This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Bro. Don Geiger, SM Eastern Tallgrass Prairie in the heart of the Marianist Nature Preserve at Mount Saint John. On October 2 and 3, we invite you to two days of remembering Bro. Don, celebrating his legacy, and being inspired for the future. Archival materials from Don's life will be on display both days, and participants will be able to record their memories of him. Unless otherwise noted, all events and sessions will take place in, or leave from, the Madeleine Room in the Chaminade Center at Mount Saint John. For a map and directions, click here. Most events simply require an RSVP; the Friday reception and the Saturday lunch require regisration. Use the button at the bottom of this page for both.
Friday, October 2
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Guided tour of the Geiger Prairie with Mary Klunk
Prairie grass seed collection with Michele Banker
5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Opening reception, remarks, film Fire, Rain, Wind, Snow and Fire, discussion with filmmaker Suki Kwon (Registration required.)
Saturday October 3
Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Keynote address by Dave Nolin: Mount Saint John and Greater Dayton Living Landscapes: History, restoration and hopes
10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Morning hikes, reflections and activities
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Lunch (Registration required)
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon hikes, reflections and activities
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Mass with Marianist Brothers' Directors and other members of the Dayton-area Marianist Family in Queen of Apostles Chapel at Mount Saint John.
5:15 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Closing reception and comments from MEEC staff, Marianist Brothers and others
About our special guests:
Suki Kwon is a professor of art and design at the University of Dayton (UD) whose interdisciplinary practice brings together art, spirituality, culture, and environmental sustainability. She is the current Graul Endowed Chair in Arts and Languages. As her Hanley Scholarship project, she wrote and directed "Fire, Rain, Wind, Snow and Fire: The Story of A Prairie" which captured Don's transformative vision that ultimately led him to found MEEC. She holds M.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Design from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in Theological Studies from UD. Kwon is a Fullbright Scholar whose work reflects a sustained interest in using art and visual storytelling to foster deeper connections among people, place, and the natural environment.
We are grateful she is willing to lead us in a conversation about the film and sharing our memories of Don. Donations will benefit the Bro. Don Geiger, SM, Intern Fund.
David Nolin is a restorationist and longtime collaborator with Bro. Don Geiger. He will speak about his research into the land history of Mount Saint John that guided Don's ecological restoration, his recollections of the "early" days of restoration in Greater Dayton and those whose willingness to experiment led to best practices that still guide land managers today. He will also share what he thinks restoration priorities are for the next forty years
Dave spent his 30-year career with Five Rivers MetroParks leading the agency's conservation and land acquisition efforts. He grew up in Fairborn, Ohio and obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology from Wright State University. He has authored two books, Discovery and Renewal on Huffman Prairie and Forests, and Wetlands and Flamescapes - Wildlands of the Dayton, Ohio Region in 1800.
He is enjoying retirement with his wife, Catherine Queener, and son Jacob and volunteering with conservation projects including Beavercreek Wetlands Association, Huffman Prairie and ODNR digital mapping of Ohio vegetation from 1800 survey records.
Mary Klunk has four decades of experience protecting and restoring natural areas in the Miami Valley. She has worked side-by side with Bro. Don Geiger and collaborated with the MEEC team in many stewardship projects including prairie and wetland restoration, native shrub planting and propagation and invasive plant management. A graduate of The Ohio State University school of Natural Resources, she retired in 2020 from Five Rivers Metro Parks as the Regional Conservation Manager. She worked with Dave Nolin in many roles including running the Metro Parks Ohio Prairie Seed Nursery so that ODOT, land managers and prairie enthusiasts throughout the state could have a tool to help in tall grass prairie ecosystem restoration. Mary is particularly grateful for Don Geiger's development of treatments to combat invasive bush honeysuckle. "He was the ultimate land steward who inspired several generations of conservation leaders"
Austin Miller grew up between the Great and Little Miami Rivers in Warren and Butler County, Ohio. Fishing in local creeks and tromping through woodlots filled his afternoons and summers as a kid while he watched the creeping expansion of suburbs between Cincinnati and Dayton. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Antioch College in Philosophy, Music and Aesthetic Theory in 2008. Austin operates Birdsong Landscapes, a habitat restoration and native plant landscaping business. Birdsong Landscapes specializes in prairie and woodland seedings but also offers invasive plant removals, pollinator gardens design and installation, and woodland management. He is a Beavercreek Wetlands Association board member, and a member of the Ohio Prairie Association as well as the Spring Valley Tree Committee and Village Council.