Arboretum grounds are open. The Visitor Center will be closed until further notice. Please join us for upcoming virtual events. COVID-19 updates»

  • Thursday, February 4

    Relationships, History, Hip Hop, and Forestry: Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion in the Environmental Sciences
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Thomas Easley, Assistant Dean of Community and Inclusion, Yale University, Yale School of the Environment. Fee: $10. Register by January 31.

  • Friday, February 5

    Nature Poetry
    Virtual Class

    10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    This two-class session samples modern nature poetry, covering poets from Gary Snyder to Joy Harjo to Evie Shockley. We will consider human relationships with nature and then address contemporary topics such as the psychological benefits of nature, sustainability, and biodiversity loss. This is an appreciation class but we may also share writing. Session is two classes, February 5 and 12. Instructor: Troy Hess. Fee: $15 for session. Space is limited. Registration required by January 31.

    Register for this event ($15)

  • Thursday, February 11

    Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Robin Kimmerer, Distinguished Teaching Professor, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York. Fee: $10. Register by February 7. NOTE: This lecture will not be recorded.

  • Thursday, February 18

    Arboretum Research Symposium
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Students, faculty, and other researchers will present findings from projects on Arboretum lands and in the Lake Wingra watershed. Free. Register in advance.

  • Friday, February 19

    Nature Poetry
    Virtual Class

    10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    This two-class session samples modern nature poetry, covering poets from Gary Snyder to Joy Harjo to Evie Shockley. We will consider human relationships with nature and then address contemporary topics such as the psychological benefits of nature, sustainability, and biodiversity loss. This is an appreciation class but we may also share writing. Session is two classes, February 19 and 26. Instructor: Troy Hess. Fee: $15 for session. Space is limited. Registration required by February 14.

    Register for this event ($15)

  • Thursday, February 25

    How Microbes Shape Our Lives, Transform the Environment, and Influence Climate Change
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Charlotte Francoeur, Ph.D. Student, Department of Bacteriology, UW–Madison. Fee: $10. Register by February 21.

  • Tuesday, March 2

    Writing Your “Marshland Elegy”
    Virtual Class

    6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

    An elegy acknowledges sorrow and loss. Aldo Leopold eloquently used the elegiac device in the essay “Marshland Elegy." In this two-part class, we will interpret Leopold’s elegy through the contemporary lens of unprecedented loss of species and ecological diversity. The first class will cover topics and in the second we will share short written pieces. Session is two classes, March 2 and 9. Instructor: Troy Hess. Fee: $15 for session. Space is limited. Registration required by February 25.

    Register for this event ($15)

  • Thursday, March 4

    Holy Ground: Working with Faith and Indigenous Leaders to Build Resilience
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Dekila Chungyalpa, Director, Loka Initiative, Center for Healthy Minds, UW–Madison. Fee: $10. Register by February 28.

  • Thursday, March 11

    Beyond the Clinical Walls: Environmental Determinants of Health
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Jamie Ferschinger, Director, and Stephanie Mercado, Neighborhood Revitalization Coordinator, Department of Environmental Health, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. Fee: $10. Register by March 7.

  • Thursday, March 18

    Climate Change and Wisconsin’s Forests: What We Know, What We Expect, and How to Adapt
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Stephen Handler, Climate Change Specialist, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Fee: $10. Register by March 14.

  • Thursday, March 25

    Treaty Rights, Culturally Important Beings, and Indigenous-led Climate Adaptation in the Ojibwe Ceded Territories
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Robert Croll, Policy Analyst and Climate Change Program Coordinator, and Hannah Panci, Climate Change Scientist, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Fee: $10. Register by March 21.

  • Thursday, April 1

    Using Markets to Achieve Conservation: Examples from the Field
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Dominic Parker, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics, UW–Madison. Fee: $10. Register by March 28.

  • Thursday, April 8

    Climate Change, Reality versus Development: Global South and Worldwide Perspective
    Winter Enrichment Virtual Lecture

    10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

    Marie-Josée Paula Houénou, specialist in climate change and environmental law and strategies, and city advisor, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow at UW–Madison. Fee: $10. Register by April 4.