The public is invited to the semester-long Distinguished Lecturer lunchtime series titled “The Restoration Agenda: Focus on Plants” at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES), now underway. Topics include naturalistic landscaping, restoring tidal wetlands, and planning urban roofscapes and wallscapes, among other topics.
The fourth speaker in the series is bioengineer and restoration expert Wendi Goldsmith, whose talk is titled “Bioengineering to Restore Riparian Plant Communities.” Her talk on Feb. 3 will feature case studies that include applications of plants for selective uptake of heavy metal contaminants from soils, creating wetlands for stormwater mitigation, historically authentic planting plans, and river restoration projects in New England and overseas using plants as engineering structures.
The weekly Wednesday talks are from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Bowers Auditorium at Sage Hall, 205 Prospect St. Bring a brownbag lunch for the discussion following her talk. For registration information, contact Aimlee D. Laderman, Ph.D., lecturer in wetland ecology and research affiliate at the F&ES, telephone 432-3335, or e-mail aimlee.laderman@yale.edu.
Goldsmith, who is affiliated with The Bioengineering Group Inc., has extensive experience in all phases of restoration project design and implementation for lakes, rivers and tidal areas. As project manager, consulting bioengineer, or horticultural adviser, she has often led interdisciplinary collaborative design teams. She has played a key role in promoting local familiarity and acceptance of bioengineering methods, and has aided in the logistical planning for innovative projects.
Evaluating change in land use and its effect on geological stability and habitat degradation has been an integral part of Goldsmith’s waterways assessments and restoration projects. She also has a thorough understanding of federal, state, and local environmental regulatory policy.
This is the fourth year for Yale School of Forestry “Restoration Agenda” lecture series. Co-sponsored by the Society for Ecological Restoration and the New Haven Land Trust, the lectures are designed to be of particular value to people involved in all aspects of natural resource management.
Lunchtime discussions following the talks provide an informal forum to encourage interaction among community members, government officials, and Yale students and faculty. With additional support from the Watershed Fund of the Regional Water Authority and Roots Inc., the lectures present state-of-the-art perspectives on the prevention and repair of environmental degradation.
