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World Wildlife Fund's Northern Plains Director to Speak
Curt Freese, Ph.D., Director of the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Northern Great Plains Program in Bozeman, Montana will present in Lincoln “Catlin & Cattle: Resurrecting the Great Plains Wildlife Economy.” On April 29, Dr. Freese will present the results of recent analyses regarding priorities for grassland conservation, both within the Northern Great Plains and from a global perspective. He will review the declining agricultural economy of the Great Plains and present emerging ideas for how restoration of wildlife and the creation of grassland reserves could diversify and enhance the economies of rural communities. Recent initiatives aimed at the creation of grassland conservation areas in eastern Montana and the U.S.-Canada trans-boundary region will be discussed. Finally, at the talk Freese will announce “Grasslands 2010,” a joint project of WWF and the Lincoln-based Grassland Foundation. “Grasslands 2010” is intended to further the development of a Great Plains wildlife economy.
Dr. Freese received a B.S. in fish and wildlife biology from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in ecology from The Johns Hopkins University. He is the former head of Latin American Programs for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Vice President for Programs at the World Wildlife Fund-U.S. and an assistant professor at Rhodes College in Memphis. He has conducted research throughout Latin America and in Africa, Asia and the Artic. Among his recent publications is “Wild Species as Commodities: Managing Markets and Ecosystems for Sustainability,” one of three books he has published on the linkage between economics and biodiversity conservation.
When: Friday, April 29, 2005, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Great Plains Art Museum , Hewit Place , 1155 Q Street
A reception will precede the lecture at 3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The talk is sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies, Grassland Foundation, and the UNL School of Natural Resources. For more information call 472-3082 or go to http://www.unl.edu/plains/