October 12, Thursday
Thursday night’s programs will be at the University of Illinois School of Medicine
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Lasting Light: 125 Years of Photographers’ Stories from the Grand Canyon
by Stephen Trimble
October 12, Thursday, 6:30-7:30 pm
For all ages with interest
Cost: Free
Stephen Trimble takes us into the heart of one of the most photographed subjects on earth — the Grand Canyon — and sweeps the audience along on the backcountry journeys of its great photographers. Trimble’s newly-published Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography is a lavish photo book — but far more than that. He interviewed more than 20 contemporary master landscape photographers to capture the passion and disasters behind the photos, and their stories have a warm, celebratory spirit. From nineteenth century explorers using glass plate negatives to the twenty-first century’s pioneers of artful digital images, Grand Canyon photographers chronicle our nation’s creative psyche. Lasting Light collects 125 years of great photographs and — especially — moving stories of patience, commitment, humor, and skill.
True, every picture tells a story; but every picture has a story — and Trimble has brought them back from the wilderness. We run the river and perch on cliffs with the earliest Canyon photographers; we remember a century of vacations with family snapshots and Arizona Highways ; we battle dams with books that use photos as weapons; and we participate in the adventures of modern hikers and river runners who carry their cameras into remote backcountry. In the stories of these photographers, Trimble brings to life the relationship between artists and their subject — an American icon.
STEPHEN TRIMBLE was born in Denver, his family’s base for roaming the West with his geologist father. His 25-year career as a photographer, writer, and naturalist grew from his work as a national park ranger. Trimble’s twenty books explore our relationship with homeland, Indian land, and wildland, including Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography; The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places; Words from the Land: Encounters with Natural History Writing; and The Sagebrush Ocean: A Natural History of the Great Basin. Trimble has received numerous awards for his photography, his non-fiction, and his fiction — including The Sierra Club’s Ansel Adams Award for photography and conservation; The High Desert Museum’s Chiles Award; and a Frank Waters Southwest Writing Award for Fiction. Stephen Trimble lives in Salt Lake City and Torrey, Utah. (www.stephentrimble.net)
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Rewilding North America
by Dave Foreman
October 12, Thursday, 8:00-9:00 pm
For all ages with interest
Cost: Free
“Rewilding North America” is a slide lecture by Dave Foreman setting out a hopeful vision based on a continental-scale approach to conservation in North America. He describes the current extinction crisis and its causes, particularly the population explosion of human beings. Protected areas are the best tool for saving wild Nature and stopping the extinction of species. The science of conservation biology offers research-based guidelines on how to better design protected areas. A key characteristic of healthy protected areas is the presence of ecologically effective populations of large carnivores. Foreman gives examples of current research showing the importance of carnivore recovery for healing ecological wounds. Large carnivores need big roadless areas in which to be safe from humans. Because there are no wilderness areas outside the Arctic in North America large enough, conservationists must design and establish wildlands networks that provide secure wildlife movement linkages between protected areas. This approach is called “rewilding.” Conservation must be practiced on scales ranging from the local to the continental. The North American Wildlands Network uses four MegaLinkages to rewild North America. This vision for civilization and wilderness coexisting in North America is bold, scientifically credible, practically achievable, and hopeful. It is grounded in biocentric values holding that Nature and other species exist for their own sakes and do not need to provide economic value to humans as justification for their protection. The challenge for conservation in the twenty-first century is whether we have the generosity of spirit to share Earth with other species.
