LECTURE & DISCUSSION
Fire Ecology: The science of wildland fire and its implications for the restoration of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.
Sunday, March 20, 2 PM | Registration required
$10 Non-members including admission | Members free
This lecture is held in conjunction with current exhibition, “The Four Elements of Leigh Li-Yun Wen” and is inspired by the artist’s fiery works and her passion for environmentalism. Just as in Leigh Li-Yun Wen’s paintings, this lecture will illuminate the impact of fire on the natural world and more broadly, highlight the intersection of art and nature.
Despite being located in an urban center, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has used prescribed wildland fire to manage more than 3,000 acres of the Preserve since 1991. This presentation will explore how fire is as essential as sunshine and rain to ecosystem function and the conservation of many species of plants and animals. Using the Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s globally rare and fire-dependent inland pine barrens as an example, we will explore many aspects of wildland fire science and how wildland fire is used as a tool to manage habitat for rare and endangered species.
BIO: Neil Gifford is a graduate of Paul Smith’s College where he earned an AAS in Ecology and Environmental Technology, and Plattsburgh State University, where he received a B.A. in Environmental Science and Ecology and later a M.A. studying the breeding season bird ecology of the fire-dependent jack pine barrens of Clinton County. As the Conservation Director he is the Commission’s lead scientist, directing management and research activities, within the 3,350 - acre globally-rare nature Preserve. Neil has been with the Commission for 25 years.
This program is scheduled onsite and will follow any updates in the museum’s COVID-19 safety precautions*. If necessary, the event may be converted to an entirely virtual platform.
This program is presented in partnership with The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission.
Questions? Email Sarah Clowe at clowes@albanyinstitute.org
Want to support this program? Donations are welcome and can be processed here: DONATIONS
*At this time, program attendees age 2+ participating in registered events at the museum will be required to wear masks. Please visit our website for any updates.