March-April 2019
The 2019 Cleveland Humanities Festival is a collaborative event celebrating the great cultural institutions of the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio dedicated to humanistic inquiry. The Festival engages the public in addressing some of society’s most challenging issues and pressing concerns. Coordinated by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities of Case Western Reserve University, the Festival is partnering with our region’s major museums, educational institutions, and arts organizations. Through a series of coordinated events participants in the CHF will offer public programming which explores this theme from a variety of humanistic perspectives, including the representation of the natural world in literature and the arts; climate change, its past history, future consequences, and the ethical problems it presents; and our constantly growing understanding of the science of nature and its impact on culture and society.
Crooked Chronicles: Century of River Cleanup in Cuyahoga Valley
March 1, 2019
Happy Days Lodge, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
How was the Cuyahoga River transformed from a health hazard to the centerpiece of a national park? A panel of experts piece together the 100-year story within Cuyahoga Valley using historic photos, archival documents, and personal memories. Come join the discussion.
This event was sponsored by XTINGUISH, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, West Creek Conservancy, Ohio Humanities and League of Women Voters of the Akron Area.
Film Screening: Freeway City
March 9, 2019
Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium
Common Cleveland folklore points to the east side as disadvantaged due to a lack of convenient freeway access. But would shaving a few minutes from the daily commute be worth the cost of the Cedar Lee and Larchmere districts, Buckeye neighborhoods, historic homes, and the beloved Shaker Lakes? Re-visit the dramatic defeat of the east side freeways in the 1960’s as Mayor Carl Stokes struggled to govern a hollowing-out city and a fierce grassroots campaign to preserve the Shaker Lakes. A discussion with the film’s director will follow the screening.
This event was sponsored by Cleveland Public Library.
Landscapes in Miniature at the Barrens
March 10, 2019
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Instructors: Stanley Stine and Garrett Ormiston
The moss-covered sands of our North Kingsville Sand Barrens are landscapes in miniature. Join us for a closer look at these microhabitats, as we walk through the sand plains and forests of the Barrens. If snow is persistent, we will focus on winter tree ID and other nature observations.
This event was sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Spectacular American Desert
March 4 and 12, 2019
Cuyahoga County Public Library. Middleburg Heights and Beachwood Branches
See the source imageTravel with Gale Franko and professional artist and photographer, Alan Studt as they take you on an incredible, and sometimes unpredictable, tour of the wild and vibrant Mojave Desert.
These events were sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Introduction to Permaculture
March 14, 2019
Cuyahoga County Public Library, Orange Branch
Permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. Learn how you can start to apply permaculture practices to your own garden.
Presenter: Jeff Mulbach
This event was sponsored by Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Butterflies and Moths
March 11 and 14, 2019
Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma and Solon Branches
Join Judy Semroc, Naturalist, Cleveland Museum of Natural History for beautiful colors, gardening tips and interesting natural history information about the butterflies and moths that can be found in Ohio. Their benefits, from pollination to animal food sources, will encourage you to invite them into your yards and gardens!
These events were co-sponsored by Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Biocene: Beyond Evolution
March 15, 2019
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
This lecture is presented by Dr. Vikram Shyam, Principal Investigator, PeTaL/Nature-inspired Design, NASA Glenn Research Center. Humans have used nature and emulated biology throughout our history. We look at the evolution of bionic design and the future it may forge. This future will mark the dawn of synthetic life, living machines, nature-inspired artificial intelligence and the emergence of humans as a solar system species, a species that figured out how to live sustainably and overcome the enormous challenges it faced. PeTaL, The Periodic Table of Life, is an attempt to usher in this future by using AI to systematically learn from nature and architect sustainable solutions to human problems.
This event was sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and is part of their Explorers Series.
50th Anniversary of the Cuyahoga River Fire Staged Reading
March 16 and 17, 2019
Student Center Ballroom, Cleveland State University
Join Lit Cleveland for the third-annual staged reading at the Cleveland Humanities Festival! On the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River Fire, professional actors will perform original work by Cleveland writers addressing the infamous fire, climate change, and other topics related to nature and the environment. The performance will last about one hour, and a reception with the actors and writers will follow.
