In the spring of 1974, the University of Vermont’s Board of Trustees resolved that the summit of Mount Mansfield and nine other parcels of university-owned land across Vermont be designated as Natural Areas. Forty years later, “an impressive amount of high-quality teaching, research, and stewardship has resulted from this decision,” said Rick Paradis, the director of the UVM Natural Areas Center.

To celebrate this milestone, Paradis has organized a symposium of posters, exhibits, and talks by students, faculty, and scientists — both from within UVM and also from other institutions. “Many of the presentations will highlight research and conservation work happening in UVM Natural Areas,” Paradis said, “and also the conservation efforts of our many partners across the state.”

The symposium will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1 to 5 p.m., Livak Ballroom, at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The Vermont chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the Vermont Land Trust, the Green Mountain Club, the Winooski Valley Park District, the Vermont Rivers Conservancy, other conservation organizations, and public agencies have been invited to make exhibits and presentations. “This will be a great event to get informed not just about the UVM Natural Areas but also more broadly about conservation in Vermont,” Paradis said. “and there will be food too.”

From biology professor Nick Gotelli’s long-term research work on pitcher plant ecology at remote Molly Bog, to the student-led clean-up efforts by the Rubenstein School’s Stewards Program in well-trod Centennial Woods — the UVM Natural Areas program has reach across campus and beyond. “This event is one of the ways we’re celebrating these many efforts and discoveries over 40 years,” Paradis said.