Activities:
1. Joyce Wilding's Science & Religion: Renewal of
Reverence monthly programs have reflection and education aspects. She uses
her resources developed in her national programs as Episcopal Ecological
Network liaison to Episcopal Science, Technology and Faith Network. Joyce
hosts invited guests who speak to college and community groups.
2. A Core Group comprised primarily of faculty and students
meets monthly during the academic year to consider various aspects of the
science/religion dialog related to local issues involving ethics and the
environment.
3. Annual Symposia are presented in the Springs of 2005 and 2007. Invited speakers present lectures and participate in round-table discussions. The speakers and other guests meet with students and faculty, either informally or in classes, and offer workshops on topics related to the Symposia themes.
March 8-9, 2007 Sewanee ENTREAT Conference
WATER For Life Ð Conserving Water for People & Nature
Thursday March 8 in Gailor Hall
3:30 - 4:30 PM Water Crisis & Sustainable Development
The Rev. Canon Jeff Golliher , Ph. - Environment and Sustainable Development Associate with the Office of the Anglican Observer at the United Nations, former Canon for Environmental Justice and Community Development at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan.
Break
4:45 - 5:45 PM Water Rights and Dynamic Water Policies
Roberta (Robbi) Savage - former Executive Director of Association's of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA), one of the most creditable and recognized associations dealing with water issues in the United States.
Dinner Break
7:30 - 8:30 PM Water & Spirit: Wisdom for Thirsty World
The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald - former Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Alaska, now the Anglican Church of Canada's first National Indigenous Bishop and assisting bishop of Navajoland Area Mission with the Episcopal Church.
8:30 Ð 9:00 PM Panel Wrap Up
How Science and Religion Groups Work Together To Preserve Our Waters
Friday March 9 - Hargrove Auditorium in Hamilton Hall
Sewanee's School of Theology (SOT)
Colloquium at 9 AM
Baptism, Water, and the Local Church
Noon Eucharist at SOT - Chapel of Apostles
Sewanee Conference Host: Dr. Francis Hart
4. Special Programs of interest to the local and regional communities are sponsored by ENTREAT.
Thursday, September 15, 2005: ENTREAT sponsors a public, panel discussion in Blackman Auditorium from 7:30-9:00 p.m. on "Environmentally-Sensitive Residential and Recreational Development at Sewanee: Scientific and Ethical Issues". The panel (Robin Gottfried, Bran Potter, Ken Smith, Jon Evans and Jim Peters) discuss the Regents proposal to develop some University land for housing and recreational use by alumni and friends of the University. The purpose of this program is to inform the community about this proposal and to encourage reasoned discussion of the issues involved.
Included in the presentation are an analysis of recent changes in land-use patterns on the Cumberland Plateau, a description of the proposed Lake Dimmick site for the development, and a discussion of the biological and physical features of the site.
A detailed summary of the presentation was published in the Sewanee Messenger.
Friday, September 23: ENTREAT cosponsors "Envisioning the Future of the Cumberland Plateau: Land Use Change and Public Policy", a workshop for state officials and leaders of the southern Cumberland Plateau. This meeting is the first of three workshops organized in collaboration with The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Tennessee Technological University. The purpose of these workshops is to bring together land-use decision makers at the local, county and state levels for dialogue about the future of the Cumberland Plateau. The project's overarching aim is to consider what tools are, or could be, available for shaping the future in accordance with residents' values and desires, and to encourage innovative action in response to community needs. Following the preliminary workshops conference organizers will meet in Nashville for a round-table with high-level state officials to discuss the information gathered during these meetings.
More information about this project is available.
Thursday, February 9: ENTREAT sponsors a public presentation at 4:30 p.m. on in the Large Lounge of the Bishop's Common entitled "Communities With Long-Lasting Environmental Stewardship" by Dr. Ron Carroll.Ê Dr. Carroll is a Professor in the Institute of Ecology at The University of Georgia and Co-Director of the River Basin Science Center. He is a coauthor of the popular textbook "Principles of Conservation Biology", which is used at Sewanee. His research interests include the relationships between managed and natural ecosystems, plant-animal interactions as they influence forest regeneration, and invasive species.
Dr. Carroll discusses the importance and the difficulties of working with communities to achieve long-lasting environmental stewardship. He talks about the Center's Choco-Andes Corridor Project in Ecuador and a similar community-based program in the southeast United States. Two of the top five most important biodiversity hotspots in the world are in this region in Ecuador. That project also emphasizes strengthening local ecotourism and improving gender equity. In the southeast project the Center has initiated a large community-based program to help local citizens and elected officials make better decisions for protecting their land and water. The Ecuador and southeast projects are tied together through an envionmental program called Our Shared Forest.The mission of the River Basin Center is to integrate science and policymaking at an international, national and local level by (i) Strengthening understanding of the relationship between land use and water resources through research and policy analysis; (ii) Communicating academic research and policy analysis by faculty and students via presentations, publications, web development, and direct service work; (iii) Enhancing cooperation among academic disciplines, government agencies, community groups, businesses, and citizens toward the protection of aquatic and terrestrial resources. For more information visit its website http://www.rivercenter.uga.edu/
September 14, 2006: ENTREAT sponsors a visit to Sewanee by Laurie Fowler,an alumna of the College and an environmental attorney. She has a joint appointment to the Institute of Ecology and the School of Law at the University of Georgia. She is the Director for Policy of the River Basin Science Center and heads the Public Service and Outreach faculty at the Institute of Ecology. A main feature of his visit is a public presentation at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 14 in the Large Lounge of the Bishop's Common entitled "Aquatic Habitat Conservation: Cutting-Edge Science Combines With Reverence For Life". Laurie will describe the development of a habitat conservation plan to protect imperilled fish species while allowing development to continue in this fast-growing, politically-conservative region of Georgia.