Join us for all or part of this day-long series of talks that will reflect on the 2020 CZU Santa Cruz mountain fires from science, arts, and community perspectives. All events are in the SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Library and Learning Commons St. Clare Room (3rd floor), and are free and open to the public. Special thanks to organizers from SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ CAS Department of English: Professors Maria Judnick, Jackie Hendricks, and Matt Driscoll and co-sponsors across campus.
Friday April 24 8:30am—5pm
8:30 am Coffee gathering on 3rd floor Library
9:00 am Keynote: Managing the Land for Living Culture and Wildfire Prevention with Margo Robbins, Executive Director, Cultural Fire Management Council. RSVP to attend or register for link.
10:15 am Arts Panel moderated by Jackie Hendricks featuring Jane Kim, . RSVP to attend or register for link.
1:30 pm Conservation & Stewardship in a Post-CZU Forestscape" Environmental Conversation Panel moderated by Matt Driscoll, Lecture in the Department of English at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, featuring David Cowman, Sempervirens Fund; Juan Villarino, CA State Parks (SC District); David Van Lennep, Auten Resources Consulting. See bios below. RSVP to attend
2:40 pm Personal Reflection and Commitment to Community moderated by Jackie Hendricks, Matt Driscoll, and Maria Judnick. RSVP to attend
3:15-5 pm Film screening of Giants Rising moderated by Maria Judnick. RSVP to attend
ORGANIZERS:
MATT DRISCOLL (Ph.D.) has been a lecturer in the English department at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ since 2016. He currently teaches First-Year Writing and ENVS 95, and his courses focus on human-nature relationships in a contemporary U.S. context, environmental writing, environmental justice, land stewardship, and sustainability. Matt lived in Felton, California during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fires. Currently, he, his wife, and their dog live in Santa Cruz.
MARIA JUDNICK has taught English and sustainability-themed courses for 13 years while also freelancing and working on a novel. In addition to other academic roles, she has facilitated 7 National Endowment for the Humanities teacher institutes (some on John Steinbeck, some related to California’s immigration stories) and recently became a UC Master Gardener. Maria lives in her hometown of San Jose, CA with her husband and two young sons.
JACKIE HENDRICKS received her Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University in 2013 with an emphasis in medieval literature. She also received an M.A. from San Jose State University in 2006 while working in the semiconductor industry, and a B.A. from UCLA in 1999. Her research looks at intersections between Middle English texts, especially Chaucer, and modern popular culture and/or global literature. She teaches a variety of courses, including Medieval Literature, Cultures & Ideas, Engineering Communications, Global Literatures, Critical Thinking & Writing, and Advanced Writing. She also directs the Premodern Studies Minor, an interdisciplinary Humanities minor that allows students to explore the global premodern period between late antiquity and 1800.
SPEAKERS & PANELISTS
“Conservation and Stewardship in a Post-CZU Forestscape”
Moderated by Matt Driscoll, Lecturer in the Department of English at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½
Featuring panelists…
- DAVID COWMAN, a Registered Professional Forester, is the Director of Stewardship for Sempervirens Fund, a non-profit land trust in the Santa Cruz Mountains focused on protecting and restoring coast redwood and associated ecosystems. His previous professional experience includes work as Forest Ecologist for the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (2020-2024) and Forestry Aide with California State Parks—Santa Cruz District (2016-2020). He earned his M.S. from San Jose State and B.A. from UC-Santa Cruz.
- DAVID VAN LENNEP, a Registered Professional Forester, is the Chief Operations Forester for Auten Resources Consulting, based out of Watsonville and serving public-private partnerships throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains. His previous professional experience includes management and forestry work with Redwood Empire Sawmills from 1995 to 2022. David earned his B.S. in Forestry from Humboldt State University.
- JUAN DEL DIOS VILLARINO is District Administration Chief for California State Parks—Santa Cruz District, which oversees 30 units and 65,000 acres of land in the State Park System. Previously, Juan served CA State Parks as Park Administrative Chief II (2020-2024) and Park Maintenance Supervisor (2017-2020) for the Facility Maintenance Program as well as a Skilled Laborer for the Natural Resources Program (2009-2017). He also served as a Corpsmember for the California Conservation Corps in San Luis Obispo from 2006-2009. Juan earned a B.A. in Latin American/Latino Studies from UC-Santa Cruz.