Professors David Robertson and Stephen Tulowiecki (pictured above) offered a presentation at the All College Hour Speaker series about their most recent study of Geneseo’s local landscapes. They shared their insight about local trees and early tribes that settled in the Geneseo area (Xavier Delcid / photo editor).
The All College Hour Speaker series featured two Geneseo faculty, professor of geography David Robertson and assistant professor of geography Stephen Tulowiecki, to present on their knowledge of the Geneseo landscape. The two professors presented a slideshow on Wednesday Feb. 12 on different types of trees and landscapes around the college town, including interesting history and facts dating all the way back to when the Seneca Tribe settled the area.
Robertson and Tulowiecki took turns sharing their insight and knowledge with the students and faculty in attendance. The speakers connected important historical moments to landmarks and events that those in the audience would recognize.
“Many people wrote descriptions about the ‘peculiar’ growth of trees and many other landscapes in the area. One of the trees that happened to be discovered in 1862 was described as ‘The Big Tree,’” Robertson said. This was the inspiration behind naming the well-known restaurant and hotel on Main Street the Big Tree Inn, in honor of the natural landscape once thought to be peculiar by people long ago.
The talk progressed into the importance of the Geneseo land to the Seneca Tribe. The land a group of people live on can be integral to their survival and for the Seneca Tribe, the land they lived on was used for farming, hunting and gathering and nearly every other aspect of life. The themes of land being a key to life was tied into the recent wildfires in Australia that destroyed millions of miles and killed thousands of animals, something that could have proved detrimental to ancient societies that relied on their surroundings for sustenance and sheltered.
Robertson and Tulowiecki stressed the role humans having in preserving beautiful landscapes and the ecosystems within it, helping the audience understand the need to take action in an attempt to preserve our natural surroundings.
After the presentation wrapped, audience members were given the opportunity to ask questions. One question raised involved whether wildfires occurred in the northeast region of the United States as often as they occur in the southwestern region. Tulowiecki said that because the northeast receives considerably more rain than the southwest, when fire-causing events like lightning strike the northeast, it’s less likely to lead to a wildfire. Despite the negatives often associated with wildfire, Tulowiecki did offer some plus-sides to the natural disasters.
“Fire is essential in the growth of landscapes and can play a factor in manipulating other properties such as abundance and other qualities in nature,” Tulowiecki said. “Burning trees can be beneficial to the growth of fire-tolerant trees such as oak trees.”
The audience left the event with a newfound understanding of the landscape surrounding them while at Geneseo and hopefully a heightened awareness of not just the Geneseo land but all over the world.