Daily Archives: May 6, 2021

Monday, May 17, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Other Voices in Garden History: Telling Tales About Trees, Online

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This sixth in a series of illustrated lectures sponsored by The Gardens Trust will explore the impact and legacy of empire, colonialism and enslavement on western garden and landscape history. Our aim is to bring back some of the voices usually absent from this history, to identify and fill gaps in our collective knowledge, and to explore new ways of engaging with the whole history of gardens, landscapes and horticulture.

Africa’s Great Green Wall is an ambitious project to restore land and livelihoods across the Sahel region, from Senegal to Djibouti. This romantic idea of a line of trees holding back the desert has been put forward by numerous politicians and activists, notably including Nobel Prize-winner Wangari Maathai, English forester and conservationist Richard St. Barbe Baker, and Burkino Faso’s socialist revolutionary President, Thomas Sankara. In this lecture Camilla Allen, who recently finished a PhD on Baker, will trace the voices, stories and myths that have sustained the Great Green Wall, weaving together stories from Africa’s past, colonization, and independence to explore what is so compelling and pertinent about this tale of ecological restoration and redemption.

This ticket costs £5, and you may purchase tickets via the Eventbrite link here. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and a link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.

Camilla Allen’s research focuses upon the events, people and places that illuminate our relationship with trees and the natural world, using biography as a means of teasing out forgotten meaning and experience. Camilla recently completed her doctorate on the English forester and environmentalist Richard St. Barbe Baker, founder of the Men of the Trees, in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield and is currently co-editor of The Politics of Street Trees (Routledge, 2021) with Dr Jan Woudstra, which brings together a diverse collection of perspectives on the issue from academics, lawyers, campaigners and practitioners.

Wednesday, May 12, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Climate Talk: What Alpine Plants in New England are Telling Us about Climate Change, Online

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Tower Hill Botanic Garden is dedicated to understanding the ways climate change impacts our world and exploring methods we can use to combat its effects and improve our climate outlook. “Climate Talks” are an opportunity to connect with experts in the field to learn and understand the current effects of climate change and explore ways we can make a difference.

This May 12 climate talk beginning at 6:30 pm will explore the current global biodiversity crisis caused by environmental change. The effects of this change make it critical for our communities to determine what our conservation priorities will be, especially when we understand which plants are the most vulnerable to extinction. This talk will discuss one study of alpine plants of the mountains of the Northeast (rare alpine rattlesnake-root plants -Nabalus spp., Syn: Prenanthes spp.-) to understand how they will respond to ongoing environmental change. Through this study we can develop and use a framework for understanding the climate change vulnerability of certain plant species and develop plans for managing those species during climate change.

Kristen Haynes, PHD is an ecologist and plant biologist whose work focuses on climate change conservation. Kristen’s interest in environmental issues began with early experiences in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York State, and grew through involvement with her high school’s Envirothon team. Kristen studied Natural Resources at Cornell University and then pursued a PhD at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Currently, as the Assistant Director of SUNY Oswego’s Rice Creek Field Station, Kristen is co-leading a project aiming to restore native tree species to New York State’s canal region for ecosystem, climate, and cultural benefits.

This program will be held virtually. Once you register you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 Tower Hill members, $15 nonmembers. Register at www,towerhillbg.org