What would it mean to use water "wisely" in a time of looming water shortages? Professor Eric Freyfogle will answer that question in "The Good Use of Water," a free talk 3:30 p.m., Sept. 8 in the Hardin Hall Auditorium.
Freyfogle, the Max L. Rowe Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law, will be the first speaker in the 2010 Research Seminar Series sponsored by UNL's School of Natural Resources.
The question calls for an all-things-considered assessment, not just of the many ways that water benefits people directly, but of an array of ecological, ethical and aesthetic considerations, Freyfogle said, adding that it invites us to revisit the fundamentals of our dealings with nature and with one another.
Freyfogle is the author or editor of various books dealing with issues of humans and nature, some focused on legal aspects, others addressing larger cultural and social issues. His work is broadly interdisciplinary - drawing upon history, philosophy, biological sciences, economics, and literature - and is guided by a conservation ethic that seeks better ways for humans to live on land.
Freyfogle has lectured widely, including endowed presentations at various universities and recent appearances in England, Brazil, and Korea. In April 2009 he served as a distinguished visitor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He has also spoken to various conservation organizations, from local to national, and to a wide range of professional societies.
The rest of the School of Natural Resources 2010 Research Seminar Series schedule follows, all at 3:30 p.m. in Hardin Hall:
Sept. 22: Susan Hubbard, Staff Scientist and Program Leader for Environmental Remediation and Water Resources at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will discuss "Waves and Wine: Geophysical Characterization to Guide Precision Viticulture." Hubbard is visiting UNL in 2010 as the Birdsall Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer, a distinction awarded annually by the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America.
Nov. 3: Paul Cox, Executive Director of the Institute for Ethnomedicine, in Jackson Hole, Wyo., will present "Linking Environmental Health to Human Health." Cox will also speak Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in Hardin Hall on "Indigenous People and Island Conservation."
Nov. 17: May Yuan, director of the Center for Spatial Analysis at the University of Oklahoma, will discuss GIScience Approaches to Understanding Geographic Dynamics. Yuan's visit to campus is also a part of Geography Awareness Week.
Dec. 1, Mike Manfredo, Professor and Head, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, will discuss "Wildlife Value Orientations." Manfredo focuses on the role of social science in natural resource management.