The Arboretum’s long-running Winter Enrichment series offers lectures for naturalists in the greater Madison area as well as for volunteers, friends, and community members.

2021 Winter Enrichment Lectures

During this year’s series, you will hear about innovative approaches and cultural perspectives that address environmental challenges. The 2021 lectures will be virtual on Thursday mornings, February 4 through April 8, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Lectures are $10 each and advance registration is required. Talks will begin promptly at 10 a.m. (CST).

Most lectures will be recorded. A link to view the recording will be available to registered participants only. Recordings will be available for one week after the talk. If a lecture will not be recorded, it is noted in the event listing below.

The Research Symposium will take place February 18 and, as always, is a free event (registration required for 2021 virtual symposium).

2021 SERIES

Registration opens January 4.

February 4
Relationships, History, Hip Hop, and Forestry: Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion in the Environmental Sciences. Thomas Easley, Assistant Dean of Community and Inclusion, Yale University, Yale School of the Environment. Register by January 31.

February 11
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation. Robin Kimmerer, Distinguished Teaching Professor, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York. Register by February 7.
NOTE: This lecture will not be recorded.

February 18
Arboretum Research Symposium. Students, faculty, and other researchers will present findings from projects on Arboretum lands and in the Lake Wingra watershed. Free. Register in advance. The Research Symposium will be 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. About the Arboretum Research Symposium»

February 25
How Microbes Shape Our Lives, Transform the Environment, and Influence Climate Change. Charlotte Francoeur, Ph.D. Student, Department of Bacteriology, UW–Madison. Register by February 21.

March 4
Holy Ground: Working with Faith and Indigenous Leaders to Build Resilience. Dekila Chungyalpa, Director, Loka Initiative, Center for Healthy Minds, UW–Madison. Register by February 28.

March 11
Beyond the Clinical Walls: Environmental Determinants of Health. Jamie Ferschinger, Director, and Stephanie Mercado, Neighborhood Revitalization Coordinator, Department of Environmental Health, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. Register by March 7.

March 18
Climate Change and Wisconsin’s Forests: What We Know, What We Expect, and How to Adapt. Stephen Handler, Climate Change Specialist, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Register by March 14.

March 25
Treaty Rights, Culturally Important Beings, and Indigenous-led Climate Adaptation in the Ojibwe Ceded Territories. Robert Croll, Policy Analyst and Climate Change Program Coordinator, and Hannah Panci, Climate Change Scientist, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Register by March 21.

April 1
Using Markets to Achieve Conservation: Examples from the Field. Dominic Parker, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics, UW–Madison. Register by March 28.

April 8
Climate Change, Reality versus Development: Global South and Worldwide Perspective. Marie-Josée Paula Houénou, specialist in climate change and environmental law and strategies, and city advisor, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow at UW–Madison. Register by April 4.