Nevada Wildlife Federation

NvWF Lecture Series -
The Nevada Wildlife Federation Brings the World to You

The Nevada Wildlife Federation "Brings the World to You" lecture series began in 1996 with ambitious goals and two exciting programs. Our goals were to educate the public on the beauty and fragility of our natural world and to build upon a major theme of recent Earth Day celebrations: to "Think Globally, Act Locally." An informed public who understands and appreciates our environment will presumably better be able to understand and protect a natural world that appears to be becoming smaller and more interlinked everyday. Advances in communications and transportation are major factors. While we cannot physically transport our citizenry to all parts of the globe to see for themselves what is occurring on our earth, we can bring distinguished speakers to Las Vegas to communicate their images and experiences of Planet Earth. The two lectures in 1996 were sponsored by the Howard Hughes Corporation and the University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV) Environmental Studies Program. The lectures were free and targeted towards families.

NvWF Brings the World to You:  Mission to Planet Earth

Our first lecture occurred on February 15. NASA shuttle astronaut Thomas Jones provided information on NASA’s "Mission to Planet Earth" with his personal accounts, slides, and video of our planet from space. Dr. Jones became an astronaut in July 1991 and flew as a mission specialist on successive flights of space shuttle Endeavor in 1994. He had logged over 22 days (539) hours in space.

In addition to the lecture at UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Hall, Dr. Jones made several appearances on local television stations and in local schools.

 

NvWF Brings the World to You:  Lessons of the Rainforest

Our second lecture, "Lessons of the Rainforest", occurred on Sunday, May 5 at UNLV’s Artemus Ham Hall. Modern-day explorer Charles Haskell, CEO of New Century Conservation Trust, told of his expeditions throughout the world. His most notable expeditions were in the Amazon where he retraced the journeys of Theodore Roosevelt on the Rio Roosevelt river and in Africa where he followed in the footsteps of Stanley and Livingston. Both expeditions had been featured in one-hour documentaries for PBS’s New Explorers series.

 

Future Lectures

Sponsors are being sought to continue the lecture series. Programs awaiting funding include:

• the threat to our world from an impact with a comet or asteroid
• the status and behavior of mountain lions in the West
• wild otters, our natural world, and principals of wildlife photography

If you are interested in supporting the Nevada Wildlife Federation and its lecture series, please let us know.