Cottrell-Baldwin Lecture Series Celebrates the Creation of the White Mountain National Forest
Join the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the NH Division of Forests and Lands at the annual Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture series on Tuesday evenings in March. This year, the Cottrell-Baldwin Lecture Series explores how New Hampshire’s scenic places and historical figures played a prominent role in the passage of the Weeks Act.
New Hampshire and the nation are now celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Weeks Act, the law that created the eastern national forests, including the White Mountain National Forest. The rugged beauty of the White Mountains inspired the passage of the Weeks Act in 1911. This law gave the federal government the resources to buy land for the purpose of protecting the headwaters of navigable rivers. Without the Weeks Act, we would not have the White Mountain National Forest today.
March 1
The Weeks Act and the Creation of the White Mountain National Forest
Forest Historian David Govatski will present a slide program describing the conditions in New Hampshire and the southern Appalachians that led to the passage of the Weeks Act, including the extensive logging in the White Mountains and the forest fires and floods that followed.
March 15
Saving the Mountains: Joseph B. Walker, Phillip W. Ayers, and the Weeks Act
Marcia Schmidt Blaine, historian at Plymouth State University, will explore the backgrounds and professional careers of these two early activists, and describe how passionate political and public advocacy led to the passage of the Weeks Act.
March 29
The Weeks Act of 1911: Leadership. Community, and Collaboration
Dr. Rebecca Weeks Sherrill More, great-granddaughter of John Wingate Weeks, will focus on how John Weeks’s New Hampshire roots influenced his commitment to public service and his ability to facilitate the successful passage of the Weeks Act.
All programs start at 7 pm in the Henry I. Baldwin Environmental Center at Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest, 309 Center Road in Hillsborough, NH.
Pre-registration is not required; contact Tina at 224-9945 ext. 313 or tripley@forestsociety.org for details and directions.
Co-sponsored by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the e Cottrell-Baldwin Environmental Lecture Series celebrates the environmental and scholarly legacy of Bill and Annette Cottrell and State Research Forester Henry Baldwin.New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands - Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest, th
Founded in 1901, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests is the state’s oldest and largest non-profit land conservation organization. Supported by 10,000 families and businesses, the Forest Society’s mission is to perpetuate the state’s forests by promoting land conservation and sustainable forestry. For more information, visit www.forestsociety.org.