Speakers

Series Moderator

MODERATOR: David Pogue, "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent, will moderate all three programs. He’s a seven-time Emmy winner, five-time TED speaker, host of 20 “NOVA”science specials on PBS, creator of the CBS News podcast “Unsung Science.” He began his career conducting and arranging Broadway musicals, then made the obvious evolution to writing for computer magazines; eventually, he became the weekly New York Times tech columnist, a task he fulfilled for 13 years. Pogue is the author of more than 120 books, including seven books in the “…for Dummies” series, dozens in his own “Missing Manual” series and his magnum opus, “How to Prepare for Climate Change.” He serves on the board of Bedford 2030, and he lives in Bedford Hills.

Dr. Scott Loarie, Executive Director, iNaturalist. iNaturalist is considered the largest citizen science project in the world, an open-source platform that connects people of all backgrounds and ages to nature, allowing the collection of biodiversity data to scale like never before. Before his work at iNaturalist, Scott received his M.S. in biological science from Stanford and his Ph.D. in environmental science and policy from Duke University, where he went on to postdoctoral and research positions concerning agricultural yield and climate modeling with the Carnegie Institution for Science.

Budd Veverka, Director of Land Management for Mianus River Gorge. A noted expert on bears and other mammals, invasive species, and forest restoration, Budd spent more than a decade as a wildlife biologist in several states across the South and Midwest; including in Indiana where his research focused on farmland wildlife, and he authored the National Wildlife Pheasant Conservation Plan. Recognized as a Certified Wildlife Biologist and Fellow by The Wildlife Society, Budd was most recently president of their Northeast Section Chapter.

Laura DeMott, Geologist, New York Water Science Center, a division of the US Geological Survey (USGS). Laura works on a variety of research projects relating to karst hydrology, bedrock and aquifer mapping, water quality, and Geographic Information Systems. She is a broadly trained geoscientist with a variety of research interests in sedimentary geology and geochemistry, aqueous geochemistry, paleolimnology and paleoclimate, and terrestrial carbonates.

Rod Christie, Executive Director, Mianus River Gorge. Rod is a wildlife biologist with over 40 years of experience in land conservation, ecological research and education and has been involved in countless environmental efforts throughout the region, many of which have been key to the health and beauty of the Mianus River, its wildlife and its watershed community.

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Marc Yaggi, Chief Executive Officer, Waterkeeper Alliance, serving as a leading voice for a global movement dedicated to securing clean, healthy, and abundant water. Having spent his formative years in the Susquehanna River watershed in Pennsylvania, Marc developed a profound connection to water through experiences on myriad waterways. As an accomplished author, his articles and research papers resonate across publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters, amplifying his influence in the global dialogue on environmental issues. Marc further advocates for change by serving on several advisory boards in the non-profit and for-profit sectors.

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Kate Orff, Founder of SCAPE. Widely recognized as a leading voice in landscape architecture, urban design, and climate adaptation in a global context, she is known for her complex, creative, and collaborative work that advances broad environmental and social prerogatives. Kate is the first landscape architect to receive the MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious “genius” grant in 2017. In 2023, she was named to the TIME 100, the annual list of the world’s most influential people. She is the author of several books including Toward an Urban Ecology, and, as co-author and a contributor to All We Can Save, a bestselling anthology of women climate leaders. A graduate of the University of Virginia who earned her Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University, she is currently the Director of the Urban Design Program, Co- Director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes (CRCL), and Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Murray Fisher. Murray has devoted his life to studying, interpreting, protecting and restoring the natural world; and endeavoring to inspire others to do the same. This passion began and was nurtured on a Virginia farm where he was raised by parents who instilled and promoted these values in their children and their community. In 2002, he created the New York Harbor School, a public, marine science and technology high school in New York City. He subsequently co-founded (and served as the Executive Director, then Chairman) the Billion Oyster Project, a non-profit committed to engaging New Yorkers in restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor. More recently, he’s been backing a range of small businesses that share his mission. One of those, Plan it Wild, a local ecology-first landscaping company, is developing a platform for helping landowners unlock the ecological potential in their backyards. Another, US Coastal Service, is bringing sustainable, waterborne freight back to New York City.

Dr. Chris Nagy, Director of Research and Education, Mianus River Gorge and the co-founder of Gotham Coyote. Chris is an ecologist who has studied wildlife and conservation in the New York area for over 20 years. His work focuses on the ecology of eastern coyotes, white-tailed deer management, protecting native biodiversity in urban areas, and student mentorship. His graduate work at Fordham University and CUNY focused on the population biology of eastern screech owls in NYC.