Dempsey will present his views on the “how, what and why of environmental history, in support of the White Lake Environmental History Project. “ “The lessons of a community’s environmental history can build on a shared past and inspire hope and optimism for the future,” Dempsey says. “Environmental history isn’t boring dates and facts. Each community has its unique stories that are important for setting its course through history.”

Dempsey, an environmental policy consultant and writer, has worked on behalf of Great Lakes conservation for more than 25 years. Now a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, he was born and spent most of his life in Michigan. Dempsey is the author of the only full-length environmental history of Michigan, “Ruin and Recovery: Michigan’s Rise as a Conservation Leader.” He is also the author of “On the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century” and a biography of Governor Milliken, as well as a winner of the 2009 Michigan Author Award.

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