Friends of the Wissahickon Hosts Popular Valley Talks This Spring at Valley Green Inn

Valley Green Bank, a Division of Univest Bank and Trust Co., sponsors talks on forest management and the benefits of ecosystems.

Friends of the Wissahickon is hostingValley Talks this spring that explore various aspects of conservation and benefits of public parks.

Schuster_BillThe first lecture will take place on Tuesday, April 5 and will feature a conversation with  Dr. William Schuster, executive director of the Black Rock Forest Consortium in Cornwall, N.Y. Shuster will talk about the successful research, education and conservation efforts at the 4,000-acre Black Rock Forest, located an hour north of New York City. Schuster will talk about the successes and challenges of managing the park, from over-abundant deer populations to public use.

Dr. William Schuster is executive director of the Black Rock Forest Consortium in Cornwall, N.Y. and has authored or co-authored nearly 100 publications. He has a B.A. in biology from Columbia University, an M.S. in forest ecology from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Colorado. Dr. Schuster completed his postdoctoral research at the University of Utah. His primary interests are in ecology, ecosystem management and environmental change.

About the Sponsor 

Valley Green Bank, a division of Univest Bank and Trust Co., has three branches in Philadelphia located in Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill and South Philadelphia. A fourth branch in the Fairmount neighborhood will open early June.  It also has commercial loan offices in Center City Philadelphia and Radnor, Pa. As a division of Univest, the bank’s footprint has expanded to include 31 financial centers, 3 commercial loan offices and 40 ATM locations.  In addition to Valley Green Bank’s range of deposit and credit products for business, professional, and individual customers, Univest offers an expanded range of financial solutions including mortgages, trust, wealth management, insurance, and investments.  Valley Green Bank is a member of FDIC.

About Friends of the Wissahickon

The Friends of the Wissahickon is a 90-year-old nonprofit membership organization that protects and enhances the 1,800 acres of Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley Park.  FOW’s professional staff and volunteers work to maintain this natural landscape and make the Wissahickon cleaner and more enjoyable for over one million visitors each year. Membership dollars and volunteers support FOW’s work to sustain this special urban oasis for current and future generations. Follow FOW on Facebook and Twitter. Visit www.fow.org.

##