The Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) at UMass Amherst is pleased to announce its Fall 2026 Seminar Series, featuring presentations from leading researchers and practitioners working at the forefront of conservation science, biodiversity, climate adaptation, fisheries management, landscape restoration, and human-wildlife coexistence.
The series will be held in Holdsworth Hall Room 105 from 12:20 to 1:10 p.m., with refreshments available beginning at 11:45 a.m.
The semester opens on September 11 with Adrian Jordaan, Professor of Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst, who will present“For the love of cod, and other reasons to manage, conserve and help the recovery of fish.”
On September 25, Laura Melissa Guzman, Assistant Professor of Entomology at Cornell University, will discuss how large-scale biodiversity datasets can inform pollinator conservation in her talk,“Leveraging big biodiversity data to understand pollinator trends and inform conservation solutions.”
The series continues on October 23 with Chuan Liao, Associate Professor in Global Development and the Environment at Cornell University, presentingn “Crop switching for climate change adaptation in the US.”
On November 6, William (Bill) Ardren, Project Leader of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge Complex, will reflect on three decades of conservation work in the Connecticut River watershed in his presentation,“S.O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge at 30 Years: Landscape Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Connecticut River Watershed.”
The final seminar of the semester will take place on December 4, featuring Andrew Stein, Founder and Director of CLAWS, who will speak on“CLAWS: Holistic Approaches to Human-Lion Coexistence in Botswana.”
The Fall 2026 series highlights the breadth of contemporary environmental research and practice, bringing together perspectives from academia, government conservation programs, and non-governmental organizations. Faculty, students, staff, and community members are welcome to attend.