The eighteen plus year old Western Institute for Lifelong Learning(WILL) “Lunch and Learn” program continues on Wednesday, April 3, when Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of the Gila Resources Information Program (GRIP), will speak on the subject “Building Climate Resistant Communities in Southwest New Mexico.”

Allyson will discuss the adverse effects of climate change, including hotter, drier conditions leading to extreme fire risk, with attendant poor air quality issues, reduced stream flow and extreme precipitation events. She will also cover the actions GRIP has taken to address these issues, working in partnership with a variety of local organizations.

Allyson has served as the executive director of the Gila Resources Information Project since 2003. She is also the director of the Gila Conservation Coalition that works to protect the free flow of the Gila River. Allyson graduated with a BA in biology from Colby College and a Master of Environmental Management in Resource Economics and Policy from Duke University School of the Environment. She has nearly 30 years of experience in environmental protection, conservation, and advocacy, including 12 years with the US Environmental Protection Agency in North Carolina and El Paso, TX. 

The Lunch and Learn program is presented by WILL in conjunction with the Silver City Museum.  The presentations are open to the public, and it is not necessary to be a member of WILL or the Silver City Museum Society in order to attend.The presentation will be held from noon  to 1:00 pm in classroom ABC in the Bessie-Forward Global Resource Center on the Western New Mexico University campus, located at the corner of 12th and Kentucky streets.