New, annual Common Earth Series to kick off September 10th

New Common Earth Series begins with provocative talk about hunting and human nature

DURANGO, CO – September 1, 2010 – The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College announces its new, annual Common Earth Series, a lecture series dedicated to thought-provoking environmental topics, as brought to the community by scientists and experts in the field. This year’s inaugural topic, People and Predators: Who’s Eating Whom?, compliments the Center’s hugely successful Mountain Lion! exhibit, which continues on display through the fall.

The series kicks off with a provocative talk by two nationally-known anthropologists, Drs. Donna Hart from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and Robert W. Sussman from Washington University, authors of Man the Hunted: Primates, Predators and Human Evolution. They assert the provocative idea that human nature originated - not because we were hunters as is commonly believed - but because we were the hunted. The authors argue that early humans were the prey of a wide range of predators including large cats and canines, snakes, crocodiles, and even large birds. They base their theory on fossil evidence, observations of naturalists, and their own studies of primates. This free event will be held on the Fort Lewis College campus on Friday, September 10th beginning with an authors’ reception at 6:00pm, followed by their presentation at 6:30pm in Noble Hall, room 130.

The Common Earth Series is the result of a group of local partners who are interested in finding practical solutions to environmental and social issues facing us today through open public dialog. These partners include the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Durango Nature Studies, the Durango Public Library, La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board, San Juan Mountains Association, and the San Juan Public Lands Center. The annual series will focus on a different environmental topic each year, bringing in leading experts from multiple perspectives. The series coordinators welcome suggestions for topics for 2011.