We are thrilled to announce Cory Christopher, PhD as the new Director of the Center for Conservation & Stewardship. “My dream is to help create a culture of collaborative conservation and thoughtful stewardship of wildlife and wild places across the Cincinnati region,” says Christopher. An opportunity to meet Christopher and hear him speak is set for Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. at Rowe Woods in Milford.
The Center for Conservation & Stewardship is set to be housed in the former historic Groesbeck home at the Nature Center, which is currently under renovation and is to be completed in the spring of 2017. The estate’s rebirth and the launch of the Center for Conservation & Stewardship marks a pivotal time in the Nature Center’s development toward providing a leading regional approach to land conservation and stewardship. The Center will focus on objectives in five key areas including: 1) enhancing Nature Center lands as a model native ecosystem, 2) increasing conservation efforts in the region, 3) educating about benefits and methods of conservation, 4) carrying out research on the local ecosystem, and 5) protecting greenspace in the region.
Christopher will oversee conservation staff to manage Nature Center lands, direct scientific research, coordinate regional conservation initiatives, including Milkweed to Monarchs, collaborate with local organizations and agencies to provide engaging programs for all audiences, and work to preserve and protect greenspace in Southwest Ohio. Christopher earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Ecology from the University of Georgia and a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Cincinnati. His doctoral research studied the interaction and effects of Amur honeysuckle and white-tailed deer on herbs in a deciduous forest and he did his post-doctorate work at Washington University in St. Louis. Christopher has been an adjunct faculty member at both University of Cincinnati and Miami University, and worked at the Cincinnati Zoo where he managed School and Graduate Programs and their teen leadership program, Zoo TRIBE. Most recently, he served in two roles at the University of Cincinnati: Director of UC Forward, which facilitates cross-departmental collaboration, and Director of Undergraduate Student Research.
Cincinnati Nature Center preserves over 1,600 acres of protected and managed forests, grasslands, ponds and streams for the purpose of visitor experience and education. With twenty miles of award winning trails on two picturesque properties in Milford and Goshen, the Nature Center provides spectacular experiences for people of all ages in all seasons.