2012 Speaker:
Mike Hayslett
Mike is naturalist-in-residence at Sweet Briar College and an adjunct professor of environmental science in Lynchburg. As Director of the Virginia Vernal Pools Program through Sweet Briar, Mike travels around the state teaching, consulting, and conducting research to promote the conservation of seasonal wetlands and their distinctive biota. Called "Virginia's leading veral pool expert," Mike has explored these unique environs since his childhood in the Alleghany Highlands.
The program "Ancient Gardens :: Wetlands of the Virginia Mountains" will focus on vernal pools, bogs, glades, sinkhole ponds, and other wetland habitats of the southwest Virginia Mountains, their ecological dynamics (flora, fauna, & functions), and ancient nature.