Armchair Lecture Series:
Adventures in the Altai
Thursday, 5 November 2015
7:00 - 8:30 PM

Join Erik Yankowsky, who traveled last summer to the Altai region in Russia, for a presentation comparing the ecology and culture of the Altai Mountains of Siberia and the Adirondacks.

• The presentation includes both photos and anecdotes and compares the two regions in terms of geological history, climate, shared/analogous species, and human history.
• Also covered is the culture of the Altaic peoples today: how it has weathered oppression by various groups such as Mongols, Chinese, Soviets/Russians and how it is being preserved and "built upon" in modern times.
• The presentation will close with a discussion of the need for – and challenges in – protecting and preserving the ecological and cultural integrity of Altai in regards to anthropogenic destruction, as well as climate change-induced destruction (i.e. receding glaciers).

Cost of the lecture: $5 per person. Free for Friends of the VIC.   The Arm Chair Lecture series will continue every other Thursday through the winter.   Supported by the Friends of the VIC.