Smithsonian Scientist to Discuss Bird Migration

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Peter Marra, a research scientist with the Migratory Bird Center at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, will visit campus on Tuesday, November 13, to share his expertise on bird migration. His slide lecture, “Studying Birds in the Context of the Annual Cycle: Carry-over Effects and Seasonal Interactions,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall of the John S. Toll Science Center. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.  

Marra is an ornithologist who specializes in the study of urban ecology. His “Neighborhood Nestwatch” program enabled citizens of the Washington, D.C. area to become backyard biologists, collecting data on the activities of local bird populations. His research on the American redstart included the world’s longest running winter territory study. In addition to his study of urban ecology and migratory biology, Marra researches emerging infectious diseases such as West Nile Virus.

He holds a Ph.D. from Dartmouth and has published numerous articles on the behaviors and survival of migratory birds.

The lecture is sponsored by the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies and the Center for Environment and Society. 

Head of Galapagos Conservancy to Share Loss and Legacy of “Lonesome George” the Giant Tortoise

CHESTERTOWN, MD—When the last surviving Pinta Island giant tortoise, a beloved centenarian named Lonesome George, died this past June, he left conservations in the Galapagos Islands and around the world more determined than ever to protect other endangered species.

In a lecture at Washington College titled “George: His Legacy,” the founder and president of the Galapagos Conservancy will bring her personal perspective to the story of George and the need to protect species diversity. Hosted by the College’s McLain Program in Environmental Studies, Johanna E. Barry will speak Wednesday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall, Toll Science Center, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

In a blog on the Conservancy’s Web site, Barry recalled the moment on June 25 when her organization’s science advisor, Linda Cayot, told her that Lonesome George had been found dead that morning in his corral.  “Linda couldn’t finish her sentence before she started to cry,” she wrote. “George was like a cranky, eccentric uncle that you knew you would see at every family reunion. Except this year. Lonesome George was gone and it was impossible to believe. And with George – his species.”

The tortoise’s plight as the last of his kind had sparked a great deal of research in species recovery, Barry noted, so the message of his story will ultimately be one of “hope and of resolve.  We cannot and will not lose another species in Galapagos.”

Johanna Barry has worked in institutional advancement and organizational development for more than 30 years. She has held senior fundraising positions the World Conservation Union (U.S.), The Wilderness Society, and Resources for the Future and served as consultant to the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, and the Audubon Naturalist Society. 

Do Fish Feel Pain? Afraid So, Says Researcher Coming to Lecture Nov. 16 at the College

CHESTERTOWN, MD—Do fish feel pain? And does it matter? These are the questions Victoria Braithwaite, a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, will address in a lecture at Washington College on Wednesday, November 16. Part of the McLain Lecture Series, the talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall, Toll Science Center, 300 Washington Avenue. A book signing will follow in the McLain Atrium.

Braithwaite, Associate Director and Professor of Fisheries and Biology at the Penn State Institute of the Neurosciences, researches the evolution of animal cognition with a focus on fish learning, perception, and memory. In her 2010 book Do Fish Feel Pain? ( Oxford University Press), she discusses the ethical questions raised by current fishing practices. According to Braithwaite, fish are not the simple-brained creatures most of us perceive them to be, but are instead complex animals with accurate memories, stress responses, and physiological similarities with other vertebrates—even humans.

In light of recent scientific evidence showing that fish have specialized pain receptors, she argues that the kinds of protective measures in place for other animals should be extended to fish.

Braithwaite’s lecture is sponsored by the McLain Program in Environmental Studies and the campus chapter of Sigma Xi, a scientific-research honor society. The Joseph H. McLain ’37 Program in Environmental Studies was established in 1990 to recognize and augment study in the fields of aquatic and environmental studies.

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Smithsonian Scientist to Share Research on Harmful Nutrient Flows into the Bay

CHESTERTOWN, MD—A Smithsonian scientist who studies harmful nutrient flows into the Chesapeake Bay will talk about his research when he visits Washington College Thursday, September 15. Thomas Jordan, Ph.D., senior scientist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), will lecture at 7:30 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall, John S. Toll Science Center, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

The title of Jordan’s talk is “Nutrient Overload to Chesapeake Bay: Where It Comes From, and Ways to Control It.” Presented by the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies and the Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the event is free and open to the public.