This event was co-sponsored by Literary Cleveland, Cleveland State University and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
COMPANY TOWN: A Documentary and Discussion about Environmental Injustice, Race and Power
March 18, 2019
Case Western Reserve University, Tinkham Veale University Center
What do you do when the company you work for and live near is making you sick? Company Town is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about environmental injustice, corporate accountability and community action in a rural Arkansas town. This chilling story reveals the egregious businesses practices of a company owned by the billionaire Koch brothers, government negligence and deregulation, and a devastating cancer cluster that galvanized a town to fight back. Janet Fiskio, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, will introduce the film and lead a discussion with Karen B. Mulloy of the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health.
This event was co-sponsored by the CWRU Social Justice Institute, Master of Public Health Program, Swetland Center for Environment Health, and the Oberlin College and Conservatory Environmental Studies Program.
My Path to Leadership: Ulyana Horodyskyj, Ph.D.
March 20, 2019
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, Cuyahoga Community College
Padua Franciscan High School grad Ulyana Horodyskyj, Ph.D., is the founder and owner of Science in the Wild, an adventure citizen-science company that leads immersive and educational expeditions around the world. She is also a visiting assistant professor at Colorado College, teaching courses on climate and the environment. At six years old, Horodyskyj saw her first mountains – the Swiss Alps – and was hooked. At 13, she completed a science fair project on space travel using solar sails instead of fuel, which earned her enough scholarship funding to attend college. Horodyskyj meshed her interests in the outdoors and science as a geology major at Rice University in Houston, Texas. By age 23, she had traveled to and worked on all seven continents. Horodyskyj crafted a doctoral project on glacial lakes in the Himalayas and funded her work through a combination of small grants and crowd fundraisers at the University of Colorado Boulder. In fall 2016, Horodyskyj was chosen as mission commander for NASA Johnson Space Center’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) 30-day isolation experiment, which simulates a long-duration mission to an asteroid. She was one of 120 semifinalists out of 18,354 applicants for NASA’s 2017 astronaut class.
This event was sponsored by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, Cuyahoga Community College.
Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith (UK, 2016, Stuart A. Staples)
March 21, 2019
Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque
Tindersticks, the alternative rock band that has scored six films for Claire Denis, provides new recorded music for a series of short, silent nature films made in the early 1900s by pioneering British naturalist and documentarian F. Percy Smith (1880-1945). Recently restored by the British Film Institute, Smith’s movies feature breathtaking, psychedelic time-lapse micro-cinematography of plants, insects, microbes, et al. DCP. 55 min. http://icarusfilms.com/if-minute
This event was sponsored by The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque.
Exploration and Illustration in the Art of Nature
March 21, 2019
Case Western Reserve University, Kelvin Smith Library
Before digital cameras made it easy to capture a rare bird, the tools of observation were pencils and brushes; before Google Images, scientists and students turned first to the great works of scientific illustrations. William Claspy, Head of Kelvin Smith Library’s Special Collections and Archives, will give a broad overview of scientific illustration from the 16th through the 19th centuries, featuring works from the library’s collections. Examples of these items will be on hand to view in the Hatch Reading Room of Special Collections. Reception to follow.
This event was sponsored by Case Western Reserve University’s Kelvin Smith Library.
Panel Discussion: Changing the Politics of Earth
March 21, 2019
Cleveland Botanical Gardens
Planetary-scaled environmental issues are the frame for environmentalism today. They imply that we change how we think about politics. From re-examining extractive fossil fuels, to questioning the economy of animal products, to re-organizing governance of Earth and modifying some of our central moral, spiritual, and political concepts, the politics of Earth is the context for thinking about nature today. Moderated by Jeremy Bendik-Keymer, Elmer G. Beamer-Hubert H. Schneider Professor in Ethics, panelists from the environmental humanities will discuss their work and take questions from the audience.
Questions to be addressed include: What fundamental political or social change has your work in the environmental humanities or social sciences helped you imagine, and how have the humanities or social sciences helped you imagine it? and What should non-academics be following and learning about from the environmental humanities or social sciences in coming years in order to be politically responsible on Earth? Why do you think this?
This event was co-sponsored by Holden Forests & Gardens and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
Changing the Politics of Earth: The Workshop
March 22, 2019
Case Western Reserve University, Kelvin Smith Library
As part of the Cleveland Humanities Festival, Changing the Politics of Earth joins the Thursday evening, Mar. 21st, public facing panel of the same name with an all-day workshop in the environmental humanities open to the public, “fishbowl” style. Participants will be workshopping their current practical and theoretical work to generate insights and ideas, and the public may listen-in and, when possible, ask questions.
