Adirondack Peatlands: A Critical Natural Solution to Climate Change.
with Steve Langdon, Director of Shingle Shanty Preserve
Boreal peatlands of the Adirondacks are at the southern limit of this carbon-rich ecosystem’s global distribution. Boreal Peatlands are the nexus of climate, biodiversity and carbon sequestration, accounting for approximately one third of terrestrial global carbon. Studying these ecosystems in the Adirondacks provides tools that protect peatland carbon and biodiversity, ultimately contributing to natural solutions to climate change. Through over a decade of work at Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station and Borealis Consulting, Ecologist Stephen Langdon has been conducting long-term monitoring of peatland microclimates and biodiversity in the Adirondacks. He will share broad perspectives on peatland conservation and discuss current research efforts in the region.
Cost: Free for members or with paid admission
About the speaker:
Stephen Langdon has 25 years of experience in the Adirondacks working on conservation from shovel-in-hand trail maintenance to biodiversity research with government and private organizations. He has a Masters degree in Ecology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, as well as a B.S in Ecology and a B.A. in Philosophy from SUNY Plattsburgh, where he is an adjunct instructor in the Center for Earth and Environmental Science. Steve is involved in a number of research efforts surrounding impacts of human-caused global environmental change on biodiversity within the boreal-temperate ecotone with a particular focus on peatlands. When he is not at Shingle Shanty he lives with his wife and two young sons in Saranac Lake.