The Center for Great Plains Studies will host its 50th annual conference focused on regional issues April 8-10 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
With millions of acres of range and cropland, the Great Plains might not seem like a wild place, but there is much to learn from remaining pockets of wildness and the efforts to protect and restore the region’s landscape.
“Wild Great Plains” will examine what wild areas mean to human visitors and residents, covering topics such as the restoration of bison herds, Indigenous-led environmental practices, grassland animals, urban wilderness, psychological aspects of nature, nature art, and the human connection with wildness. Alongside panel sessions, the conference will feature experiential workshops on wildlife photography, mindfulness in nature, prairie plant and animal identification, and nature journaling.
The interdisciplinary conference will explore the human connection with wild places through the lenses of natural resources sciences, art, history, culture and psychology. The event combines keynote presentations, panels, workshops and a Great Plains dinner experience and is meant for the general public, scholars, students, business owners, community leaders and lifelong learners.
Presentation information, a schedule and tickets are available here.
Featured keynotes:
- Michael Forsberg will speak on his journey documenting whooping cranes in the region. Forsberg is a Nebraskan whose 30-year career as a photographer and conservationist has been dedicated to wildlife and conservation stories in North America’s Great Plains, once one of the greatest grassland ecosystems on Earth.
- Ferin Davis Anderson will discuss how stewarding a place can lead to cultural revitalization within a community. Anderson is the co-author of “Wildfire: The Culture, Science and Future of Fire,” a book exploring the science of wildfires, the history of fire in the U.S. and the relationship Indigenous people have with fire. Anderson is an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Ojibwe/Anishinaabe/Mitchifs in North Dakota. Anderson’s talk is free and open to the public without a ticket, funded by event sponsors.
- Corina Newsome will speak about how harms exacted against diverse human communities have had cascading impacts on biodiversity and ecologies across the continent and how those same communities hold the keys to a just, biodiverse and equitable future where all people — and the diversity of life — can thrive.
- Brandon Cobb will give an overview of The Nature Conservancy's work in restoring buffalo to tribal lands in partnership with the Intertribal Buffalo Council and Tanka Fund. Attendees will learn about the cultural relevance of buffalo, the impacts buffalo have on prairies and the conservancy’s efforts to support the transfer of buffalo from the conservancy’s preserves back to Native lands. Cobb joined the organization as an Indigenous partnerships program manager in 2022.
Conference funding is provided by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and the following UNL entities: the School of Natural Resources, Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, Cather Project, Office of Research and Innovation, Department of Ethnic Studies and Faculty Senate Convocations Committee. The conference is presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis.
