Erica Hernandez, Conservation Director, Alachua Conservation Trust

Join us for the livestream October 11th, 11:45am ET: https://youtube.com/live/dxbqC_yabEw?feature=share.

(Please visit our YouTube channel main page for the stream if there are any issues with the direct link.)

ABSTRACT

Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) is a non-profit land trust focused on the protection of natural, historic, scenic and recreational resources around the state of Florida. ACT applies a systems approach to diverse community and stakeholder engagement, addressing concerns of climate change resiliency, and fostering an understanding of the interconnectedness and benefits of watershed protection to community preservation. Specifically, the audience will learn how Alachua Conservation Trust 1) adjusts its communication strategies to ensure its specific language and visual tools are understandable and relatable to its audience, 2) engages both private and public stakeholders in the resource targeted for protection, 3) prioritizes which lands to protect, and 4) promotes education and access to Florida’s natural communities. 

BIO

Erica joined Alachua Conservation Trust in spring of 2019 after spending a year camping across the western U.S. and Canada. Erica has spent her career researching flora and fauna across the state of Florida and earned her master’s in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the H.T. Odum Center for Wetlands at the University of Florida.  From deep interior swamps and estuarine ecosystems to sandhill and rare communities like Florida dry prairie, Erica loves to be neck deep in mud or crawling around saw palmetto looking at Florida’s rich ecological heritage.  Erica has been a public servant for state agencies and public universities for over 20 years, often collaborating on complex projects requiring large stakeholder participation. Currently she is working with stakeholder groups to protect agricultural, rural and natural lands that benefit Florida springs water quality and quantity.

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