Michael P. Cohen and A Garden of Bristlecones

Michael P. Cohen will talk about what he discovered about human responses to Great Basin Bristlecone Pines when he wrote his important book A Garden of Bristlecones: Tales of Change. He explores the relationship between humans and these iconic trees, how through scientific study (mostly dendrochronology), they shed light on human and climate history, and motivated cultural stories and artistic representations. He will explore some of these as personal stories, motivations, and controversies surrounding those who studied them and others who made them into cultural icons. These trees have become a lens to examine modern humanity’s interaction with nature.