FHU to Celebrate National Public Lands Week

National Public Lands Week is coming to Freed-Hardeman University beginning Sept. 19. Dr. Cliff Thompson, Dr. Jenny Johnson, and Dr. LeAnn Self-Davis have organized events to increase awareness of the nation’s public lands; the events are intended to provide a unique educational experience for both students and faculty.

The week’s activities will begin Monday, Sept. 19, with “Tennessee’s Natural Heritage” Art Show Reception and Gallery Talk. The reception will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Crews Center; the show will feature photographs by FHU faculty and staff highlighting the beauties of Tennessee’s wild places.

Also on Monday, the Black Box Theatre will host “Keeping Close to Nature’s Heart: The Writings of John Muir and Friends” at 7:00 p.m. FHU faculty members Dr. Jim Gardner and Dr. Margaret Payne will read selections from the writings of Muir, one of the patron saints of the American environmental movement, and other writers who were inspired by the nation’s landscapes.

A workshop with the theatre troupe Voices of the South will occur Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the Black Box Theatre at 3:30 p.m. A pre-performance talk will start at 6:45 p.m., with the performance of “Wild Legacy” starting at 7:30 backstage in Loyd Auditorium. “Wild Legacy” commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and is funded in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. A post-show discussion and reception will follow the performance. Free tickets to the performance are available from the FHU Theatre Office. Seating is limited.

On Thursday, Sept. 22, a brown bag dinner in the Commons will be followed by a political talk show on environmental issues entitled “Live in the Commons: This Land Is Your Land… Or Is It?” The talk show, which will feature Dr. Greg Massey and Dr. Stephen Morris, will include teachers from different disciplines. The show will be recorded by FHU communication students to air on TV 40. Thursday’s events will start at 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 24, is National Public Lands Day. National Public Lands Day, sponsored by the Department of the Interior, is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve America’s public lands. Local volunteers will be able to participate in a clean up effort at Shiloh National Military Park to help preserve this important Civil War battlefield.