A senior forester and soil scientist for the U.S. Department of the Interior will speak Tuesday, Feb. 25, on “Hope for Appalachia: Returning Surface Mines to Healthy, Productive Forests.” The presentation, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., will be held at the Center for the Environment building on the Catawba College campus.
Dr. Patrick Angel has been employed by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in London, Ky., since the implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in 1978. Angel promotes reforestation partnerships on surface mines in the eight eastern coal states through the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and Green Forests Work.
Before joining the Office of Surface Mining, Angel worked with the University of Kentucky, the U.S. Forest Service, the Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, and as a professional forestry consultant.
Angel is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with bachelor and master of science degrees in forestry. He also holds a Ph.D. in soil science from the University of Kentucky. The focus of his studies was the reforestation of surface mines.
His presentation is free and open to the public, but registration is required: 704–637–4727 or www.CenterForTheEnvironment.org .