Wilderness Speaker Series lineup announced
The Wilderness Speaker Series features experts who will present on a range of wilderness topics to raise awareness and inspire community discussion. (Courtesy image)
The annual Wilderness Speaker Series returns to Flathead Valley Community College with a lineup that includes local author Antonia Malchik, geologist Teagan Tomlin and wildlife biologist Lisa Bate.
The public is invited to attend the free speaker series, which kicks off Feb.19 with Malchik as the featured speaker. Malchik will discuss themes from her book, “A Walking Life,” including how research shows that walking in nature improves all aspects of human health, from cardiovascular function and bone strength to depression and risk of Alzheimer's disease. The discussion will explore how wilderness and intact ecosystems like the Bob Marshall – and the public's access to both – play a vital role in an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing.
On March 19, Tomlin will share an overview of the forces and processes that built and shaped the landscape of Glacier National Park. The geologist’s presentation will demonstrate how the layers and colors of the mountains tell the incredible story of the geologic events that created the park’s majestic scenery.
On April 16, Bate will discuss Glacier National Park’s Mount Brown Hawk Watch program and the integral role raptors play in our ecosystems and the risks they face.
Many raptors, such as the golden eagle, migrate seasonally between northern breeding grounds and warmer climates. Mount Brown provides an ideal location to observe the raptors’ passage through one of their most important migration routes. The Mount Brown Hawk Watch program is part of an international effort to track long-term raptor population trends in order to better understand these avian predators. Bate will also share the other half of the story of Golden Eagles in the park – nest monitoring, including the role that volunteers and lookouts play in aiding park staff in observations and searching for nests.
The series will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the large community room No. 139 in the Arts and Technology Building.
The Wilderness Speaker Series is presented by the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, the Northwest Montana Lookout Association, and the Flathead-Kootenai Chapter of Wild Montana, with support from the Natural Resources Conservation and Management program at FVCC.
To learn more about the Wilderness Speaker Series, visit bmwf.org/wss.