Lecture 3 - Microplastic Pollution in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems Featured Speaker: Austin D. Gray, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Virginia Tech Date: Thursday, June 29th Time: 6pm – 7pm Cost: FREE Sponsored by Jennifer & Forrest McConnell and Jennie Stowers. Plastic pollution poses one of the greatest global risks to freshwater and marine ecosystems. The formation of microplastics from plastic debris has been shown to alter aquatic ecosystems by disrupting biota populations. In this talk, topics surrounding plastic pollution, microplastic occurrence and distribution, toxicological impacts of microplastics, toxicokinetic aspects of microplastic uptake and depuration, and microplastic formation rates in marine and freshwater habitats will be discussed.

Lecture 4 - The Geology That Has Shaped the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau Featured Speaker: Bill Jacobs, Geology Enthusiast and Author of Whence These Special Places – The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley Date: Thursday, July 6th Time: 6pm – 7pm Cost: FREE Sponsored by Anne & Dick Goodsell: The Claude Sullivan Geology Initiative The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau is a unique landscape, with high valleys, an extraordinary array of waterfalls and mountains, and rich biodiversity. In this lecture, we will explore the geologic processes, stretching back over 500 million years, that have created the Plateau and shaped today’s special landscape. Our speaker will use concepts and language comfortable for the non-scientist and will discuss how geology, some of it ancient and some much more recent, has determined the character and appearance of both the broader Plateau and many of its specific mountains and waterfalls.

Lecture 5 - History of National Forest Management in the Chattooga River Watershed, and the Compelling Case for a New Mission for the Forest Service Featured Speaker: Buzz Williams; Emeritus Executive Director & Program Specialist, Chattooga Conservancy Date: Thursday, July 13th Time: 6pm – 7pm Cost: FREE Sponsored by Bryding Adams & Bob Rathburn, Lynda Anderson & Ken Conover, Margie Bauer & Jim Parker, Janet & Scott Clarke, Leslie & Jim Costa, Diane Lennox & Paul Manos, Helen & Russ Regnery, and Dollie Swanson. National forest lands in the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau encompass a very sensitive and ecologically rich landscape. These forests are critical for recreation, preserving biological diversity, protecting drinking water supplies, producing clean air—and now, for fighting climate change. These forests are managed by the Forest Service under the US Department of Agriculture and are subjected to intensive logging and cultivation as tree crops. Recently, the Forest Service decided to cut down rare old-growth trees and increase the amount of logging on public lands in western NC. Scientific research indicates that logging on federal forests is a substantial source of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Recent studies also found that one of the best ways to mitigate the effects of climate change is by restoring and protecting mature and old-growth forest ecosystems, which store large amounts of carbon. This talk will provide an overview of national forest management in the Chattooga River watershed, and why mitigating the effects of climate change requires a new mission for the Forest Service—one that prioritizes protecting and restoring a network of mature and old-growth forest ecosystems, to ensure biological diversity and management aimed at fighting climate change.