Dear Great
Lakes neighbor,
Each week we invite grassroots activists,
artists, officials, physicians, parents, young people and others to offer
insightful commentary on their Great Lakes
experiences and views. Of course, we also invite you to comment on their
thoughts!
This week, the Town Hall is pleased to
welcome Wayne Grady, one of Ontario's finest writers
and author of the recent book, The Great
Lakes: The Natural History of a Changing Region. Come visit the Great Lakes Town Hall
to read and respond to Wayne Grady’s stories and perspectives about the
Great Lakes every day this week - only in the Great
Lakes Town Hall!
About Wayne Grady...
Wayne Grady was born on the Great Lakes in Windsor,
Ontario, just south of Detroit, Michigan
in 1948. His father's family came to Windsor
from Michigan
in the 1880s, and he still has relatives in the Cassopolis area. When Wayne began writing Great
Lakes: A Natural History two years ago, he realized he'd lived his
entire life in the Great Lakes basin, and that more than any mere political
definition -- city, province, state, even country -- the Great
Lakes ecosystem is his home.
Wayne has been writing about science and nature since the
1980s. As editor of Harrowsmith,
a Canadian back-to-the-land magazine published from a small town near Kingston, Ontario,
until about 1990, he began writing and reading about nature. And it was through
nature writing that he became aware of threats to the environment. He still
believes that the best way to make readers care about the environment is to
make them care about nature, and the best way to make them care about nature is
to inform them about it. Most people do care about their environment, which is
of course their habitat, and would do something about it if they knew enough
about what is happening to it.
Wayne has written 10 books of nonfiction,
including two books about paleontology (one on the connection between dinosaurs
and birds); a book about nature in the city; books about coyotes and vultures
and a single Douglas-fir tree (which he co-authored with David Suzuki); and a
book of essays about the relationships between humans, technology and
wilderness. In all of his work, the theme has been the complex interactions
that exist between the natural and the unnatural worlds we live in.
Wayne's most recent book, The
Great Lakes: The Natural History of a Changing Region, was published
in October of 2007 by Greystone Books, and is available in fine bookstores
everywhere.
Read
and respond to Wayne Grady in the Town Hall
New
Poll on the Town Hall!
Our country, and especially the Great Lakes region, has been blessed with an incredible
array of resources that can provide us with alternative energy. The problem is
that not all energy sources are created equal in terms of impact on the Earth,
cost, and availability.
Given the plethora of energy options, where
should we start? What is the primary source of energy the Great Lakes States
and provinces should pursue, for the long term?
Take
the Great Lakes Energy Poll!
The Featured Issue…
In addition to guest speakers, the Great Lakes Town Hall
focuses on a new featured Great Lakes issue
each week, provided by co-moderators Dave Dempsey, Gary Wilson, and Brenna
Wanous. This week, Brenna explores
the potential the Great Lakes region has in
being a leader in wind energy production.
Don't miss this great opportunity to read
and comment on our featured issue - There's
a message on the breeze - and the thoughts of Wayne Grady, in the Great Lakes Town Hall all this week!
Guest speakers contribute content on a Great Lakes topic of their choice for five days. While
there are basic rules of conduct, guest speakers are unedited and diverse views
are welcome. If you are interested in serving
as a guest speaker, please reply to this email. We encourage
individuals of all ages, occupations, and opinions to participate in the
conversation.
Your Great Lakes Neighbor,
Brenna Wanous
Great Lakes Town Hall Manager
Biodiversity Project
214 N. Henry St. #201
Madison, WI
53703
608-250-9876
www.biodiversityproject.org
www.greatlakestownhall.org