About the Summit
Thank you for joining us for the 20th Anniversary of the Rhode Island Land & Water Conservation Summit! In 2024, we focused on critical strategies to conserve our important landscapes and waterways, and will be grounding our program in contemporary environmental challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Learn about past summits here.
The Summit featured 31 engaging workshop sessions, including a workshop series from our lead facilitating partner, the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG). NESAWG unites Black, Brown, Indigenous, Aboriginal Earthworkers and frontline communities in the Northeast region to cultivate a just, regenerative, thriving food system for all. Their purpose is to grow global collective power that uproots systems of oppression in order to co-create a culture of care and sacredness of all living beings.
Keynote Speaker
We were honored to welcome Tarshire Battle, Executive Director of Roots 2Empower, as the 2024 keynote speaker to present on the theme, “Rooted in Resilience: Centering Community in Land & Water Conservation.” Through her keynote address, Tarshire shared a wealth of insights and experiences, highlighting the important role that economic empowerment and social justice play in the future of the land and water conservation in Rhode Island. Roots 2Empower was founded in 2019, to support people of color as they break the cycle of mass incarceration through economic empowerment and connection to the earth. The keynote presentation explored how Roots 2Empower connects individuals to green spaces and green jobs, provides tools for financial empowerment, and advances environmental justice in Rhode Island and beyond. It focused on envisioning a Rhode Island where families can thrive without the systemic barriers of poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, and incarceration. In addition to founding Roots 2Empower, Tarshire is the Director of Special Projects for the Southside Community Land Trust. Learn more about Tarshire and her work here.
Conference Materials
A2. Mapping and Planning to Protect Nature and Grow Solar
Speakers:
E. Heidi Ricci, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Mass Audubon
Courtney Schmidt, Staff Scientist at Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
John Rogan, Professor of Geography at Clark University
A5. The Rhode Island Forest Health Works Project — Funding to Conserve Forests
Speakers:
Joanne Riccitell, Land Protection Specialist
Marina Capraro, RCPP & CIG Program Manager at USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
A7. How a (Bottle) Bill Becomes a Law: Reducing Plastic Bottle Pollution in RI
Speaker:
Jed Thorp, State Director at Clean Water Action
A8. Your Plan, Your Funding: A Strategic Planning Model For Sustainable Community Impact
Speaker:
Kevin Essington, Founder of City Greener Strategies
B2. Climate-smart Approaches to Caring for Your Woods
Speaker:
Christopher Riely, Forestry Specialist and Research Associate at the University of Rhode Island
B3. Hydrilla: the World’s Worst Weed Coming to a Lake Near You, and How to Prevent It
Speaker:
Katie De Goosh DiMarzio, Environmental Scientist at RI DEM Office of Water Resources
B7. Offshore Wind: Discussing the Realities, Dispelling the Myths, and Creating a Path to Climate Justice
Speakers:
Nicole DiPaolo, Director of Energy Justice at Roots 2Empower
Steven Tadros, Outreach Coordinator and Interim Tribal Relations Manager at Avangrid
Barbara Watts, Senior Marine Research Scientist, Emerita at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography
C2. Forest Carbon Science, Management, and Markets
Speaker:
Charles Levesque, President of Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, LLC and Coordinator at Securing Northeast Forest Carbon Program
C5. Land Protection and Stewardship Using the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Programs
Speakers:
Joe Bachand, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
Brunilda Velez, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Marina Capraro, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
C7. The Rhode Island Zoning Atlas: Navigating the Housing, Development and Conservation Landscape across Rhode Island
Speakers:
Brenda Clement, Executive Director of HousingWorks RI
Bryce Kelley, Senior Research Analyst at HousingWorks RI
C8. Volunteers and Board Members: A Discussion About Building Your Community Coalition
Speaker:
Kevin Essington, Founder of City Greener Strategies
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