UMNH Forums

Jan Nystrom on "The World Without Us"

Janet Frasier — Thur, 28 Aug 2008 15:28:11 GMT

Jan Nystrom from the Wallace Stegner Center has been reading "The World Without Us" for the upcoming UMNH Community Book Discussion as well as Alan Weisman's upcoming visit to Salt Lake City. Here is what Jan has to say about her initial reading of the book:

Alan Weismans book is a fascinating read in part because it not only addresses how ecological systems would respond if relieved of the relentless pressures we heap upon them, but also how the manmade world would come undone. Weismans chapter on the rewilding of New York City in a post-human world reads like a science fiction fantasy, although its based on solid science. In just three to four days without us and our enormous pumps, the New York City subways begin to flood and the process of restoration and destruction is underway, as streets cave in to the flooded subways, rivers return to their old haunting grounds, and animals begin to cross New York Citys various bridges into the City.

In his book, Weisman quotes the architect Chris Riddle who wrote, If you want to destroy a barn, a farmer once told me, cut an eighteen-inch-square hole in the roof. Then stand back. And indeed its the small things that undo our manmade world.

Ive been thinking about Weismans book relative to my own home, a 1939 brick tudor which seems to require constant upkeep, from flaking paint, to old pipes, to electrical fixtures that need replacing, to my dishwasher which seems (from the sound of it) to be on its last legs so its not at all difficult for me to imagine my home returning to the wild without my constant attention. On the website for Weismans book (http://www.worldwithoutus.com/), you can click on a video of the process by which a house is destroyed. Its actually fun to watch and consider what would happen without our relentless efforts to keep our artificial world going.

Im looking forward to UMNHs book club meeting on September 8 and also to Weismans upcoming lecture in Salt Lake City. Alan Weisman will speak at Libby Gardner Hall at 7:00pm on September 30 and will sign books after his reading. Tickets are $10 and are on sale through Kingsbury Hall ticket office at 801-581-7100. Or, you can get more information about his visit at the Wallace Stegner Center website at http://www.law.utah.edu/stegner <http://www.law.utah.edu/stegner> .

Jan Nystrom
Wallace Stegner Center

Forum: BookClub Forum

What IS the relationship between humans and nature?

Janet Frasier — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:26:59 GMT

What WOULD happen to the world without humans?

UMNH's mission is to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within it. In our next Community Book Discussion, we delve into that mission through Alan Weisman's thought experiment, "The World Without Us".

I have just purchased my copy and am about to start reading. The premise sounds simple: envision our Earth, without us. The WWU website states that Weisman's purpose is not to suggest that the planet would be better off with us gone. Rather, by letting us view our world apart from our myriad human distractions, he opens a conversation about what we can realistically doin the short, medium, and long termto live in balance, not conflict, with the rest of nature.

Join the conversation as we read this book and consider our place, impact and challenge within our world. I'd love to hear what YOU are thinking as you read through it!

Few other things:
- The Stegner Center is bringing Alan Weisman to the University of Utah campus for a public lecture on Tuesday, September 30! For more information, visit http://www.umnh.utah.edu/bookclub.
- You can also join this conversation or learn more about the "in person discussion group" on Facebook -- search for Utah Museum of Natural History and become a fan!

Janet Frasier
UMNH

Forum: BookClub Forum

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Eating locally & seasonally

Janet — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:06:08 GMT

Didn't get a chance to attend last night's Community Book Discussion in person? Here are some questions posed by guest facilitator, Henry Wurts, that we'd love to hear your thoughts on:

1. How do you feel about the grocery store (a.k.a. the "food system") extending "what's in season"?

2. What are your favorite local foods -- available within a 100-mile radius of Utah? What is noticeably missing from our "local food"?

3. What experiments have you done on eating locally and seasonally? What are you hoping to do next?

4. What do you with Barbara Kingsolver would have added to her book?

Thanks for sharing!

Forum: BookClub Forum

The Bear River - what does it mean to you?

Janet Frasier — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:52:16 GMT

We've been thinking a lot about the Bear River around the Museum for the past year. Last fall, we hosted "Bear River: Last Chance to Change Course", an exhibit created by the Museum's team to bring the book by the same name to life. The book and the exhibit feature the photographs and commentaries of Craig Denton, who has brought voice to the river through interviews with many of its stakeholder.

The Bear River Exhibit is now traveling through the state of Utah (see http://umnh.utah.edu/bearriver).

What experiences have you had on, in, or along the Bear River?

What does it mean to you?

Are you aware that it is intended to be damned to provide more water for metropolitan growth in our state? What does that mean to you??

Join the conversation!

Forum: Wild Times in Wild Places

What experiences have YOU had in America's wildest places?

Janet Frasier — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:48:10 GMT

The Museum's current exhibit is "America's Wildest Places" which celebrates the over one century of conservation throughout our national wildlife refuge system. The exhibit opening for UMNH Members featured amazing photographs taken by Howie Garber (http://wanderlustimages.com) throughout many national parks and refuges.

My family has a great story that we tell about a mighty windstorm that came upon us in Arches N.P. a couple of years ago. Never had we experienced such "a mighty wind" that came and left so quickly! Not all that wild, but one we certainly remember!

What experiences have you had in the wild?

What animals or natural environments have you been privileged to interact with in the wild?

Have wild places you loved as a child gone away?

What is one experience in the wild that you would want to share with your children or grandchildren?

Tell us about your wild times in the wild!

(P.S. The exhibit runs through May 26, 2008)

Forum: Wild Times in Wild Places

Have you read "Last Child in the Woods"?

Janet Frasier — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:34:45 GMT

This book hit the scene a couple of years ago and I know that several UMNH Members read the book. Some of you may have heard Richard Louv speak in Salt Lake last year?

