On Sunday, Feb, 24, the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy began its 27th year with an Awards Dinner and Climate Panel at the River Stone Manor in Schenectady.

After an awards ceremony celebrating the individuals who lead conservation in the Capital Region, guests heard from Congressman Paul Tonko, who has recently been appointed as chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change.

This subcommittee has exclusive jurisdiction over the Clean Air Act and will be at the forefront of tackling climate change and carbon pollution. Tonko spoke of the importance of land conservation in the fight against climate change, and urged everyone in the room to continue to support the local leaders who are taking a stand against climate change.

Climate Panel

The evening concluded with a panel of climate experts who answered questions and offered suggestions for individual actions to slow the changing climate. Moderated by Laura McCarthy, Manager of Conservation Engagement for Audubon New York and member of the conservancy’s Next Gen committee, the panel consisted of:

— Jessica Ottney Mahar, policy director for The Nature Conservancy;

— Mary Ellen Mallia, director of Environmental Sustainability at University of Albany;

— Curt Stager, Draper-Lussi Endowed Chair in Lake Ecology and Paleoecology at Paul Smith’s College; and

— Mark King, executive director for the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy (sitting in for Sarah Walsh, Conservation Director for the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy).

The discussion was wide-ranging with each expert sharing experiences and lessons, demonstrating a variety of perspectives from policy and economics, to ecology and conservation.

Curt Stager launched the panel with startling statistics on the changing weather patterns in the Capital Region over the past 30 years, saying,  “It’s real, it’s here, and it’s us.”

Jessica Ottney Mahar added that she is often asked, “Why does New York State need to worry about climate change? This is a global issue.” To that, she responded: “New York State is a leader, in movement with states like Washington and California, and is setting an example. State actions add up.”

Mary Ellen Mallia addressed individual and corporate action that can expand upon policy at the state level. Mallia shared an ecological economics perspective regarding corporations and consumer choices, saying,  “Prices have to tell the ecological truth.”

She provided a list of ways that individuals can act right now to combat climate change. Mallia stressed the “5 R’s”: reduce, reuse, recycle, and two new concepts: refuse and repair. By reducing consumerism, each of us can significantly reduce our carbon footprint, she sid.

King shared how the conservancy is working in the Capital Region to combat climate change. “Natural systems and undeveloped land absorb and store carbon through photosynthesis,” he said. “Preserving land as open space not only is a natural climate solution, by also has the added benefits of creating clean air and water as well as recreational and scenic benefits.”

MHLC is one of 90 land trusts in New York State and one of more than 1,350 nationally — each working towards similar goals for land protection and thus mitigation of climate change, he said.

All panelists agreed that the single most important way for an individual to slow the changing climate is to spread the word about how one can make a difference —t hat we must work together before it is too late. For tips on how to talk to friends and family about climate, download The Nature Conservancy’s free “Let’s Talk Climate” guide, available on its website at https://support.nature.org/site/SPageNavigator/supporter/lets_talk_climate.html.