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February 4, 2009

ULM Friends of the Museum offers lineup of speakers for spring semester; first presentation Feb. 17

The Friends of the Natural History Museum at the University of Louisiana at Monroe invites the public to attend a great lineup of guest speakers scheduled during the spring semester.

February’s speaker is archaeologist and adjunct professor of geosciences, Diana Greenlee.

Greenlee, an archaeologist at Poverty Point Station, will deliver her presentation on “Big, Beautiful and Built: The Earthworks of Poverty Point” at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the museum, located on the third floor of Sandel Hall.

As station archaeologist, Greenlee realizes that visitors to Poverty Point State Historic Site may be a bit “underwhelmed” by the earthen architecture they see, or tend to discount items found in backyards as not being “all that special."

That Poverty Point is a National Historic Landmark, a National Monument and is one of three archaeological sites on the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List suggests otherwise, according to Greenlee, who points out “it is, indeed, a very special place.”

Greenlee, in her talk, will try to “provide a local, national and global context by which the earthworks of Poverty Point can be appreciated for the magnificent cultural achievements that they are.”

The Friends of the Museum will hold a business meeting at 6 p.m., followed by Greenlee’s presentation at 6:30.

Upcoming speakers include:

• March 17, Brian I. Crother, professor of biological sciences and assistant dean, College of Science and Technology, Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. Crother will do a presentation on “Snakes: Farces and Facts in Films.”

• April 21, Jan Hoover, research fishery biologist, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg. Hoover will do a presentation on “Postcards From the Edge: Historic Portraits of the Manta Ray and Sawfish.”

• May 19, Kelby Ouchley, retired refuge manager (retired), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ouchley will do a presentation on “Angioplasty in the Swamp - America's Largest Bottomland Hardwoods Restoration Project.”

For more information, contact ULM Professor John Carr at 318-342-1796 or email at carr@ulm.edu.

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