Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center is proud to announce its lineup for their 2019 Dinner on the Bluff speaker’s series, now in its 15th year. University of Minnesota professors, Dr. Mark Seeley, Emeritus Professor of Climatology, and Dr. Marla Spivak, Professor in Entomology, will headline this coming year’s events.
Dr. Mark Seely will speak on The Future of Farming in the Age of Climate Change, Saturday, February 2. Seely will discuss recent climate trends and why it is important for us to understand climate change if we are to adapt our agricultural practices effectively. Dr. Seely is a former Extension climatologist and professor emeritus in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University. He is a popular speaker and has served as a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio’s Morning Edition news program since 1992.
Dr. Marla Spivak’s speech, entitled Getting Bees Back on Their Own Six Feet, will be presented on Saturday, April 6. Spivak will talk about the stressors that honey bees, and our diverse native bees, are facing and describe ways we can help them survive and thrive once again. Dr. Spivak is a MacArthur Fellow and McKnight Distinguished Professor in Entomology at the University. She founded the Bee Lab at the University of Minnesota and has bred a line of honey bees (the Minnesota Hygienic Line) to defend themselves against diseases. Current studies include the effects of agricultural landscapes and pesticides on bee health.
“Eagle Bluff is thrilled to give Drs. Seely and Spivak, national experts in their respective fields, a forum to share their expertise and insights with our community,” Eagle Bluff director, John Torgrimson, said.
Tickets for each event are $30. Each speech will be accompanied by a themed three-course dinner with a portion of the ticket price supporting Eagle Bluff’s educational programming. Doors open at 5 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring their own adult beverage of choice.
For more information on these dinners or to register, visit our website at www.eagle-bluff.org and click on the Events tab or call us at (507) 467-2437.
Have any unwanted gloves or mittens lying around? There will be a mitten drive at the February Dinner on the Bluff and a rain gear drive at the April event. All donations will go to Eagle Bluff’s gear closet which helps properly dress students for the weather during their outdoor experiences.
Eagle Bluff is a private, nonprofit residential environmental learning center, founded in 1978, providing accredited environmental education programs and outdoor adventures in the scenic bluff country near Lanesboro, Minn.
Dinner on the Bluff, now in its 15th year, is designed to give thought-leaders and experts in the environmental fields the opportunity to discuss public issues with the broader Eagle Bluff community.