Courses
Join us this fall for two new courses to explore how rewilding our thinking, about rivers, wildlife, and entire ecosystems, can reshape our climate future.
Is a River Alive? Can rivers, forests, and other ecosystems be recognized as living beings with rights?
Jim Laurie leads a new 10-week journey guided by the questions and travels of author Robert Macfarlane. Each week we’ll connect these stories to larger ecological truths: that rivers, forests, wetlands, and fungi-rich soils function as one interconnected system, critical to rehydrating continents and cooling the climate. examine how biodiversity infiltrates water into soils, how plants cover and protect landscapes, how fungal networks sustain resilience, and how living shorelines can buffer rising seas.
This is a 10-week course that meets every Wednesday, September 24–December 3. Classes are offered 12 – 2 pm ET or 7 – 9 pm ET on Zoom.
A free introductory webinar is available on September 10. Are Causes of Sharp Wildlife Decline Also Driving Climate Instability?
Are Causes of Sharp Wildlife Decline Also Driving Climate Instability?
Wildlife & Climate, taught by Hart Hagan and an exciting roster of guest experts, explores the actual connections between wildlife and climate change and gives us a real and viable framework for living with nature, restoring habitat and addressing climate change in a way that works and can be implemented wherever we live, work and play.
Meet your second guest instructor, fourth generation rancher and founder of the Grasslands Regeneration Project, Alejandro Carrillo. Carrillo will speak on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM.
Alejandro Carrillo grew up on the back of a horse, on his family’s ranch in northern Mexico. After twenty years as a tech executive, he returned to Las Damas ranch in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, where he has applied livestock management methods which are known to restore soil and vegetation.
In a world of failing farms and ranches, Las Damas is not only profitable, but is home to thriving wildlife communities.
Birds, hares, rattlesnakes, desert turtles, mountain lions, black bears, and javelinas, and also populations of lynx, skunk and bobcat all live in balance.
Carrillo’s “secret” is the careful rotation of his livestock, using techniques that mimic natural rhythms, thereby providing food not only for his cattle, sheep, horses and donkeys, but also for wildlife populations.
Events and Community
Massachusetts Commits to Biodiversity Action
This week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s administration released a 25-year plan to restore and protect nature across the Commonwealth, a major step forward in recognizing the critical role of biodiversity in climate resilience.
“Nature is our first line of defense against the impacts of climate change — the more biodiverse our forests, wetlands, and marine environments are, the more resilient they are,” said Mass. Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer.
Bio4Climate contributed to the agenda’s public comment period, advocating for strong protections of mature ecosystems, science-based conservation targets, and a clear emphasis on ecosystem and habitat restoration.
We’re encouraged to see many of these priorities reflected in the final plan, including commitments to restore essential habitats, safeguard key wildlife corridors, and support nature-based solutions across working and urban landscapes. We’re optimistic that this agenda can serve as an actionable blueprint for other governments to prioritize nature-based solutions to climate breakdown.
“Biodiversity is the foundation for life—it anchors our history, heritage, and culture, supports our health and well-being, food security and economy, and enriches our lives. It is also a key climate solution—nature protects our communities from extreme weather, drought, floods, and heat.”
Miyawaki Dispatch from the Field
Site preparation began this morning at Belmont High School in Belmont, MA, for a new Miyawaki miniforest set to be planted on October 4 (stay tuned).
Designed to emulate a High Terrace Floodplain forest community, the project will bring 1,400 trees and shrubs to the site, representing around 30 diverse native species.
Water Is Love
Celebrate World Water Week with Bio4Climate in Cambridge, MA. Join us in person on Wednesday, August 27 from 6:45 to 8:30pm for a screening of the inspiring film, Water is Love, with brief discussion and snacks at the Cambridge Library Main Branch, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Water is Love follows a group of youth facing climate change challenges leading to a journey around the world with shared stories of regenerative practices such as ecosystem designs to create water retention in communities, villages, and regions.
The film weaves together traditional ecological knowledge, the role of water in shaping climate, and the urgency of restoring complete water cycles.
News and Insights
Small Fixes for a Big Problem
New York Times
Miniforests. State and local action. Community networks and partnerships.
What if the key to solving big problems isn’t too much more complicated than a heck of a lot of small actions taken together, just like the work everyone in this community is doing every day?
The New York Times has been profiling the potential of regional and hyperlocal climate solutions. And what do most have in common? Deep connection to the earth’s living systems.
“Local fixes alone won’t stop big environmental problems or stop global warming. That will require a wholesale remaking of the world’s energy, transportation and agricultural systems. But these are precisely the kinds of small-scale solutions that are desperately needed as the world figures out how to live on a hotter, more volatile planet.”