CORRECTION: The sponsor of the lecture series is corrected (see below) . . .
With the jury (grand and otherwise) still out on whether the Orange County Great Park is a sustainable project–fiscally, environmentally, popularly–the Great Park Conservancy Corporation tonight launches a free natural history lecture series dedicated to sustainable living.
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The lineup for the series, which is held in the Great Park Conservancy Room, follows:
Thursday, April 8, 7 p.m.
“The Role of Plants
in Urban Ecosystems”
Presented by Professor Diane Pataki, UC Irvine
What are the environmental benefits of urban
green space? What species are best to plant? Can we plant trees and
save water at the same time? Learn about research that measures plant
physiology, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions from backyards,
parks, and street trees.
Thursday, April 22, 7 p.m.
“Dangerous
Liaisons? When Cultivated Plants Mate With Their Wild Relatives”
Presented
by Professor Norm Ellstrand, UC Riverside
People
have genetically changed the plants we use for food and fiber for
thousands of years. New scientific techniques have produced plants
whose genetically “engineered” traits are spreading to nearby wild
plants. Learn about this topic, so central to the Great Park
agricultural and ecological missions.
Thursday, May 13,
7 p.m.
“Citrus Goes Global”
Presented by Dr. Tracy Kahn,
UC Riverside
Citrus is so important in
California's agricultural heritage. The University of California,
Riverside has one of the most extensive living collections of citrus in
the world with over 1,000 different types. The extraordinary diversity
includes “something old, something new, something borrowed, and
something blue.” Come “taste” the diversity!
Thursday, June 10,
7 p.m.
“Amphibians and Reptiles of Southern California”
Presented
by Bradford Hollingsworth, Ph.D., San Diego Natural History Museum
Frogs,
salamanders, lizards, snakes, and turtles… How did geological forces
affect the development of these incredible animals? Learn about their
amazing biodiversity and forces that shape their lives. In addition,
our region's diverse topography and numerous ecosystems allow for the
evolution of new species.
Directions to the Preview Park and other information about the series is
available at the Orange
County Great Park website, OCGP.org.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.