The life of legendary explorer and early conservationist John Wesley Powell will be addressed by prominent historian and award-winning author Donald Worster in a lecture at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Monday, March 19.
Worster, a distinguished professor at the University of Kansas, will discuss his new book, "A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell," the first major biography of the famous explorer in almost 50 years.
Worster's talk will be followed by comments from CU-Boulder faculty members Lynn Ross-Bryant of religious studies, Cathy Cameron of anthropology, Douglas Robertson of geological sciences and Patricia Limerick of history.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Old Main Chapel. The sponsor is the CU-Boulder Center of the American West. A book signing and reception will follow in the Heritage Center.
In addition to his epic journey down the Colorado River in 1869 that made the Grand Canyon known to the world, Powell also was one of America's first and most influential conservationists. His attitude toward American Indians also was highly sympathetic and humane for his time, Worster writes.
Worster is the author of eight other books, including "Rivers of Empire" in 1985, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and "Dust Bowl" in 1979, which won the Bancroft Prize. He is one of the pioneers of environmental history and has lectured throughout the United States and in Africa, Asia, Europe, Canada, Central America and Australia.
For more information call the CU-Boulder Center of the American West at (303) 492-4879 or visit the Web site at .