Past Events

The second in-person Northeast Mid-Atlantic Partnership for Forests & Water Forum took place November 20^th – 21^st, 2024 at South Central Connecticut Regional Water in Hamden, Connecticut.

The Partnership and workshop planning team were excited to be able to convene this two-day forum. Once again, we brought together forestry and drinking water professionals from Maine to West Virginia. The goal was to create a collaborative network that leveraged resources to manage, restore, and conserve forests and protect water resources.

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Arayas at the Cadmus Group, Ashley.Arayas@cadmusgroup.com or Kira Jacobs, 617-918-1817 or jacobs.kira@epa.gov

High-level Agenda

Wednesday, November 20^th

12pm – 5pm: Field Trip meeting at South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority Lake Whitney Water Plant – a shuttle for the watershed tour will be provided by RWA’s “Water Wagon” 

5pm – 7pm: Group Dinner and Networking

Thursday, November 21^st

9am – 5pm: All-day Forum at Lake Whitney Water Plant South Central CT Regional Water, Lake Whitney Water Plant, 900 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT 06517

• Morning sessions will include:
  • A Water Utility’s Perspective on the Connection between Forests & Water
  • A Special Keynote Presentation by Robert Bonnie, Undersecretary, Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), USDA
  • Partnership Updates
  • Success Stories from Partners in Multiple States
• Afternoon sessions will include:
  • Water Utility Panel Discussion
  • Watershed Forestry Panel Discussion
  • A Deep Dive into “Demystifying Federal Funding”
  • State Breakout Sessions – Planning Next Steps at the State Level to Catalyze Future Projects

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

We have obtained CEUS for Connecticut foresters through Connecticut DEEP. If your state has a similar credit program and you are interested in trying to get CEUs approved for your state, please reach out to Ashley Arayas at ashley.arayas@cadmusgroup.com.

Thank you!

A big THANK YOU to our host, South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. We had a terrific planning team put this event together and welcome your input so please reach out if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank you to everyone who joined us in Connecticut to continue this important and exciting work!

The Northeast Mid-Atlantic Partnership for Forests & Water Webinar was held on September 9, 2024 at 11am EDT. This webinar provided information for those who were not able to attend the August 11th meeting that we hosted during NACD’s 2024 Summer Conservation Forum & Tours and NACD Northeast Region Meeting.

Webinar agenda:

• Partnership 101
• Partnership Updates
• Outcomes from the August NACD Meeting
• Next steps and how to get involved

The Partnership Convening was held Sunday, August 11th from 8am to 3pm at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA. We planned a full day of activities to enhance and strengthen the Partnership, including leadership sessions, networking, breakout discussions, and workshopping.

This took place during the NACD’s 2024 Summer Conservation Forum & Tours, happening in Boston, Massachusetts from August 9-14, 2024.

Here was the agenda from the meeting.