WILLIAMSBURG — Local climate trends and energy resources will be the subjects addressed at a series of forums being held on four Sundays this fall at the Anne T. Dunphy School.

According to Jean O’Neil, speaking on behalf of co-sponsors Indivisible Williamsburg and the Williamsburg Energy Committee, the forums are intentionally organized in the following sequence: “First, how climate affects us, then energy, then how to be more dollar efficient, and then what the future looks like.”

The first forum will take place Sunday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. and will feature lemur whisperer and hyena communication expert Toni Lyn Morelli, who will be focus her talk on the climate. A Detroit native, Morelli received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolution in 2008 after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. She has received various accolades and funding opportunities for her work, and currently works with the Northeast Climate Adaptation Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The group continuously publishes research, including a 2021 piece informing 2025 wildlife action plans for the northeastern states.

Morelli is an expert in the areas of ecology, climate change, animal behavior, and various branches of evolutionary modeling. According to O’Neil, Morelli will discuss the growing seasons, the status of climate predictions, and groundwater, which O’Neil says has been increasingly affecting hilltown residents.

On Oct. 6, representatives from the Green Energy Consumer Alliance and Sponsors of Mass Save will outline federal and state incentives to help residents and businesses save money.

“Making decisions about an energy provider turns out not to be too easy,” O’Neil said.

The idea of “community choice” will be explained to hilltown residents who have National Grid and Eversource as energy choices, in the third forum scheduled for Oct. 20.

The final forum will take place on Nov. 3, in which Paul Fenn of Local Power will present on “our electricity future,” with information concerning microgrids, power sharing, and interconnectivity choice 2.0.

“The general news about climate change is voluminous,” said O’Neil, noting that most of the information isn’t helpful or personally applicable, and that the forums have been organized to provide the public with locally relevant, reliable, and practical information regarding climate and energy.

All forums are at 2 p.m. and take place at the Anne T. Dunphy School on 1 Petticoat Hill Road.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com