Stewart Udall, James Watt and Bruce Babbitt are among five former Secretaries of the Interior scheduled to speak at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2003-04 as part of a series focusing on their roles in shaping the West.
Udall will kick off the series Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom of the University Memorial Center. All of the talks are free and open to the public.
Current Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton also has agreed to participate, probably in fall 2004. The series is the 2003-04 Wren and Tim Wirth Forum on the American West and is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Center of the American West, The Nature Conservancy and the Denver law firm of Brownstein, Hyatt and Farber.
"This series is going to be unforgettable and consequential," said history Professor Patricia Nelson Limerick, chair of the Center of the American West. "The Department of the Interior has played a crucial role in shaping the West. And these people are all fascinating characters and fine storytellers."
"The Nature Conservancy is pleased to partner with the Center of the American West for this important lecture series," said Charles Bedford, acting state director for The Nature Conservancy. "The influence of these individuals on the policies and management of our public lands has been and will continue to be imperative to protecting our nation's natural heritage for future generations."
Udall served as interior secretary from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and successfully pressed for landmark environmental legislation including the Clean Air Act in 1963, the Wilderness Act in 1964 , the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act in 1965 and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968.
During Udall's tenure, the National Park Service added more than 2.4 million acres to its holdings, including four new national parks, six national seashores and five national recreational areas. He was known at the time as one of the most effective spokespersons for the West, as well as for his ability to manage controversy and gain bipartisan support.
Walter Hickel, who served in 1969-70 under President Nixon will speak on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Eaton Humanities Building, room 1B50, and John Whitaker, who coordinated environment and natural resources policy in the White House under President Nixon from 1969 to 1972 and served as undersecretary of the interior from 1973 to 1975, will speak on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in Old Main Chapel. As undersecretary, Whitaker reported to Interior Secretary Rogers Morton, who died in 1979.
The spring series will include talks by Watt in January, Manuel Lujan Jr. in February and Babbitt in March. The dates and locations of their talks will be announced at a later date. Organizers of the series also hope to arrange future visits by former Interior Secretaries Cecil Andrus, William Clark and Donald Hodel.
The Center of the American West is planning a book based on the series of talks, as well as a documentary in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the Denver Center Media at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on earth by protecting the land and water they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than1 million members have protected more than 15 million acres in the United States and helped protect more than 101 million acres worldwide (see ).
The mission of the CU-Boulder Center of the American West is to explore the distinctive character and issues of the region and to help Westerners become well-informed, participating citizens in their communities.
For more information on the lecture series call (303) 492-4879 or visit .
Editors: Digital photos of all the speakers in the series, taken during the time of their service, are available by e-mailing caughey@colorado.edu or calling (303) 492-4007.