Local author and environmentalist Judith Schwartz will speak on Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bennington, 108 School Street. The public is invited to attend this free lecture, sponsored by the Bennington Branch of the American Association of University Women.

While many cases of environmental degradation around the world have been reported on extensively and are very well known, Ms. Schwartz has been focusing in recent years on the lesser known cases in which formerly devastated regions are being restored.

To complete her latest book, "The Reindeer Chronicles and Other Inspiring Stories of Working With Nature to Heal the Earth," she traveled to Norway, Spain, eastern Washington state and elsewhere to describe how eco-restorers are having considerable success. The book's title refers to a situation in Norway in which the Norwegian government claims that reindeer herded by the native Sami people are harming the delicate tundra system and is trying to remove them. That is being seen by many conservationists as an attempt to remove the Sami from right mineral deposits below their land—a dispute that has yet to be resolved .

Schwartz argues that the government is wrong and that the reverse is true. She says the Sami and their reindeer in fact have been helping to maintain the tundra ecosystem. The Boston Globe called her book "a lucid and compelling look at the global movement on ecological rehabilitation."

In her talk, Ms. Schwartz plans to describe in words and pictures how environmentally damaged landscapes are being revived in China, Saudi Arabla, Southern Africa, Mexico and elsewhere. One of the greatest successes has been in northwestern China, where the once barren and dusty Loess Plateau has been transformed into a lush landscape with trees and perennials.

She will also share with the audience how this effort can and should begin locally, right here in Vermont, with advice on how to protect our environment.

In addition to "The Reindeer Chronicles," she has written two other books on climate change and environmental restoration: "Water in Plain Sight: Hope for a Thirsty World" and "Cows Save the Planet." All three books will be available for purchase at the program.

Judith Schwartz has a Bachelor's degree from Brown University, a Master's in journalism from Columbia University, and a Master's in psychology from Northwestern University. She cross-country skis in the winter, gardens in the spring, summer and fall; trains in Uechi-Ryu karate all year round; and stops whatever she is doing to listen to the song of the hermit thrush.

Attendees are required to wear masks.