This event was sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
Where Are Environmental Ethics Today? A Report from Editing the “Oxford Handbook of Environmental Ethics”
March 22, 2019
Case Western Reserve University, Kelvin Smith Library
From the perspective of having co-editing the Oxford Handbook of Environmental Ethics and becoming the President of the International Society for Environmental Ethics, Allen Thompson will discuss changes in the field, once a small and focused area of applied ethics, now engaging with issues central to the humanities and social sciences, even appearing in global climate governance discussions on a world stage. He will tour though several key issues and ideas discussed by some of the field’s lead practitioners today. This will set the stage for an open discussion about the role of environmental ethics in our growing awareness as we stand on the cusp of a new planetary epoch with deep uncertainties about the future of life on Earth.
This event was sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
Crossings: Crooked River Conversation on Culture and Immigration
March 22, 2019
The Magalen
Presenters:Jacqueline Gillon, Community Engagement Specialist, Western Reserve Land Conservancy; John Grabowski, Editor of the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History and Senior VP, Research and Publications, Western Reserve Historical Society; Marlys Randeau, Director, Lake Erie Native American Council; and Joe Valencic, President, National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum. On July 22, 1796, Moses Cleaveland sailed from Lake Erie into the Cuyahoga River and founded a settlement that would bear his name. In the decades that followed others would come by water as migrants or immigrants to Cleveland. The community’s location on the lake at the mouth of the river was its raison’d etre, not only accessible to new arrivals, but a critical catalyst in its economic growth throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Crossings will examine the history of immigration and migration to Greater CLE and consider how geography and natural landscape shaped and continues to shape our growing diversity.
This event was co-sponsored by XTINGUISH, West Creek Conservancy, Ohio Humanities, and National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum.
ClimateKeys Performance
March 22, 2019
Cleveland State University, Drinko Hall
Musicians and expert speakers unite to stimulate conversation about climate change.
Featuring: a 35-minute performance by Halida Dinova, is an internationally-touring concert pianist; a 15 minute talk Dr. Kevin Mueller, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences at Cleveland State University; and introductions and a moderated conversation by Dr. Alan Tartakoff is a Cell Biologist and Professor of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University.
This event was sponsored by Cleveland State University.
Is Climate Change the End? And if so, the End of What?
March 22, 2019
Case Western Reserve University, Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom A
Years ago, Bill McKibben suggested that climate change would be the end of nature. More recently, Elizabeth Kolbert has argued that the Sixth Extinction means the end of nature as we know it. Yet other scholars have argued that the term “nature” is not helpful—humans have always been modifying the world in which we live. And in The Collapse of Western Civilization, Erik Conway and Naomi Oreskes argue that liberal democracy is at stake as well. In her talk, Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, explores these issues, and suggest that however we look at it, unless we rapidly address climate change, we will be living in a world that is deeply impoverished, biologically, materially, and politically.
This event was sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf (USA, 2017, Thomas Piper)
March 24, 2019
Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque
This popular documentary explores how Piet Oudolf, the revolutionary Dutch landscape designer of New York City’s High Line and Chicago’s Lurie Garden in Millennium Park, upends conventional notions of nature, public space, and beauty itself. DCP. 75 min. www.fiveseasonsmovie.com
This event was sponsored by The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque.
Genesis 2.0 (Switzerland/China/Russia/South Korea/USA, 2018, Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev)
March 23 and 24, 2019
Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque
This provocative and unsettling new documentary focuses on the hunters who harvest valuable tusks of long-dead woolly mammoths in the thawing permafrost of the remote New Siberian Islands. It also spotlights the Russian and Korean biologists who seek to clone this extinct animal, Jurassic Park-style, from the completely preserved carcasses that are occasionally discovered. “A double-stranded helix of a real-life thriller, chilling and unforgettable.” –The Hollywood Reporter. Cleveland premiere. Subtitles. DCP. 112 min. www.genesis-two-point-zero.com/
This event was sponsored by The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque.
The Asian Carp Crisis and the Great Lakes
March 25, 2019
Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing
In labs across the country and from the Louisiana bayous to the Illinois River and the streets of Chicago, an all-out war is taking place to halt the advancement of the invasive Asian Carp into the Great Lakes. Andrew Reeves, author of Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis (March 2019) and environmental journalist Elizabeth Miller (IdeaStream) discuss the research, the resources, and the radical scientific and political shift that is needed to protect the Great Lakes and to restore our degraded rivers, streams, and waterways.
This event was sponsored by Cleveland Public Library.
