Online ZOOM Meeting at 6:45AM - 8:15AM

Raised in the southern Appalachians, Andrew Barton is a forest and fire ecologist, science writer, and professor of biology. His research focuses on forest response to changing climate and wildfire in the mountains of the Southwest. His current projects focus on an endangered plant, fire management in national parks, and the use of the new ECOSTRESS instrument on the International Space Station to predict vegetation recovery after wildfires. Drew is the author of the award-winning book, The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods, and Ecology and Recovery of Old-growth Forests in Eastern North America. He co-founded the Michigan National Forest Watch and the UMF Sustainable Campus Coalition and was a board member of the Mt. Blue-Tumbledown Conservation Alliance, which protected 30,000 acres of forestland in western Maine. He teaches courses on ecology, conservation, and forests, as well as a travel course on the ecology of Costa Rica.

His Topic: He's been working with a small group in Farmington trying to get a declaration of support for Carbon Fee and Dividend (aka "Carbon Cash Back") legislation.  A few others on the "committee" are Cynthia Stancioff, Doug Reusch, Fen Fowler, and John Slack -- to name a few.  At their most recent meeting, the selectmen approved putting it on the warrant for a vote at the next town meeting!  There are efforts like ours happening in towns across the state.