What are your thoughts about the book?

Did you read it because you are a parent of young children or because you are concerned about this issue at a community level?

Do you agree that today's kids are suffering from nature-deficit disorder?

Do you see evidence of this in children that are in your life??

Forum: BookClub Forum

Keiter's Keeping Faith with Nature

Sarah Bennett — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:00:44 GMT

Bob Keiter's Keeping Faith with Nature should be read by anyone anyone who loves wide open spaces and cares about what happens on our public lands. Keiter is incredibly thorough in mapping out where we have been and where we are going in regards to public lands management policy. In clear, concise prose he is able to illuminate the tangle of social, political and economic forces that have buffeted the public lands debate. I strongly encourage anyone who has not yet delved into Keeping Faith with Nature to get a hold of it and read it now.

Forum: BookClub Forum

Charles Mann is coming to the U 2/25/08

Janet Frasier — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:46:07 GMT

Just received notice today that Charles Mann, author of last month's selection "1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus", will be speaking at the University of Utah on Monday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. The lecture will take place in the Olpin Union Saltair room and be followed by a book signing. Copies of the book are available at the University Bookstore and at the UMNH Museum Store. You can see more at the University Events Calendar at http://www.events.utah.edu/ Hope you get a chance to meet the author of this book we so enjoyed!

Forum: BookClub Forum

Diane Rehm show topic connected to "Keeping Faith with Nature"

Janet Frasier — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:58:59 GMT

This morning on the Diane Rehm show, she interviewed Laton McCartney, author of "The Teapot Dome Scandal". Complementary story to our current reading -- one of the times in which private and public has been in tension over natural resources. Even a connection to the Oscar-nominated film, "There Will be Blood." You can check out Diane's interview at http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/ or get there via our local station http://www.kuer.org.

Forum: BookClub Forum

Keiter's book gives an aerial view of the West

Janet Frasier — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:10:00 GMT

Though a native Californian, it wasn't until moving to Utah that I was first aware of the complex way in which land in the West was settled and parceled out. But though I've been aware, I didn't understand it. I've long wanted a "beginner's guide" to how the complex land arrangements came to be.

"Keeping Faith with Nature" it turns out, IS that layman's guide to the development of public lands in the West. It lays out the evolution of the policies in managing those lands. It illuminates the continual tension between private and public use of natural resources, between federal government and local management, between conservation and utilitarian need. It is fascinating how management policies are so intertwined by the politics and by the cultural values of various times.

"Public lands are one of the West's defining characteristics," says Keiter. Maybe that is why it took living in Utah to become curious of "public lands" and the interaction with the federal government in community life. "Approximately...29 percent...of the nation's land is owned by the federal government. The vast majority of this acreage is concentrated in the 11 western states....Give the sheer size of the federal presence in the West, the public lands and accompanying policies are dominant forces in the fabric of the region's political, economic, and social life." (Keiter again.)

I hope that book club participants have picked up Keiter's book and gotten started. I look forward to asking some questions directly to Dr. Keiter during our 3/10 session, as well as hearing how things have evolved in policy since this book was written in 2003.

Two last quotations:

"Change is coming to the West, and it is generating an unexpected degree of collaboration and commitment to resolving thorny local issues." (p. 13)

"At its core, federal public land and natural resource policy simply cannot be separated from political considerations. Without popular support, even the most enlightened theory of natural resource management will fail or wither away." (p. 12)

Now on to "Spotted Owls and Ecosystem Management"... Can't wait until 3/10!

Forum: BookClub Forum

Charles Mann is a great synthesizer!

Janet Frasier — Thur, 10 Jan 2008 19:44:23 GMT

I am really enjoying getting started in 1491, the book that we are scheduled to discuss on Monday, January 14. To be honest, I expected some dry research findings, but really enjoy that Mann is synthesizing the work and revelations of others. He has started from his own observations and points of curiosity and is then pursuing what others are learning. Enjoyable.

I look forward to the discussion!

Forum: BookClub Forum

The Omnivore's Dilemma

Janet Frasier — Thur, 20 Dec 2007 18:50:26 GMT

We read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan last summer in the UMNH Book Club. Members of Slow Food joined us for a lively discussion on the importance of local food, choice we have made and can make in our lives to improve the quality, health and ethics of the food we eat, and how the United States Farm Bill impacts our choices.

The best part of the evening was the strong food-related memories members shared. Members have come from all coasts and regions of the United States before "settling" in Salt Lake, and the food-related memories and stories were evocative, the salt of the Maryland crabs, the "squirt" of Main blueberries, the warmth of Iowa corn, and the "can still taste the sun in them" of fresh tomatoes in California's Central Valley. UMNH Book Club truly helps you share in the appreciation and understanding of the books we read by hearing the unique stories that members -- and special guests -- bring to the discussion.

UMNH Book Club was also ahead of the curve on the 2008 lecture that the Museum will present featuring Michael Pollan. I had the opportunity to hear Pollan speak at the sold-out Sundance Tree Room Author series earlier this month. He is engaging, very enthusiastic about his topic, and has meant many fascinating people along the way of finding the "perfect meal" in a fast-food world. Check out the "Nature of Things" web page to learn more about Pollan's lecture scheduled for March 13, 2008 at Abravanel Hall. Tickets go on sale January 2, 2008, and you can always call the Museum for more information.

Hope to see you all in the months ahead for another year of great discussion!

Janet Frasier
UMNH Marketing

Forum: BookClub Forum

Special Guest for the Stegner Discussion

Janet Frasier — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:51:11 GMT

Dr. Bob Steensma will be joining us for the next book club. He just wrote an interesting book on Stegner's life in Salt Lake City. It will be an interesting perspective on our reading of Stegner.

Forum: BookClub Forum