Conserving Biodiversity in Subdivision Development

Please join us this free webinar on Tuesday March 22, 2011 beginning at 2 pm. The presentation will last about 1 hour followed by 15 minutes of Questions and Answers.

Many residential developments and rural properties are situated near or in habitats that sustain native plant and animal communities. Conserving or restoring the unique natural features inherent on every parcel of land benefits the local environment, property owners, and the region’s heritage. When land is subdivided, how does one conserve local biodiversity and minimize impacts on surrounding landscapes? Design, construction, and post-construction phases are often not discussed holistically when green developments are built.

This webinar introduces participants to the key principles and practices required to create conservation subdivisions. The webinar is part of a four module continuing education course developed by the Program for Resource Efficient Communities at the University of Florida. This continuing education course is devoted to defining, recognizing, restoring, and managing residential communities for biodiversity within the urban and rural matrix. The course is being offered in May in association with American Citizen Planner and Michigan State University. It is relevant to county and city planners, landscape architects, architects, civil engineers, environmental consultants, developers, private landowners, and interested citizens. More information will be presented during the webinar.

No pre-registration is required for this webinar. On Tuesday March 22nd at 1:45 pm just click:

http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/landuse

Then select enter as guest.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Mark Hostetler is an Associate Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida. With over twenty years of experience in urban wildlife issues and natural resource management, Dr. Hostetler conducts research and outreach on how urban landscapes could be designed and managed, from small to large scales, to conserve biodiversity. He has extensive experience in working with homeowners, developers, and policymakers on ways to manage and design residential developments for biodiversity. Dr. Hostetler co-founded UF’s Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC) and collaborates with an interdisciplinary team of scientists and graduate students. In conjunction with PREC, Mark is working with policymakers and developers to establish natural resource conservation strategies in communities that are billed as “green” developments. In particular, he works with planners and built environment professionals to establish management programs for conservation subdivisions. Dr. Hostetler has a bachelor’s in biology from Purdue University (1987) and his master’s (1992) and doctorate in zoology (1997) are both from University of Florida.

Please attend this timely and informative webinar and to learn more about the Land Use Planning Community of Practice through “eXtension.”