Buddhism and the Natural World: Discerning an Environmental Imperative
March 25, 2019
CWRU, Tinkham Veale University Center
In his talk, Mark Blum, Professor and Shinjo Ito Distinguished Chair in Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, will first look at traditional views of the natural world in Indian, Chinese, and Japanese Buddhism, where nonhuman sentient life forms commonly appear as a legitimate voice in the unfolding of truth and the neutral view of nonsentient life and inorganic matter in India takes on greater spiritual significance as one moves eastward in Asia. Then the issue of ecology and environmental ethics will be considered in an attempt to clarify the efforts being made to infer an environmental imperative on the basis of Buddhist values.
This event was co-sponsored by the American Buddhist Study Center, Cleveland Buddhist Temple, the CWRU Department of Religious Studies, and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
The Elephant in the Room: How Animal Agriculture Impacts Climate Change, Environmental Depletion, Health and Other Critical Issues of Our Time
March 26, 2019
Clark Hall Room 206, CWRU
Presenters:
Nelli Johnson, JD
Jack McMillan, MSSA
We are all aware of, and deeply troubled by, the dire predictions of looming ecosystems collapse. We often feel powerless in the face of such an enormous crisis, all the while watching our governments continue to do little to address this urgent issue. Is there anything we ourselves can do to significantly mitigate climate change? The good news is yes there is. Animal agriculture is a leading driver behind climate change, biodiversity loss, rainforest destruction, species extinction, ocean depletion and acidification, waterways pollution, topsoil loss, and other critical environmental and societal issues facing us. Come learn more about this little-discussed topic that climate summits fail to address, and how a simple change to a plant-based diet is the single most impactful and realistic solution to our environmental crises. And that is very good news, indeed.
This event was sponsored by the Cleveland Vegan Society.
Film Screening and Discussion: INVISIBLE HAND
March 27, 2019
Mather House Room 100, 11201 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH . 44106
Invisible Hand, a documentary, focuses on a small town in Pennsylvania using local lawmaking regarding the rights of Nature to protect their community’s water supply. Film screening will be followed by a discussion.
This event was sponsored by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Is the Natural World All There Is?
March 27, 2019
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, Cuyahoga Community College
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College is pleased to welcome a pair of world-class scholars to our Eastern Campus for a dialogue on the question, “Is the natural world all there is?” Dr. Louise Antony, who will defend the affirmative position, is a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a former president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association and the author or editor of numerous books and essays, including Philosophers without Gods: Meditations on Atheism and the Secular Life. Her interlocutor, Dr. Michael Rea, is the Rev. John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His many published works include The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology and World without Design: The Ontological Consequences of Naturalism. This event will be a conversation rather than a debate. Following an overview of each speaker’s position, Dr. Antony and Dr. Rea will engage in a moderated conversation, which will include opportunities for audience members to ask questions.
This event was sponsored by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, Cuyahoga Community College.
Drawn to Yellowstone: The Role of Art in the Preservation of the American Landscape
March 27, 2019
Cleveland Museum of Art
Throughout history, art has served as an agent of change. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several artists played significant roles in efforts to preserve the wildness of the American landscape as it was being lost rapidly. The emerging conservation movement of the late 1900’s was strongly influenced by the inspiration and agency of artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, and Frederic Edwin Church. Specifically, the story of the creation of Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is inextricably rooted in the lives and works of several artists – most notably, William Henry Jackson and Thomas Moran. In his presentation, Robert Petty, MFA, Senior Director of Education, Yellowstone Forever, will explore the essential role that artists and their artwork have played in the preservation of the American landscape and wilderness, with a focus on Yellowstone National Park.
This event was co-sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities.
