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Connecticut College professor to speak about the importance of large nature reserves Nov. 7

October 15, 2007

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Robert Askins, the Karla Heurich Harrison ´28 Director of the Goodwin-Niering Center for Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies at Connecticut College, will give a lecture about the importance of large nature reserves at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Ernst Common Room in the college´s Blaustein Humanities Center.

Askins´ "Conservation Across Landscapes: The Importance of Large Nature Reserves," will be the first in the 2007-2008 endowed chair lecture series at the college, sponsored by the Office of the President and the Dean of the Faculty. The talk is free and open to the public.

Askins, who specializes in ornithology, animal behavior, ecology and environmental studies, is nationally recognized for his research of the ecology of migratory birds and the impact of forest fragmentation on their populations. His talk will explore some general patterns that have emerged from his research, with particular emphasis on how habitat fragmentation affects the abundance and diversity of birds. His studies of habitats as different as Japanese deciduous forests and New England salt marshes have led to remarkably similar conclusions about conservation of natural diversity.

Among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 41 states, the District of Columbia and 75 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 86-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.

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For more information contact: Amy Sullivan (860) 439-2526; amy.sullivan@conncoll.edu