White will inaugurate Grassland Foundation lecture series April 6
Released on 03/22/2006, at 12:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
WHEN: Thursday, Apr. 6, 2006
WHERE: Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Hewit Place
When Courtney White talks about "the working wilderness," he asks the question, "Is the land functioning properly at the fundamental level of soil, grass and water?"
White, executive director of The Quivira Coalition, will speak about "The Working Wilderness: A Call for a Land Health Movement" from 3:30 to 5 p.m. April 6 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St. The lecture and a 3 p.m. reception in the museum are free and open to the public. Nebraska rancher Mike Kelly will introduce White and participate in a panel discussion following the lecture.
White's talk will inaugurate a new lecture series established by the Grassland Foundation. The purpose of the series is to inform the university community and Nebraska residents about issues and current knowledge in biodiversity conservation science and policy, with particular emphasis on the conservation of grassland ecosystems and the sustainability of their human communities.
Foundation president Tyler Sutton said, "We chose Courtney White to be the first speaker in our lecture series because he and his organization have built bridges between ranchers, conservationists, public land managers and scientists."
The Quivira Coalition, a nonprofit organization located in Santa Fe, N.M., was co-founded by White in 1997. His essay, "The Working Wilderness: A Call for a Land Health Movement," was published in 2005 in Wendell Berry's collection of essays, "The Way of Ignorance."
In his presentation, White will describe how land must function properly at a basic ecological level before it can sustainably support a value, such as livestock grazing, hunting, recreation or wildlife protection. White said, "Knowledge is the key to good land stewardship and progressive land management."
The talk is co-sponsored with the Grassland Foundation by UNL's Center for Great Plains Studies, Center for Grassland Studies and School of Natural Resources. For more information, contact Kim Weide, Center for Great Plains Studies, (402) 472-3964, or Jill Francke, Grassland Foundation, (402) 477-2044 .
CONTACT: Kim Weide, Events Coordinator, Center for Great Plains Studies, (402) 472-3964