Jordan works in SERC’s Nutrient Lab, where he and colleagues study the flows of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystems, the effects of human-induced nutrient enrichment on marine life and water quality, and ways of removing excess nutrients. Since the early 1970s, the lab has monitored discharges from watersheds of the Rhode River, in Anne Arundel County. In the 1990s, it expanded its research to encompass the entire Chesapeake Bay basin, comparing discharges from hundreds of watersheds. SERC scientists explore the effects of geological differences and agricultural and urban land uses, as well as the restorative potential of riparian forests and wetlands.

Photo, bottom: Dr. Thomas Jordan inspects an automated monitor that records flow and samples water flowing in and out of a restored wetland. The wetland removes nutrients from the runoff it receives from nearby cornfields. Photo courtesy of SERC.

International Expert on Invasive Species and Parasites to Lecture April 18

CHESTERTOWN, MD—One of the world’s leading experts on invasive species and parasites, David Bruce Conn, will present “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Planet: Parasites and Invasive Species on the Move” when he visits Washington College Monday afternoon, April 18. The talk will begin at 4 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall, the Toll Science Center on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.

Conn will share research on some of the most interesting and threatening invasive species, their ingenious strategies for catching a ride, and the environmental consequences of their success. Sponsored by the Joseph H. McLain ’37 Lecture Series, the talk is free and open to the public.

Dr. Conn is Dean of the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Berry College and an Associate in Invertebrate Zoology at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. As a Jefferson Science Fellow he serves as an advisor to the Office of International Health & Biodefense at the U.S. Department of State.

Conn’s research related to parasitic diseases and biological invasions includes international collaborations in Poland, Canada, Ireland, Spain, and Australia, as well as the Czech Republic where he has worked as a Fulbright Senior Specialist. He has lectured around the globe, authored more than 300 publications and served on the editorial boards of four international journals. He is past president of two international scientific societies—the American Microscopical Society and American Society of Parasitologists, an organization of scientists from 50 countries who study parasitic diseases.

"Dirty Life" Author Recounts Move from City Girl to Sustainable Farmer in April 13 Talk

CHESTERTOWN – Washington College hosts author Kristin Kimball to discuss her new memoir, The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love, on Wednesday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Hotchkiss Recital Hall in the Gibson Center for the Arts. (This event was originally scheduled for February but was postponed by incluement weather.)

Kimball and her husband, Mark, farm 500 acres on Essex Farm, near Lake Champlain in northern New York. They met when she was a free-lance travel writer living in a studio apartment in New York and he was working on a farm in Pennsylvania. What began as an interview for an article on sustainable farming would soon take a romantic turn.

"Against all odds, I fell deeply for him, and for farming,” says the author, whose book was published in October of 2010 by Scribner. “At the end of the first growing season, we got married in the loft of our shabby red barn. We've farmed here for seven years now, and have become parents to two little girls."

The Kimballs raise almost everything they need for a year-round diet, including 50 kinds of vegetables, herbs, grains, and fruits, plus pigs, chickens, and dairy and beef cattle. They use no pesticides or herbicides, and most of the work is done with draft horses instead of tractors. The farm feeds 150 people, who come each week to pick up their share of our produce, flours, milk, meats, and eggs.

A graduate of Harvard University, Kristin Kimball grew up near Rome, NY, where she didn't even have a garden as a child. Prior to farming, she wrote, taught writing and worked for a literary agent. “Farming asks a lot of a person, physically, emotionally, and intellectually,” she comments. “It keeps you close to the dirt and humble. I've gained many skills on the farm that I couldn't have imagined needing in the city. But the best lesson farming has taught me is the deep pleasure of commitment—to Mark, to our farm, to a small town."

The program, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by The Center for Environment & Society, The Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies, The Sophie Kerr Committee, and Farm Dinners on the Shore. For more information, call 410-778-7295.

DNR Program Manager Addresses the Question: Are Blue Crabs 'In A Pinch?'

CHESTERTOWN – What is the current status of Maryland’s most celebrated delicacy, the Blue Crab? Brenda Davis, Blue Crab Program Manager at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, will provide an update when she presents “Blue Crabs: Is the Population in a Pinch?” at Washington College’s Litrenta Lecture Hall on Tuesday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies.

The McLain Program was established at Washington College in 1990 to focus attention on and augment study in the fields of aquatic and environmental studies. The Program supports lectures and symposia featuring visiting scientists and other professionals on matters of environmental interest, particularly relating to the Chesapeake Bay.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to “Blue Crabs: Is the Population in a Pinch?” is free and open to the public.