DAVE FOREMAN has worked as a wilderness conservationist since 1971. From 1973 to 1980, he worked for The Wilderness Society as Southwest Regional Representative in New Mexico and as Director of Wilderness Affairs in Washington, DC. He was a member of the board of trustees for the New Mexico Chapter of The Nature Conservancy from 1976 to 1980. From 1982 to 1988, he was editor of the Earth First! Journal. Foreman is a founder of The Wildlands Project and was its Chairman from 1991-2003 and executive editor or publisher of Wild Earth from 1991-2003. He is now the Executive Director and Senior Fellow of The Rewilding Institute, a conservation “think tank” advancing ideas of continental conservation. He was a member of the national Board of Directors of the Sierra Club from 1995 to 1997 and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. He speaks widely on conservation issues and is author of The Lobo Outback Funeral Home (a novel), Confessions of an Eco-Warrior, and The Big Outside (with Howie Wolke). His new book, Rewilding North America, was published in 2004. His next book, The Myth(s) of the Environmental Movement, calls for Nature lovers to take back the conservation movement from technocrats. Foreman is the lead author and network designer of the Sky Islands Wildlands Network Conservation Plan and the New Mexico Highlands Wildlands Network Vision from The Wildlands Project. He received the 1996 Paul Petzoldt Award for Excellence in Wilderness Education and was named by Audubon Magazine in 1998 as one of the 100 Champions of Conservation of the 20th Century. He is considered one of the most effective and inspirational public speakers in the conservation movement. Foreman is a backpacker, river runner, canoeist, fly-fisher, wilderness and wildlife photographer, and birder. He lives in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information see www.rewilding.org
October 13, Friday
ALL programs will be held at Severson Dells Nature Center
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Why We Need Wild Places
by Stephen Trimble
October 13, Friday, 6:30-7:30 pm
For all ages with interest
Cost: Free
Writer and naturalist Stephen Trimble has been traveling in wild places and thinking about their role in our lives and communities for decades. In this reading, he will focus on the stories and key ideas in two of his books — The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places (a classic of environmental education, co-written with Gary Nabhan) and the forthcoming Bargaining for Eden (a major contemplation of how we strike our devil’s bargains as we watch our last remaining open spaces disappear).
How do we make our connections with nature in childhood — and how do those connections play out in our lives? How do we “own” land and become good and engaged citizens in our communities? How can we keep Wallace Stegner’s “Geography of Hope” from decaying into the Geography of Hostility? Stephen Trimble grapples with these questions for all of us, ending with a pithy statement of his credo, a catalogue of issues that newcomers and old-timers must grapple with — within which we somehow must find bridges that can take us to a sustainable future, together.
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A Private History of Awe
by Scott Russell Sanders
October 13, Friday, 8:00-9:00 pm
For all ages with interest
Cost: Free
Scott Sanders will read from and talk about his recently published memoir, A Private History of Awe. The book records his encounters with the force that animates nature and mind — encounters that have led him to search through religion, science, and literature for a way of understanding the holy source of things. He will focus on experiences that illustrate how a love for wild places and creatures, learned in childhood, may inspire a lifelong commitment to caring for the natural world. He will also explore passages in his adult life when encounters with wildness have guided him through ethical dilemmas, including the choice between militarism and peacemaking as a response to violence, the challenge of placing limits on the human economy, and the need to shift from a culture of consumption to a culture of conservation.
SCOTT SANDERS was born in Tennessee and grew up in Ohio. He studied at Brown University before going on, as a Marshall Scholar, to complete a Ph.D. in English literature at Cambridge University. In 1971 he joined the faculty of Indiana University, where he is Distinguished Professor of English. He has published nineteen books, including novels, collections of stories and essays, and personal narratives, as well as seven storybooks for children. His work appears in such magazines as Orion, Audubon, and The Georgia Review, and it has been reprinted in The Art of the Essay, American Nature Writing, The Norton Reader, and other anthologies. His collection of essays, The Paradise of Bombs, won the Associated Writing Programs Award in Creative Nonfiction in 1987. Staying Put, a celebration of the commitment to place, won the Ohioana Book Award in 1994. Writing from the Center, an account of the quest for a meaningful and moral life, won the 1996 Great Lakes Book Award. His recent books include Hunting for Hope (1998), an exploration of sources for healing and renewal; The Country of Language (1999), an account of experiences that have shaped his work as a writer; and The Force of Spirit (2000), meditations on the sacred in everyday life. His newest book is A Private History of Awe (2006), a coming-of-age memoir, love story, and spiritual testament. Sanders has received fellowships for writing from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Indiana Arts Commission, the Lilly Endowment, and the Guggenheim Foundation. His work has been selected for The Best American Essays, the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Excellence, the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award, and the John Burroughs Essay Award. For his collected work in nonfiction, he was honored in 1995 with a Lannan Literary Award. In his books he is concerned with our place in nature, the work of social justice, the practice of community, and the search for a spiritual path. He and his wife, Ruth, a biochemist, have reared two children in their home town of Bloomington, in the hardwood hill country of the White River Valley in southern Indiana.
