Chicago Botanic Garden

for immediate release

Free Public Lectures

Sponsored by Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School
of the Chicago Botanic Garden

 

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (Nov. 30, 2007)—The Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden will host free public lectures in 2008 to give potential students a chance to discover the School's offerings. Lectures will be held in the Alsdorf Auditorium of the Regenstein Center. Registration is required. Call (847) 835-8261, or visit the Garden’s Web site at www.chicagobotanic.org/school.

The schedule includes:

Kris Jarantoski, "History of the Chicago Botanic Garden" – Sunday, February 24 at 1 p.m.
Jarantoski, executive vice president and director of the Chicago Botanic Garden, will give a history of the Garden, as he has witnessed it for the past 30 years.

Sally A. Kitt Chappell, "Chicago's Urban Nature" – Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m.
Chappell will talk about her book, Chicago's Urban Nature: A Guide to the City's Architecture + Landscape. Book signings will follow.

Gus Speth, "Red Sky at Morning" – Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
Speth, dean and professor of environmental policy and sustainable development in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University, will talk about his book, Red Sky at Morning, offering new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world. Book signings will follow.

Galen Gates, "Plant Exploration: China and Beyond" -- Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m.
Gates will talk about his recent trip to China to study and collect plants which tolerate conditions similar to our own Midwestern climate.

Joel Greenberg, "Voices of the Land" – Sunday, June 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Greenberg will give insights from his book, A Natural History of the Chicago Region. Book signings will follow.

Victor Cassidy, "Henry Chandler Cowles, Pioneer Ecologist" – Saturday, September 27 at 1 p.m.
Cassidy will talk about his book on Henry Chandler Cowles, an ecologist, botanist, teacher and conservationist who, at the end of the 19th century, studied the sand dunes landscape that rings the southern and eastern shores of Lake Michigan. Book signings will follow.

###

Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Melissa Schuler at (847) 835-6829 or at mschuler@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. The Garden is also breaking new ground in urban horticulture and jobs training through a 15-acre project in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago called Windy City Harvest. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.