John Page Williams Presents 'John Smith's Chesapeake' at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — John Page Williams, Senior Naturalist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, will present "John Smith's Chesapeake and What It Can Teach Us About Saving the Bay Today" at Washington College's Litrenta Lecture Hall on Wednesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m.

The lecture is being presented by the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies.

Williams, the author of Chesapeake: Exploring the Water Trail of Captain John Smith and other works, will be on hand for a booksigning following his presentation.

Williams has been serving as the lead Chesapeake Bay Foundation staffer in a partnership with the Conservation Fund and the National Geographic Society to develop the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail.

He also works on a grassroots campaign to develop a strong, active constituency of anglers and boaters throughout the Chesapeake/Susquehanna watershed to improve water quality.

A veteran author and educator, Williams shares his encyclopedic knowledge of Bay science, history and culture with audiences all over the region. For more than three decades, he has led thousands of students, adults and government officials on tours of the Bay and its rivers and streams.

The Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies was established in 1990 to focus attention on and augment study in the fields of aquatic and environmental studies. The Program supports lectures and symposia featuring visiting scientists and other professionals on matters of environmental interest, particularly relating to the Chesapeake Bay.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "John Smith's Chesapeake and What It Can Teach Us About Saving the Bay Today" is free and open to the public.

March 12, 2008

Global Climate Change, 'Geo-Pragmatism' Discussed at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — Washington College's Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies will present "The Case for Geo-Pragmatism in an Age of Climate Crisis," a lecture/booksigning by Jonathan T. Isham Jr., Ph.D., Luce Professor of International Environmental Economics at Middlebury College, at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Isham's current research focuses on building what is known as "the New Climate Movement." He teaches classes in environmental economics, environmental policy, global climate change and other topics at Vermont's Middlebury College.

Dr. Isham is co-editor of Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement and Social Capital and Economic Development: Well-Being in Developing Countries. His work has been published in Economic Development and Cultural Change, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Society and Natural Resources, The World Bank Economic Review and numerous other journals. He also has published book chapters in volumes from Ashgate Press, the New England University Press, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.

The Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies was established at Washington College in 1990 to focus attention on and augment study in the fields of aquatic and environmental studies. The Program supports lectures and symposia featuring visiting scientists and other professionals on matters of environmental interest, particularly relating to the Chesapeake Bay.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "The Case for Geo-Pragmatism in an Age of Climate Crisis" is free and open to the public.

February 7, 2008

'The Two Worlds of Captain John Smith,' Nov. 29

Chestertown, MD — Dr. John L. Seidel will explore the ways in which environment shaped the colonization of the New World in the early 1600s and the surprising links between John Smith, Virginia, Bermuda and Shakespeare in "The Two Worlds of Captain John Smith" at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Thursday, November 29, at 5:30 p.m.

Drawing on documents, environmental clues and the latest archaeological excavations at Jamestown, the lecture will investigate the ways in which two English colonies diverged due to dramatically different environments. Jamestown, settled 400 years ago in 1607, became the first permanent English colony in North America.

Bermuda was brought to the attention of the English shortly thereafter, with a disastrous shipwreck in 1609. A remarkably similar cast of characters was involved in both colonization efforts, which had similar objectives. The ultimate fates of the two colonies were quite different, however, despite their similar aims.

Washington College has active programs in environmental research and archaeology in the Chesapeake, led by Dr. Seidel, who is the Director of the Washington College Center for Environment & Society. The College also has an active presence in Bermuda, with student trips and summer courses to the island led by Professor Donald Munson, Director of theJoseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies.

The event is sponsored by the Center for Environment & Society and the McLain Program in Environmental Studies. Admission is free and open to the public. Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. For more information, please contactjfairchild2@washcoll.edu or 410/778-7295.

November 13, 2007

Environmental Lecture Explores 'Endocrine Disruption' Threat

Chestertown, MD — Washington College's Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies will present "Endocrine Disruption: What Is It and Should We Be Worried on the Eastern Shore?"—a lecture by Daniel J. Fisher of the Wye Research and Education Center, at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Wednesday, November 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Fisher is a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Maryland Wye Research and Education Center (WREC) and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the University's newly formed Department of Environmental Science and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in Marine Science/Aquatic Toxicology in 1986 from the College of William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science. He currently teaches new courses at the University of Maryland in College Park concerned with Ecosystem Health and Protection and Environmental Toxicology.

