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Bethany Land Trust Announces Fall Program

Bethany Land Trust is pleased to announce that author and professor, Tom Wessels' will return to Bethany on October 27th, 2006 for another terrific slide presentation. This presentation is based on Tom's book, "The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite". It will examine the unique qualities of exposed glaciated domes of granite that can be found in many of our northern mountain ranges. Major topics include the origins of granite, how it weathers into dome-shaped mountains, the patterns by which granite bedrock becomes cloaked in lichens, moss and heaths through outcrop succession, and how disturbances such as fire keeps these domes perennially exposed.

The second half of the program explores the natural history specific to the granite domes of Acadia National Park, New Hampshire's White Mountains, New York's Adirondacks, Wyoming's Wind Rivers, Montana's Beartooths, Washington's North Cascades, and Yosemite National Park. After the program Tom's books will be available for purchase and Tom will be available to sign books.

Tom is the author of "Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England and "The Granite Landscape: A Natural History of America's Mountain Domes, from Acadia to Yosemite"

Tom is a professor of Ecology and founding director of the Masters Degree Program in Conservation Biology in the Department of Environmental Studies at Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire. He is former Chair of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation which fosters environmental leadership through graduate fellowships and organizational grants. He has conducted workshops on the natural history of landscapes throughout the United States for more than 25 years. When not traveling or teaching, Tom spends his time with his family in Westminster, Vermont exploring the woods around their home.