USBN News

The USBN Steering Committee and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kelly L. Cerialo as the Coordinator for the US Biosphere Network (USBN). Dr. Cerialo, an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator in the Business and Hospitality Department at Paul Smith’s College, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this important role as the USBN enters its next phase of growth.

On October 10, 2023, the US Biosphere Network’s (USBN) Youth Board elected a new Youth Board Steering Committee. The Youth Board has been strongly led by founding members Samuel Cuthell (Chair), Marissa Schorr (Vice-Chair), Graham Klag (Treasurer), and Margery Price (Secretary) since 2020. Through their efforts, there is a permanent Youth representative position on the USBN Steering Committee, an international internship program between the US and Canada, an Emerging Leaders workshop series, and Youth Board members from across the US and Puerto Rico. The new Youth Board Steering Committee brings fresh perspectives, renewed enthusiasm, and diverse expertise to the Youth Board. Each is an example of the drive, capacity, and value of Youth in our communities, organizations, and nation.

The Climate Interns supported under the North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) grant are wrapping up their work to strengthen collaborations between Canadian and US biosphere regions. The project, in coordination with the Canadian Biosphere Reserve Association and the USBN,  supported interns in four US and Canadian biosphere regions. Manar Talab, a recent graduate of Princeton University, and Sara Constantineau, a recent graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s (SUNY ESF) Landscape Architecture Master’s Program, advanced climate science and collaboration in the Obtawaing Biosphere Region (OBR) and Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network (CABN), respectively.

Since its founding in 2020, the USBN Youth Board of Directors has been led by its current Executive Committee of Marissa Schorr, Margery Price, Graham Klag, and Samuel Cuthell. The group has collectively worked to support the meaningful involvement of youth (18-35 years old) in the USBN. During their tenure, the Youth Board has welcomed in more than 30 members from across the United States and Puerto Rico, supported the development of the US-Canadian Biosphere Region internship program, increased youth participation in USBN subcommittees, and created a permanent Youth Board representative position on the USBN’s steering committee. As all good things come to an end, so too has the term of our current Executive Committee. It is now time for the next group of exceptional individuals to take the reins of the Youth Board of Directors.

Emma Rosenau has settled into her new digs at Death Valley National Park Headquarters to assist the Mojave Colorado Deserts Biosphere Region (MCDBR) with coordinating and communicating with partner organizations. The MCDBR includes North America’s hottest, driest, and lowest places as well as alpine environments rising to over 11,000 feet. This 25-million-acre landscape is home to thousands of desert-adapted plant and animal species, generations of human history, and opportunities for sustainable economic development in rural communities.

The abrdn Charitable Foundation (aCF) and UNESCO are in the second year of a three-year partnership to promote sustainability through research and education with the goal of developing innovative solutions relating to the environment, water and the ocean. As part of the partnership between UNESCO and the aCF, the project “Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites” seeks to promote sustainability and climate neutrality by working through UNESCO designated sites to act as pilot sites for sustainable development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDGs 6 (water), 13 (climate), 14 (ocean) and 15 (land). 

The Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative and its partners Lincoln City and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians celebrated July 4, 2023 with a giant, 100-yard-long “Interdependence Day” themed sand graphic along the shores of the Cascade Head Biosphere Region and Marine Reserve to connect biosphere region residents and visitors with the sea and how it sustains life. Twenty-five volunteer rakers helped create the graphic depicting a giant pacific octopus holding four glass floats in its arms with messages about our connection with the sea scribed on the sands in front of the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, Oregon.

On June 7, 2023, the US Biosphere Network (USBN) selected seven leaders to guide the network for the next three years. The new USBN Steering Committee members assuming office in September are Jon W. Allan, Chair (University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability; Obtawaing Biosphere Region), Kelly Cerialo, Vice-Chair for Operations (Paul Smith College; Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network), Melissa Bade, Vice-Chair for Planning (CDR Associates), Samuel Cuthell, founder of the USBN Youth Board of Directors (Golden Gate Biosphere Network), and Deb Davidson (Center for Large Landscape Conservation). Brian Houseal (Chair Emeritus) and Cliff McCreedy (National Park Service – Federal Liaison) will continue serving on the committee. 

The Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative is engaged in many efforts across its three pillars: education, climate, and community. On the education front, they are continuing their partnership with NOAA, Lincoln County School District, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and Camp Westwind on the Salmon River for meaningful watershed educational experiences. Utilizing the Raindrop to Sea video series and the newly constructed Raindrop to Sea trail at Westwind, the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative will connect with all of their local 6th-grade classes in May as they trace the path of a raindrop, from precipitation back to the Pacific Ocean with eight learning circles along the way. 

In April 2022, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation awarded a North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action grant to the USBN fiscal sponsor, Center for Large Landscape Conservation for a transboundary internship project to strengthen collaborations and exchanges between Canadian and U.S. biosphere regions. The funded project, in coordination with the Canadian Biosphere Reserve Association and the USBN, provides stipends to four interns within four biosphere regions. Obtawaing in northern Michigan is paired with Georgian Bay in Ontario, and Champlain-Adirondack in New York and Vermont is paired with Frontenac Arch in Ontario to host the internships.