NEWS RELEASE

5/7/01

Mark Shwartz, News Service (650) 723-9296; e-mail: mshwartz@stanford.edu

Sims to deliver Boething Lecture on saving urban forests

Ron Sims, one of the most innovative county officials in the United States, will deliver the 13th annual Boething Lecture on Forests and the Human Predicament at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, in Building 320 (Geology Corner), Room 105.

The lecture will be followed by an informal reception. Both events are free and open to the public.

Sims is the executive officer of King County, Wash. -- the state's largest county, which includes the greater Seattle area. He has received national attention for his ability to keep the economy strong while protecting the environment ­ including regional efforts to preserve critical forestlands, restore salmon and reduce traffic congestion.

His lecture, titled "Negotiating Nature: Saving Urban Forests," will examine ways in which nature -- and urban forests in particular ­ can be incorporated into urban planning and policy.

Sims was elected to the King County council in 1985 and served for 11 years until his appointment as county executive in 1996. He was elected to the position a year later. He also is a member of the U.S. Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade and serves on the advisory board of the Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy.

The Boething Lecture series addresses forest resources and processes, and their relationships to human populations. The annual lecture is sponsored by the Center for Conservation Biology, with the support of John and Sue Boething.

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