Recovery of the Northern Forest

Jon Leibowitz, President and CEO of the Northeast Wilderness Trust, will speak on ‘Rewilding in an Unlikely Landscape: The Recovery of the Northern Forest of the Northeastern United States’ as part of MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Series 2025 — Rewilding Our World.

Every semester the Green Living Seminars center around a different topic, timely and relevant in current sustainability issues.

Leibowitz’s presentation will focus on protecting wilderness across the Northeast and how it’s increasingly being recognized as a vital strategy to reverse the extinction crisis and mitigate climate change. He will also address common myths about wilderness and explain why rewilding the Northeast by dramatically expanding wildlands across the region is essential.

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He has served in his current role at the trust since 2017 and began his career as a transaction specialist at Montezuma Land Conservancy in Colorado in 2012, where he later became executive director. He is also a co-owner of WildEdge Brewing Collective in Cortez, Colo.

He earned a Juris Doctor and a master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. Leibowitz is an active volunteer, contributing to various state, regional, and national committees. His roles include serving on the Steering Committee of Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities, the Leadership Council of The Rewilding Institute, and the National Land Trust Alliance Leadership Council.

In his free time, Leibowitz enjoys gardening and exploring the forests of the Northeast, particularly those near his home in Middlesex, Vt., at the southern edge of the Worcester Range. He lives there with his wife, two sons, a border collie, chickens, and an abundance of wildlife. Among his favorite wild neighbors are Hermit Thrushes, fishers, and red efts.

Presentations occur every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation (FCSI) Room 121. Each presentation is free and open to the public. Podcasts will be posted online following each presentation.

All lectures will be recorded and can be replayed on the MCLA ENVI Youtube Channel and broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel (NBCTC) 1302 at the following times:
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Fridays at 4 p.m.
Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.
Sundays at 11:30 p.m.
Mondays at 5:30 p.m.

Community members can find up-to-date information about the schedule at mcla.edu/greenliving.

February 26: The Future of Wolves in the Northeast
Renee Seacor, Carnivore Conversation Director, Project Coyote

March 5: Restoring Old-Growth Characteristics to the Forests of New England
Paul Catanzaro, Professor and State Extension Forester, University of Massachusetts

March 12: Land Conservation for Wildlife in Western Massachusetts
Andrew Madden, Western District Supervisor, Massachusetts Division Of Fisheries and Wildlife

March 26: Land Protection from the Indigenous Perspective (via zoom)
Paula Peters, Communications and Programs Coordinator, Native Land Conservancy

April 2: Restoring Rivers and Rewilding Wetlands in Massachusetts
Beth Lambert, Director, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration

April 9: Green Roofs: Rewilding our Cities
Mark Winterer, Co-Founder & Owner, Recover Green Roofs

April 16: Rewilding for Pollinators
Amy Meltzer, Co-Chair, Ma Pollinator Network Steering Committee

April 23: Rewilding to Combat Climate Change
Dr. Os Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology, Yale School of the Environment