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Innovations: Solutions for a Changing Environment
Innovations: Solutions for a Changing Environment
October 24 – 25, 2025 at Best Western Plus in Kingston, NY
Open to CACs, Climate Task Forces, EMCs and the General Public
Ulster County NYSACC members are in high gear creating a memorable program of plenaries, workshops and field trips to inform and inspire your work. This year’s conference will explore key trends, innovations, policies and strategies for staying on top of the issues in our communities. And, we will have time outdoors in beautiful Ulster County.
Whether the issue is materials and waste management, energy transition, food systems or open space, innovation is everywhere. This year's COE will inform about emerging trends, expand our skills, and grow your network of trusted sources of guidance.
Planning on Attending? Like to join our mailing list?
Email us at conference@nysacc.org
Stephen Posner
Dinner Reception Keynote
Dinner Reception Keynote
Stephen Posner
Director, Pathways to Planetary Health Program, Garrison Institute
Innovation Beyond Technical Fixes:
Stephen Posner
Director, Pathways to Planetary Health Program, Garrison Institute
Innovation Beyond Technical Fixes:
Building Trust and Vision for Environmental Leadership
Building Trust and Vision for Environmental Leadership
Stephen Posner will draw on his work in science, policy, and community resilience to explore innovative approaches to addressing the complex environmental challenges we face. Through stories from the Hudson Valley and beyond – from serving on the Town of Marbletown's Environmental Conservation Commission in Ulster County, to engaging with the White House on federal integration of ecosystem services in D.C. – Stephen will highlight the importance of trust, credibility, presence, and relationship in advancing bold, visionary goals at the intersection of people and nature. Stephen will invite participants to look deeply into the landscape beyond technical fixes to build comfort and sophistication in relational approaches and systems thinking – reminding us that the success of our work depends not only on the solutions we propose, but on how we show up for the work itself. Participants will be encouraged to innovate in how they communicate across differences, cultivate and sustain strategic collaborations, and embrace the visionary dimension of their advisory roles.
Conference Agenda
Thursday October 23rd, 2025
Informal Gathering 5:00-7:00pm
Blue Duck Brewing Company, Kingston
79 Hurley Ave, Kingston, NY 12401
*Pay Your Own Way
https://www.blueduckbrewing.com/
Friday October 24th, 2025
See Full Schedule below and HERE
Exhibitor and Vendor Showcase - All Day
Breakfast and Welcoming Remarks
Roundtable Presentation by Conservation Advisory Councils and Climate Smart Committees
Sharing Successes - A Casual Roundtable Discussion
Join CACs and environmental committees across the state for a Roundtable discussion. Come prepared to share success stories, resources and ideas! Here, CAC representatives can share a success story or case study project that resulted in a positive outcome in their community. We are seeking ten representatives to share a short presentation on successful CAC projects (5 minutes or less). A short conversation will follow.
Please fill out this short survey to let us know about your interest in the roundtable!
Saturday October 25th, 2025
Field Trips! More info below!
Choose any of the sessions below; these will also be made available virtually:
Theme 1
Circularity
Morning
Organics Processing Pathways
Moderated by Marc Rider, Executive Director, Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency
Biochar - Bill Hilgendorf, NY Carbon
Biogas - Kathy Puffer, Biogas Education Hub
Composting - Cary Oshins, National Composting Council board
Building with Biomaterials: Revitalizing Rural Economies
Stephen Stuart, Yestermorrow Design Build School
Afternoon
Innovating Materials Management: From Data and Policy to Community Practice
Kathryn Walker, ED, Center for Sustainable Materials Management
Melissa Young, Institute for Sustainability Engagement at Syracuse University
Don't Destroy, Deconstruct
Casey Plasker, Founder, Circularly PBC
Theme 2
Open Space and Land Use
Morning:
New NYS Wetland Regulations
Krista Spohr, Wetlands Outreach Coordinator, NYSDEC Bureau of Ecosystem Health
Keeping Nature Connected
Laura Heady, NYSDEC, Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University
Mikael Cetin, Staying Connected Initiative
Afternoon:
Using Community Preservation Funds to Protect Open Space
Laura Heady, NYSDEC, Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University
Carli Fraccarolli, Government Relations Manager, Scenic Hudson
Julie Noble, Project Manager and Sustainability Coordinator, City of Kingston
Michael Sweeton, Community Liaison for the Orange County Land Trust and Former Supervisor, Town of Warwick
Room Enough for Both: Why It Makes Sense for Conservationists and Affordable Housing Groups to Collaborate
Steve Rosenberg, Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing & Conservation
Rebecca Gillman Crimmins, Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing & Conservation
Adam Bosch, President and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
Theme 3
Energy Transition
Morning
Why Agrivoltaics are the Better Solution
Jared Buono, Director, Cornell's Hudson Valley Research Laboratory
lain Ward, CEO, Solar Agricultural Services, Inc. (SolAg)
Linda Garret, Regional Director, American Farmland Trust's NY & NJ
Meghan Welborn, Lightstar Renewables, LLC
Battery Technology
Evan VanHook, Viridi Inc.
