21st Century Corps of Discovery
Programs on ‘documenting things of unimaginable wonder’ show exploration of natural world by ‘everyday citizens’
Feb. 5, 2007Contact Information:
Dr. Robert Wiedenmann, Head, Department of Entomology
479-575-2451 / rwieden@uark.edu
By Fred Miller, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
479-575-5647 / fmiller@uark.edu
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Scientists in Illinois have mounted a “21st Century Corps of Discovery,” engaging the public to understand and document the ecology and biology of local landscapes within their state.
Two presentations at the University of Arkansas by husband and wife team Dr. Michael Jeffords and Susan Post of the Illinois Natural History Survey will reveal how they blend science and art to learn more about the natural world while making it more accessible to the non-scientific public.
“A 21st Century Corps of Discovery — Everyday citizens documenting things of unimaginable wonder” will be presented Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Giffels Auditorium in Old Main. The department of entomology in Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the department of biological sciences in J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will sponsor the lecture.
The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas is also cosponsoring the lecture as part of its 25th anniversary of stewardship in the state.
The presentation will discuss the value of teaching nature to the public and having ordinary citizens learn to observe and document the natural world around them, particularly habitats that are undergoing restoration, said Rob Wiedenmann, entomology department head.
Jeffords also will present a department of entomology seminar, “Picturing Nature: Science, Art and Aesthetics” in the Agriculture Building, Room 332, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
The original Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark in 1804, inspired the 21st Century Corps of Discovery, Jeffords said. That expedition, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson, set out to record the landscape, flora and fauna of the vast landscape of the Louisiana Purchase.
As organized by Jeffords and Post, the 21st Century Corps is documenting fixed locations that are constantly changing. Two such groups have been organized in Illinois.
One is working in the Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve along the Illinois River, which is undergoing major restoration, Jeffords said. The other group is working in the Cache River wetlands of southern Illinois, which is also undergoing preservation and restoration.
“Our goal for these and, perhaps, future Corps of Discovery teams is simple,” Jeffords said. “We aim to engage citizens who will add a creative, aesthetic dimension to their local lands and who will contribute to the total picture of the evolving, diverse landscape that is Illinois.”
Jeffords is a senior scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, where he serves as the education and public relations coordinator. Post is a technical scientist at the Natural History Survey. Their creative efforts to translate science for the public have earned a number of national and state awards.