Explore the tension at the heart of conservation practice: how formal scientific knowledge and community-held knowledge can work together rather than compete, and why relationship — not just policy — is what makes environmental work durable and equitable. Drawing on decades of fieldwork from sea turtle beaches to Great Lakes wetlands, Dr Kristen Voorhies will share a place-based, relational approach to redefining how science, management, and policy connect people to the land and water they depend on — an approach that can inform how you do outreach in communities you work with.
Dr. Kristen Voorhies, Greenlight Nature Lab for People and Places, LLC
Recorded September 21, 2026
Dr. Kristen Voorhies is the founder of Greenlight Nature Lab for People and Places, LLC, an environmental consulting practice bridging scientific rigor with community-led climate adaptation and nature-based solutions. With a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chicago and prior roles at USGS, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center, she brings deep expertise in conservation science alongside a commitment to knowledge equity and environmental justice. She lives in Chicago with her husband, their two sons (ages 5 and 8), and two reptile companions — a red-eared slider and a gargoyle gecko — who keep her grounded in the everyday wonder of the natural world she works to protect.
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