Land trust author signs books at Waldo Library
Jan. 7, 2004
KALAMAZOO--The author of the first book to fully examine the land trust movement in the United States will be on the Western Michigan University campus Wednesday, Jan. 14, to sign copies of that publication.
Dr. Richard Brewer, WMU professor emeritus of biological sciences, will sign copies of "Conservancy: The Land Trust Movement in America" from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Edwin and Mary Meader Rare Book Room on the third floor of Waldo Library. Copies of the book will be on sale at the event for $29.95 plus tax, and cash or check payments will be accepted.
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New book examines conserving land through land trusts
Published last year by Dartmouth College/University Press of New England, "Conservancy" examines land trusts, or conservancies, which protect land by owning it. While many people are aware of large land trusts like the Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land, there are now close to 1,300 local trusts, with more created every month. As a founding member of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy in the early 1990s, Brewer was unable to find a comprehensive detailing of where land trusts came from and how they operate. That gap prompted him to write this book.
Retired since 1996, Brewer spent 37 years as a faculty member at WMU, where he taught courses in ecology, conservation biology and ornithology. He has written or edited eight books, including "The Science of Ecology" and "The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan." Brewer has served as the president of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and the Kalamazoo Nature Center, and as chair of the Michigan Technical Committee for the Endangered Species Program (Birds). He earned his bachelor's degree at Southern Illinois University and his master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois.
Media contact: Matt Gerard, 269 387-8400, matthew.gerard@wmich.edu