Dr. Fisher has over thirty years of experience in aquatic toxicology and the study of environmental impacts of contaminants. For 16 years he directed the Maryland Department of the Environment's Bioassay Laboratory located at WREC, where he conducted acute and chronic whole effluent toxicity testing for NPDES compliance monitoring with freshwater and estuarine fish and invertebrates. In addition, he established freshwater and estuarine sediment toxicity testing capabilities at WREC that allow for sediment quality assessments.

Dr. Fisher's recent work has been in the assessment of possible endocrine disruptive effects of land applied poultry litter and the development of antibiotic resistance in Eastern Shore streams from poultry litter and biosolids application. He has written more than 100 refereed journal and technical publications on a wide variety of environmental issues.

Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to the lecture is free and open to the public.

November 6, 2007

Beauty in the Wood: Von Voss Presents 'Tree-Talk'

Chestertown, MD — Vicco von Voss '91 returns to Washington College to present "Tree-Talk: The Scientific and Spiritual Understanding of Trees" at Litrenta Lecture Hall on Thursday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m.

"Tree Talk" is being presented as part of the McLain Lecture Series in Environmental Studies.

Vicco von Voss was a double major at Washington College, completing majors in both art and chemistry. He has used his combined scientific and artistic abilities well. After graduation from Washington College he apprenticed with cabinetmaker Heinrich Meyerfeldt in Hamburg, Germany. Von Voss is the recipient of several awards, among them being a Niche Award finalist, an honorary Top Graduate award in Germany, and the Lynette Nielson Award acknowledging excellence in Art from Washington College.

He also is the author of several articles in regional publications; most recently, he penned a main feature in the October 2007 issue of Chesapeake Life magazine.

Von Voss said he believes that a tree is an "ever-changing and organic being," and he uses this concept in creating masterpieces of functional furniture that "serve to celebrate the beauty of the wood and also give the tree a second life."

Litrenta Lecture Hall is in the John S. Toll Science Center. Admission to "Tree-Talk" is free and open to the public.

October 16, 2007

You Don't Say So! Fact, Fiction and Environmental Futures on September 26

Chestertown, MD, September 21, 2007 — Wallace Kaufman will lecture on "You Don't Say So! Fact, Fiction and Environmental Futures," at Washington College's Hodson Hall on Wednesday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m.

The media mediates our understanding of nature and ultimately the actions we take, either personally or through our public agencies. Wallace Kaufman challenges accepted practices whether he is creating a housing program in Kazakhstan, writing about environmental planning, consulting with a new business in Russia, or teaching in an American university. "I want my subject to be something I've put my hands on, something I know from doing," he says.

Kaufman's consulting, writing, and personal pursuits demonstrate his unusually broad hands-on experience. He has put his environmental principles to work in rural planning, urban renewal, and land development. He created several American businesses and consulted with new businesses in Russia and Central Asia.

His writing includes literary essays, economic surveys in the former USSR, translations from German and Spanish, prize-winning newspaper columns, business and science writing and fiction in magazines like Redbook and Mademoiselle. He has been a Marshall Scholar at Oxford and a Science Writing Fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woodshole.

The lecture is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Center for Environment & Society, the McLain Program in Environmental Studies, and Adkins Arboretum.

An Examination of Arctic Climate Change, February 22

Chestertown, MD, February 19, 2007 — David Monsma, J.D., of the Aspen Institute will present "Arctic Climate Change: Sovereignty, Trade and the Environment" at Washington College's Litrenta Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m.

Monsma, the Aspen Institute's Executive Director for the Program on Energy, the Environment and Economy, concentrates on three areas of expertise: 1) environmental management and reporting, 2) carbon and securities disclosure, and 3) environmental sustainability.

Prior to his current position with the Aspen Institute, Monsma taught undergraduate and graduate courses in law and ethics at the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola College in Maryland. Previously, he was Director of Business and Environment at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) in San Francisco.

He also has served as the Environmental Management Task Force Coordinator for the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD); managed the environment program at the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) in New York City; and was staff counsel and Director of the Pollution Prevention Project for the Environmental Action Foundation in Washington, D.C. Monsma began his legal career in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) at USEPA Headquarters.

The "Arctic Climate Change" lecture is presented by the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies. Admission is free and open to the public. Litrenta Lecture Hall is located in the John S. Toll Science Center. For more information, call 410-778-7731.

