Join us for this free webinar on Zoom, September 2nd, 7 - 8:30 pm. Registration required below.

How did that river get its name? How would things be different if it was nameless? The geographical features in our landscape are named through an interesting system, and once we learn more about it, often leads to an increase in awareness and environmental stewardship. 

This webinar will cover some of the principles & practices of naming natural features, the categories of names, issues concerning renaming, and includes five examples of how naming plus awareness can promote stewardship of the features that are named. 

Peter Bergstrom became involved in naming natural features when he discovered that many of the small creeks near where he lived in Maryland did not have names, and he learned of the connection between naming & stewardship. He ended up getting names approved for close to 200 waterways in Maryland, and later for 34 waterways and 7 hills in Rockingham, Vermont.

A retired biologist who moved to Saxtons River in 2013 with his wife to live near their daughter and her family, Bergstrom has a PhD in evolutionary biology and worked as a college biology professor and an environmental scientist. He currently volunteers on the Rockingham Conservation Commission, as the town Energy Coordinator, with the Saxtons River Valley Trails Initiative, with Sustainable Rockingham, and as one of the Auditors for Saxtons River Village.