CU to present plant conservation talk

Dr. Thomas G. Barnes will be presenting a program in Campbellsville University's Little Auditorium on Friday, April 4 at 2 p.m.

Barnes is a Kentucky state extension wildlife specialist and associate extension professor of forestry at the University of Kentucky.

He will speak on "Rare Plant Conservation and Kentucky's Last Great Places" during the presentation, which is free and open to the public.

Immediately following Barnes' address, there will be a book signing for his two books: "Kentucky's Last Great Places" and "Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky."

Barnes received his doctorate in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M University, a master of science in wildlife and fisheries sciences from South Dakota State University and a bachelor of arts from Huron College in South Dakota.

Barnes is an internationally published, award-winning author and photographer, and he has been on the Department of Forestry faculty at UK for 20 years. He has published more than 35 research papers, 48 extension publications and more than 60 regional and national magazine articles.

Along with his many other publications, he is the author and photographer for the regional best-selling and Kentucky Literary Award-nominated book "Kentucky's Last Great Places" and also the books "Gardening For The Birds" and "The Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky".

Barnes has received several awards including Outstanding New Extension Specialist, the M.D. Whitaker Award for Outstanding Extension Specialists, the First Annual Kentucky Biodiversity Award, Outstanding Volunteer for the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and The Enrichment Award for the Garden Clubs of Kentucky.

His photographs have also been used in books, calendars, magazines, Web sites and corporate offices throughout the world.