October 14, Saturday
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Snakes Alive! A Fascinating and Educational Look at Reptiles
by Tom Kessenich
October 14, Saturday, 9:30-10:30 am
For the whole family
Cost: FREE
Join Madison, Wisconsin herpetologist Tom Kessenich for this program designed to give the audience an inside view of the world of the snake. Tom’s interest in reptiles started as soon as he could crawl out of the house. His presentation will help you understand snakes more completely and remove the many fears that have been taught for generations. Some of the subjects covered are: Native snakes, their habitats, characteristics and much more.
Over a dozen snakes (yes, some are poisonous) will provide a fascinating experience for all ages. In addition to learning about the individual animals, you’ll be able to get an up close look at the true beauty of snakes through their stealth, gracefulness and vivid coloration.
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Outdoor Activities about Beauty and Awe
by Cliff Knapp
October 14, Saturday, 9:45-11:15 am
Cost: Free
Cliff Knapp has spent his lifetime in awe and wonder about the beauty of nature. He has devoted his career to teaching others about the outdoors and environmental ethics. In this session all ages are welcome to attend and share in the beauty and awe around us. Cliff is a professor emeritus in the Teaching and Learning Department of Northern Illinois University. He was a member of the Outdoor Teacher Education faculty for 21 years. In retirement he continues his interests in environmental ethics and place-based education by teaching workshops in various places. He has taught for The Clearing in Door County Wisconsin, the Center for Learning in Retirement and Severson Dells in Rockford, the Chana School Museum in Oregon, the Gila Conservation Education Center in Silver City, New Mexico, and at various schools in the area. He also loves to read and travel to learn about indigenous peoples around the world. This summer he went to Mexico where he studied the Tarahumara Indians.
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Connecting with Nature Through Writing:
by Christine Swanberg
October 14, Saturday, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Ages 16 through adult
Cost: Free
Using Connections: An Anthology of the People and land of North Central Illinois for inspiration and guidance, we will look at how various writers of poetry and prose approach their connection with nature. After discussing a few selected pieces, we will do a little writing of our own. Participants are free to journal, write poetry, write a reflection inspired by the beauty and awe or nature, and experiment with creative field notes — finding their own special connection with nature. We can draw from the source surrounding us — the beauty and awe of Severson Dells — or create from memory an event inspired by nature. Each participant will receive a gift of Connections, which was produced by the Severson Dells Nature Center, Smith Charitable Trust, and the Rockford Area Arts Council. The workshop will be facilitated by Christine Swanberg, who helped edit Connections and has written extensively about nature.
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I Spy With My Little Eye: Fun with Photography
by Lori Whitman
October 14 Saturday, 11:30 am-12:30 pm
Ages 8 through adult
Cost: Free
Bring your camera and get ready to have fun! This beginner digital photography workshop will explore the beauty of nature through the eye of the camera, while focusing on the basics of camera settings, composition, lighting, and editing. Ages 8 through adult, children under the age of ten needs to attend with an adult
Lori Whitman, Eye Spy Photography, has been taking photographs professionally for about six years. Her unusual claim to fame is the appearance of seven of her photographs on Jones Soda bottles. Lori’s photography has been featured at Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena, and in the Rockford area at juried exhibitions and at two local retailers. Lori lives in Loves Park, Illinois with her husband, Jeff and son, Scott. She is an Educational Consultant for the Regional Office of Education.
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Fly Casting Demonstration by the Rock River Fly Casters
Come together in the Severson Dells Nature Center front yard as this great group of people share their tips and tricks of fly casting with you. We won’t be catching anything, but possible the urge to take this sport up on our own.
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Bats of the Upper Midwest
by Bat Conservation of Wisconsin Inc
October 14, Saturday, 12:45-1:45 pm
Cost: Free
Come out to see a live big brown bat and learn about their role in the environment. Did you know that one little brown bat can catch up to 1,200 bugs in an hour, sometimes two in a second — or that a nursing mother eats more than her body weight nightly — up to 4,500 insects, including mosquitoes? Bat Conservation of Wisconsin Inc. is a non profit devoted to educating people about the world’s only flying mammal. Bats have longed suffered at the hands of humans due to myth and irrational fear. It is Bat Con’s hope, through increased awareness, people may begin to recognize the gentility and the environmental benefits bats truly represents.
