Events

Art Forms of the Eastern Forest: Documenting Southern Ohio’s Biodiversity

Award-winning photographer Samuel James has spent the past five years documenting the extraordinary diversity of life in the forests of southern Ohio. In this lecture, he presents selections from this ongoing study, including photographic essays about fireflies and other insects, spiders, reptiles, lichens, and the ephemeral ecosystems within vernal pools and on the exposed strata of ancient Silurian coral reefs. Following from the historical works of artist-naturalists such as Ernst Haeckel, Anna Atkins, and Eliot Porter, he presents a kaleidoscopic evocation of place and a portrait of life as it evolves through seasonal change atop the western edge of Ohio’s Allegheny Plateau

Gender, Patriarchy and the Animal Kingdom

“We think of patriarchy as a uniquely human affliction, but is it? We look to the natural world for justifications of our gendered stereotypes; from alpha males to patriarchal society, monogamy to sexual binaries, all are concepts that have been justified with reference to the ‘natural order’. Join best-selling author and National Geographic explorer, Lucy Cooke, as she dismantles these natural misnomers and challenges the assumptions around how we construct sex, gender and society.”

Ignite Ecological & Social Change

Twenty years ago, Project Dragonfly at Miami University began talking with the Cincinnati Zoo about how education could be more deeply rooted in communities and better connected to the world. The basic idea was, rather than waiting for students to graduate to make a difference, couldn’t making a difference be embedded into the practice of education itself. Those early discussions led to the largest graduate degree programs in the nation devoted to ecological and social change, with course sites now in 10 U.S. cities and 16 countries. Join Project Dragonfly co-founders Chris and Lynne as they share stories of inquiry, community, recovery, and hope from around the world.

The Future of Nature

The past holds a secret.  There was more protection for the forests two thousand years ago than there is today.  Forests and trees are foundational species for a living planet.  The Celts held this knowledge in their oral culture as a new alphabet of old wisdoms.  The Global bioplan will abate climatic warming.  So, sharpen your shovels and open up the future for all creatures great and small. Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger wishes to share her hope and excitement with you.

Towards Coexistence: Integrating the Coupled Needs of People and Nature

Human well-being is inherently linked to the health of our natural ecosystems; yet challenges remain in integrating it with nature conservation. We explore the contours of this issue in the Northeast India, a biodiversity hotspot with close human–nature ties that is witnessing rapid anthropogenic change. This case study is anchored by our ongoing engagement with the social-ecological nuances of conserving two culturally significant species. For the wide-ranging Asian elephant, we facilitate species connectivity while mitigating safety risks for people and enable human behavioral change for coexistence. In the hills, we pursue a unique partnership for community-based conservation, centered around India’s only wild ape, the western hoolock gibbon. Our multi-pronged program strives for science-based, participatory, and context-specific solutions that secure a coupled future for people and nature.