The impact of climate change on life in Minnesota
Tue, May 21 2024, 10:30am
Mark Seeley
Professor Emeritus
University of Minnesota
Campus Club Fourth Floor
Coffman Memorial Union
Professor Emeritus Mark Seeley, our guest speaker for the UMRA Forum on Tuesday, May 21, is probably familiar to all of you. He has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio’s Morning Edition since 1992. He joined the U of M Department of Soil, Water, and Climate in 1978, and still serves as Extension climatologist and meteorologist, coordinating weather and climate educational programs with state and federal agencies. Perhaps you’ve heard his weather quiz from the MPR booth during the Minnesota State Fair. If so, you know that he is always entertaining and informative.
Some of you may also remember Seeley’s previous guest appearances with UMRA, in January 2017 and February 2011. We are honored to welcome him back, and look forward to another enlightening conversation with him about the weather.
Check-in starts at 10:30 a.m. and buffet lunch service at 10:45 a.m.
How does the increasing number of wildfires in Canada and the West impact Minnesota’s air quality? Does climate change mean this is the new normal? These are just two of the questions we have for him. We also want to know about other ways climate change may impact Minnesota’s weather, growing seasons across the state, agriculture, and daily life. As always, there will be time during the question and answer period for you to ask the questions that vex you.
Deep roots in Minnesota
Along with numerous academic publications, Seeley is the author of the Minnesota Weather Almanac and several children’s books on weather, writes a weekly newsletter called Minnesota Weather Talk, and helps produce a public radio science podcast. He is also active in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Literacy Program.
Although Seeley grew up in California, he has deep roots in Minnesota. His great-great grandfather served in the first territorial and state legislatures, and his grandfather farmed near Appleton, Minnesota, until 1910, when a drought forced the family to head west to start a new life.
Please make your reservation today and join us at the Campus Club in Coffman Memorial Union on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 21. Note: Check-in starts at 10:30 a.m. and buffet lunch service at 10:45 a.m.
The luncheon forum will be followed immediately by UMRA’s annual meeting, when we will welcome our new UMRA leadership and thank outgoing President Eric Hockert.
—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA President-elect and Program Committee chair
Parking: Email Diane Young to reserve parking. For a discount of $1 per hour in University parking facilities, use the QR code on the back of your UMRA membership card when exiting. Credit cards only.
Covid: UMRA policy requires all participants to be vaccinated. Masks are optional.
Cancellations: Cancellations and refunds will be honored until May 11. We are not able to accommodate registrations on the day of the event.
Upcoming Events
Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.