William and Eileen Glaser, Co-Chairs
and the Benefit Committee invite you to join them for
A Benefit Luncheon for Black Rock Forest
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jessica Ware, PhD
Associate Curator in Invertebrate Zoology at the
American Museum of Natural History
HONORING
Liam Kavanagh
former First Deputy Commissioner of New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
with the Dr. Ernest G. Stillman Award
for a lifetime of outstanding service to parks and people
Thursday, May 4, 2023
12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM
Metropolitan Club of New York
1 East 60th Street between Madison & Fifth Avenues
New York, NY
Parking is available at 11 East 61st Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. • Jacket and tie/business attire (no jeans) are required by the Metropolitan Club.
Jessica Ware, PhD is an
Associate Curator in the Division
of Invertebrate Zoology at the
American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH). Jessica’s research explores
the evolution of behavioral and
physiological adaptations in insects,
with an emphasis on how these occur in dragonflies and
damselflies. Her research group uses phylogenetics and
phylogenomics to inform their work on reproductive,
social and flight behaviors in insects.
She was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral
fellow at AMNH (2008-2010) before becoming an
associate professor of evolutionary biology at Rutgers
(2010-2020). She is the current Past President of the
Worldwide Dragonfly Association, and Past President
of the Entomological Society of America. She was
recently awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for
Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) medal for her work
on insect evolution.
Jessica also serves on the Board of Directors at Black
Rock Forest. She holds a BSc from the University of
British Columbia and a PhD from Rutgers University.
Liam Kavanagh has given over 40
years of public service to the New
York City Department of Parks &
Recreation, serving as Brooklyn
Forestry Director, Deputy Chief
of Operations in Brooklyn and
Manhattan, and Chief of Operations
in Manhattan before his appointment as First Deputy
Commissioner. In that role, Liam was responsible for all
aspects of the operations of 29,000 acres of parkland
in New York City, developing environmental policy and
playing a key role in promoting urban forestry and
horticulture. The “MillionTreesNYC” project, launched in
2007, with the millionth tree planted in 2015, is but one
example of Liam’s efforts to improve the green spaces
throughout New York, increasing the City’s urban forest
by 20% and mitigating its carbon footprint.
Liam was instrumental in building a connection
for research, education, and public outreach between
Black Rock Forest (BRF) and NYC Parks – Consortium
members since 2009. Liam served on the BRF Board of
Directors, and he oversaw the Woodland Salamander
Monitoring Project in NYC’s parks and at BRF, which
produced field guides that educators use to this day.
As of 5/2/2023
Tiger Spiketail (Cordulegaster erronea) $18,000
Premium table for 8. This striking dragonfly gets its name from its black and yellow striped abdomen. The tiger spiketail is a rare dragonfly in New York as it is a habitat specialist found only in small spring-fed freshwater springs and seeps where fish cannot survive.
Sable Clubtail (Stenogomphurus rogersi) $12,000
Preferred table for 8. This olive-green to black dragonfly is slender in appearance and occupies forest streams where it forages along forest edges. This dragonfly is rare in New York with only two known populations.
Mocha Emerald (Somatochlora linearis) $6,000
Table for 8. This large slender dragonfly has emerald green eyes and a mocha brown thorax with green iridescence. Little is known about the population trends for this species as it is somewhat rare.
Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus) $1,200
One premium ticket. The dragonhunter, so named because it preys upon other dragonflies, has one of the longest lifespans of any dragonfly. This species can live 4 to 7 years as aquatic larvae. This long lifespan was one of the reasons Dr. Ware and her students chose Dragonhunters in their study of dragonfly evolution.
Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) $700
One preferred ticket. This beautiful and delicate damselfly is quite common across New York state and can readily be seen at Black Rock Forest. Look for a damselfly with a shiny blue-green body and black wings.
Green Darner (Anax junius) $350
One ticket. One of the most common dragonflies in the Forest, this marvelous species sports a green thorax and blue abdomen. This species ranges all the way down to Panama and has been known to migrate from the Northern US all the way to Texas and Mexico.
Black Rock Forest 2023 Benefit Committee
William & Eileen Glaser, Co-chairs
Richard & Kerri Bartlett
John M. Botti, PhD
Catherine Morrison Golden
Noah & Maria Gottdiener
Andrew Jacobs & Lotus Do
Jonathan Lamb & Toni Scherrer
Douglas Land & Lynn Peebles
Gerry Ohrstrom
Amelia Prounis Raftopoulos & Harry Raftopoulos, M.D.
Clare Redden
Andrew & Catherine Sidamon-Eristoff
Christie Van Kehrberg
We are grateful to our Benefit Committee members for their support and efforts to make this event a success.
Cover Design: Jenkins & Page (NYC)