Dave Foreman to be Keynote Speaker at the Appalachian Wildlands Conference in Bethesda, MD, on April 7th

Dave Foreman is one of the 100 most influential conservationists of the 20th Century and the Founder of the Wildlands Project, designed to protect and restore the ecological richness and biodiversity of North America. Dave is also the publisher of Wild Earth, a quarterly journal about conservation biology and wildlands activism. He is also the author of several books. Dave has agreed to speak at this meeting because he is excited about a wildlands recovery and restoration program in Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Region, the Appalachian Wildlands Preserve-Maryland Project.

This conference will initiate the Appalachian Wildlands Preserve Project. The purpose of this project is to reconnect forests and wildlands in Maryland to those in adjacent states to protect and restore the ecosystems of the region. The conference will bring people and groups together to share information on the need for, and methods that can be used, to restore the ecological richness and biodiversity of Appalachian forests. Other presenters at this one-day conference include, Ed Perry, Chris Bolgiano, Dave Muhly and Dr. Shumway.

Ed Perry from the US Fish and Wildlife Services will reveal the damaging effects of habitat fragmentation on a multitude of creatures including reptiles and insects. Ed's presentation is extremely valuable, and critical to work in the Appalachians.

Chris Bolgiano is an author of extraordinary books like Mountain Lion and The Appalachian Forest. Chris is cofounder of the Eastern Cougar Foundation, which has diligently recorded contacts with Cougar in the East since the 1990s.

Dave Muhly is the Sierra Club's Conservation Organizer for the Southern Appalachian Highlands Ecoregion. He will present a slide set of the Appalachian Forests, which are some of the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world. His slides reveal an ancient landscape that supports a rich diversity of wildlife and plants found nowhere else on the earth.

Dr. Shumway operates the Appalachian Environmental Laboratory at Frostburg State University. He documents 350-year-old trees that were overlooked in the logging that clear-cut the Appalachian forests in the late 1800s. His fascinating presentation includes the history of natural fires intervals in these forests, and the rare mammals found and being closely monitored today.

To attend or get more information about the Appalachian Wildlands Conference, please contact Doris Fausey at 301-949-5057, or email - Doris719@aol.com or Bob DeGroot at 301-340-8348, or email - BobDeGroot1@cs.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conference Location:
National Institutes of Health Campus
Natcher Bldg. Auditorium
I495 to Wisconsin Ave. to Middle Lane
Bethesda, MD
April 7, 2001
9:00 AM - 6 PM

Conference Enrollment:
The conference will be held at the main campus National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. The NIH Natcher Building can be reached by taking Wisconsin Ave. south (1.5 mi.) toward Washington DC from the Washington DC Beltway (I-495). The NIH campus will be on your right after passing Cedar Lane. Go right on Center Lane (3rd entrance). The Natcher Building is the first building on the right.

The conference price is $10 dollars for students and $25 per individual.

Lunch will be provided.

Please send your enrollment fee to Doris Fausey at 13109 Beaver Terrace, Rockville, MD 20853. Make check payable to MAGIC Appalachian Conference”.

Name__________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Phone__________________________________________________

Email___________________________________________________

Organization_____________________________________________