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In Flow with Nature’s Inspirations
Curt Carter and Tom Connelly
October 14, Saturday, 2:00-3:30 pm
Cost: Free
Join Carter and Connelly as they share songs, secrets and inspirations from their river of life. Participants will learn how to weave poetry and music inspired by the flow of the land. Curt Carter and Tom Connelly have been called “Illinois’ preeminent folk warriors.” Performing together since 1988, their music has seen a wide range of venues from live radio, club, coffeehouse, and festival performances to political and environmental awareness benefits. Carter and Connelly has been featured on several performance series broadcast on public television in Illinois, and shared the stage with comedians Richard Lewis and Al Franken, folk icons Trout Fishing in America and John Hartford, and rock and blues guitarists Larry McMurtry and Coco Montoya. They have also partnered with National Audubon, Wilderness Education Association, Heartland Bioneers, Illinois State Parks and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio state teachers conferences among many other local, state and national organizations. But Curt Carter and Tom Connelly also have a rich history independently over the last three decades.
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Modern Lessons from Ancient (and beautiful) Rocks
by Tom Fitz
October 14, Saturday, 3:45-4:45 pm
Cost: Free
Tom Fitz earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in geology, and has been teaching at the college level for ten years. Seven of those years have been at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin; he has been awarded the outstanding teaching award twice. Tom’s specific expertise is petrology (the study of rocks), but his overall goal is to learn about and teach other people about the grand story of earth history. His current academic projects include work on a book on minerals and rocks; developing computer-mapping applications for use in classes; and continuing to do research on the geologic history of the Lake Superior region. Tom especially enjoys teaching in the field and frequently lead field trips in the Lake Superior Region and in the northern Rocky Mountains.
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The World According to John Muir
by John B. Wallace
October 14, Saturday, 6:30-7:30 pm
For all ages with interest
Cost: FREE
This program will be held in a theatrical style around an inside campfire. Meet the man known as the Father of Yosemite, John Muir (1838-1914), who made the American Wilderness his lifework. This naturalist, writer, explorer, and pioneer ecologist popularized the cause of conservation at a time when natural resources seemed inexhaustible. While Muir has been credited as being the architect of the national park idea, he was also a spirit so free that to prepare for an expedition, he would merely “throw some tea and bread into an old sack and jump over the back fence.” The self-described “Tramp” drew recognition for his wilderness expertise from presidents and poets alike. Settle in for wild adventure tales, gentle philosophical perspectives, and impassioned pleas in defense of wilderness.
John B. Wallace is currently an assistant program coordinator with the Environmental Ed-Ventures Program at the Touch of Nature Environmental Center at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he has worked for almost fifteen years. With extensive experience in environmental education, he has presented presentations to various public and student audiences on topics ranging from maple syrup making to forest ecology. This program is made possible in part by an award from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
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A Night of Music: “Everybody Needs a River”
Carter and Connelly
October 14, Saturday, 8:00-9:30 pm
Cost: Free
Join Carter and Connelly on a musical journey stretching from the San Juan River in Utah to the Flambeau in Wisconsin. Their music will put you in the front seat of a canoe and set you adrift through canyons, rapids and cypress swamps. You’ll feel like your sitting on a gravel bar next to a cozy campfire with some ole friends. Curt Carter and Tom Connelly are energetic and insightful songwriters tackling social and environmental concerns through their music. Curt and Tom make sure everyone has fun in the process telling humorous anecdotes along with original readings to complement the songs. Without preaching, they allow the listener to find the beauty and harmony of the natural world within one’s self. Carter and Connelly were recently given the honor of performing at The Shack along the Wisconsin River where Aldo Leopold, the father of modern conservation, wrote A Sand County Almanac. You will not want to miss them!
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Local Astronomers Viewing Night Skies
October 14, Saturday, 8:30-9:45 pm
For the whole family
Cost: Free
