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Virtual Lecture: Exploring Our Urban Forest – presented in partnership with UCCS
April 10 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
In honor of Colorado Springs’ sesquicentennial anniversary, the CSPM unveiled a new exhibit, COS@150. This robust exploration of our community’s history and culture features 150 objects, illuminates 150 stories, commemorates 150 years. Throughout the commemoration year we invite you to explore these stories through a series of regional history lectures.
This lecture is presented as part of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum’s Sesquicentennial Scholar Series in partnership with UCCS. This program is made possible due to the generous support of Pikes Peak Heritage Series, a program of El Pomar Foundation.
Registration required. Please register by Friday, April 9, to receive the Zoom Webinar log-in information.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
When General William Jackson Palmer founded our city in 1871, it was situated on a nearly treeless, shortgrass prairie. Under Palmer’s supervision, the Colorado Springs Company planted thousands of trees to make the city green and inviting. Today, the city has been recognized as a “Tree City, USA” for 44 straight years by the Arbor Day Foundation. Join us as we examine this fascinating history, discuss new forestry initiatives, and examine the future of our urban forest. We will also explore the science of “Tree Ring Research” being conducted at UCCS that focuses on human-environment interactions and the stories trees can tell.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Dennis Will graduated from Stephan F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, in December, 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management. Shortly after graduation, Dennis moved to Colorado and began his 15 year career with the Colorado State Forest Service in Woodland Park, Colorado. His responsibilities were private lands forest restoration practices, insect and disease diagnostics and manager of the district’s seedling tree and reforestation program. In March of 2005, Dennis began his urban forest career with the City of Colorado Springs where he has recently been promoted to City Forester. He supervises a staff of 15 personnel in charge of care and maintenance of 300,000 publicly-owned street and park trees, 15,000 acres of forested open space and 250 miles of right-of-ways. Dennis currently resides in Cascade, Colorado. He enjoys woodworking using re-purposed lumber, photography and hiking the fourteener’s.
Dr. Christine Biermann is Assistant Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and Director of the Sustainability Minor at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She holds an undergraduate degree in Geography from SUNY Geneseo, MS degree from University of Tennessee, and a PhD from Ohio State University. Her research on native and wild trout conservation is funded by the National Science Foundation. She also performs research on forest dynamics and directs the Tree Ring Lab at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Christine currently teaches courses on environmental systems, climate and environmental change, and forest ecology and dynamics. She is passionate about understanding environmental issues as also social issues and making science and academia more inclusive, diverse, and accessible.
Please note that due to the changing nature of the pandemic, all programs are subject to change.
