Conservation and Land Use Webinar Series 

  The Hudson River Estuary Conservation and Land Use Team created this webinar training series to provide a foundation in conservation and land use planning for members of Hudson River estuary watershed conservation advisory councils/boards and environmental commissions, as well as members of planning and zoning boards, elected officials, and interested citizens. Participants will learn about biodiversity, conservation principles, best practices, and tools to identify and conserve important habitat and water resources within New York’s home rule system. ​Prior webinar recordings are archived on our website. PDFs of presentation slides are available upon request.