- In the past decade years, I have presented over 200 lectures and keynote addresses at public libraries, museums, professional societies, nature centers, science and gardening clubs, and educational institutions. For a full listing of my lecture topics, click here.
- For a listing of my past lecture venues from 2004 to earlier this year, click here.
- To join my free Natural History Newsletter subscription list, drop me a line at raywiggers@nheg.org.
LECTURE TOPICS
(Other, "customized" talks on related themes are also offered)
- Coal Swamps, Coral Reefs, and Continental Glaciers: A Look at Prairie-State Geology
(A geologist's travelogue of Illinois, based on my popular book Geology Underfoot in Illinois. Unjustly branded as a flat and boring place, Illinois is in fact full of scenic and scientifically significant locales that teach us much about our planet's history.)
- Geology at the Local Level
(Exploring your region's landmarks and geologic origins; check with me at rwauctor1@cs.com about the regions I cover.)
- Glaciers to Wildflowers: How Illinois' Living Landscape Came to Be
(A mere twenty thousand years ago, much of northeastern Illinois was a forbidding ice desert. This talk explores how, at the end of that glaciation, the Prairie State's landscapes, soils, and plant communities evolved into their present forms. An overview of significant pre-Ice Age events is also included.)
- Wisconsin's Living Landscapes: Dramatic Change through Time
(Today, the Badger State boasts a remarkably broad spectrum of native plant habitats -- from boreal forest in its northern reaches to a host of species adapted to prairie, savanna, woodland, sand-barrens, and rare cliff-dwelling communities. This lecture explores how this ecological diversity and the soils that help to define it have been shaped, changed, and challenged by the vast geologic forces -- most notably, the Quaternary Ice Age and human activity.)
- Our Ever-Changing Earth
(How modern geology has revolutionized our view of our planet: a look at the combination of catastrophic events and slow but powerful forces that shape our world's landscape, interior, and atmosphere. Includes a discussion of plate tectonics theory, earthquakes, tsunamis, climate change, and impact events.)
- A Geologist's View of the Solar System: A Trip to the Moon and Other Planets
(Featuring the evolution and landscapes of our solar system, seen from a planetary-science perspective. Includes images from US and European space missions.)
- Ancient Life of Illinois: The Past Revealed in Our Fossil Record
(The geologic and biologic history of Illinois, as revealed in the fossil record -- from marine invertebrates of the Ordovician sea of half a billion years ago, to the luxuriant, equatorial coal swamps of the Pennsylvanian period and to the massive "megafauna" mammals of the modern Ice Age.)
- Architectural Geology of the Chicago Region
(The interplay between architecture and stone, soils, and sediments is an intimate one, and Chicagoland is the perfect place to explore this fascinating connection. This presentation includes a look at the ornamental stone used on the Windy City's most famous landmarks, and also covers the imposing engineering challenges of anchoring skyscrapers in the region's treacherous lakebed sediments.)
- The Living Skin of the Earth: A Look at Our Region's Soils
(The story of soils -- how they develop, deteriorate, and affect the lives of each one of us -- is one of the most surprisingly engaging stories in all of natural history. This presentation includes a look at Illinois' justly famous prairie-derived soils, and also discusses the link between soils and the habitats that both create them and are adapted to them.)
- The Greening of the Earth: 500 Million Years of Plant Evolution
(The saga of the rise of a great kingdom of life. Touching upon earlier forms of photosynthetic life -- from cyanobacteria to complex marine algae, and continuing with the plants' humble origins on land half a billion years ago. The development of all the major groups of plants, from low-growing mosses to giant conifers and flowering plants, is discussed in this particularly photogenic talk.)
- Discovering Cultivated Orchids
(For the lover of indoor plants, there is no reward or addictive pleasure that outdoes growing tropical orchids. Long unfairly stigmatized as very difficult to grow in the home environment, these representatives of the largest plant family on Earth are in fact often surprisingly easy to maintain and flower. This talk describes the most reliable selections and provides plenty of time-tested cultural tips.)
UPCOMING PUBLIC LECTURES
Note: If you are currently enrolled in the Natural History Exploration Guild education program, or are interested in learning how your participation in the lectures listed below will earn you credits towards Guild Naturalist certification, please visit www.nheg.org.
- Zion-Benton Public Library
- Galena/Jo Daviess County Historical Soc.
- Gardeners of the North Shore
- Will County Audubon Society
- Science Faculty, Adlai Stevenson H. S.
