Join your AES colleagues and guests at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 15 at the South Madison Library as researcher Diane Fox introduces us to petroforms (arranged and altered rocks) — an aspect of Wisconsin’s ancient record that is both poorly documented and extremely vulnerable. Her field research in south-central Wisconsin demonstrates recurrent patterns and underscores the threats posed by modern human activities. Diane’s “Petroform 101” presentation will include modern examples that help define what petroforms are and her observations about the various forms of expression they may represent. Most importantly, Diane hopes to stimulate awareness of Wisconsin’s petroform heritage and stimulate discussion about what we can do to identify, protect, and preserve these rare and precious sites. Future lectures in the AES 2018-19 series will include discussions of: what the ancients saw (and you can still see if you get away from city lights) in Wisconsin’s nighttime sky; decades-long efforts by historic preservation advocates in Monona to save a threatened effigy mound on residential property near Monona Drive; Edgewood College’s efforts to recognize and protect mounds located on their south Madison campus; and documenting the vanished mounds of the City of Waukesha.

For more information, see http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/goodman-south