CIM Orchestra & Guest Conductor Andrew Grams
March 29, 2019
Cleveland Institute of Music, Kulas Hall
REPERTOIRE:
BROUWER Remembrances (1996)
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”
PERFORMED BY:
Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra
Gerhardt Zimmermann, guest conductor
Sara Daneshpour, piano, student artist
This event was sponsored by the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Map to Paradise (Australia, 2018, Danielle Ryan, James Sherwood)
March 28, 29 and 31, 2019
Tower City Cinemas
If a map to Paradise’ existed, what would this map look like? Come on a journey to discover what underwater paradise might look like and see that dreams do come true. Through a collection of character-driven sea tales, the birth of the global movement to protect the sea will unfold as a long and arduous quest. Travel from the underwater lands of ice and corals to the headquarters of the United Nations to be inspired by diverse ways of saving the sea from perils that threaten life itself. Finding paradise rests upon the dreams of individuals and nations, such as the likes of a prince, a president, a pirate and an island chief, who will show the world the magic of what a bountiful underwater paradise means for humankind. On this journey, you will visit the old wealthy fishing ports of Europe and some remote islands in Asia where an old chief sets sail to spread the knowledge of what a new world might look like, while a president shares a telling tale about a mermaid legend and you’ll meet a fisherman from a sleepy fishing village of Greece, who laments that he is the last generation of fishermen – as he says there are no fish left to fish. Meanwhile, in his neighbouring country of Italy, lives a scientist, who dreams big and beyond his time. He meets a prince, who helps him on his quest to save the ocean, while a marine biologist studying whales in Antarctica learns how to step outside of the world of science to do everything in his power to change the fate of our dying underwater world, to turn it back into a brilliant underwater paradise like it once was.Saving our ancient oceans and rediscovering the paradise humans once enjoyed is possible, but we must move quickly to enshrine the world’s big blue map.
This event was sponsored by the 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival
Crooked River Conversation: Cleveland Author Kristin Ohlson
April 2, 2019
CWRU, Tinkham Veale University Center
Celebrate 50 years of Cuyahoga River rebirth! Author of the acclaimed The Soil Will Save Us, Kristin combines culinary and science in a tale of farmers and foodies who heal our soil and save our water. Includes riveting short films about family farmers, vintners and ranchers as part of Carbon Nation, the award-winning series by director and University of Arizona professor Peter Byck. Following Kristin’s talk, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Peter Bode from the West Creek Conservancy. The panelist include:
Justin Husher, Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District
Steven Larson, Urban Farmer
Nathan Lutz, Rust Belt Riders
This event was co-sponsored by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, XTINGUISH, Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District 70th Anniversary, Bon Appetit, Good Nature Organic Lawn Care, CWRU Office of Energy & Sustainability, Lakewood Garden Center, and West Creek Conservancy and supported in part by Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.
Butterflies and Moths
March 11, March 14 and April 2, 2019
Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield, Parma and Solon Branches
Join Judy Semroc, Naturalist, Cleveland Museum of Natural History for beautiful colors, gardening tips and interesting natural history information about the butterflies and moths that can be found in Ohio. Their benefits, from pollination to animal food sources, will encourage you to invite them into your yards and gardens!
These events were co-sponsored by Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Nature in Your Glass: The Drunken Botanist
April 3, 2019
Cleveland Public Library, Louis Stokes Wing
Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet? In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries. Of all the extraordinary and obscure plants that have been fermented and distilled, a few are dangerous, some are downright bizarre, and one is as ancient as dinosaurs—but each represents a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. This fascinating concoction of biology, chemistry, history, etymology, and mixology—with more than fifty drink recipes and growing tips for gardeners—will make you the most popular guest at any cocktail party. Take a nature walk along the top shelf with author Amy Stewart and local enthusiasts of all that is the best in brews, spirits, and craft cocktails.
This event was sponsored by Cleveland Public Library.
Spectacular American Desert
March 4, March 12 and April 3, 2019
Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, Beachwood, and Middleburg Heights Branches
Travel with Gale Franko and professional artist and photographer, Alan Studt as they take you on an incredible, and sometimes unpredictable, tour of the wild and vibrant Mojave Desert.
These events were sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Exploring Cleveland’s Hidden Waterways
April 6, 2019
WRHS Cleveland History CenterThe names Kingsbury Run and Walworth Run denote decayed Cleveland landscapes. In 1820, nevertheless, such areas sustained the city’s growth. Spring-fed streams gave clean water for drinking, brewing, refining and slaughtering. Yet as they also received noxious wastes from those activities, the runs became fouled. By 1900, all of Cleveland’s small waterways were buried as sewers and forgotten. Now, even as Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River are improved, the runs languish. The tour, lead by Roy Larick, Bluestone Heights, explores the city’s hidden waterways with an eye to history and restoration. We will consider the means to re-balance natural and human demands for our place.
This event was co-sponsored by the WRHS Cleveland History Center, Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities and Cleveland Water.
