Bruce Babbitt, who served for eight years as secretary of the interior during the Clinton administration, will give the inaugural Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Tuesday, October 5. The talk, titled "Environmental Policy for a New Century," will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Center Recital Hall on the UCSC campus. Admission is free and open to the general public.
As interior secretary from 1993 to 2001, Babbitt led the administration's efforts to restore the Florida Everglades, bring peace to California's water wars with the Bay Delta Accord, and shape the old-growth forest plan in the Pacific Northwest. His advice and counsel led to the creation of 21 new national monuments and protected areas throughout the nation. Previously, during his tenure as governor of Arizona, he enacted a landmark state water management plan and initiated public exchanges to protect vital landscapes in the state. He now serves as counsel at the law firm of Latham and Watkins in Washington, D.C., and as a member of the Board of Directors of the World Wildlife Fund.
The Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy honors former state Assemblyman Fred Keeley, who for many years has contributed to shaping environmental policy in California. The lecture is sponsored by the STEPS Institute for Innovation in Environmental Research, which is helping UCSC researchers and their regional partners confront the rapid changes now occurring in the Earth's biodiversity, climates, and water systems. This lecture is part of a series of events in celebration of the 40th anniversary of UC Santa Cruz.
For more information about the lecture, contact Abby Young at the STEPS Institute at
(831) 459-1310 or abyoung@ucsc.edu.
_________
In addition to the public lecture, Babbitt's visit to the UCSC campus will include several invitation-only events, including a reception and dinner hosted by Acting Chancellor Martin M. Chemers. Both Babbitt and Keeley will participate in a roundtable discussion with faculty and students on current state and national environmental issues.
