CMNH Conservation Symposium Focuses on Reconnecting With Nature

Fri 9/6 @ 9AM

Most people understand that spending time in nature is restorative. How many times have you gone for a walk in the woods or just spent some time in a garden smelling the flowers and watching the bees, and come away feeling more peaceful and grounded?

The theme of this year’s Conservation Symposium at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is “Reconnecting with Nature: A Prescription for Better Health.” It will look at how we’ve become disconnected from nature and what the impact of that is on our physical, mental and emotional health.

Keynote speakers are Dr. Kathleen Wolf, a research social scientist at the University of Washington, whose research explores the health benefits of nearby nature; and John Henderson, executive director of the nonprofit Park Rx America, which advocates for health-care professionals to prescribe nature as part of patient care.

Check-in starts at 8am; the museum’s ambassador and chief wildlife officer Harvey Webster offers a welcome at 9am. At 9:15, Wolf will speak on “The Roots of Success: How Nearby Nature Nurtures and Heals.” Retired state botanist and “avid birder” Jim McCormac will talk on “Conservation Photography: Connecting the Masses with Nature” at 10:15, and at 11am there’s a panel on “Empathy and Entanglement: Rethinking Conservation Strategies.”

After a lunch break from 12-1:10pm, there’s an short awards presentation for Conservation Educator of the Year. Afternoon sessions include “Maybe We’re Not Doomed After All,” by Henderson, “Black Swamp Bird Observatory: Encouraging, Educating and Empowering Our Youth Conservation Leaders” by BSBO staff, “Remembering Joy: Reconnecting Adults With Nature” by Carrie Elvey of the Wilderness Center, and “Discover-Explore-Connect: Using Historical Records to Re-connect with Nature” by CMNH’s Skye Kaminski-Powers.

The symposium adjourns at 4pm. Registration fee for the day is $20, or $38 with lunch. Check-in starts at 8am; the museum’s ambassador and chief wildlife officer Harvey Webster offers a welcome at 9am.

cmnh.org/conservation-symposium

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106

 

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