Category ArchiveLectures
Lectures & News & Events Erik on 23 Apr 2008
RINHS Lecture: Bearing Witness to the Past, Charles Cogbill
Bearing Witness to the Past: What Original Town Surveys Tell Us About the Presettlement New
England Landscape
by Charles V. Cogbill, Ph.D.
Hubbard Brook Long-Term Ecological Research Project
Thursday, April 24, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
Weaver Auditorium · Coastal Institute Building
Greenhouse Road, URI, Kingston Campus (map)
A common practice of colonial land surveyors was to record “witness trees” as part of the description of property bounds. These trees were useful as durable and relatively immovable references for corners or other major points of a property boundary. Since witness tree annotations noted the tree species, there are imbedded within the land records of towns across New England a significant data base for the biogeography of presettlement forests. Cogbill will describe his study of witness tree data from 153 towns, and the conclusions drawn with regard to the species composition and patterns of presettlement forests.
Charles Cogbill works on all aspects of the history, composition, dynamics, and management of the vegetation of north-eastern North America. He is the historical ecologist with the Hubbard Brook Long-Term Ecological Research Project, and is currently conducting field research at the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Station.
This event is free & open to the public. Doors open at 6:45 for refreshments & fellowship.
Related Links:
- Google Scholar results for Charles Cogbill
- Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Station
- Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study
Lectures & News & Events dgregg on 20 Mar 2008
Great Naturalists Special Program March 28
RINHS invites the Rhode Island community to a special program honoring great naturalists of Rhode Island, Friday, March 28, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Independence Hall Auditorium * Independence Hall
Upper College Road, URI, Kingston Campus
Featured speaker: Roland Clement, biologist, administrator, author, and artist, has been a giant in the ecological movement in New England and beyond for much of the last century. Clement will be describing great naturalists and landmarks of the environmental movement from his own first hand experience.
The lecture will be preceded by presentation of the 2008 Rhode Island Distinguished Naturalist Awards. These awards are given by the RINHS Board of Directors to individuals who excel in their studies of Rhode Island’s ecosystems and in their ability to communicate the knowledge and understanding to others.
The 2008 recipients are:
Rick Enser
Rick Enser led the RI Natural Heritage Program for nearly 30 years, during
which time he traversed the state’s every nook and amassed a huge practical
knowledge of its biota. Enser probably taught more natural history to more
people with fewer words than anybody in the history of RI but his low-key
manner does not preclude his having strong organizational instincts. Rick
was a leader of the RI Wild Plant Society and the RI Natural History Survey
and guided the Natural Heritage Program with strategic vision.
Ken Weber (posthumous award)
The late Ken Weber was a man who, to Rhode Islanders, needed no introduction;
virtually everyone had read his newspaper columns or used his outdoor
guides. In achieving a simple and approachable writing style, Weber showed
himself to be a true craftsman of the language, communicating the lovability
of our natural environs and their inhabitants with seeming effortlessness.
Weber died in August at age 63. Few other people have influenced so many to
learn about, to recreate in, to fight for, and most of all to love Rhode
Island’s natural world.
Read about previous recipients of the Distinguished Naturalist Award.
Golden Eye Award
A new award to be given annually to the person who submits the most significant
observation to RINHS for inclusion in our BORIIS biodiversity database. This year the award goes to Matt Ricker, the URI graduate student who reported the first observation of the invasive aquatic weed water chestnut in Rhode Island.
For more information: 401.874.5800 programadmin@rinhs.org
All lectures are free & open to the public. Doors open at 6:30p.m. Refreshments & fellowship following the program.
Independence Hall is located on Upper College Road on URI’s Kingston Campus. Coming north on Upper College Road from the light at Rt. 138, Independence Hall is on the right after the first stop sign. For parking, pass Independence Hall and turn right on to Fortin Road and right into the lot behind the URI Foundation building. Alternatively park in the lot behind the Fine Arts Center, on Bills Road, the first right after the URI Club. To get to Kingston, from the west follow Rt 138 to Kingston and turn left at the light onto Upper College Road; from the east and north follow Rt. 1 south to Rt. 138 and turn west then go to the second light and turn right onto Upper College Road.
Lectures & News & Events Erik on 03 Mar 2008
RINHS Lecture, 2008 Distinguished Naturalist, and ‘Golden Eye’ Award…
On Friday evening, March 28, 2008, RINHS will host Naturalist Roland Clement for Mark D. Gould Memorial Lecture Series on Rhode Island’s Fauna, Flora, Geology, and Ecosystems.
Clement has been a giant in the ecological movement in New England for much of the last century, and will be describing great naturalists and landmarks of the environmental movement from his own first hand experience.
Very appropriately, this special evening will also feature the presentation of the 2008 Rhode Island Distinguished Naturalist Award as well as the presentation of a new award, the “Golden Eye,” which will be given annually to the person who submits the most significant observation to RINHS for inclusion in our BORIIS biodiversity database.
