The Accidental Ecosystem

The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities with Peter Alagona

Thursday, July 20th, 6:30pm
Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library
40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA

Since World War II, cities in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and parts of East Asia have attracted unprecedented numbers of wild animals even as many wildlife populations have declined or been decimated in other “wilder” ecosystems. Most American cities, in particular, now have more wildlife in and around them than at any time in their history. How did this happen? And what does it mean for people, wildlife, cities, and even nature itself on our increasingly urban planet?

Join local author Peter Alagona as he explores these questions. Peter is a professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UCSB. Before arriving at UCSB, he studied at Northwestern, UCLA, Harvard, and Stanford. He is the author of around 5 dozen articles and 2 books on American environmental history and human relations with wildlife, including his most recent book, The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities. He is also the founder and facilitator of the California Grizzly Research Network, which conducts research on the past and potential future of brown bears in California.

This free presentation is part of the Trail Talks series hosted by the Santa Barbara Public Library.

The next talk in the series is Thursday, August 17th, 6:30pm, The Natural and Political History of the San Rafael Wilderness with Jeff Kuyper and Bryant Baker