Free Brown Bag Lecture Series

Tea Fire pic  
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Brown Bag Lecture Series

Fire and Chaparral:
The Myths, the Reality, and the
Balancing Act
Friday, January 30, 12:00 p.m.
Blaksley Library
Free Admission

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will present the first of its Brown Bag Lecture Series of 2009 on January 30 at 12:00 p.m. in the Blaksley Library.  Director of Research Dr. Bob Muller will talk on Fire and Chaparral.  This free lecture will address issues relating to the wildland/urban interface, chaparral as an important and dynamic ecosystem, and its recovery following fire.
 
According to Dr. Muller, at least fifty of the 109 endangered plant species in Santa Barbara County occur in chaparral, including some found only in the foothills above Santa Barbara.  His talk will discuss ways of reducing the risk of fire while being sensitive to the unique and important ecosystems in our region, while cautioning against and avoiding illogical and impractical steps that are often taken regarding vegetation.
 
Dr. Muller received his PhD from Yale University in plant ecology.  He spent 24 years in the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky where he taught dendrology, forest ecology, and ecosystem analysis of forestry.  Muller is currently the Director of Research at the Botanic Garden and is the author of Trees of Santa Barbara.
For more information, contact (805) 682-4726, or online at
 
http://www.SantaBarbaraBotanicGarden.org