The program begins at 7:00 P.M. in the new Independence Hall auditorium on Upper College Road, on URI’s Kingston Campus. The event includes a reception for Clement and the Distinguished Naturalist and Golden Eye award winners.
Lectures & News & Events RINHS on 21 Sep 2007
Natural History Survey Annual Meeting: “Varves, Palaeomagnetism, and Radiocarbon”
Date: 21 September 2007
Contact:
Geologist, Expert on the History of Glaciers in New England, to speak at Natural History Survey Annual Meeting
Kingston, RI: The Rhode Island Natural History Survey will host a lecture entitled Varves, Palaeomagnetism, and Radiocarbon: Formulating a Detailed History of the Last Ice Age in New England by geologist Jack Ridge, Thursday, September 27th, at 7:30 p.m., at the Coastal Institute building on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston Campus. This lecture is the first event in the Survey’s 2007-2008 Mark D. Gould Memorial Lecture Series. The lecture will be preceded by the Survey’s 13th annual meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The annual meeting will include a look back at events and discoveries of the past year and a preview of new projects coming up. Both the lecture and the annual meeting are free and open to the public. The entire program will take place in Weaver Auditorium at the Coastal Institute on URI’s Kingston Campus.
At 7:30 p.m., Dr. Jack Ridge, Professor of Geology at Tufts University, will speak on “Varves, Palaeomagnetism, and Radiocarbon: Formulating a Detailed History of the Last Ice Age in New England.” Through extensive field investigations, Ridge succeeded in securely dating the retreat of the glaciers that covered New England during the last glaciation. For any point in New England, the departure of the glaciers marked the beginning of ecological processes that still determine much of our local environment today so dating this sequence was an important breakthrough. Ridge has been able to trace subtle fluctuations in the earth’s magnetic field in “varves,” fine-grained sediments deposited in lakes near retreating glaciers. By combining advanced radiocarbon dating techniques with the known history of magnetic fluctuations, Ridge created a detailed history of glacial retreat in New England between 22,000 and 11,000 years ago.
The lecture will be preceded, at 5:30 p.m., by the Survey’s 13th annual meeting, which is open to the public. During the meeting, executive director David Gregg and president of the board Peter Paton will update RINHS members and the public on the role of the Survey in the course of environmental science and management in Rhode Island in the past year and discuss plans for the future.
The entire evening is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will precede the lecture. For more information and directions call 401-874-5800, email: programadmin@rinhs.org or visit www.rinhs.org
The Rhode Island Natural History Survey, founded in 1994, serves as a non-profit, umbrella organization for ecological information in Rhode Island. It gathers and disseminates information on RI’s biology, geology, and ecosystems, manages the Biota of Rhode Island Information System (BORIIS), the most complete source of information available on the state’s animals, plants, and natural communities, and hosts events to highlight the state’s biodiversity and the work of researchers and naturalists. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in Rhode Island’s plants and animals.
 (Pleistocene age varves at Scarboro Cliffs, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The thickest varves are more than half an inch thick. Source: Wikipedia) |
Lectures & Events RINHS on 19 Apr 2007
Symptom or Cause? A Critical Look at the Threats Invasive Species Pose to Rare Species
Symptom or Cause? A Critical Look at the Threats Invasive Species Pose to Rare Species
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Kettle Pond Visitors Center, USFWS, Charlestown, RI
Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth, Stewardship Ecologist at the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Lectures & Events RINHS on 15 Feb 2007
Phragmites australis: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Phragmites australis: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Weaver Auditorium, Coastal Institute, URI Kingston Campus
Speaker: Dr. Laura A. Meyerson, Assistant Professor of Habitat Restoration Ecology, Department of Natural Resources Science, URI
Lectures & Events RINHS on 30 Nov 2006
Emerging Disease in Amphibians
Emerging Disease in Amphibians
Date: Thursday, November 30, 2006, 7:30 PM
Location: Weaver Auditorium, Coastal Institute, URI Kingston Campus Speaker: Dr. David K. Skelly, Professor of Ecology, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University
Lectures & Events RINHS on 21 Sep 2006
Biological Invasions in the Sea: History, Science, and Policy
Biological Invasions in the Sea: History, Science, and Policy
Date: Thursday, September 21, 2006, 7:30 PM
Location: Weaver Auditorium, Coastal Institute, URI Kingston Campus
Speaker: Dr. James T. Carlton, Professor of Marine Sciences, Williams College, and Director, Williams-Mystic
Lectures & Events RINHS on 09 Feb 2006
Conservation Across Landscapes: The Importance of Large Nature Preserves
Conservation Across Landscapes: The Importance of Large Nature Preserves
Date: Thursday, February 9, 2006
Location: Weaver Auditorium, Coastal Institute, URI Kingston Campus
Speaker: Robert Askins, Department of Biology & Director, Goodwin Niering Center, Connecticut College
Lectures & Events RINHS on 01 Dec 2005
White-Tailed Deer: Natural History & Management
White-Tailed Deer: Natural History & Management
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2005
Location: Edwards Auditorium, URI Kingston Campus
Speaker: Gary Alt, Wildlife Management Consultant
