December 21, 2001

Contact: Janet Wiseman

802-443-5710

jwiseman@middlebury.edu

Posted: December 21, 2001

MIDDLEBURY,

VT -Mike

Dombeck, chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1997-2001 and director

of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from 1994-1997, will give a talk

titled “The Big Ten Conservation Challenges for a New Century: Where

Do We Go from Here?” at Middlebury College on Monday, Jan. 14, at

7.30 p.m. The event, the Scott Margolin Environmental Affairs Lecture,

will be in Dana Auditorium in the Sunderland Language Center on College

Street (Route 125). It is free and open to the public.

According

to Middlebury College Director of Environmental Studies Chris McGrory

Klyza, Dombeck’s tenure as chief of the Forest Service was an illustrious

one, during which he worked to refocus the agency’s mission on the health

of the nearly 200 million acres that it manages in national forests and

grasslands. His efforts included a specific focus on protecting roadless

areas, restoring and improving the health of watersheds, developing a

sound fire policy, and creating sustainable forest management.

“When

Dombeck outlines the 10 critical natural resource issues of the next century,

his list - ranging from mining law and loss of biodiversity to off-road

vehicle use and the incalculable value of water - will surprise some and

enlighten others. He provides a serious, thought-provoking challenge to

all, but with an air of optimism and hope,” said Klyza.

Dombeck

is currently the Global Environmental Management Pioneer Professor and

University of Wisconsin System Fellow of Global Conservation at the University

of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, his alma mater. In addition to his bachelor’s

degree in biology and general science, Dombeck also has a master’s in

biology and education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point,

a master’s in zoology from the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate

in fisheries biology from Iowa State University.

The

Scott Margolin Environmental Affairs Lecture is organized and sponsored

each year by the environmental studies program at Middlebury College.

The lecture, like the program

itself, takes an interdisciplinary approach to the environment and human

interaction with nature. The lecture series began in 1989, and in 1999

was named in honor of Scott Margolin, a member of the Middlebury College

class of 1999 who died in 1996. Past speakers have included former Vermont

Governor Madeline Kunin, nature writer Terry Tempest Williams, former

president of the Society for Conservation Biology Dr. Reed Noss, and environmental

historian Dr. William Cronon.

For

further information, see the

Program in Environmental Studies Web site featuring the Scott Margolin

Environmental Affairs Lecture or contact Janet Wiseman of the environmental

studies program at 802-443-5710 or jwiseman@middlebury.edu.