John B. Leiberg was a Swedish immigrant who homesteaded in northern Idaho in 1885. After gaining a reputation for his knowledge of the flora of the Intermountain West, government agencies dispatched Leiberg to eastern Oregon in 1894 and 1896, where his duties extended to a preliminary survey of what later became the Siskiyou National Forest. Join author Jack Nisbet as we trace Leiberg’s routes, marvel at what he found, and try to understand how his fieldwork might reflect on the future of southern Oregon ecosystems. This is an event of the Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon

Spokane-based writer Jack Nisbet is the author of several collections of essays that explore the human and natural history of the Northwest, including Purple Flat Top, Visible Bones, and Ancient Places. Nisbet has also written award-winning biographies of cartographer David Thompson (Sources of the River) and naturalist David Douglas (The Collector). Nisbet’s most recent project, The Dreamer and the Doctor, traces the botanical explorations of John B. Leiberg, whose journeys included two landmark trips covering eastern and southern Oregon in the 1890s.

For more information visit www.jacknisbet.com.

Thursday, March 20, 7:00pm
Presentation: John Leiberg’s Botanical Explorations in Southern Oregon 1894-1896
Presenter: Jack Nisbet
Location: In-person presentation at the Siskiyou chapter meeting at Southern Oregon University Science Building, Room 161. To register for Zoom, go to https://bit.ly/npsotalks.