An Exploration Of Biodiversity And Conservation, February 6

Chestertown, MD, February 1, 2007 — The Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies will present "Biodiversity, Conservation, and National Park & Reserve Establishment in Madagascar," a lecture by Carl M. Gallegos, Ph.D., at Washington College's Litrenta Lecture Hall on Tuesday, February 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Gallegos is an International Environment and Natural Resources Management Consultant and a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer. During his more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Gallegos has held a number of positions, including Director of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Enterprise Office for the USAID Africa Bureau, Bureau Environmental Officer for USAID Africa, Supervisory Natural Resources Manager in the USAID/Madagascar Mission, and Chief Forester for USAID in Washington, D.C.

Prior to working for USAID, Dr. Gallegos was Senior Research Forester and Vice President of the Venezuela Project for International Paper Company. For four years he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chile, where he was Professor of Silviculture and Forest Genetics at the Universidad Austral de Chile.

Dr. Gallegos has a Ph.D. in Forest Genetics and Forest Soils from North Carolina State University, a Master of Forestry degree from Duke University in Tropical Forest Ecology, and a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Doane College in Nebraska.

Admission to Monday's environmental lecture is free and open to the public. Litrenta Lecture Hall is in the John S. Toll Science Center. For more information, call 410-778-7731.

Harnessing the Power of Wind to Turn the Tide of Global Warming, Talk October 3

Chestertown, MD, September 25, 2006 — Can wind powered generators help to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and mitigate the effects of global climate change? On Tuesday, October 3, Washington College's McLain Program in Environmental Studies hosts environmental planner and college alumna, Angela Crenshaw, speaking on "The Case for Wind Power: A Possible Source of Mitigation for Climate Change." The talk will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall, John S. Toll Science Center.

Crenshaw will examine the potential role wind energy technologies can have on lessening the impacts of climate change. The majority of the global population relies completely on fossil fuels for energy and transportation. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, there has been a sharp rise in the use of fossil fuels, which release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the troposphere causing global warming or climate change to occur. Alternative and renewable sources of energy such as wind power, Crenshaw believes, can help reverse this trend and reduce the harmful effects of fossil fuels on humans and the environment.

A 2004 alumna of Washington College, Crenshaw graduated magna cum laude with a double major in environmental studies and economics, receiving the Environmental Studies Award and the college's highest honor, the George Washington Medal. While a student, she was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society and the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, as well as the Black Student Union, Cleopatra's Daughters, Student Government Association, Student Environmental Alliance, and the Washington College Diversity Planning Task Force.

In 2006, she received a master's degree in energy and environmental policy from the University of Delaware. She is currently employed as an environmental planner by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MAMRA), an organization of 10 state and local air pollution control agencies joined in the mission to strengthen the skills and capabilities of member agencies and to work together to prevent and reduce air pollution in the Mid-Atlantic Region, an area that faces some of the most difficult and severe air quality problems in the nation.

Sponsored by the McLain Program in Environmental Studies, the lecture is free and open to the public.

Living Waters, Still Life: The Chesapeake Photography of Mike Price on Exhibit, April 20-May 7

Chestertown, MD, April 6, 2006 — Washington College's Center for the Environment and Society, the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies, and Department of Art present "Chesapeake Bay: Livings Waters, Still Life," a photography exhibition of the works of Mike Price, April 20 through May 7, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Custom House, 101 S. Water Street, Chestertown. Opening reception to be held 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, April 20. The event is free and open to the public.

British-born Mike Price traveled the world as a wildlife documentary filmmaker before making Maryland's Eastern Shore his home. Throughout his travels to exotic locales and his close encounters with some of the world's wildest creatures, Price also indulged his passion for the captured moment. His pursuit of the perfect photo has yielded a stunning collection of more than 10,000 still images of the world's richest natural treasures and the flora and fauna of the earth's vanishing wilds. Since his retirement from filmmaking in 1995, he has focused his lens on the Chesapeake Bay in all its subtleties and splendor. "Living Water, Still Life" is his traveling exhibition of the moments and fleeting scenes captured by patience and his camera, evoking the dance of light, water, and wings that reveal the soul of the Chesapeake Bay.

