Really Smart Guys Talk About Our Planet

Environmental tea leaves? Studying riverbed sediment, plant life in a wetland area, or uncovering artifacts of past civilizations give scientists a glimpse of the past to predict our ecologist future. Sharing their knowledge at the July 9 forum will be William (Bill) Mitsch, eminent scholar and director, Everglades Wetland Research Park, Florida Gulf Coast University, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University, and Brad Lepper, curator of Archaeology, Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society). "Climate change is going to be a big factor in our future. Learning the lessons of the past might help us respond appropriately to the challenges and opportunities we will face in the coming decades," wrote Brad Lepper in his June 15 article in The Columbus Dispatch." The CMC audience is invited to eavesdrop on this conversation two acclaimed scientists about how people and nature influence one another. Bill Mitsch is a "founding father" of ecological engineering. Mitsch co-laureate of the 2004 Stockholm Water Prize in August 2004 for his work in wetland ecology and restoration, ecological engineering, and ecological modeling. He was chair of the 2012 EcoSummit in Columbus where the world's greatest eco-scientists gathered to discuss repairing the world's ecosystems. He has worked all over the world, including Botswana, Denmark, China and more. Although he left Columbus a couple years ago for a position in Florida, one of his lasting contributions to OSU and Columbus is the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, Ohio's only internationally recognized "wetlands of importance," near Dodridge along the Olentangy River. Brad Lepper has written extensively for a scientific reader and "regular" folk in his bi-weekly column in the Columbus Dispatch. His research interest in the Ice-Age people and North American archeology. He is noteworthy research includes the excavation of the Burning Tree mastodon in December of 1989 and the discovery of the Great Hopewell Road. He believes that archeology offers clues about the environment with ecofacts which are equally important to researchers as the man-made tools and bits of pottery unearthed.