HCC hosts environmental summit
Haywood Community College in Clyde will welcome multiple speakers, guests and partners to campus for the WNC Environmental Summit from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 21,.
The summit will provide educational opportunities for regional groups to come together, share ideas and take action to make a difference. Community leaders, experts, agencies and partners will share expertise related to WNC environmental topics.
Programs will feature local youth action leaders, community leaders and scientists. Special youth-led sessions will allow middle and high school students to collaborate and discover ways to step up as leaders.
The event will also include science speakers participating in two panels discussing fish and wildlife conservation and change and Resilience in WNC’s waterways and over 20 community partners in attendance teaching attendees in hands-on workshops and booth displays.
The summit will feature two keynote speakers. Dr. Caleb Hickman, a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation, found his love for nature amidst the oak-hickory forests, lakes, and clear creeks in northeastern Oklahoma, where he was born and raised. His lifelong passion for understanding and preserving the natural world has led him from mountaintops to deserts, studying various ecosystems and organisms. As a supervisory biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, he works with all wildlife, fish, and their ecosystems. He strives to reconnect with Cherokee lifeways through the natural world and wants to inspire others to deepen their connection to their native environment.
Amber Allen, Noquisi Initiative, Project Coordinator, grew up in the mountains of Leicester. Throughout her childhood, she learned a lot about Cherokee and Appalachian traditions. She graduated CLMAP (Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program) in the Summer of 2023. Throughout her time in CLMAP, she also wanted to be more involved in conservation efforts of native plants and the land, especially traditional basket materials. She has participated in many conservation efforts, including blood root and rivercane.
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The summit will be held at the Haywood Community College campus. The conference is free to attend and will have a food truck on hand for lunch.
For full details, to RSVP and view the conference schedule, please visit haywood.edu/events/summit .