Respect for Nature: An Intentional Ethical Stance
April 10, 2019
Cleveland State University, Drinko Hall
Philosopher Paul Taylor and naturalist Aldo Leopold have argued against a wholly instrumentalist view of nature, one where the value of nature and its inhabitants is entirely dependent upon nature’s ability to meet human needs and desires. This talk, by Dr. Allyson L. Robichaud, will focus on the works of Taylor and Leopold and the arguments each makes justifying the view that humans bear an ethical obligation to develop and sustain an attitude of respect for nature, and how doing so would promote positive changes for our environment. Attention will be paid to ways of advocating for attitudinal change as well as on the difficulties involved in bringing about change. While there have been improvements since the Cuyahoga River burned with some regularity, these are mostly the result of our thinking about human welfare without regard for the welfare of nature and its other inhabitants. Holding an attitude of respect for nature focuses our attention on nature, in and of itself, and thereby, our attendant obligations toward it and its inhabitants.
This event was sponsored by Cleveland State University.
Illuminating the Perils and Reflecting on the Possibilities for Birds in Urban Landscapes
April 12, 2019
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Harvey Webster, Chief Wildlife Officer and Museum Ambassador, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, presents this lecture as part of CMNH’s Explorers Series.The built human landscape presents unique challenges and opportunities for birds. Many species have successfully used building roofs as nesting habitat. Peregrine Falcons use skyscraper ledges and bridges to nest in the heart of our cities. On the other hand, glass and brightly lit buildings kill thousands of birds passing through Ohio every year. This illustrated program will explore the perils and possibilities for birds in the urban environment and how we can create more sustainable cities. The Lights Out Cleveland (LOC) program will be discussed as an outstanding local example of citizen science that furthers the conservation of migratory birds and contributes to our understanding of the composition, scale and timing of their biannual migrations. The data generated by LOC provides insight into how to make our cities more sustainable.
This event was sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and was part of their Explorers Series.
Earth Day at Windsor Woods
April 22, 2019
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Instructors: Judy Semroc, Larry Rosche, Stanley Stine and Garrett Ormiston
Join Museum naturalists on a survey of wetlands, swamp forests and buttonbush swamps at this new CMNH natural area in Trumbull County. The site boasts of bountiful habitats which could afford us some great looks at aquatic denizens, both plants and animals.
This event was sponsored by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Crooked River Conversations: River Fires and Fire Boats
April 23, 2019
Kelvin Smith Library, CWRU
Speaker: Paul Nelson, Western Reserve Fire Museum Historian
Think the 1969 fire was the only one? With the Crooked River Contrasts exhibit as a backdrop, learn the fascinating history of fifteen major fires along the Cuyahoga River, and the battles to extinguish the misconceptions about the river. You’ll also learn more about the wonderful new Fire Museum!
This event was sponsored by Xtinguish Celebration, West Creek Conservancy and Ohio Humanities.
Curator Talk: Charles Burchfield
April 23, 2019
Cleveland Museum of Art, Focus Gallery
Speaker: Britany Salsbury, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings
American artist Charles Burchfield used the landscape of northeast Ohio to express universal emotions and moods. He experimented avidly with watercolor in both his hometown Salem and Cleveland, where he attended the Cleveland School (now Institute) of Art. Learn about the period described as his “golden year” and the abstract style that defined his work.
This event was sponsored by Cleveland Museum of Art
Rural Garden Cemetery Movement
May 4, 2019
Garfield Memorial at Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery, established in 1869 with over 285 acres, operates one of the country’s most unique rural garden cemeteries featuring hundreds of varieties of trees, shrubs and lush natural areas. Some specimen trees date back to Moses Cleaveland’s arrival on the banks of the Cuyahoga River more than 200 years ago. Winding paths over rolling hills, extensive water courses and ponds, and open meadows fringed by forests- these were among the charming features that distinguished Lake View as a rural garden cemetery. Join us as we walk through parts of the cemetery to discuss the “Rural Garden Cemetery Movement”, a place for the living and how 150 years later this trend is still relevant.
This event was sponsored by the Lake View Cemetery Foundation.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival
May 16, 2019
Happy Days Lodge, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a collection of films from the annual festival held the third week of January in Nevada City, CA which is now in its 17th year! Wild & Scenic focuses on films which speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival (WSFF) was started by the watershed advocacy group, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in 2003. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of SYRCL’s landmark victory to receive “Wild & Scenic” status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. The home festival kicks off the international tour to communities around the globe, allowing SYRCL to share their success as an environmental group with other organizations.
The festival is a natural extension of the Conservancy’s work to inspire people to act on behalf of the environment. The program will be moderated by NPS Ranger Arrye Rosser, who will connect the films’ subject matter with the upcoming celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire, and the environmental legislation created as a result of this incident.
This event was sponsored by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.