UNC Asheville's Religious Studies Program will host a talk by D. Keith Naylor, professor of religious studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at UNC Asheville's Highsmith University Union, room 221. The talk, "Gifford Pinchot and the Religious Contours of the Early Conservation Movement," will explore the religious roots of the conservation movement and its links to the Protestant social gospel movement in early 20th century America. The event is free and open to the public.

Through an historical examination of the life and era of Gifford Pinchot, founder and promoter of American conservation, Naylor will discuss the complex interaction of religion and social reform. He will examine conservation not only as a policy but also as an ethic that touches upon current debates concerning religion and the environment.

Naylor, who teaches courses in American religious history and religion and environmental ethics, has written a number of articles on Gifford Pinchot. His research interests include African American religious history and the history of the liberal Protestant tradition in America. He holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford University, a master's degree from Pacific School of Religion and a doctorate in religious studies from University of California, Santa Barbara.

The talk is sponsored by UNC Asheville's Religious Studies Program, Humanities Program and Department of History.

For more information, call Rodger Payne, UNC Asheville associate professor of religious studies, at 828/250-2397.