A Short Symposium celebrating the career of John Lichter
Thursday, April 5 4:00-5:30 PM
Kresge Auditorium

John Lichter is an ecosystem ecologist who began his research career by studying the mechanisms underlying plant succession and forest development on coastal sand dunes bordering Lake Michigan.  Since then, he has investigated the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on forest productivity and carbon sequestration with colleagues at Duke University and other institutions. After coming to Bowdoin College in 2000, he began research on the ecology and environmental history of Merrymeeting Bay and the lower Kennebec estuary. This work was expanded to link Maine’s rivers and estuaries with the nearshore marine ecosystems to better understand ecological recovery and the ecological and social constraints preventing further recovery of these once bountiful ecosystems.

With collaborators, Lichter works with undergraduate students to provide vital information for the restoration and sound management of Maine’s waterways and coastal fisheries.

This short symposium will feature talks by David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest, Harvard University; Anne Hayden, program manager, Sustainable Economies Program, Manomet and Adjunct Lecturer, Bowdoin College; and William Schlesinger, president emeritus of the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies.

A reception will follow the symposium in Lancaster Lounge, Moulton Union.