Afternoon
Future Fuels: Hydrogen
Chulsung Bae, PhD., Associate Director of Center for Future Energy Systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Geoengineering: Demystifying Emerging Possibilities
Beate Liepert, PhD., Environmental Studies and Physics Bard College
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NYSACC Board and Annual Meeting
Networking Happy Hour
Evening Dinner and Keynote Speaker
Stephen Posner, Director of the Pathways to Planetary Health initiative at the Garrison Institute
NYSACC Awards
Field Trips
Saturday October, 25th
Morning options
Phenology Research at Mohonk Preserve; includes 3.5mi hike
Community Composting Facility and Hudson Valley Seed Company
Urban Biodiversity
Afternoon options
Green Facilities at Golden Hill: Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) Bus Garage Electrification
Cornell’s Hudson Valley Research Laboratory (CHVRL)
Field Trips - link for more details
SPACE IS LIMITED!
Register NOW!
Conference Rate:
General Admission $125
Includes Friday breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Saturday field trips and lunch
NYSACC Members* & Students:
Discounts/Sponsorships Available!
*Current Dues Paying NYSACC Members receive 20% Discount
Virtual rate, Friday only: $10
HAVE A GROUP YOU WANT TO REGISTER?: Each registration must be tied to a unique email address. Please register for each person with separate transactions.
NEED TO PAY BY CHECK? Please email conference@nysacc.org for details on how to register.
Hotel Conference Rate: BOOK NOW:
Rate will expire October 1st: EXTENDED TO OCT 17!
Thursday Night, October 23rd, 2025: $139 (plus tax)
Friday Night, October 24th, 2025: $239 (plus tax)
*Notes:
When you use the link it displays the average of the 2 nights ($189), a function of the platform; however, once you choose your options, it will adjust to the above individual night rates.
Tax will be waived for those who provide their tax exemption certificates at check-in.
No minimum stay required. Reservations can also be made by calling the hotel directly (845) 338- 0400 and ask for the group by name: NYSACC.
Rooms are double occupancy. If you would like to coordinate with another conference attendee to share a room (and save $$), email conference@nysacc.org.
Additional accommodations in the area can be found courtesy of: Ulster County Chamber of Commerce
Looking for activities to plan? Visit the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce to learn more about the area.
SEEKING CONFERENCE SPONSORS!
Reach hundreds of municipal conservation commissions from across the state
Publicize your business or organization to a broad audience
Help support NYSACC- Est. 1972 and the mission of expanding environmental policies and action across NYS
THANK YOU!
Neil Rindlaub & Kathy Adorney
RECORDINGS & RESOURCES
RECORDINGS & RESOURCES
from previous COEs
Our 2024 host was the Tug Hill Commission, a highly effective, non-regulatory state agency charged with “helping local governments and citizens shape the future of the Tug Hill region.” The Tug Hill region includes portions of Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and Oswego counties just west of the Adirondacks, and hosted NYSACC's 2024 COE.
NYSACC COE 2023 NYSACC COE 2022 NYSACC COE 2021
Visit NYSACC at NYSACC.org
The New York State Association of Conservation Commissions is an independent, not-for-profit education organization established in 1971 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to provide leadership in the development of vital environmental programs for cities, towns, and villages throughout the State of New York. We bring together millions of people—government officials, environmentalists, students, and citizens—committed to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the built and natural environments in New York communities. Explore our organization website to learn more about our organization and the outstanding work of our members.
Affiliated Conservation Commissions, EMCs and Sustainability Committees in NYS
Municipal Commission
Environmental Management Council
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