Carleton College, Macalester College, and the Minnesota Historical Society will jointly convene a conference on the environmental history of Minnesota at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul from June 13-15, 2012. The goal of the conference is to explore and advance the current state of Minnesota’s environmental history. The organizers invite proposals on all aspects of Minnesota’a environmental history from any time period, but we particularly encourage proposals that focus on the Twin Cities, or intersect with them, in some way. Topics of interests include but are not limited to:

Exploration and settlement
Urban growth, infrastructure, and suburbanization
Environmental justice
Conservation and environmentalism
Urban-rural linkages
Urban agriculture
Open space, parks, and recreation
Energy, waterways, and resource flows
Waste
Transportation and infrastructure
Comparative work on Minnesota and the upper Midwest

All participants will be expected to provide a draft of their paper (not exceeding 25 pp.) approximately four weeks prior to the conference. We will circulate the papers in advance and expect that all participants will have read them prior to the conference. The conference will operate as a seminar in which all participants will jointly discuss each paper.

Paper proposals and any questions should be sent to both of the following conference organizers by October 28. The proposals should include a one-page abstract and a short bio together in one document.

George Vrtis at: gvrtis@carleton.edu
Chris Wells at: wells@macalester.edu

Funding for the conference -- including meals, lodging, and some transportation expenses -- will be provided through the generous support of the conference’s sponsors.