2011 REGIONAL URBAN WILDLIFE SYMPOSIUM AND EXPO

Prescott Public Library - Founders Suite, Tuesday October 11,  6:00 PM

                           Walt Anderson’s    

   The Call of the Wild: Are We Listening?

Join naturalist Walt Anderson for a personal look at the wildlife of Arizona, particularly in Prescott with its lakes set in the gorgeous Granite Dells.  Humans have had different impacts on our native species: some thrive in our midst, while others are but memories.  Grasslands, forests, and wetlands have all been altered, and in some cases, we have created environments (e.g., urban lakes) where nothing comparable existed before.  This program is Walt’s way of calling attention to our wild heritage, hoping that appreciation and empathy can help us consciously to encourage and support wildlife populations.

As a practitioner of experiential education, Walt encourages us to draw upon our “informed imaginations.”  In other words, it’s important that we are ecologically literate, aware of the creatures whose ranges overlap ours.  Sometimes we need to be able to take a hint, as John Burroughs said: “A hair may show where a lion is hid.” 

Walt’s stunning photos celebrate the life and lands of this mega-diverse region. 

Walt Anderson is a naturalist, artist, photographer, and Professor of Environmental Studies at innovative Prescott College in Arizona.  Formerly a refuge biologist, Walt pioneered a program of access and interpretation in the Sutter Buttes of California, the subject of two books.  He has also led nature-based and photography expeditions around the world, most recently to East Africa and Antarctica.  His writings, artwork, and photographs all are ways of sharing his passion for the natural world.  At Prescott College, where he has taught and advised for 20 years, he promotes experiential education through fostering “informed imagination.”  He is active on the Science Advisory Team for the Arizona Important Bird Areas Program, the water issues committee for the City of Prescott, the Granite Dells Preservation Foundation, and just about anywhere where he can contribute to local conservation and education.