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Northland College hosts guest speaker on Rewilding the Apostle Islands

April 13, 2012

James Feldman, Ph.D., will explore the connection between humans and nature in the next Hulings lecture at Northland College on Monday, April 16. He will offer his presentation "Rewilding the Apostle Islands: Rethinking Humans' Place in Nature" in the Sentry Room of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at 6:30 p.m. The event, another offering in the Northland College Community Connections series, is free and open to the public.

Feldman is an author and associate professor of history and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Feldman's presentation will reflect key points from his book "A Storied Wilderness: Rewilding the Apostle Islands."

"Wilderness in the Apostle Islands is deeply layered with stories. Changing social and cultural conditions led to the creation of the national lakeshore and defined its boundaries; histories of logging and farming shaped the modern forest of each island; escaped garden plants mark the home sites of long-departed fishing families," writes Feldman. "Each story contributed to the rewilding of the islands, to the return of wilderness characteristics in ways continually informed by both natural and cultural processes. To understand - and to protect - this wilderness, we need to recognize the role of both elements."

Feldman argues that the history of places like the Apostle Islands and the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness offer the opportunity to rethink humans' place in nature. He examines the paradox of how human activity has come to be equated with the loss of wilderness. At the same time, Feldman explores how cherished wild places have been preserved and protected by nature advocates.

"His presentation will bring into sharp focus the intersections between ecology, preservation, economics, cultures and politics in the creation of rewilded landscapes," says Clayton Russell, holder of the A.D. & Mary Elizabeth Andersen Hulings Chair in the Humanities at Northland College.

This Hulings lecture event is sponsored in part by a grant from the Apostle Islands Historic Preservation Conservancy, The ECHO and the A.D. & Mary Elizabeth Andersen Hulings Chair in the Humanities at Northland College.

The Apostle Islands Historic Preservation Conservancy promotes the preservation, enhancement, and appreciation of the historic and cultural resources of the Apostle Islands region. The ECHO is a northern Wisconsin newspaper dedicated to chronicling the history of the Lake Superior region and Wisconsin.

The A.D. & Mary Elizabeth Andersen Hulings Chair in the Humanities was established in September 1990 to support a senior scholar in the humanities. The endowment funds promotion and strengthening of the Humanities at Northland College.