The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources (CNR) has announced the CNR-Biology Colloquium series schedule for the 2005 spring semester.

The series, "2005: Year of Land and Water Conservation," will include more than 10 speakers on topics ranging from environmental ethics to food systems.

The series will begin with "Species Loss and Homogenization in Wisconsin Forests," a presentation by UW-Madison doctoral candidate David Rogers, on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The event will be held in CNR Room 170 at 4p.m., and will be open to the public free of charge.

Rogers, a native of De Pere, graduated from UWSP in 1991 with a bachelor�s degree in biology. After eight years of field work in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, he returned to graduate school at UW-Madison. He received a master�s degree in landscape architecture and is currently working on a Ph.D. in botany. Rogers� presentation will focus on the findings of his current research which shows a significant reduction in species diversity, dramatic increases in exotic species, and an increase in average species similarity in Wisconsin forests. These trends underscore the importance of long-term monitoring and management planning for the future.

The colloquiums are held in CNR Room 170 at 4 p.m. unless otherwise noted. The spring semester schedule follows:

• Wednesday, Feb 23         "2005: Year of Land and Water Conservation," presenter Rebecca Baumann
• Wednesday, March 2, 3 p.m. "Ethics: Beware of False Idols," presenter Michael Nelson
• Wednesday, March 9 "Bogs and Conifer Swamps," presenter Stephen Solheim
• Wednesday, March 16 "Land and Water Conservation Efforts in Wisconsin," presenter Pat Leavenworth
• Wednesday, April 6 "From the Forest to the Faucet: Water the Most Important Forest Product," presenter Michael Dombeck
• Thursday, April 7, 3 p.m. "Perspectives on Conservation in the 2007 Farm Bill," presenter Tom Weber
• Wednesday, April 13 TBA
• Wednesday, April 27 "The Human Dimension of Resource Management," presenter Pete Nowak
• Wednesday, May 4 "Food Systems," presenter Jerry Kaufman
• Wednesday, May 11 "About Landscapes and the Environment," presenter Diane Canfield Bywaters