January 2019

January 15 - Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, at Royal Botanical Gardens -  "Cultural Landscapes and Sense of Place: Royal Botanical Gardens as a Case Study" 

​A cultural landscape is the combined product of both nature and humanity in a defined place. The 1,100 ha of gardens, natural areas, and parklands owned and stewarded by Royal Botanical Gardens are just such a landscape. Royal Botanical Gardens was envisioned in the late 1920s as a major cultural, educational, and research institution by its founder, Hamilton lawyer and civic leader Thomas Baker McQuesten.  
In the decades since, various efforts brought together multiple properties together, and we have learned much about the people who have worked with nature to shape, tend, and, love these lands. We will look at the factors that have contributed to the landscape we see today, and the many people who have been part of the 9,000 year story of human presence in this place. 

Biographic Sketch – Dr. David Galbraith

​David Galbraith serves as Head of Science at Royal Botanical Gardens. A wildlife biologist by training, he completed his B, Sc, and M.Sc. at University of Guelph, and his Ph.D. at Queen’s University. Following time in England and Quebec, David joined RBG’s staff in early 1995 to coordinate conservation projects among botanical gardens across Canada. He is responsible for RBG’s library and archives, as well as both external researchers who come to RBG and RBG’s own research staff. Working with the archives and with archaeologists have fuelled David’s passion for telling stories about history and the landscape. David was named the Hamilton Environmentalist of the Year in 2010. He’s an adjunct professor in biology at McMaster University, and a Fellow of both the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and The Explorers Club. 

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