Price's documentary films have appeared worldwide on networks including the BBC, PBS, and locally on Maryland Public Television. A committed environmentalist with a passion for the Chesapeake, Price believes we must bring a greater sense of urgency to all efforts to counter the threats to the Bay's ecosystem. "Our utilization of the Bay as a source of recreation, seafood pantry, transient receiver of sewage and industrial wastes, shipping channel, and settling pond for fertilizers and herbicides has taken its toll. If the legacy to our grandchildren is not to be a lifeless ditch, now is the time for renewed efforts, creative solutions, and realistic funding to clean it up—along with demonstrations of public support that can be parlayed into action by governing bodies." As "Living Waters, Still Life" reveals, Price's "naked agenda of affection for the planet" has become a personal passion to preserve the Bay's unique magnificence.

For more information or directions, contact the Center for the Environment and Society at 410-810-7161.

Waterfowling on the Chesapeake: Historical Perspective on a Maryland Tradition, March 28

Chestertown, MD, March 13, 2006 — Washington College's Center for Environment and Society and the Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies present "Waterfowling on the Chesapeake: Historical Perspective on a Maryland Tradition," a talk by C. John Sullivan, author of Waterfowling on the Chesapeake, 1819-1936 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), Tuesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall, John S. Toll Science Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Author of numerous articles about the Chesapeake region, Sullivan is also a widely recognized expert on decoys. He has served as a consultant to the Maryland Historical Society, the Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art, the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. His latest book-and topic of this lecture-Waterfowling on the Chesapeake, 1819-1936, is part documentary, part nostalgic history, and part informational catalogue. In it he explores a century of hunting on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, from the heyday of gun clubs and market shooting to the rise of conservation laws.

Drawing on oral histories and period documents and artifacts, Sullivan looks at the effects of technological change, the relationship between hunter and dog, the recognition of decoys as folk art, and the long history of hunting. He also introduces us to famous and lesser-known carvers and others who share an enthusiasm for this aspect of the Chesapeake's rich cultural life. His previous book, Old Ocean City, is also available from Johns Hopkins University Press.

Launched in 2000, Washington College's Center for Environment and Society brings significant new perspectives to the study of natural and human-influenced systems and their mutual interdependence globally and in the Chesapeake Bay region. Through programs such as the Rural Community Leadership seminars and its Geographic Information Systems lab, the Center seeks to provide a neutral academic forum for addressing difficult policy issues and to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to solving environmental and quality-of-life issues. Throughout its varied projects, the Center encourages and supports the active involvement of Washington College students from all majors.

Where the Wild Things Are: Renowned Nature Artist to Speak on Painting in the Great Outdoors, November 9

Chestertown, MD, October 28, 2005 — Washington College's Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies presents "Painting the Environment: A Lifetime of Adventure," a lecture by artist Julie Jeppsen, Wednesday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Litrenta Lecture Hall of the Toll Science Center. The event is free and open to the public.

An acclaimed oil painter, Jeppsen specializes in her vivid depictions of nature scenes involving horses, bears, wolves, and other wildlife.

Growing up under the open skies of Wyoming and Utah, she developed an early appreciation of nature and notes, "Being outdoors inspires me to paint." A firm believer that nature is the best teacher of color, lighting, value, and composition, Jeppsen paints with live models, be they pointing golden retrievers by the side of a river or charging bears in the open wood.

Characterized by bold colors, applied wet on wet, Jeppsen's work has appeared in annual art shows across the nation, including the Russell Show in Great Falls, Montana, and the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina.

A Marshland Chronicle: Washington College Welcomes Acclaimed Nature Writer William Sargent, October 26

Chestertown, MD, October 11, 2005 — Washington College's Joseph H. McLain Program in Environmental Studies and the Center for the Environment and Society present "A Marshland Chronicle," a lecture by award-winning nature writer William Sargent, Wednesday, October 26, at 7 p.m. in the College's Litrenta Lecture Hall, Toll Science Center.

The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a book signing.

A consultant for Public Television's NOVA science series, Sargent is the author of seven books on science and the environment, including the acclaimed The House on Ispwich Marsh, which examines a unique New England ecosystem, and Crab Wars: A Tale of Horseshoe Crabs, Bioterrorism, and Human Health.

Eloquently capturing the issues plaguing scientists, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists across the nation, Sargent's works "turn an event as mundane as a rising tide into poetry," according to The Boston Globe.

The former director of the Baltimore Aquarium and a research assistant at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Sargent has taught at The Briarwood Center for Marine Biology as well as Harvard University.