Lecture hosted by the Hokkaido Geographical Society

This society will be hosting a lecture by two foreign researchers on mountain geography and vegetation ecology (in English only) on the following date and time. We look forward to welcoming anyone who is interested.

1. Date and time: Saturday, November 9, 2024, 13:00-15:30

2. Place: 7th Building, Room D31, Hokkai Gakuen University, 13:00 - Sat., Nov. 9th

3. Admission: Free

4. Speakers
Nepal: 50 Years of Climate, Cultural, and Landscape Change Research and Project Implementation
Alton C. Byers (Senior Researcher, Polar and Alpine Institute, University of Colorado)
The Surprising Botany of Nepal's Melting Glaciers
Elizabeth A. Byers (Senior Researcher, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection)

Speaker profile

Alton C. Byers:
Mountain geographer (alpine ecosystems, climate change, glacial hazards, integrated conservation and development programs) and mountaineer. He received his PhD (1987) from the University of Colorado, where he studied landscape change, soil erosion, and vegetation dynamics in Sagarmatha National Park. In 1990, he became an environmental advisor at the Mountain Institute (TMI). In 2015, he joined the Institute for Polar and Alpine Studies (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado, Boulder as a senior research associate and faculty member. He has been involved in various research, writing, and teaching projects in the Himalayas, Andes, Appalachia, and Rocky Mountains. In recognition of his work, he has received the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Heritage Medal, the American Alpine Club David Brower Nature Conservation Award, and the Association of American Geographers Distinguished Career Award. He is co-editor of the textbook Mountain Geography: Human and Physical Dimensions.

Elizabeth A. Byers:
Works in the Watershed Assessment Division of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, USA. At the Department of Environmental Protection, he is involved in the development and implementation of an assessment tool that will become law in West Virginia in early 2022. He has conducted research in wetland and alpine vegetation ecology, natural heritage ecology, hydrology, and conservation in the Himalayas, the East African Rift Valley, the Andes, the Rocky Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains. In 2000, he released the e-book (mobile plant identification guide app) "Wildflowers of Mount Everest" for Apple and Android devices. In addition to ecological research, he is also involved in the "Glacier Lake Risk Assessment and Restoration" project.