FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 31, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 NOTED ENVIRONMENTALIST TO SPEAK AT DRAKE NOV. 8 Patrick Burke, a nationally known specialist in ecological restoration, will speak at Drake University on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Honors Lounge of Medbury Hall, 1317 28th St. The speech, titled "Restoring Damaged Ecosystems: Ecological, Ethical and Polito-economic Considerations," will address the growing field of ecological restoration and examine the scientific, ethical, political and economic factors involved in restoring damaged ecosystems. Burke is the founder and president of Bitterroot Restoration Inc. of Montana and California. He has been a national leader in the field of ecological restoration since 1986. The goal of Bitterroot Restoration's approach to ecological restoration is to use science to create conditions by which ecosystems heal themselves. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Drake Environmental Science and Policy Program. For more information, contact Dan Spencer, associate professor of religion, at (515) 271-2885 or daniel.spencer@drake.edu.