The UC Berkeley Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity hosted conservation writer Jerry Emory and National Park Service scientist Alison Forrestel last month as part of the 2023 A. Starker Leopold Lecture.
Named in honor of former Zoology and Forestry professor A. Starker Leopold and his father, conservationist Aldo Leopold, the event provided attendees a recount of the origins and innovations of science in U.S. national parks.
Emory (MA ’85 Geography) spoke about the legacy of George Meléndez Wright, BS 1927 Forestry, who he credits with making the case for science-based natural resource management of national parks nationwide. Emory’s latest book celebrates Wright’s vision and offers a historical account of a crucial period in the evolution of U.S. national parks and wilderness protection.
Forrestel (PhD ’13 Environmental Science, Policy, and Management) offered examples of how U.S. national parks utilize science to inform natural and cultural resource management. As Chief of Natural Resources and Science for Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a national park covering more than 80,000 acres surrounding San Francisco, Forrestel leads the implementation of science and management programs for landscape-scale conservation and ecological restoration.
Watch the lecture and read the full transcript in the video below.