Ailene Ettinger from the Nature Conservancy of Washington joins us to talk about trees and how they affect temperature in Tacoma! She will share results from temperature monitoring over the past year in South Tacoma, as part of the Greening Research in Tacoma project (GRIT). This project is a collaboration of Tacoma Tree Foundation, the Nature Conservancy of Washington, the University of Washington, and the City of Tacoma that focuses on the Tacoma mall neighborhood. Join us to learn about what we’ve found so far, to share your thoughts on what we should do next, and learn how the community can get involved in this research and its applications.

Dr. Ailene K. Ettinger, PhD, Quantitative Ecologist- The Nature Conservancy Washington Field Office, ailene.ettinger@tnc.org

As the quantitative ecologist, Dr. Ettinger helps develop the evidence base for The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to protect and restore lands and waters in Washington state. She earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington. Her research, which focuses on climate change, community, and urban ecology, occurs in diverse systems and habitats from the mountains to the sea. She is the lead principal investigator for Greening Research In Tacoma (GRIT), funded by an award from the Puget Sound Partnership.