Jonathan Lash to Present at Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Annual Meeting – May 2

On Thursday, May 2nd, the Lloyd Center for the Environment will host their Annual Meeting at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School (GNBRVTH).

 Members of the public are invited to a welcoming reception from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and stay for the Annual Meeting and presentation by Jonathan Lash on Living Buildings as laboratories, teaching tools, and models of an approach to sustainability. The meeting will include a presentation of the George G. Haydock Award to Aldrich “Al” and Joanne Humphrey.

 Jonathan Lash was the sixth president of Hampshire College (2011 – 2018) and former president of World Resources Institute (1993 – 2011), a Washington-based environmental think tank focusing on issues ranging from low carbon development to sustainable transportation. Under his leadership, WRI quadrupled its budget and globalized its work, with offices in eight countries and partners in more than 50 countries.

 From 1993 to 1999, Jonathan co-chaired the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, a group of government, business, labor, civil rights, and environmental leaders appointed by Bill Clinton that developed recommendations for strategies to promote sustainable development. He played a key role in the creation and success of the US Climate Action Partnership, which in 2007 issued the highly influential “Call to Action” on global warming.

 Jonathan began his legal career as a federal prosecutor and then became Senior Staff Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Jonathan was named Vermont Commissioner of Environmental Conservation in 1985, and in 1987 was appointed Vermont Secretary of Natural Resources. He was Director of the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law School, rated the best program of its kind in the United States, in 1990. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College, and a Master of Education and Juris Doctorate from Catholic University.

 The George G. Haydock Award is the Center’s most prestigious award and is presented annually to an individual(s), selected by the staff and board of directors of the Lloyd Center who, in the spirit and tradition exemplified by long-time Lloyd Center supporter and nature enthusiast, Dr. George G. Haydock, is deemed to have personally made a most outstanding contribution to protecting the fragile nature of our coastal environment.

 Al and Joanne Humphrey have been active volunteers for many years and are past co-chairs of the Lloyd Center volunteer program. Both Al and Joanne have helped with the Fall Family Fun Fest, Outreach Programs, Volunteer Days and the Clambake in past years.  They have also volunteered with numerous other local environmental organizations.

The Lloyd Center’s Annual Meeting will take place at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School, located at 1121 Ashley Blvd. in New Bedford, MA. 

 The Annual Meeting is a great opportunity to learn about the transformation occurring at the Lloyd Center which will enhance the Center’s ability to operate and serve our region!

 The Lloyd Center for the Environment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1978 and situated with its headquarters and spectacular nature preserve overlooking the scenic Slocum River estuary, has achieved a well-earned reputation for excellence in environmental research and education. Through its innovative outreach programs, it has established itself as a highly regarded leader in the ongoing effort to raise awareness of the area’s fragile coastal resources and the importance of protecting them.

 The Center’s 82-acre property offers over five miles of walking trails, the “Bridge to Discovery” dock on the Slocum River, vernal pools, oak-hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh, estuary views, and is home to an injured screech owl.

 The Visitor Center (currently closed for renovations) is open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and on Sundays, June – September, free of charge. There, aquarium exhibits offer unique views of live freshwater and saltwater species of fish and other marine critters.

 The Center is also home to a fascinating collection of live local reptiles, amphibian and fish species. At the always popular touch-tank, youngsters learn the hands-on joy of socializing with gentle spider crabs, elusive minnows, sea stars (starfish), whelks, hermit crabs, periwinkles and mussels.

 The top-floor Osprey Room Observatory, with its magnificent views of the Elizabeth Islands and Buzzards Bay, has been designated by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs as one of the Commonwealth’s top-fifteen “Special Places”. Through telescopes there, one can get a close-up view of formerly endangered Ospreys, and their chicks, nesting on platforms erected by members of the Center’s research staff.

 Trails are open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. The Lloyd Center for the Environment is located at 430 Potomska Road, Dartmouth, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.lloydcenter.org or call 508-990-0505.