Friday, November 6th: Congers Lake Community Center – 6 Gilchrest Road, Congers, NY
Coffee and Conversation at 7:00. Program begins at 7:30.
Presented by: Penny Adler-Colvin, NYS Department of Conservation. Rich Schiafo, Rockland County Department of Planning
The Nature of Nature celebrates the living fabric of our region’s unique landscape. From high elevation forests to the globally rare freshwater tidal marshes along the Hudson estuary, the 30 minute documentary film captures the beautiful , the complex, the familiar, and the unknown…guided by the plants, animals, and people that call the Hudson Valley home.
The Nature of Nature was directed by Laura deNey of Flicker Filmworks and produced by Laura Heady of the Hudson River Estuary Program, with funding by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund in partnership with NEIWPCC. The film is an official selection in the 2026 London Nature Films Annual Festival and a nominee in the 2026 New York State Emmy Awards.
For more about biodiversity and conservation planning in the Hudson Valley, visit: Home | Conservation Planning in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed.
The film will be followed by a short presentation and discussion about Rockland County Biodiversity and the County Natural Resources Inventory Project.
Penny Adler-Colvin works with communities and partners in the Hudson Valley on conservation and planning. She works on the Amphibian Migrations & Road Crossing Project, training volunteers to identify, collect data on and assist amphibians during their spring migrations. Penny joined the Estuary Program in 2025 following six years at the Mohonk Preserve, a non-profit land trust. She worked with the land protection, conservation science and environmental education teams. Penny earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geography from SUNY New Paltz.
Rich Schiafo joined the Rockland County Department of Planning in 2022 as Principal Planner. He brought more than three decades of experience as a land-use and environmental planning professional having held various positions with local, county, regional and state agencies. Rich’s work has been primarily focused on integrating environmental planning and sustainability into a comprehensive planning process. Rich has a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University.