The North Shore Audubon Society will present a lecture, “Preparing for Climate Change” by Mark Lowery, at the Manhasset Public Library on Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m.
Our changing climate is affecting both human-built environments and ecological communities. Tropical storms make headlines, but other climate-related risks are also on the increase. Signals of climate change include alternating fierce droughts and intense rains, unprecedented heat waves, earlier springs and later onset of frost, and the arrival of heat-tolerant species and subtle decline of those less heat-tolerant.
The less dramatic changes might proceed quite far before their harmful effects are fully recognized. Lowery’s presentation will include an overview of climate science and an examination of observed and expected effects of climate change, with a focus on New York’s birds and other natural resources. He will then describe several New York State programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to our changing climate.
A 30-year veteran of the State Department of Environmental Conservation, Lowery has served as a climate policy analyst in DEC’s Office of Climate Change since its formation in 2007. He previously worked as a senior wildlife biologist, regional citizen participation specialist and chief of DEC’s Bureau of Public Outreach. He currently oversees the office’s municipal support and adaptation programs, including Climate Smart Communities and implementation of the Community Risk and Resiliency Act, which has included leading work to adopt official state sea-level rise projections and to develop flood-risk management guidance. Lowery holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Franklin and Marshall College, and a master’s degree in environmental and forest biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
This event is open to the public and admission is free. The Manhasset Public Library is located at 30 Onderdonk Ave. in Manhasset.
