Noted naturalist Dr. Ken Beattie will be our speaker at the next MVFN talk: Without Education, There Will Be No Conservation!
The Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MVFN) will present the second lecture of their new series “When a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear?” on Thursday October 16th at the Almonte United Church.
MVFN’s guest speaker will be Dr. Ken Beattie, noted naturalist and current Manager of Habitat Programs with the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Beattie will inspire with his presentation“Without Education, There Will Be No Conservation!”
Ken Beattie has applied his extensive knowledge and experience to urban habitat development, practical environmental projects, food security initiatives, and of course, education. His professional activities have spanned over four decades and extended to the four corners of the globe! Ken Beattie is renowned on the national and international stage, whether delighting audiences in lecture halls or on cruise ships with his witty and intelligent series of talks entitled The Earth’s Garden, or in presentations at horticultural shows such as Toronto’s Canada Blooms or the BC Home and Garden Show. Beattie has also been the host of award-winning television shows inspired by garden themes and in particular those focusing on wise management of the earth’s resources. He was the popular host of the live Canadian television series Get Growing.
“To walk in a forest can, and usually does evoke a deeper sense of self and one’s position within a larger scheme. Not all Canadians have the privilege or opportunity however to ‘walk in a forest’. How then do those of us who have walked in a forest, perhaps even metaphorically, synthesize or translate our experiences to others?” asks naturalist Ken Beattie. photo Pauline Donaldson
Ken Beattie completed a Niagara Parks Diploma in Horticulture at the prestigious Niagara Parks Botanical Garden. He is one of Canada’s most esteemed and approachable authorities on most if not all aspects of the plant world and on the relationship between people and plants. Beattie encourages his audiences to live in harmony with nature, even within the confines of a small urban backyard: “To walk in a forest can, and usually does evoke a deeper sense of self and one’s position within a larger scheme. Not all Canadians have the privilege or opportunity however to ‘walk in a forest’. How then do those of us who have walked in a forest, perhaps even metaphorically, synthesize or translate our experiences to others? Engagement or re-engagement with nature, urban conservation ethic, and demonstrated best practices at home, schools, offices and governments may have overwhelmingly positive effects on the next generations.”
If we were to lose a species or its habitat does it matter or is it worthy of our attention? It is imperative, now and in the generations to follow, that a much deeper sense of understanding, caring and nurturing of our relationship with nature be established such that any threat to even one species or habitat will evoke not only our attention but also effective intervention.
Join us for this talk by Dr. Ken Beattie: ‘Without Education, There Will Be No Conservation!’ The talk takes place at 7:30 pm, Thursday, October 16, 2014 at the Almonte United Church Social Hall, 106 Elgin St., Almonte, ON. Refreshments and discussion follow the talk and there is a non-member fee of $5. For further information, please contact MVFN’s Program Chair Gretta Bradley at glbradley@icloud.com. For all MVFN events, membership and other club information anytime, visit http://mvfn.ca.
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous” -Aristotle
