WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series
Local and regional experts on a variety of nature-related subjects give public talks at the Arboretum each summer as part of the WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series. Nature Connection Series talks happen on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 at the WVU Core Arboretum Amphitheater, starting in early June and continuing through late August. These talks are free and open to the public, and no registration is required. All of the talks are outdoors, so please dress for the weather. Talks will be cancelled and rescheduled if the weather is inclement. Come and join the WVU Core Arboretum nature connection crew!
2023 Calendar of Speakers and Talks:
June 20:
Tim Driscoll, WVU Department of Biology, Associate Professor:
Ticks and tick-borne diseases of West Virginia
June 27:
Chris Rota, WVU Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, Associate Professor:
Form the Central Appalachians to the Columbian Andes and back: The amazing migratory journey of the Canada Warbler
July 4:
Independence Day, no talk scheduled
July 11:
Madison Ball, Friends of the Cheat, Conservation Program Director:
Cheat River cryptids
July 18:
Bill Beatty, Wild and Natural-Nature Education and Consulting, Director:
Creature Feature: Nature investigation with exciting, nearby creatures
July 25:
Ryan Tomazin, Brooks Bird Club of West Virginia, President:
90 years of the Brooks Bird Club and 83 years of Foray: How a group of friends created one of the oldest and most unique bird research experiences
August 1:
Sandy Liebhold, US Forest Service, Research Entomologist:
Spongy moth in North America: A not well-loved but lingering visitor
August 8:
Claudette Simard, Fairmont State University, Adjunct Professor of Earth Science:
Geology of WVU Core Arboretum
August 15:
John Burkhart, WV Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program Botanist:
The West Virginia Natural Heritage Program: History, current projects, and goals for the future
August 22:
Sam Skibicki, WVU Department of Biology, Graduate Student:
An introduction to Asteraceae: Late summer asters, daisies, and sunflowers of Monongalia County, West Virginia
August 29:
Jim Thompson, WVU Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, Professor of Soils and Land Use:
Restoring red spruce in Appalachia: Why and how soils are being used to asses restoration potential and guide decision making
WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series is supported by the WVU
Department of Biology, the WVU Core Arboretum Endowment, and donations from
the public. All speakers are volunteers. Thank you to all who support the mission
of WVU Core Arboretum!