William J. Mitsch, professor of natural resources at Ohio State University and director of the OSU Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, will present a lecture titled “Applying Science to Conservation and Restoration of the Worlds Wetlands” at 3 p.m. Friday (November 12)in Room 116 of DeBartolo Hall at the University of Notre Dame .
According to Mitsch, wetlands are among the most valuable water resources on the planet. During his talk, he will review the history of wetland use in the world and present a new ethic of wetland protection and restoration. He also will discuss the ways in which water research centers such as the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park help identify and promote the opportunities for nature protection and ecological engineering.
A 1969 graduate of Notre Dame, Mitsch recently was honored as the co-recipient of the Stockholm Water Prize, the top award in the area of water resources. Mitsch and Sven Erik Jrgensen, professor of environmental chemistry at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen, received the prize in recognition of “their theoretical and applied work on lake and wetland ecosystems, management of lake and wetland water quality, and lake, river and wetland conservation, restoration and usage.” It was presented in August by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Mitschs research and teaching focuses on wetland ecology, wetland creation and restoration, ecological engineering, and ecosystem modeling. He is the author or co-authored more than 200 papers, books and other publications in ecological and environmental science. He also has provided testimony to the U.S. Congress on wetland matters and served on four National Academy of Science panels.
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