Ruth V. Fisher Lecture Series 2009

June   July   August

• June 10      " BANJOS, BONES & BALLADS " by Jeff Warner
  

  Traditional songs, rich in local history and a sense of place, present the latest news from the distant past. They help us interpret present-day life with an understanding of the working people who built our country. Folklorist Jeff Warner sings and plays tavern songs, banjo tunes, 18 th century New England hymns, sailor songs, and tell humorous stories about traditional singers and their songs in this informative program. He has performed at festivals and toured nationally for the Smithsonian Institution, Sponsored by the NH Humanities Council.

• June 24    " THE BEAR NECESSITIES "  by Dave Anderson
  

  Somethin's Bruin in New Hampshire and seeing a New Hampshire Black Bear is always a thrill. Dave Anderson has some wild tales of bear encounters to share along with some interesting facts about NH bears. A working naturalist, Dave is Director of Education for the Society for the Protection of NH Forests. He writes a bimonthly column for the Union Leader's NH Sunday News and quarterly columns for the Society's magazine Forest Notes .

• July 8   " THE GREAT SHEEP BOOM AND ITS ENDURING LEGACY ON THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LANDSCAPE" by Steve Taylor
  

  In a brief 30-year period in the early 19 th century, the New Hampshire countryside became home to hundreds of thousands of sheep. Wool production became a lucrative business, generating fortunes and providing the only era of true agricultural prosperity in the state's history. Farmers overcame enormous challenges to make sheep husbandry succeed, but forces from beyond NH were to doom the industry, with social consequences that would last a century. Former NH Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Taylor traces this history and its impacts on NH today. Steve Taylor is a farmer, journalist and lifelong student of the state's rural culture. Sponsored by the NH Humanities Council.
  

• July 22     " WILD PLANTS I HAVE KNOWN…AND EATEN " by Russ Cohen
  
  New England is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants (some of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts) and dozens of species of edible mushrooms. Join Russ Cohen , expert forager and author, for a slide show that covers over 70 of the tastiest species the region has to offer. Russ will present information for each species on identification tips, edible portions, availability and preparation methods, plus guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. He'll also bring a foraged goodie for people to taste. is a Conservation Biologist in the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program of the NH Fish and Game Department.
  

• August 12     " CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE GREAT OCEAN CONVEYOR BELT " by Sam Miller
  
  Dr. Sam Miller , Assistant Professor of Meteorology at Plymouth State University , will review the causes and limits of natural variability in the Earth's climate over the last 800,000 years. He will discuss the current anthropogenically-induced climate change and its many possible consequences, ranging from a runaway greenhouse and hellish, Venus-like climate, to a re-creation of the Younger Dryas Event – a thousand-year ice age that occurred about 10,000 ago.


• August 26      " DON'T LET THE BAD BUGS BITE! " by Phil Alexakos
  
  Get to know your local critters and how to protect yourself and your family and still enjoy the outdoor life. Phil Alexakos, Chief of Environmental Health & Emergency Preparedness for the City of Manchester (NH) Health Department, will present historical and current discussion involving insects, arthropods and animals that affect the public health in northern New England , including mosquitoes, bats, mammals, ticks, bed bugs and cockroaches.
  

Download this schedule of programs

Programs will take place at the Nature Center ( 131 Quincy Bog Road in Rumney). All talks are free (donations are gratefully accepted) and open to the public. Talks begin at 7pm and are followed by an informal reception with refreshments. These lectures are underwritten in part by the Ruth V. Fisher Memorial Fund.

For more information, contact: programs@quincybog.org

Previous Ruth V Fisher Lecture Programs

Previous Ruth V. Fisher Lectures are in PDF format, you will need a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader, to view them.

Summer 2008
Summer 2007
Summer 2006
Summer 2005
Summer 2004
Summer 2003
Summer 2002
Summer 2001
Summer 2000
Summer 1999