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Rachel Carson Profiled at Nature Symposium

Rachel Carson

The 32nd annual Smith Nature Symposium will feature award-winning author William Souder speaking about the life and legacy of Rachel Carson, the iconic naturalist and author of the landmark book Silent Spring, on May 16 at the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods. Illustrated with historical photographs and vintage video, Souder’s presentation at the Smith Nature Symposium describes Carson’s exceptional life and profound influence.

“The overriding reason I wanted to write this story was that I was curious about what we could learn from the life and legacy of Rachel Carson,” explains Souder. He notes that her work fueled “a bitter partisan fight that polarized the public debate about an emotionally charged environmental and public health issue with many instructive similarities to our current conversation about climate change.”

As familiar as many are with the controversy surrounding Carson’s landmark book, she remains a relatively unknown figure. “Rachel Carson was one of the most important figures of the 20th century, but today many people don’t know who she was,” says Souder.

For more information or to register for the 2015 Smith Nature Symposium, call 847-968-3308 or visit BrushwoodCenter.org.