Campus Digest: CNR's 100th
3/10/2003 | | Forestry student Robert Wilson ('12) sits outside his summer quarters at Lake Itasca. (Photo courtesy of University Archives) |
For the past century, the College of Natural Resources at the University of Minnesota has played a critical role in the management and conservation of our forests, fish, wildlife, and water. The college marks its 100th anniversary this spring with a variety of events that demonstrate its ongoing and deepening commitment to its mission.
The College of Natural Resources traces its history back to the turn of the last century. After traveling to Europe in 1900 to study forestry practice and education, University horticulturist Samuel Green nurtured the idea of establishing a forestry degree program in the School of Agriculture. In 1903, a curriculum of forestry courses and a bachelor of science degree were offered, and what is now the College of Natural Resources took root.
In the ensuing years, the forestry program quickly grew and included coursework in forest products, game management, fish culture, and wood technology and field-based work at Lake Itasca State Park. Over the decades, the natural resources programs responded to social and cultural changes, such  | | Horticulture professor Samuel Green founded the U's forestry program in 1903. (Photo courtesy of University Archives) |
as the post–World War II housing boom, the growing popularity of outdoor recreation, and the environmental consciousness of the 1960s. In the 1980s the college began to diversify: The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife joined it in 1983, and in 1989 a new natural resources and environmental studies major was instituted, drawing hundreds of students to the college’s undergraduate ranks. In the 1990s, the college broadened its research and outreach efforts, becoming involved in environmental impact concerns and developing research centers that focus on such topics as tree improvement and natural resource policy.
In recent years, the college has partnered with environmental groups, government agencies, and corporations to provide continuing education; been given responsibility for the Bell Museum of Natural History and the U’s Tourism Center; and joined forces with the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences to establish the Water Resource Center to focus on water-quality issues.
 | | | |  | | CNR Centennial Events | Events marking the College of Natural Resources centennial include:
- Great Conversations with Anne Kapuscinski, professor of fisheries, wildlife, and conservation biology, and Margaret Mellon, a biotechnology and food safety authority. April 22 at 7: 30 p.m. at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis. Tickets are $27 ($22 for University students, faculty, staff and UMAA members). Presented by the College of Continuing Education. Call 612-624-2345.
- Centennial Banquet and All-Alumni Reunion, featuring the awarding of Outstanding Achievement Awards. April 24 at 5 p.m. at the McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. SE, Minneapolis. The cost is $35 (some discounts available).
- Creature Features: A Day of Wildlife Film and Video, a film festival featuring the work of the U’s Walter Breckenridge, one of the first filmmakers of feature-length nature documentaries. April 26 at the Bell Museum Auditorium, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis. |
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