BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Henry L. Ferguson Museum - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://fergusonmuseum.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Henry L. Ferguson Museum REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260816T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260816T170000 DTSTAMP:20260511T072550 CREATED:20260331T133647Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T133647Z UID:38379-1786896000-1786899600@fergusonmuseum.org SUMMARY:From Glaciers to Gardens: How Earthworms Shaped Northeastern Forest Soils DESCRIPTION:Join us at the Museum for an illustrated talk by Annise Dobson\, Associate Research Scientist at Yale University\, who will share how the history of earthworms in North America has been shaped by ancient glaciation\, centuries of human-mediated introductions and spread\, and multiple waves of biological invasion.\nThis talk traces that history from the post-glacial forest assembly absent of earthworms and spread of European earthworms through agriculture\, logging\, road building\, horticulture\, and fishing bait. We then examine contemporary invasion of jumping worms\, and how different earthworm groups reshape habitats by accelerating leaf-litter breakdown\, altering soil structure and nutrient cycling\, and changing conditions for seeds\, seedlings\, and fungal communities. Finally\, we consider how earthworm impacts interact with other stressors such as invasive plants\, overabundant deer\, and climate-driven shifts in temperature and moisture\, and we outline practical steps for reducing spread and supporting conservation and management goals. \nWHEN: Sunday\, August 16\, 2026\nTIME: 4-5 p.m.\nPLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom \nAnnise Dobson is the Director of Research Programs\, Associate Research Scientist\, and Lecturer in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and the School of the Environment at Yale University. She grew up on a farm in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario\, Canada\, and completed her PhD at Cornell University. Her research focuses on plant-soil interactions and the ecosystem-level impacts of invasive species. Her work investigates the cascading effects of jumping worms on forest health\, from the soil food web\, up to the seedling layer\, and beyond. Dr. Dobson is passionate about translating scientific discovery into practical land management guidance and is actively involved in outreach to help land managers and the public understand and respond to this pressing ecological threat. \nPHOTO CREDITS: Grant Dobson URL:https://fergusonmuseum.org/event/from-glaciers-to-gardens-how-earthworms-shaped-northeastern-forest-soils/ CATEGORIES:Illustrated Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fergusonmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/earthworm_1455_Grant-Dobson.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T170000 DTSTAMP:20260511T072550 CREATED:20260403T210833Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T102651Z UID:38423-1787500800-1787504400@fergusonmuseum.org SUMMARY:Evolving Landscapes: Olmsted\, Design\, and the Arnold Arboretum DESCRIPTION:Join us at the Museum for a richly illustrated talk by William (Ned) Friedman\, Director of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University\, who will take us on an exploration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s design legacy embodied at one of his most renowned and best-preserved landscapes: the Arnold Arboretum.\nWhen: Sunday\, August 23\, 2026\nTime: 4-5 pm\nPlace: At the Museum\, 2nd floor and virtual\, via zoom\nSpace is limited\, registration is required. \nWe will learn about the design history of the Arboretum\, from its origins under Frederick Law Olmsted to decades of evolution that involved contributions by the Olmsted Brothers\, including lessons learned in modern times about how to manifest their visions in our contemporary world. \nNed will also share how a groundbreaking\, 19th-century collaboration between the City of Boston and Harvard University gave birth to the Arnold Arboretum\, which is today a world-leading scientific research enterprise dedicated to the study of woody plants\, and a crown jewel in Boston’s Emerald Necklace – a public park that is free and open 365 days a year\, fulfilling Olmsted’s vision of making the natural world accessible to every person\, no matter their background. This talk will connect past to present\, culminating in a reminder that we can learn from legendary designs and also make them relevant for our times. \nPlease note related event\, “Tour of Olmsted Brothers’ landscape design being restored at East End” – all are invited to join RoAnn Costin and William (Ned) Friedman\, Director of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum\, Saturday\, August 22\, 2026 for a tour of her property\, “Rose Nest”\, which she is restoring to the original Olmsted Brothers landscape design. Registration required. \nWilliam (Ned) Friedman\, an evolutionary