Land care workshop set for November 4

Residents who tend to yards and gardens will have a new venue to connect those daily habits with wider environmental and medical outcomes on November 4. A workshop titled Your Land: Your Environment, Your Health will take place at the Historic Hudson Valley Headquarters in Pocantico Hills. The event runs from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., with doors opening at noon. Admission is free, but space is limited and advance registration is required.

The program features a panel of four experts who will discuss how local land management affects ecosystems and people. Edwina von Gal, founder of the Perfect Earth Project and a landscape designer, will moderate the discussion. She established her organization in 2013 to promote ecological land care. Von Gal serves on the board of What Is Missing, a media artwork about biodiversity loss, and is a member of the Native Plant Trust’s Council.

The panel includes Jen Benson, who serves as the Director of Advocacy and Communications at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Previously, Benson spent seven years at Riverkeeper, where she managed advocacy campaigns focused on threats to drinking water and the Hudson River. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Bard College. Dr. Sarah Evans, an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will also speak. Her research examines how early life exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates influences brain and behavior.

Dr. Amy Karpati, Senior Science Advisor at Teatown Lake Reservation, will join the panel. She directs ecological research and monitoring on the preserve and guides its approach to biodiversity conservation. Karpati holds a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution from Rutgers University. Ryan MacLean, Senior Education Coordinator at the Greenwich Audubon Center in Greenwich, Connecticut, will round out the group. He coordinates community science efforts in the region, including the Greenwich-Stamford Christmas Bird Count.

The workshop includes the premiere of a short film by Ted Weinbaum. The film features ecologist Elijah Goodman of Stone Barns, educator Patty Butter of the Native Plant Center, and landscape designers Leslie Needham, Dawn Orza, and Kim Eierman. Attendees can also visit booths from local environmental organizations. These groups include Hilltop Hanover Farm, the Native Plant Center, Riverkeeper, and Wildr Places. A buffet lunch will be provided by RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen. The event is sponsored by Historic Hudson Valley, Homegrown National Park, and RiverMarket.

Linda Richards, a Hudson Valley performer, will sing Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land during the program. Richards has performed at venues ranging from the deck of the sloop Clearwater to the Bardavon. The event aims to connect practical gardening choices with scientific research on health and watershed protection. The session concludes with a question and answer period for attendees.

The venue is located at 639 Bedford Road in Pocantico Hills. The event is open to the public. Participants should register in advance to secure a spot. The program is designed to offer concrete examples of how individual yard choices contribute to regional biodiversity and human health outcomes.