Princeton ecologist to give keynote address symposium

A prominent advocate for the protection of endangered species will be the keynote speaker Sept. 29 and 30 at UW–Madison’s annual fall ecology research symposium.

David Wilcove, professor of ecology, evolutionary biology and public affairs at Princeton University, will give two free public lectures:

“Can We Really Save America’s Endangered Species?” 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 29, in 2241 Chamberlin Hall, 1150 University Ave.
“Accountability in Conservation,” 3:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, in the Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium, 816 State St.

As part of the symposium, professors from several UW–Madison academic departments will give presentations about their current ecological research from 1-3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, in the Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium. They are Cameron Currie, bacteriology; Andrea Gargas, botany; Randy Jackson and Ed Luschei, agronomy; and Jack Williams, geography. The presentations are free.

Before joining the Princeton faculty in 2001, Wilcove was a senior ecologist at Environmental Defense, a nonprofit national advocacy organization, where he focused on developing economically and environmentally sound policies for protecting endangered species. He also worked on The Wilderness Society’s successful campaign in the late 1980s and early ’90s to preserve the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.

He is the author of “The Condor’s Shadow: The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America” (W.H. Freeman, 1999), and many other scientific and popular articles on conservation biology, endangered species and ornithology.

The ecology symposium is organized by the Madison Ecology Group, composed of faculty and academic staff members from throughout the campus, and co-sponsored by the University Lectures Committee, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and many university departments.

For more information, visit the ecology group’s Web site or contact Gini Knight, the symposium coordinator, at meg@mail.ies.wisc.edu.