Conservation forum focuses on Groton needs

GROTON — The third annual 2017 Groton Conservation Forum is intended to provide an opportunity for the conservation organizations active in Groton to discuss mutual concerns and interests, and to explore more cross-boundary cooperation.

The forum will take place on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Media Conference Center at Lawerence Academy.

The event will start with informal networking time from 6 to 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be available. At 7 p.m., each of the attending groups will be briefly introduced. This is expected to take about 20 minutes. Dr. David Black of the Groton School will then give a 30-minute talk on some of the issues facing conservation in Groton and worldwide as a consequence of biological stresses that are likely to occur as a result of climate change, and the importance of connectivity between conservation parcels and their landowners.

Most of the remainder of the meeting will be a moderated discussion between attendees about issues of common interest between organizations. The focus will be on discussing issues relevant to multiple organizations and that would benefit from having representatives from many conservation organizations in the room at the same time.

The major conservation organizations/landowners that will be attending the Groton Conservation Forum include the Groton Conservation Commission, Groton Trails Committee, Groton Conservation Trust, Mass Audubon, New England Forestry Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game, Nashua River Watershed Association, and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. This is a free event, open to everyone, and is handicap accessible. .