Clemson University Distinguished Alumni Professor to deliver lecture during annual Hartzog event

November 1, 2021

CLEMSON — Drew Lanham, Ph.D., award winning author, poet and Distinguished Alumni Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University will deliver a call to action for considering conservation more broadly at the 2021 George B. Hartzog Jr. Lecture at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at Clemson University. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The Clemson University Institute for Parks presents the annual lecture and an accompanying awards program to showcase leading figures in the field of conservation. The lecture and awards program are named for George B. Hartzog Jr., the seventh director of the National Park Service.

As an author, poet and public intellectual, Lanham’s work addresses the confluence of race, place and nature. A conservation and cultural ornithologist, he has mentored nearly fifty graduate students, published extensively in scientific literature and taught courses in conservation biology, forest ecology, wildlife policy, ornithology and environmental literature and nature writing.

Lanham’s lecture is titled, “Our Ecology – Mercy, Mercy Me and Thinking Like a Mountain. A New and Louder Call for Considering Conservation More Broadly.”

He is an eco-social advocate, activist and progressive rural southerner intent on making a difference for his home place. His goal is to bend hearts and minds towards a more progressive region where lost cause will be remanded to memory and museums as nature stewardship expands through prisms of multiple ethnic hues. At heart, Lanham is a man in love with nature. He is a lifelong bird watcher, avid hunter, gatherer and conservationist and works to bridge his passions among the nature-loving public. His favorite birds are the ones with feathers.

Bob Powell, director of the Institute for Parks, says that Lanham’s lecture continues a long-standing tradition.

“The Hartzog Lecture Series brings park professionals and conservationists from all walks of life together to share ideas and explore topics that are critical to the future of our nation’s parks,” he says. “Drew is a visionary, and I know everyone who attends his lecture will be inspired.”

Earlier that same day, several other esteemed leaders in the field of conservation will be honored during the George B. Hartzog Jr. Awards Luncheon. Award winners include:

• Joel Berger, world-renowned conservationist, author and wildlife conservation chair in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University, will receive the Benton H. Box Award, which recognizes a leader who works to preserve the natural environment and an educator who inspires in students the quest for knowledge and encourages curriculum innovation.
• Cassius Cash, Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will receive the Walter T. Cox Award for his sustained achievement, public service, and leadership in conserving and managing public lands.
• Adam Beeco, Program Manager of Policy, Planning and Compliance in the Natural Sounds and Night Skies (NSNSD) of the National Park Service (NPS), will receive the Dwight A. Holder Award. This award recognizes outstanding work by doctoral graduates from the Clemson University parks, recreation and tourism management and forestry and environmental conservation departments.
• Marc J. Stern, professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, which recognizes sustained achievements that illuminate, provide creative insights and foster an appreciation of our natural and cultural heritage.
• Linda Lanterman, State Parks Director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, will receive the Fran P. Mainella Award for sustained and innovative achievement by a woman in the management of North America’s natural, historic or cultural heritage.

###

The Clemson University Institute for Parks (CUIP) provides research, education, training, and outreach that enhances the management of the world’s parks and protected areas. It accomplishes this by providing park and protected area managers with innovative research to support science-based decision-making; and by developing current and future leaders in the park movement by providing interdisciplinary and transformative education and training programs. The Institute currently consists of 35 Fellows and 10 Scholars working on park-related research.

Visit the CUIP website for more information about the George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards program and this year’s recipients.