John Gurda, a prominent Milwaukee historian whose book, The Making of Milwaukee, was turned into an Emmy Award-winning documentary by Milwaukee Public Television, will speak about the history of Milwaukee’s waterways on seven dates at different locations around the city. Presented by the University of Wisconsin–extension in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the lectures will include historical photos and a more current perspective on the state of these water systems. Gurda’s lectures promote community engagement in the environmental restoration processes currently taking place in the city’s local waterways.

Five of the lectures take place in Milwaukee, from 7 to 9 p.m., including October 1 at Milwaukee Yacht Club, 1700 North Lincoln Memorial Drive; October 3 at the Zoofari Center at Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 West Bluemound Road; October 8 at the Urban Ecology Center at Washington Park, 1859 North 40th Street; October 29 at South Shore Park Pavilion, 2900 South Shore Drive; and November 7 at the Kellogg Center, Alverno College, 3400 South 43rd Street. Another lecture in Milwaukee is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m., October 19, at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 North Hopkins Street. One lecture is scheduled in Saukville from 7 to 9 p.m., October 2, at Riveredge Nature Center, 4458 West Hawthorne Drive.

For more information, call 414-256-4632, email [email protected] or visit fyi.uwex.edu/aocs.