In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signed into law The Wilderness Act instantly creating a definition of wilderness and establishing 9.1 million acres of protected land in the United States, of which over 200,000 acres were in Oregon. Today, over 109 million acres of wilderness have been established nationally. Central Oregon residents and visitors benefit greatly from the outdoor and economic activities derived from nearby wilderness areas such as The Three Sisters Wilderness and The Badlands and others.
The City Club forum and expert panel of speakers will discuss the unique aspects of wilderness areas, in particular the elements of the “high desert” in which we live and recreate and, what can be done to enhance this natural treasure and protect it for future generations.
SPEAKERS:
• Brent Fenty, ONDA
• Dana Whitelaw the new ED at the High Desert Museum
Dana Whitelaw has worked in wildlife conservation and education settings for over 20 years. She received her MA and PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder focusing her work on the ecological strategies of ring-tailed lemurs in southwestern Madagascar. Her work there, supported an expansion of a reserve, doubling its size. Before finding her way to the museum world, she taught in both informal and classroom education settings from pre-kindergarten through the college level. A native Oregonian, Dana has been at the Museum for over 6 years and recently took the Executive Director position. She also serves on the boards of the Western Museum Association, the Central Oregon Visitor’s Association, and the Childrens’ Forest of Central Oregon.
Brent Fenty is a native Central Oregonian who first worked for ONDA as a Wildlands Coordinator from 2000-2003 and returned in 2007 to serve as the organization’s Executive Director. During his time with ONDA, Brent has worked on a number of projects including the implementation of the Steens Mountain Wilderness, a citizen’s wilderness inventory of millions of acres of unprotected wilderness, and efforts to designate the Badlands and Spring Basin as Oregon’s newest desert Wilderness areas.
His life and work experiences have included working as a research assistant at the United Nations, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, working as a community development coordinator at Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, and volunteering for the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. Prior to returning to ONDA in 2007, Brent worked as an Environmental Scientist on various water quality, fisheries, and aquatic restoration projects.
Brent received his undergraduate degree in International Studies and Environmental Science from Willamette University and a Master’s of Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University.
Register: http://cityclubco.org
