The Chicago area, despite its urban character, is home to significant biodiversity. Situated at the intersection of the northern boreal forest, prairie, savanna, and dune environments, Chicago is a crossroads for more than just our own species. Here the great eastern tallgrass prairies met oak-hickory woodlands as well as wetlands, savannas, swamps, and other associations, forming a complex mosaic of environments. The long history of human habitation in this region has significantly transformed local environments, but not all pre-contact environments have vanished and local efforts at restoration and conservation have begun to make a significant difference in the extent and health of indigenous plants and animals. Our logo is derived from the Hickory (Carya); local oak-hickory forests are dominated by Shagbark Hickory (C. ovata) and Bitternut Hickory (C. cordiformis).May 12, 2008
“Human Health and Biodiversity”
Monday, May 12, 2008 • 5:00pm
Biological Sciences Learning Center (BSLC) 115
Aaron Bernstein, MD '05, is a Research Associate at the Center for Health and the Global Environment and a Clinical Fellow in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. He will share from his co-edited book Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity. The bookstore will have books available at the event.
Sponsored by The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and Program on the Global Environment.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Kate Blythe (773) 702-5944.
