Amazing Earthfest

Learn from University of Utah researcher Nalini Nadkarni, whose ecological research career on tropical and temperate rainforest canopies spans four decades, how the plants, animals, and microorganisms that dwell 100 feet above the forest floor represent “the last biotic frontier.” Rather than being “auxiliary” to rainforests, canopy communities are critical participants in nutrient and water cycles, in providing wildlife and birds with food and nesting materials. And they are the evolutionary home of many orchids, bromeliads, and ferns -- the ornamental plants we cherish.

From her personal experience in the forest canopy Nalini will share safe non-destructive ways that canopy researchers gain access – from walkways to hot-air balloons to drones, and reveal some of the negative effects that human activities such as deforestation, climate change, and forest fragmentation have had on canopy communities and ongoing efforts for mitigation.

Following this presentation, Nalini Nadkarni will host a screening of her new documentary film, Between Earth and Sky at 7:30 pm, exploring the critical importance of trees to life on earth and the abundance and variety of plant life in the canopy with a brief Q& A to close. Classical/Spanish Guitarist Julian Harmon will provide musical interludes!