Boston Flora

Tag: Svalbard

  • Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 23 – Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard

    A remote archipelago situated just over 350 miles north of Norway’s North Cape, Svalbard is a place of deep fjords, mountains and massive sheets of ice (and the Arctic seed vault.) During summer, when the sun never sets, the tundra experiences a warm awakening and is carpeted with wildflowers. Ice peppered fjords ring with the thunderous sound of glacial ice crashing to the sea, and walrus raise their sleepy heads to observe us. Witness seals and arctic foxes and search for the very symbol of the Arctic— majestic polar bears. Cruise Svalbard’s fjords, venture to the foot of stunning tidewater glaciers, and kayak among beautiful icebergs. Travel as far north as it is possible to go without an icebreaker, and experience the geology, wildlife, and wildflowers that give color and vitality to the High Arctic.  The trip is sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and you will travel aboard the 148 guest National Geographic Explorer.  The eleven day trip (June 14 – 23) is priced from $8, 650, double occupancy, and a complete itinerary may be found at www.hmnh.harvard.edu, or by calling 617-495-2463.

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  • Wednesday, March 13, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – One Seed at a Time

    One Seed at a Time, a Reno Family Foundation Symposium at the Museum of Science, with Cary Fowler, PhD, special advisor and executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will take place Wednesday, March 13, beginning at 7 pm. Tucked away beneath the snow of the Arctic Circle is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Sometimes called “the doomsday vault,” it’s nothing less than a backup of the planet’s horticultural biodiversity. Inside the vault, Dr. Cary Fowler and his team work with seeds from hundreds of crops that have nurtured humanity since our ancestors began tilling the soil. Their goal: to ensure that the world’s food supply can survive the dangers of disease, famine, climate change, and identical GMOs. Nearer the equator, documentary filmmaker Yung Chang shows us how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat in The Fruit Hunters. Guided by devoted exotic fruit lovers, he takes us on a cinematic odyssey through nature and commerce, changing not only the way we look at what we eat, but how we view our relationship to the natural world.

    Following the program, taste a selection of exotic fruits and enjoy a cash bar, featuring tropical Bellinis. Learn how to extract and save seeds, where to trade, exchange or swap, and make seed “bombs” for random acts of gardening–just throw and grow!  Funding provided by the Reno Family Foundation Fund.  $15 admission.  For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.mos.org/public-events.

    http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/150/867/yung-chang-fruit-hunters-eyesteel.jpg

  • Saturday, March 20, 2:00 – 3:30 pm – Susan Dworkin: The Viking in the Wheat Field

    Join journalist Susan Dworkin on Saturday, March 20,  from 2 – 3:30 pm at the Berkshire Botanical Garden for an exploration of the world’s delicate supply of wheat, international agribusiness, scientific intrigue, and the Svalbard “Doomsday Vault.”  Learn about the extraordinary work of Bent Skovmand, one of the greatest plant scientists and pioneering seed bankers.  Follow his quest for “agriculture’s public library” as he spearheads an international effort to collect and preserve crop seeds to ensure that we won’t starve.  Dworkin will share tales of daring agricultural rescues and discuss the politics and perils of monoculture and patenting of plant genetic resources by corporations. She also will examine how the citizenry must overcome the urban-rural divide in order to protect the world’s harvest.  Enjoy a reception and book signing with the author following the lecture.  All proceeds benefit the Berkshire Botanical Garden Education Department.  Members of BBG $16, non-members $21.

    Susan Dworkin lives in the Berkshires.  She has written several biographies and social histories, including the bestseller The Nazi Officer’s Wife.  Her articles have appeared in Ms., Ladies Home Journal, The New York Times, and  other periodicals.  Her fascination with agriculture dates from early stints at the US Department of Agriculture and as a journalist covering agricultural aid programs in the Middle East.  For tickets and more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.