- Hyde Park Historical Society
- Racine Geological Society, Wisconsin
- Homer Township Public Library
- Ela Area Public Library, Lake Zurich
- Chicago Rocks and Minerals Society
- Lake Villa District Library
- Severson Dells Nature Center, Rockford
- Carol Stream Public Library
- Palatine Public Library
- Prospect Heights Public Library
- Midwest Museum of Natural History
- Grayslake Public Library
- State Microscopical Society of Illinois
- Vernon Area Public Library
- Palatine Historical Society
-Stephenson County Historical Society
- Calumet City Public Library
- Hanwakan Foundation, WI
- Mighty Acorns Annual Meeting, Indiana
- Geneva Public Library
- Messenger Public Library, North Aurora
- DeKalb Public Library
- Shorewood/Troy Public Library
- Algonquin Area Public Library
- Oswego Public Library
- Plainfield Public Library
- Cary Public Library
- Friends of Indian Boundary Prairies
- Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
- Calumet City Public Library
- Aurora Public Library, West Branch
- Aurora Public Library, Eola Branch
- Greeley Elementary School, Winnetka
- Indian Prairie Public Library, Darien
- Spring Valley Nature Center, Schaumburg
- Fremont Public Library, Mundelein
- Rock Valley Wild Ones, Rockford
- Root River Wild Ones, Racine, Wisconsin
- Des Plaines Historical Society
- Volo Bog State Natural Area
- Southeast Wisconsin Freethinkers
- Elgin Public Museum
- Homewood Historical Society
- Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Lake Villa
- South Holland Public Library
- Naperville Public Library, Naper Branch
- La Grange Park Public Library, IL
- Northwest Cook County Sierra Club
- Southeastern Wisconsin Sierra Club
- LaSalle Public Library
- Park Ridge Public Library
- Last Updated 4 June 2008 -
MY PAST LECTURE VENUES, FROM 2004 TO THIS YEAR
(venues are in Illinois unless otherwise stated)
-Sunday 24 February 2008. 1:00-2:30 p.m. Glaciers to Wildflowers: How Illinois' Living Landscape Came to Be. A free public talk hosted by the Starved Rock Foundation, at the Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center, Utica, IL. For more information, call the Visitor Center at (815) 667-4906.
- Monday 10 March 2008, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Shall We Gather at the River: Environmental Challenges in the Chicago Region.A public talk ($10 fee) hosted by the Oakton Community College Emeritus Program's Chautauqua 2008 Series, at Oakton Community College, Roy Hartstein Campus, 7701 N. Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, IL. For more information, call the library at (847) 635-1414.
- Thursday 20 March 2008, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Geology at the Local Level: Kendall County, Illinois. A public talk hosted by the Little White School Museum, 72 Polk Street, Oswego, IL. A small fee will be charged; for costs and more information, contact the Museum at (630) 554-2999.
- Wednesday 16 April 2008, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Coal Swamps, Coral Reefs, and Continental Glaciers: A Look at Prairie-State Geology.A free public talk hosted by the Cary Area Public Library, 1606 Three Oaks Road, Cary, IL. For more information, contact the library at (847) 639-4210.
- Tuesday 13 May 2008, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Our Ever-Changing Earth. A free public talk hosted by the Downers Grove Public Library, 1050 Curtiss Street, Downers Grove, IL. For more information, contact the library at (630) 960-1200.
- Wednesday 21 May 2008, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Ancient Life of Ilinois. A free public talk hosted by the Lake Villa District Library, 1001 E. Grand Avenue, Lake Villa, IL. For more information, contact the library at (847) 356-7711.
- Thursday 29 May 2008, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Discovering Cultivated Orchids. A free public talk and orchid-care clinic hosted by the Ela Area Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail, Lake Zurich, IL. For more information, contact the library at (847) 438-3433. Bring in your own orchid for tips on care and problem diagnosis.
- Thursday 12 August 2008, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Our Ever-Changing Earth. A free public talk hosted by the Elmhurst Public Library, 125 S. Prospect Avenue, Elmhurst, IL. For more information, call the library at (630) 279-8696.
- Saturday 23 August 2008, time to be announced. Ancient Life of Illinois.A public talk as part of the annual meeting of the Hanwakan Center, at Marsh Haven Nature Center, Horicon Marsh, WI. For more information, contact Herman Bender at ashco@charter.net.
(In addition, other talks for membership-only organizations are scheduled.)
