Events

1-2 pm ET

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George Masa was a visionary Japanese photographer who, after his arrival in western North Carolina in 1915, fell in love with the Great Smoky Mountains. Masa's dedication to art and conservation helped spur the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as the creation of the Appalachian Trail. His dedication to art and conservation helped spur the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as the creation of the Appalachian Trail. While meticulously cataloging a significant number of peaks in the Smoky Mountains, Masa endured racism and discrimination in the 1920s, and then the collapse of the economy, his business, and his health in the early 1930s—while still choosing to devote himself to the preservation of the Southern Appalachians. Join Janet McCue and Paul Bonesteel, the authors of George Masa: A Life Reimagined, to learn about this mysterious yet seminal figure in forest conservation history.

Janet McCue is the coauthor of Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography, about the outdoorsman, author, and conservationist who was a close friend of George Masa. Paul Bonesteel is an award-winning filmmaker whose 2002 documentary The Mystery of George Masa revealed what was known about the photographer up until that point and helped generate renewed interest in George Masa.

1-2 pm ET

Register HERE

Founded in 1960 at the Denver Public Library, the Conservation Collection is a historic trove of published and unpublished materials accessible to the public. The collection was formed by published books and serials first collected in Arthur Carhart's personal library and has grown to reflect modern contributions such as published zines and contemporary masters theses. The collection also comprises over 200 unpublished manuscript collections. Examples include the papers of Ira Gabrielson, first director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Howard Zahniser, Executive Secretary of The Wilderness Society and author of the Wilderness Act, and Velma (Wild Horse Annie) Johnston, animal welfare activist who campaigned for federal protection of wild burros and horses. Recent acquisitions include the papers of EarthFirst! founder Dave Foreman, and Gudrun "Gudy" Gaskill, the driving force behind the Colorado Trail. Join host Jamie Lewis as he talks with Heidi Young and Abby Hoverstock of the Conservation Collection staff to learn more about the holdings and how you can access them.

Heidi Young is a Special Collections Librarian who curates the Conservation Collection's published materials. She is especially interested in exploring relationships between people, plants, and animals and seeks to understand these relationships in the context of the past, the present, and the future. Abby Hoverstock is Manager of Archival Services, overseeing a team of archivists and support staff who collect, process, and make accessible archival collections in four collecting areas (including the Conservation Collection) across two DPL repositories. She supports the team's efforts to grow and sustain a rich collection of unpublished materials with a national scope.