Public Lectures

Conservation & Community Public Lecture Series
Writers, Scientists, Conservationists, Historians Speak to the Public at NCTC

Robert Strasser

The American Chestnut Foundation

Restoring the American Chestnut Tree

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 7:00 pm

Byrd Auditorium

National Conservation Training Center

Shepherd Grade Road

Shepherdstown, WV

Co-Sponsored by The Friends of the NCTC

The Speaker and Presentation:

On Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 7:00 pm, Robert Strasser of The American Chestnut Foundation will present an illustrated lecture, “Restoring the American Chestnut Tree” in the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV.

The American chestnut, Castanea dentata, was once the dominant and most abundant hardwood species in many of the forests of Eastern North America. Following the accidental introduction of a parasitic fungus from Asia a century ago, a disease pandemic spread throughout the historic range of the tree and reduced its presence in our forests to a relic of its former greatness. Still it survives, and still the blight persists, trapped in an ongoing and tragic disease cycle that prevents the trees from maturing to the great statures of past years.

The American Chestnut Foundation has been working since 1983 to restore this tree to its former place in our Eastern Forests. Their plan involves a systematic breeding program to preserve the surviving genetic diversity of the native species, while incorporating the disease resistance found in Asian chestnuts. This hour long presentation will describe the human and natural history of chestnuts, illustrate the blight pandemic and its aftermath, and describe how restoration is being pursued by scientists today.

Robert Strasser is a native of Maryland who has been involved in chestnut restoration since 1998. He helped establish and manage the first backcross chestnut orchard in the state, on Catoctin Mountain at the Merle Thorpe Charitable Trust. Since 2005 he has advanced chestnut restoration regionally as a research associate of the biology department at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. This work involves conducting the controlled pollinations that enable the incorporation of surviving American chestnuts into the backcross breeding program of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). It also involves planning, planting and managing the many research orchards that are vital to the success of this effort. In 2007 he began working with the Virginia chapter of TACF as well, where two new research orchards were established in the Spring of 2008. Mr. Strasser earned his MS in Environmental Biology from Hood College in 1998, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the biology department of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 1988. In his free time he enjoys making ceramics and exploring out of doors.

The talk is free and open to the public. The NCTC is located at 698 Conservation Way along Shepherd Grade Rd. in Shepherdstown, WV 25443 approximately 70 miles west of Washington and Baltimore. No tickets or reservations are required. For more information on the series please visit: http://training.fws.gov/history/publiclectures.html
or contact Mark Madison (Mark_Madison@fws.gov; 304 876-7276).

Upcoming Speakers and Events
Martin Wach
Children's Author and Speaker
"Introducing Children to Nature Through Books"
Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 7:00 pm

Rollin Thurlow
Filmmmaker, Outdoorsman
"Winter Walk"
Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 7:00 pm

J.B. Ruhl
FSU College of Law
"Climate Change and the Endangered Species Act"
October 2, 2008 at 7:00 pm

Eleventh Annual NCTC Open House
Wildife, Nature, and Conservation for Families
October 18, 2008 from 10-4 pm

Sixth Annual American Conservation Film Festival
The world's best conservtion films and filmmakers.
November 6-9, 2008

Archive of Previous Speakers
Click Here for More Detailed Directions to NCTC


This web page is maintained by:
Mark_Madison@fws.gov