Spencer Meyer, Senior Conservationist, Highstead
Spencer will share his passion for the new Sebago Clean Waters initiative, which is bringing local, regional and national stakeholders together to create new investments in clean drinking water, healthy forests, and community conservation in the Sebago region of Maine. This initiative is one of about 30 water funds around the world that are linking conservation uplift with the business case to reinvest in watersheds that provide our clean drinking water. The Sebago watershed provides clean unfiltered drinking water to one-sixth of Mainers, while providing myriad other environmental and social benefits to communities within the watershed and visitors from afar. Sebago is one of only about 50 watersheds nationwide that are so healthy that they do not require filtration before the water flows from the tap. The goal of Sebago Clean Waters is to help communities, businesses, and conservation organizations co-invest in the protection of the healthy forests that ensure this remarkable drinking water legacy.
Spencer will also touch on how Sebago Clean Waters exemplifies the Wildlands and Woodlands vision for New England, as well as the principles of the emerging field of conservation finance, which strives to identify triple-bottom-line solutions to our greatest environmental challenges. He will present a few case studies from his New England-based work with Highstead and nationally through the Conservation Finance Network. He might even share a tale or two from his days in Nutting Hall…
Dr. Spencer Meyer—a proud former SSIer—is a senior conservationist at Highstead, where he builds partnerships to develop conservation finance strategies to accelerate New England forest conservation. Spencer is a co-author of the Wildlands and Woodlands vision and an associate at the Harvard Forest, where he conducts research on landscape ecology, land protection trends, and ecosystem services. Previously, Spencer worked jointly at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and with the global science team at The Nature Conservancy. Before that, Spencer spent 12 years in Maine, working on sustainable forestry research with academic, forest industry, and conservation partners. Spencer holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Maine. Spencer is based in Guilford, CT with his wife and two boys.