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Virtual Book Launch: Minnesota’s Natural Heritage, Second Edition
Thursday | January 21, 2021 | 7:00 pm–8:30 pm
Join us for a conversation exploring the definitive work on Minnesota’s natural history and ecology. Minnesota’s Natural Heritage has been updated, expanded, and copiously illustrated to account for profound changes to the state’s natural landscape over the past 25 years.
The story of Minnesota’s natural landscape, reaching back to the time of the glaciers, covers at least 12,000 years. Yet even against that vast expanse, recent decades have significantly transformed the natural world that is Minnesota’s greatest resource. In the second edition of Minnesota’s Natural Heritage, readers are introduced to these ecosystems—the lakes and rivers, forests and prairies, farmlands and wetlands—and how they have come to be, how they function, and how they have changed so rapidly and dramatically in recent years. Full-color illustrations document the state’s striking natural beauty in all its vigor and fragility, while maps, drawings, diagrams, and graphs amplify points of historical, ecological, and geological interest.
The most complete treatment of Minnesota’s natural environment, compiled and accessibly written by scientists whose collective knowledge spans the book’s expansive content, Minnesota’s Natural Heritage is the one indispensable companion for both visitors and inhabitants, as enlightening to page through as it is valuable to study. You can purchase Minnesota’s Natural Heritage at the University of Minnesota Press store. For a limited time, use promo code MN 87360 and save 30% off your purchase of this title, directly from their online store.
This conversation will be available to the public via Zoom. Please register through Eventbrite. You will receive a link two days prior to the event.
The event will be moderated by:
Mark Seeley, Climatologist and Meteorologist; Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota; Host of Updraft, Minnesota Public Radio
Denise Young, Executive Director of the Bell Museum
Speakers will include the book’s authors:
Susan M. Galatowitsch is professor and head of the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of Ecological Restoration and Restoring Prairie Wetlands: An Ecological Approach. She and her research team focus on wetland and grassland restoration and invasive species management.
Rebecca A. Montgomery is a professor in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota. She started her career as a tropical biologist before returning to Minnesota. Her research focuses on forest ecology and tree biology.
John J. Moriarty is senior manager of wildlife for Three Rivers Park District. He was a natural resources manager for Ramsey County Parks and Hennepin Parks, as well as a community faculty member at Metropolitan State University. He has written five books on Minnesota natural history, including Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota (Minnesota, 2014) and A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities (Minnesota, 2018).
Note: In memoriam of the author John R. Tester.
John R. Tester (1929–2019) was emeritus professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. He was a lifelong scientist and naturalist who witnessed many changes to Minnesota’s ecosystems. He published numerous articles and research papers on wildlife and ecosystem ecology.
This event is being held in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Press.