This is precisely the time: Nature, stewardship and the future we choose

Join UW College of the Environment for the 2026 Doug Walker Reception & Lecture, featuring Phil Levin, professor and director of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and director of The Nature Record.

Conservation has always been about more than protecting species and ecosystems—it is about our relationship with the living world. Drawing on lessons from The Nature Record, the first independent national assessment of nature in the United States, Levin reflects on what four years of scientific synthesis revealed about stewardship, resilience and responsibility. Blending personal stories, ecological science and reflections from ancient wisdom and contemporary literature, this talk explores why nature matters not only for biodiversity but also for our shared future. At a moment of rapid environmental and social change, Levin considers what the evidence tells us about our relationship with nature and the choices before us.

General Admission - $8.00 per person

Ticket price includes access to our special pre-reception designed to spark meaningful connections across Seattle’s vibrant sustainability and environmental science community. Enjoy beer, wine, and small bites before the lecture. First come, first served.

Pre-reception: 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Lecture: 6:30–7:45 p.m.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER

Phil Levin is a conservation scientist whose work bridges the gap between science and practice, bringing together the natural and social sciences to advance the conservation of marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. He serves as director of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington and is director of The Nature Record an independent, nonpartisan national assessment of nature that grew from the nation's first National Nature Assessment, which he led while serving at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Previously, Levin served as interim executive director of UW EarthLab, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Washington state and senior scientist at NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center. 

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

The annual Doug Walker Lecture is named for Doug Walker, who was instrumental to the founding of the College of the Environment in 2009 as a co-chair of the Advisory Board and passionate advocate for the environment. Doug passed away tragically in 2016. In order to carry on and amplify Doug’s passion for outdoor recreation and his unending desire for learning, the College of the Environment hosts this annual lecture on health and nature.

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