9:30 – 10:30 ENVIRONMENT Presidents’ Hall
Alternate Futures for Minnesota Forests in a Changing Climate
Speaker: Lee E. Frelich, Director, The University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology and Fellow, Institute on the Environment
Minnesota has boreal forest (conifers, birch and aspen), temperate forest (maple, oak and basswood) and grassland biomes. Although this makes the state a very interesting place, it also means that our forests are susceptible to replacement by grasslands as the climate warms, with dramatically different future scenarios possible, depending on the magnitude of warming.
10:45 – 11:45 PUBLIC POLICY Presidents’ Hall
Reproductive Health in 2020 and Beyond
Speaker: Lauren Gilchrist, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
From state abortion bans to the United States Supreme Court, reproductive health care is under threat today in ways we haven’t seen for decades. Gilchrist will present an overview of current reproductive health issues in Minnesota, our region, and nationally, as well as thoughts on the path forward.
11:45 – Noon ANNOUNCEMENTS
12:00 – 1:15 LUNCHEON
1:15 – 2:15 HEALTH Presidents’ Hall
Herbal Medicine and the Oxymoron of the Dangerous Placebo
Speaker: Erica Fargione, Herbalist and Educator
Herbal medicine is an intrinsic part of global healthcare. Why then does the United States healthcare system assume that herbs are either dangerous or placebos? What do we lose when we no longer interact with nature and the plants to heal and support health? Herbalist Fargione will share stories of her herbal practice illustrating the value of adding herbs to healthcare.
Fargione is a practicing herbalist and educator from Minneapolis. She has been studying and practicing herbal medicine for the past 23 years and currently teaches the nation’s first accredited Herbal Studies program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, bringing nature’s apothecary into the college curriculum.