Dr. Graeme Wynn “Time, Place and Trees: Forest scenes and incidents in eastern North America”

Public Lecture sponsored by Institute of Island Studies as part of 'Time and a Place Conference, Environmental history of PEI Conference' Dr. Graeme Wynn “Time, Place and Trees: Forest scenes and incidents in eastern North America” Although George Perkins Marsh, sometimes called the “fountainhead” of the American conservation movement, made “The Woods” a major focus of his influential book Man and Nature, published in 1864, and Rachel Carson devoted a chapter of her landmark work Silent Spring (1962) to the environmental consequences of certain forestry practices in New Brunswick, there have been very few environmental histories of the forests that blanket much of Atlantic Canada. This presentation plunges into the forests of the Canadian Maritime provinces to sketch something of their changing form, extent, appraisal and importance through time. To provide a long view, while remaining sensitive to the diversity of this region, it focuses on trees in particular times and places (or, borrowing from the title of a nineteenth century book by Sir George Head) specific forest scenes and incidents, to argue for the signal importance of forests in the development of this area, as well as for the value of historical and geographical perspectives in the quest to understand human-environment interactions. Biography Through the four decades of his professional career, Graeme Wynn has sought to understand human transformations of the earth. When he embarked on this quest, research in this vein was seen as part of a venerable, albeit fading, geographical tradition; in recent years it has been given new impetus as "environmental history." The core of Wynn’s work has always been interdisciplinary, rooted in geography and history and engaged with the environmental sciences. Over time his early interests in eastern Canada broadened to encompass New Zealand and the rest of Canada. In each of these realms a fair part of his work has turned, in one way or another, on the histories and geographies of forest exploitation, conservation, preservation and management. Wynn’s academic writing has been directed, over the years, to both specialist scholars and the educated lay public (through such contributions as the extended chapter he was invited to write for The Illustrated History of Canada) in the conviction that it is important to communicate the fruits of academic research to an audience beyond the academy. His most recent book is Canada and Arctic North America: An Environmental History (2007). His research contributes to debate and discussion on, and understanding of, the development of European settlements overseas, the history of migration, the connections between environment and empire, and the developing field of environmental history.

“Crisis and Opportunity : The History and Future of Global FIsheries”

Public Lecture sponsored by Institute of Island Studies as part of 'Time and a Place Conference, Environmental history of PEI Conference' Wednesday 16 June Souris Theatre , 7:00 – 8:00 PM Dr. Daniel Pauly University of British Columbia “Crisis and Opportunity : The History and Future of Global FIsheries” The period following end of the Second World War saw massive catch increases, but crashes due to overfishing began to be reflected in global catch trends in the 1970s, and intensified in the 1980s and 1990s. In response, the industrialized countries of the Northern Hemisphere moved their effort toward deeper waters, and toward the coasts off developing countries, and beyond into the Southern Hemisphere. Now, this global expansion is completed, and global catch, which peaked in the late 1980s, continue to decline. Several factors act to prevent the public in developed countries from realizing the depth of the crisis fisheries are in: over-reporting by China; the fact that FAO combines declining fisheries catches with strongly increasing aquaculture production, increased consumption, in developed countries, of seafood from developing countries, and widespread denial, by governments of the gravity of the global fisheries crisis. This crisis is likely to be aggravated by global warming, whose likely effects on global fisheries will be presented. This talk will end with a discussion of some positive measures to address some of these issues, notably a refocusing on artisanal fisheries, which, as opposed to industrial fishing, tend to have features compatible with a modicum of sustainability. Biography Daniel Pauly, a French citizen, became in 1994 a Professor at the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada, following two decades of fisheries and marine research in the tropics, and university studies in Germany. Dr. Pauly has authored over 500 scientific articles, book chapters, reports and shorter contributions, as well as numerous books. These documents, mainly dedicated to the management of fisheries, to ecosystem modeling and increasingly to food security issues, are in use throughout the world, and have led to numerous scientific awards.

Dr. Harriet Ritvo “Silent Partners: Animals in Human Environmental History”

Thursday 17 June 7:30 – 8:30PM Lecture theatre , McDougall Hall, UPEI Dr. Harriet Ritvo Massachusetts Institute of Technology “Silent Partners: Animals in Human Environmental History” The history of our species has unfolded in constant relation to that of other animals, even before we began to live with them. Domestication produced enormous changes in human economies and societies, as well as in environmental conditions, affecting land use, biodiversity, and susceptibility to disease, among other things. These impacts have continued to the present time, in forms that have shifted to reflect the various cultures in which humans and animals cohabit. Beginning in the early modern period, British livestock husbandry emphasized efficiency and profitability, concerns that also characterized British culture more generally. They resulted in the improvement or intensification of strategies of both breeding and animal management, and were transmitted, albeit with significant modifications, to the British colonies in eastern North America. Biography Harriet Ritvo is the Arthur J. Conner Professor of History at MIT, where she teaches British history, environmental history, and the history of natural history. She is the author of The Dawn of Green: Manchester, Thirlmere, and Victorian Environmentalism; The Platypus and the Mermaid, and Other Figments of the Classifying Imagination; The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age; and the forthcoming Noble Cows and Hybrid Zebras: Essays on Animals and History.

Toby Elaine Vigod "Environmental Law: Are we making progress?"

Friday 18 June 7:30 – 8:30PM Toby Elaine Vigod Executive Vice-Chair, Environmental Review Tribunal Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario Chief Justice Thane Campbell Lecture: Environmental Law: Are we making progress? (abstract to come) Biography Toby Vigod is a lawyer with over 30 years experience in the field of environmental law and policy. She was Chair of the British Columbia Environmental Appeal Board and Forest Appeals Commission (1996-2000). Ms. Vigod is also a former Assistant Deputy Minister, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (1994-1996). From 2000-2004, she was on an Executive Interchange with the Climate Change Secretariat, Government of Canada. Ms. Vigod served as a Commissioner with the Commission on Planning and Development Reform in Ontario and is a former Counsel and Executive Director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association. She has taught environmental law at Queen's University, University of Toronto, and Osgoode Hall Law School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen's University.

Preston Manning - Free Public Lecture Series

Preston Manning will deliver a public lecture entitled: "Legitimating the Expression of Faith in the Public Square". Mr. Manning will share his experience with the current taboos restricting the expression of faith within the political arena, including the Canadian House of Commons. He will discuss the reasons why practising politicians fear "letting religion out of its private box" and ways and means of legitimating the expression of faith in the public square. He will also stress the importance of faith-oriented political practitioners’ learning to be "wise as serpents and gracious as doves." This event is free and all are welcome (however, space may be limited so we encourage you to come early). Preston Manning is one of Canada's most recognizable political visionaries. He has championed the cause of democratic and political reform and in the process founded two political parties -- the Reform Party and the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance -- that became the official Opposition in Parliament. Since leaving office in 2002, Mr. Manning has released a book ("Think Big"), served as a Senior Fellow of the Canada West Foundation, a Distinguished Visitor at the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto, and is currently the President and CEO of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy.

UPEI Research Breakfast

Our twenty fourth Research Breakfast will take place on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at The Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, Georgian Room, from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. It will feature presentations from two of our faculty members: Dr. Ian Dowbiggin, Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Arts will present “Reason to Panic? The History of Anxiety Disorders and Its Implications for the 21st Century”. Dr. Jason Pearson, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science will present “Unlocking the Crystal Ball Inside Your Computer”
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