Hear Rocky Mountain Biological Lab Research Scientist Ian Breckheimer discuss how a team of environmental scientists are revolutionizing our understanding of water in the West and helping us adapt to climate change. Ian was raised in Western North Carolina.
The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the American Southwest, and the river’s 40 million human users are struggling to adapt to a severe drought made worse by climate change. The vast majority of the river’s flow comes from winter snowpack in the Rocky Mountains, and in recent years scientists and water managers have become extremely good at measuring how much water is in the snowpack in early spring. Ideally, we could use this information to forecast how much water will be available for human use in the river the following summer, helping us better conserve this scarce resource. Unfortunately, water forecasting on the Colorado is has been held back by a large and unpredictable amount of snow water (up to 25% of the river’s annual flow) that seems to disappear between the snowpack and the river. Solving the mystery of this “missing” water has brought together a diverse group of hydrologists, ecologists, and atmospheric scientists at a remote field station in Colorado. This talk will gather and synthesize exciting new results from their pioneering work, showing how environmental researchers can play a critical role in helping us adapt to accelerating climate change.
5:30 p.m.: Grab and drink and network with like-minded locals.
6:00 p.m.: Enjoy the presentation and learn something new!
Hendersonville Green Drinks is presented by Conserving Carolina, MountainTrue and Trailside Brewing Co. Come to Green Drinks to learn more about current environmental issues, have relevant discussions, and meet with like-minded people. This is a monthly event and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to drink at Green Drinks, just come and listen. Trailside Brewing Co. offers beer, wine, cider, prosecco and non-alcoholic beverages. A limited food menu will be available.
Join us to learn about the latest developments on planning and construction of the Ecusta Trail, as well as potential trail enhancements and connections that could occur in the future. Initial construction of the Ecusta Trail will be bare bones, but there is the potential for many types of amenities that will vastly improve the user experience and involve community collaboration. During this presentation, Mark Tooley (president of The Friends of Ecusta Trail) will discuss some of the ideas that are being discussed for future development of the trail. Studies have found that the more connectivity a trail has to other trails and popular destinations, the more useful and desirable it becomes. Mark will share information about how the Ecusta Trail connects with existing trails or those being planned in the region which will help provide connectivity for an enhanced user experience.
The Friends of Ecusta Trail (FOET) has been in existence for nearly 15 years as an advocacy organization to create a rail trail on the unused rail line between Hendersonville and Brevard. FOET has worked with local governments, private businesses, non-governmental organizations, and non-profits to gain community support for the trail during that time. After Ecusta Rails2Trail LLC. (a subsidiary of Conserving Carolina) purchased the rail line in 2021, FOET has worked with Conserving Carolina to raise private funds to provide required local matching funds for the federal grants that have been received. Those grants that have been awarded, totaling nearly $46 million, will be used to build the entirety of the Ecusta Trail in the next several years.
Mark is a past board member of Conserving Carolina and has been a board member of FOET for nearly 10 years. He has been FOET’s president for the past two years and resides in Transylvania County.
5:30 p.m.: Grab and drink and network with like-minded locals.
6:00 p.m.: Enjoy the presentation and learn something new!
Hendersonville Green Drinks is presented by Conserving Carolina, MountainTrue and Trailside Brewing Co. Come to Green Drinks to learn more about current environmental issues, have relevant discussions, and meet with like-minded people. This is a monthly event and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to drink at Green Drinks, just come and listen. Trailside Brewing Co. offers beer, wine, cider, prosecco and non-alcoholic beverages. A limited food menu will be available.
This month Dr. Liz Hillard, Senior Wildlife Biologist for Wildlands Network, will highlight and discuss research findings from two wildlife road crossing projects here in Western North Carolina. Her research includes monitoring reptile road underpasses for wildlife use in Gorges State Park, and evaluating bear, deer, and elk road conflict areas along I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge.
Liz Hillard, Ph.D., is Wildlands Network’s Senior Wildlife Biologist for the Appalachian Region. For the last five years, Liz has been leading research efforts focused on increasing wildlife habitat connectivity and mitigating the effects of roads on wildlife. In addition, she works to build partnerships and engage the public in conservation efforts throughout the Southern Appalachian region. Liz earned a M.S. in Biology from Western Carolina University in 2013 researching elk habitat selection in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and earned her Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University in 2018. Liz is based in Asheville.
Hendersonville Green Drinks is presented by Conserving Carolina, MountainTrue and Trailside Brewing Co. Come to Green Drinks to learn more about current environmental issues, have relevant discussions, and meet with like-minded people. This is a monthly event and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to drink at Green Drinks, just come and listen. Trailside Brewing Co. offers beer, wine, cider, prosecco and non-alcoholic beverages. A limited food menu will be available.
City Planning Staff will lead participants through a mapping exercise where you will be tasked to balance housing growth and economic development with choices related to transportation, quality of life and conservation. You will have to earn points to unlock game pieces and strive to avoid “raising taxes” in order to “win” the game.
Hendersonville Green Drinks is presented by Conserving Carolina, MountainTrue and Trailside Brewing Co. Come to Green Drinks to learn more about current environmental issues, have relevant discussions, and meet with like-minded people. This is a monthly event and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to drink at Green Drinks, just come and listen. Trailside Brewing Co. offers beer, wine, cider, prosecco and non-alcoholic beverages. A limited food menu will be available.
About the presenter: Matthew Manley is an accredited City Planner through the American Planning Association’s American Institute of Certified Planners. He is the project manager for the City of Hendersonville GEN H Comprehensive Plan. Matthew has been with the City of Hendersonville since December of 2020 and helped to shepherd the city through a time of unprecedented growth. He is originally from Greenville, SC and attended Presbyterian College (B.S.) and Clemson University (MCRP). He came to Hendersonville after working in Johnson City, Tennessee and Lyons, Colorado. He lives in town with his wife, Molly, and two toddlers, Quinn and Townes, and the family’s two dogs, Reed and Dega. They are all avid hikers and lovers of nature. Outside of work, if he is not on the trail or working in the yard, you will find him rooting for his Gamecocks and Atlanta Braves!
This month, we will be joined by native plants expert, Bob Gale. He will offer a presentation titled “If You Plant It, They Will Come!”
Description: Are you interested in how to control non-native invasive plants in your yard, on your street, or in your Homeowner’s Association property? Bob Gale will discuss issues related to non-native invasive plants, methods of control, and ideas for moving your yard toward a more natural ecosystem. His background includes landscaping, arboriculture, and wetland science, and he has worked as a forest ecologist in coastal, piedmont, and mountain regions of the southeast. Bob wrote the natural history portions of the book “A Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains”; and co-authored, with his wife and son, “A Beachcomber’s Guide to Fossils”.
Hendersonville Green Drinks is presented by Conserving Carolina, MountainTrue and Trailside Brewing Co. Come to Green Drinks to learn more about current environmental issues, have relevant discussions, and meet with like-minded people. This is a monthly event and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to drink at Green Drinks, just come and listen. Trailside Brewing Co. offers beer, wine, cider, prosecco and non-alcoholic beverages. A limited food menu will be available.
