new photographs and a couple more podcasts

Goodness, how did it get to be summer 2024 already? I’m determined to revitalize this website a bit, and so have added a new photo-project I’m working on, titled Small Monuments, for you to check out — and I’d like to add links here to two video podcasts I’ve recently been invited to participate in! The first is the All Things Iceland podcast, where host Jewells interviewed me in May 2024, mostly about my process of immigrating to Iceland:

And the second is more academic in nature — I was the first invited speaker of a series of conversations leading up to a symposium on cultural landscapes preservation, currently scheduled to take place in November 2024 — I had a lovely chat with symposium organizer Randall Mason, which you can see here:

2018 Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives' Natural Resources Committee

In one of the strangest moments of my academic career, I was invited to testify before the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, on April 25, 2018 — strange because this was a Republican-controlled Congress, and I was concerned that some members were looking for information that could be used to weaken environmental regulations and review—as a life-long Democrat and dedicated environmental studies scholar, I absolutely did not want to contribute to such an effort. But I decided to have faith that good information and insight would benefit environmental planning processes, rather than cause additional problems. So I accepted the invitation in the spirit of collaboration, and not as a partisan, to discuss the importance of consistency, accuracy, and fairness in agencies’ application of NEPA at Point Reyes.

The link below is to video of the full hearing — my five minutes (almost exactly!) of testimony starts around minute 32:

Full Committee Hearing: On "The Weaponization of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Implications of Environmental Lawfare"

My view from the witness stand — and the 5-minute time limit! I came in with 6 seconds to spare.

My view from the witness stand — and the 5-minute time limit! I came in with 6 seconds to spare.

I did a podcast!

Updating the book’s blog here again to add a link to a podcast conversation I did this past summer, talking with geographer Peter Eckman about Point Reyes, conceptions of parks in the U.S., and the role of photography in my academic work, among other things! It’s exciting to be part of the very cool New Books Network — if you’d like to listen, please click here:

The Paradox of Preservation on New Books Network

And because our conversation includes some of the “chocolate”-film polaroids I used to illustrate the book, I’m including one (of Drakes Beach) in this posting, just to add some visual excitement to this blog!

Drakes Beach, 2015

Drakes Beach, 2015

Lecture on C-SPAN!

I'm wayyyy behind on updating this webpage, but wanted to add a link to my lecture on parks and Point Reyes that was filmed by C-SPAN in my "Landscape History of the American West" class in Spring 2017, at Sonoma State University -- it has been broadcast and also available on-line as part of C-SPAN's "American History TV" series.  here is the link:

Landscape Preservation and National Parks

It's about an hour and ten minutes long -- hope you enjoy it!

First book review!!!

Wow, i'm totally terrible at keeping up with this blog thing -- i need to add a few things from over the summer -- but right now, just excited to see the first published (that i know of?) review of my book, written by a colleague at UC Berkeley who's work i have HUGE admiration for, so that makes it extra-exciting -- and published on a super-cool website (former journal), Boom California:

Illusions and Perversions in California’s History of Preservation

huge thanks to the editors at Boom, and to Dr. Sayre!

Q&A with David Lowenthal at Book Passage, March 25, 2017

I was EXTRA-delighted and honored to share the stage with one of my most esteemed intellectual heroes, geographer David Lowenthal, at Book Passage Bookstore in Corte Madera on saturday, March 25, 2017.  I have been reading David's incredible work on landscapes, preservation, and heritage since my earliest days in graduate school, and was over the moon when he agreed to write the Foreword for my book.

Thanks to everyone in the surprisingly-sizable crowd, considering it was one of the first sunny saturdays we've had in months!  and here are a few pictures, taken by friends:

David Lowenthal and I in conversation

David Lowenthal and I in conversation

chatting after the event with my dear friend Margie Purser and David.

chatting after the event with my dear friend Margie Purser and David.

David telling a story to my former student Vita Rodriguez and I

David telling a story to my former student Vita Rodriguez and I

Vita and me, with my book!

Vita and me, with my book!

Photos from book event at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station, January 22, 2017

Fabulous author Jonah Raskin and I have a wonderful Q&A conversation at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station, January 22, 2017 -- and despite the howling wind and rain that day, about 70 people came out!  here are a few photographs taken by my friend Paula Hammett from that lovely evening:

 

Kevin Lunny introducing Jonah and I

Kevin Lunny introducing Jonah and I

me speaking, with a glamorous painting of a cow for company on stage!

me speaking, with a glamorous painting of a cow for company on stage!

my wonderful Sonoma State colleagues who braved the rain! Alexis, Richard, Paula, Maureen, me, Jonah, and Daniel.

my wonderful Sonoma State colleagues who braved the rain! Alexis, Richard, Paula, Maureen, me, Jonah, and Daniel.