Park honoree to return for dedication
Published 6:00 am Wednesday, May 27, 2015
World-renowned biologist and two-time Pulitzer-winner Edward O. Wilson is set to head back to the Burnt Corn Creek swamps where he learned to love biodiversity.
“I am excited to get back and visit the area,” Wilson said this week in a phone call confirming his trip and appearance on Sun., June 14, at a ceremony dedicating his namesake “E.O. Wilson Nature Adventure.”
The 100-acre park is a wilderness area along Burnt Corn Creek dedicated to educating young people about biodiversity and is a project of the city of Brewton.
Wilson, a professor emeritus at Harvard University, spent summers in Brewton as a teenager working at a gold fish hatchery that once operated near where the city’s fire station now stands.
He earned his Eagle Scout honors while in the south Alabama city. Wilson graduated from the University of Alabama and went on to Harvard and is now considered the world’s leading expert in myrmecology, the study of ants.
Wilson is described in many scientific journals as “the father of sociobiology” and has worked extensively developing theories like biophilia, the human need and love for nature. His work has been recognized as the foundation for conservation area design. Wilson discovered the first documented colony of fireants in North America as he explored near Mobile as a teenager.
Events scheduled for the dedication ceremony start at 2 p.m. with walking tours planned, wildlife exhibits, plant identification experts and much more. The park is located near the intersection of U.S. 31 and College Drive, just behind Arby’s. There is no admission charge.
For more information, contact the City of Brewton at 251.809.1777.