Douglas Land and Lynn Peebles, Co-Chairs
and the Benefit Committee invite you to join them for
A BENEFIT LUNCHEON FOR BLACK ROCK FOREST
UNRAVELING THE PAST TO PROTECT THE FUTURE
Bats and Biodiversity at Risk
HONORING
John Brady
Black Rock Forest Historian and Former Forest Manager
With the Dr. Ernest G. Stillman Award in recognition
of four decades of conservation and stewardship
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION BY
Dr. Angelo Soto-Centeno
Assistant Curator, Department of Mammalogy
at the American Museum of Natural History
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM
Tavern on the Green, South Terrace
67th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY
Please RSVP by April 30, 2025
Parking is available at GGMC Parking, 10 West 66th St.
Business casual attire
Support the Benefit
John Brady served as the Forest Manager for Black Rock Forest from the establishment of the Consortium in 1989 until his retirement in 2018. Since then, he has continued his work as Forest Historian, documenting the Forest’s rich history through articles, archeological efforts, and leading public hikes. John’s connection with Black Rock Forest began in 1979 when he joined as an Assistant Forest Manager while the Forest was owned by Harvard University. Over his 46-year tenure, he has dedicated his career to nurturing the forest, planting thousands of trees, supervising deer programs, building hundreds of bird boxes, and sharing the wonder of the woods with others, especially children. Among his many contributions to youth programming, he developed a thriving native brook trout program and founded the ‘Coyote Callers’ youth group to engage young people in hands-on experiences in the Forest. John’s legacy is woven into the landscape he shaped and the lives he has inspired.
Angelo Soto-Centeno, PhD is an Assistant Curator of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). His work lies at the intersection of extinction and speciation of mammals and uses bats as a model to understand the factors that lead to biodiversity loss. His research group studies all sorts of mammals using whole-genome, morphological, and environmental data to examine patterns of diversity across space and time. Angelo, a Puerto Rican native, has mentored 35 students in various research studies, serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Society for Bat Research and is the coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Global South Bats network. He holds a BSc from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and a PhD from the University of Florida.
Black Rock Forest 2025 Benefit Committee
Douglas Land & Lynn Peebles, Co-chairs
Richard & Kerri Bartlett
Cynthia C. Bell-Bucha
Hilary S. Callahan
Christopher DeFilippi & Austin English
Catherine S.M. Diefenbach
Lotus Do & Andrew Jacobs
Christopher “Kim” J. Elliman
William & Eileen Glaser
Jeannette Redden
Hume R. Steyer & Nanahya C. Santana
Nathaniel Stillman
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)