Legendary Nature Photographer Thomas Mangelsen to Speak at Viterbo University Feb. 26; Other Community Events to Mark Annual Wisconsin Aldo Leopold Days Feb. 28, March 2

Feb. 12, 2019

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.eduor Nicole Van Ert at 608-796-3616 or nmvanert@viterbo.edu

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Legendary nature photographer Thomas Mangelsen, who has traveled the world for nearly 40 years observing and photographing the earth’s last great wild places, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

Mangelsen is a critically acclaimed photographer whose honors include being named Conservation Photographer of the Year by Nature’s Best Photography, the BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photographers Association, one of the 100 Most Important People in Photography by American Photo magazine, and one of the 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers by Outdoor Photography.

Since 2004, Wisconsin has designated the first weekend in March as a time to honor Leopold and his conservation legacy. Leopold, the author of The Sand County Almanac, is considered by many as the father of wildlife management and of the United States’ wilderness system.

In addition to Mangelsen’s presentation at Viterbo, as part of the annual Wisconsin Aldo Leopold Days observation, which is planned each year by representatives of local conservation and environmental organizations, the Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh will select photographs submitted to its Facebook group page to create a photo montage to be shown prior to Mangelsen’s presentation. The friends will also collaborate with WisCorps for events on Thursday, Feb. 28:

  • A walk in the marsh led by Friends of the Marsh starting at 4:30 p.m. Meet at the Gun Club trailhead.
  • Readings from The Sand County Almanacled by WisCorps at the Myric Park Center at 6 p.m. Participants are welcome at either or both events with no registration required.

On Saturday, March 2, the Leopold events move to the Visitor Center of the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge on Brice Prairie:

  • 10–11:30 a.m. – Photo workshop for an adult audience- led by Jeff Sanders.
  • 11 a.m.–Noon – Photo workshop for kids and families. 
  • Photos of the Driftless Area presentation by Mississippi Valley Conservancy will be available in the visitor center theater throughout the morning event. 

In association with the Leopold weekend, the Coulee Region’s fourth annual Climate Action Festival will be held at First Congregational Church, 2503 Main St., La Crosse on March 2 from 1–4 p.m. Local groups and activists will be in attendance to offer information, advice, and encouragement. The event is free.

Grizzles of Pilgrim Creek: An Intimate Portrait of 399is Mangelsen’s most recent fine arts book. In a book that has been called unprecedented by Jane Goodall, readers are taken on a heart-palpitating adventure into the harrowing life and death encounters of both grizzlies and people as bears try to survive in the modern world. This book has been awarded the Los Angeles Times’ Mesmerizing Coffee Table Titles, the Forward Indies Book Award, the High Plains Book Award and the Outdoor Writers Association of America Excellence in Craft Contest.

Mangelsen’s work has been published in National Geographic, GEO, Le Figaro Magazine, BBC Wildlife, Life, Audubon, National Wildlife, Smithsonian, Natural History, Newsweek, Wildlife Art, American Photo, Nature’s Best Photography and many other publications. He has also been profiled on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN’s World News, CBS News, ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. Mangelsen’s award-winning limited edition prints have been exhibited in major museums including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and collected by thousands around the world through his MANGELSEN® Images of Nature Galleries. His entire portfolio can be viewed online at www.mangelsen.com.

This presentation is part of the annual Leopold Day celebration and the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s spring 2019 lecture series. It is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary, but seating is limited. For a full schedule of D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership events, visit www.viterbo.edu/ethics.

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