biologist who has done extensive research on the origin and early evolution of flowering plants\, has served since 2011 as the eighth director of the Arnold Arboretum. He is also a tenured professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. \nAs leader of the nation’s first public arboretum\, Ned has positioned the Arnold Arboretum to confront current world challenges by redoubling the institution’s commitments to public health\, free access to programming and the beauty of the landscape for all citizens\, and global change mitigation projects. His vision for what a twenty-first century arboretum can and should be is fueling the largest redesign of horticultural and visitor infrastructure in the landscape since the Arboretum’s founding\, as well as forging a significant commitment to advancing environmental equity and climate change scholarship. \nFriedman’s academic research has focused on patterns of plant morphology\, anatomy\, and cell biology. He has been acclaimed for his discovery of a new type of reproductive structure in an ancient flowering plant that may represent a critical link between flowering plants and their ancestors. Friedman also has a keen interest in the history of science\, particularly the intellectual history of evolutionism. He has designed and taught courses on the life and work of Charles Darwin and other historical figures and lectured on the subject at natural history museums and other venues. \nAs a botanist who has devoted his entire career to studying the evolutionary diversification of plants\, he feels privileged to have the opportunity to steward\, promote\, and share the extraordinary botanical and horticultural resources of the Arnold Arboretum with students\, scholars\, and millions of annual visitors. \nHe is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of California\, Berkeley\, and taught at the University of Georgia and the University of Colorado before joining Harvard University and the Arnold Arboretum. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Olmsted Arboretum Design\n \n \n \n \n \n Arboretum Bussey Hill\, Lilac Collection photo by Jon Hetman\n \n \n \n \n \n Arboretum Kent Field\, Conifer Collection\, Autumn photo by Ned Friedman URL:https://fergusonmuseum.org/event/evolving-landscapes-olmsted-design-and-the-arnold-arboretum/ CATEGORIES:Illustrated Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fergusonmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/arnold_arboretum_Oak-Collection-Fall_Ned-Friedman_34568.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260830T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260830T170000 DTSTAMP:20260511T072551 CREATED:20260331T201450Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T191332Z UID:38385-1788105600-1788109200@fergusonmuseum.org SUMMARY:The Blue Humanities: Reimagining America’s Maritime History DESCRIPTION:Join us at the Museum for an illustrated talk by Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany\, State University of New York\, Christopher L. Pastore\, who will give a fast-paced tour through America’s maritime history and explore how and why sea stories have changed over time.\nDuring the early twentieth centuries maritime topics drew considerable interest\, but by the second half the ocean’s past had fallen from favor. More recently\, historians\, geographers\, and literary scholars have breathed new life into salty subjects\, filling shelves with books organized around the idea of the “blue humanities.” Intended for fishermen\, sailors\, and beach combers alike\, this lecture explores why the field has faced this ebb and flood—and provides a winter reading list in the process. \nWHEN: Sunday\, August 30\, 2026\nTIME: 4 p.m.\nPLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom \nChristopher L. Pastore \nChristopher L. Pastore is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany\, State University of New York\, where he teaches courses in environmental history\, early America\, and the Atlantic world. He holds a Ph.D. in American History and M.S. in college teaching from the University of New Hampshire\, an M.F.A. in nonfiction Creative Writing from New School University\, and a B.A. in Biology from Bowdoin College. He is the author of Temple to the Wind: The Story of America’s Greatest Naval Architect and His Masterpiece\, Reliance (Lyons Press\, 2005) and Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England (Harvard University Press\, 2014). He is currently writing an environmental history of the Atlantic world with working title of A Thousand Thousand Slimy Things: A Natural History of the Sea from the Bottom Up. \nPHOTO CREDIT: Winslow Homer\, Boys in a Dory\, 1873\, Public domain\, via Wikimedia Commons URL:https://fergusonmuseum.org/event/the-blue-humanities-reimagining-americas-maritime-history/ CATEGORIES:Illustrated Lecture ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fergusonmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Winslow_Homer_-_Boys_in_a_Dory_WC.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR