The George Wright Society has announced Charles C. Mann and Elizabeth Arnold, of NPR fame, to speak at the upcoming April 2007 conference, Rethinking Protected Areas in a Changing World. The conferece, to be held in St. Paul, is a four day event encouraging dialogue among people working or interested in protected area conservation.

Minnesota and the US has a wonderful organized system of parks and cultural sites that protect and maintain our cultural and natural heritage. As the caretakers of these protected areas, many professionals work hard in response to ever changing issues ranging from political pressures (read: the high price of the Iraq fiasco has resulted in a slashed budget for our national parks and other protected areas programs), to global warming. This conference creates a space for people to share problems and information, hear new perspectives, and contemplate critical questions about the future of protected areas.

The conference has made an effort to be a green conference by using recycled materials when possible, and organizing with a paperless conference management system. Way to go!

Although the conference is geared towards professionals, anyone interested in what’s happening to our park system and protected areas is welcome to attend. Other speakers will include Roberta Conner from the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, as well as a long list of historians, biologists, park managers, researchers, academics and field personnel from public agencies and private organizations.