Clarke Lecture Series kick-off announcement – January, 2025
The 2025 UCM Grace Clarke Lecture Series is underway!
We are happy to announce this year’s three-part series which includes a 6:00 p.m. social time with light desserts and warm beverages followed by a 45-minute presentation at 6:45 p.m. by Vermont environmental speakers. Each event costs $12 per person or $5 for youth under 18 years of age. Tickets, which must be purchased in advance either for separate events or the series, will be sold during Coffee Hour starting this Sunday (and additional Sundays), January 12 in the Vestry. Cash, check or credit card will be accepted. Click Here to Purchase Tickets Online (available up to 1-2 days before each event).
Notes: if you wish to solely attend the lecture, you may do so for free but entrance time is at 6:30, no sooner.
This series targets our Mission Statement “to protect the Earth, our home” and helps support the General Fund of the church.
We welcome offers of help to assist with set up, serving or clean up. Please contact Mary Jane Ohlson, Peter Watt or Abby Colihan to help with this annual endeavor.
Our presenters will be:
Saturday, January 18: Samantha Ford of Turn Stone Research speaking about: “History on the Land: Old Forested Farmscapes.” Learn how to peel back the layers of time to read our old forested farmscapes. Stone walls, cellar holes, and other cultural clues left in the woods tell the story of the last 300 years of land use, and how our ancestors shaped the land as we see it today. Sam has spent the last decade researching old landscapes in Vermont and Wyoming. In Vermont Sam is a field trip leader with the Vermont Master Naturalist Program and teaches a Biodiversity University course at North Branch Nature Center. Her background as an Assistant Town Clerk first opened the door to utilizing old records to uncover clues about the landscapes she grew up exploring and admiring. Sam graduated from UVM with an MSc. in Historic Preservation.
Saturday, March 15: Bridget Butler, aka Vermont’s Bird Diva, speaking about: “Rewilding Your Yard for Birds and You.” Slow birding brings us into practice with the land as well as the birds and ourselves. Find out how to create your own ‘Slow Birding Sanctuary’ in your yard that provides healthy and diverse habitats for birds and a place for you to sit and observe them. Bridget has been introducing people to birds for over 20 years through many venues including annual shows on Vermont Public Radio.
Saturday, April 19: Dr. Paul Bierman, professor and researcher at UVM’s Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources, speaking about: “Greenland, Ice Cores, and Climate Change” which is shared in his newest book, When the Ice is Gone. He is a Geomorphologist with wide-ranging interests including isotope geochemistry, surface processes, changes caused by humans and rates of erosion. He is particularly interested in working at the interface between active research, education, and science literacy at all levels. He was recently interviewed on Vermont Public Radio.
Please note: No lecture in February. Lecture organizers: Sandal Cate, Abby Colihan, Mary Jane Ohlson, Kathy Johnson, and Peter Watt. We look forward to having you join us!