Bob Hamilton, Southwestern College graduate and director of The Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, will speak on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m., in the Beech Science Center room 104. There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend.

Hamilton’s speech is titled “The Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve – Ecosystem Restoration and Conservation Outreach.”

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is located near Pawhuska, Okla., and makes up the southern end of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie landscape. The Preserve consists of over 39,000 acres of prairie at different stages of restoration and maintains a bison herd of 2,700. The primary ecological goal of the Preserve is to protect and maintain the indigenous biological diversity by restoring a functional grassland landscape. Hamilton will discuss the value of the prairie ecosystem and the efforts to restore the balance of grazing and fire on the Preserve in order to support and maximize the diversity of prairie environments.

Hamilton earned his bachelor of arts degree in biology from Southwestern in 1980 and his master of science degree in biology from Emporia State University in 1986. He has dedicated more than 20 years of his life researching prairie ecosystems and prairie conservation.

For more information, contact Rick Cowlishaw at (620) 229-6162.