Join co-curators Collin Vandewalle and Lindsay Moen for a special guided tour of the current University of Iowa Libraries Main Library Gallery exhibition, It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. “Ding” Darling. The tour begins at 4 p.m.

Oct. 21 is also Darling’s birthday, so stop by for birthday treats before or after the tour! (Gluten-free and vegan options available.)

All are welcome to attend this free event, which is being held in partnership with the Iowa City Book Festival.

About the exhibit:
A Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Des Moines Register, Jay N. “Ding” Darling (1876–1962) was also one of the nation’s most influential figures in the American conservation movement. Appointed director of the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey (later part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Darling made historic attempts to answer his growing concerns about industrialism’s impact on the environment.

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth, this exhibition explores the transformation of Iowa’s environmental landscape during Darling’s life and his contributions to environmental and wildlife conservation advocacy nationwide. It also showcases how his legacy lives on today both locally and across the country, and how other Iowans have played key roles in our state’s conservation efforts. Curated by librarians Lindsay Moen and Collin Vandewalle, It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You highlights the Jay N. “Ding” Darling Papers from Special Collections and Archives, specimens from the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History, and more from across the Libraries.