The Wilderness Society is pleased to announce a unique series of events to raise public awareness about the importance of Southeastern wild lands, honor the contributions of African American conservationists, and re-energize and build partnerships among diverse communities engaged in natural lands protection in Georgia and the Southeast.
To launch the series, The Wilderness Society hosted a photography show at Fernbank Museum of Natural History this summer, which will be followed by a gala dinner event at Clark Atlanta University on October 1, 2005. The ongoing series of events will continue with in-depth seminars, meetings, and hiking tours through the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006. These events will bring together members of local and national environmental organizations, urban and rural community leaders, decision-makers from government and private institutions, scholars, journalists, and other interested members of the public.
The Fernbank photography exhibit, entitled, "Southern Wild Lands: Exceptional Remnants of the Great Eastern Forest” was displayed from July 9 through September 17, 2005, with an opening reception held on July 22, 2005. The exhibit featured photographs of significant natural areas in Georgia and the Southeast by nature and fine art photographer, Kathryn Kolb.
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On October 1, 2005, The Wilderness Society will host the gala dinner event, “Keeping It Wild: Celebrating the Natural Heritage of the Southeast,” featuring keynote speaker, the Honorable John Lewis. The event will recognize the work of Congressman Lewis, the renowned civil rights activist and conservationist, and celebrate The Wilderness Society’s publication of "Why Wilderness? What the Last Remaining Wild Lands of the Southern Appalachians Mean to the People of the Southeast." Congressman Lewis, who wrote a moving preface to “Why Wilderness?,” will speak on the value of wild lands in the Southeast. Other presentations at the dinner will include an address by Frank Peterman, Director of Public and Political Awareness for the Eastern Forest Program of The Wilderness Society, on the topic of wilderness and African American involvement in today’s environmental community, and a short introduction to the historical value of wilderness to African Americans.
The seminar series will follow the dinner event later in 2005 and 2006. Topics will include the historical value of wilderness to African Americans, the role of wilderness and the concept of freedom in America, the congruencies of the civil rights and environmental movements, and an introduction to the exceptional natural lands remaining in the Southeast today found in both urban and rural landscapes.
The photography show, dinner, subsequent seminars, and other events will help raise public awareness about the value of Southern wild lands and strengthen the voice for wild lands protection in our region. We hope that bringing these communities together will foster ongoing relationships among those working to help protect the unique wild areas that are the South's contribution to America's natural heritage.
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