November 2015 Speaker
Tue, November 17 2015, 11:30am
Campus Club ABC
University of Minnesota professor Craig Packer will speak at the November 17 UMRA luncheon. His topic will be “Lions in the Balance: Man-Eaters, Manes, and Men with Guns.” This is the title of his latest book, published in September. It is a chronicle of his experiences researching lions and fighting for their survival in Tanzania, indeed, of lions throughout the many lion countries in Africa.
Craig Packer is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. He first went to East Africa in 1972 as a field assistant to Jane Goodall and returned to Gombe in 1974-75 to conduct his PhD research on olive baboons. After a brief study of Japanese macaques in Hakusan National Park, he returned to Tanzania in 1978 to head the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Lion Projects. His book , Into Africa won the John Burroughs Medal in 1995, and he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.
Over the past ten years, he has served as an official member of the Tanzanian Delegation to the Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). He also founded an NGO to measure the effectiveness of Foreign Aid Projects in rural Africa. He has published over 150 scientific papers. For example: “Fear of Darkness, the full moon and the Lunar Ecology of African Lions,” “The Effects of Trophy Hunting on Lion and Leopard Populations in Tanzania;” “Group Territoriality and the Benefits of Sociality in the African Lion;” and “Sport Hunting, Predator Control and Conservation of Large Carnivores.”
In September, Professor Packer published Lions in the Balance. As a sequel to Into Africa, Lions in the Balance continues to describe his own research efforts and those of his students. It also describes their practical efforts to preserve African lions in the wild. One of his reviewers, Dr. George Schaller, the author of The Serengeti Lion, praises the book:
“The king of beasts is in trouble throughout Africa as this hard-headed, clear-eyed book makes unmistakable. Explosive human population in the lion’s habitat, conversion of wild lands into fields, corrupt government officials, unscrupulous overharvest by trophy hunters, illegal killing with gun, poison, and spear, lion bones smuggled to Asia-the litany of woe goes on and on. Craig Packer and his coworkers studied lions in the Serengeti and other parts of Tanzania…But they also took on the moral task of protecting lions and helping them endure.”
We look forward to hearing this scholar and active conservationist at our November luncheon.
— Hal Miller, past president
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.