Keynote Speaker
William “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush
William “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush, Ho-Chunk Deer Clan Tribal Member, serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) and Cultural Resources Division Manager for the Ho-Chunk Nation. As the Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Historian, Mr. Quackenbush has presented extensively on Ho-Chunk history and culture. He is invited to provide a keynote address on Friday, Nov 3rd.
Featured Speaker
Dr. Ruth Wilson
Dr. Ruth Wilson worked as an educator for over 30 years and currently works with the Children & Nature Network as curator of the Research Library. She has several published books, including Nature and Young Children, Learning is in Bloom, and Naturally Inclusive. She also co-authored Creating Quality of Life for Adults on the Autism Spectrum. Her consulting projects have included work with Sesame Street Workshop, California’s Education and Environment Initiative, and the Chicago Zoological Society. She also serves as a consulting editor for the International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education. Dr. Wilson’s focus on connecting children with nature started in the early 1990’s while she was teaching environmental education and early childhood education at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Dr. Wilson will host an interactive dialogue on Thursday titled “What is nature?” This sharing session engages participants in a discussion about what we mean by nature, the human/nature relationship, and how we present nature to different audiences. She will also provide opening remarks at The Nature Place event on Thursday evening with a talk titled “What We Yearn For/What the World Yearns For.”