Celebrating Geography Awareness Week: Rescuing the Rougarou-Preserving culture in a changing climate
Thu, November 16, 2023 7:00 PM - Thu, November 16, 2023 8:30 PM at MSU Business College Complex, 632 Bogue Street, Rm N130, East Lansing, MI 48824
As Hurricane Ida entered the Gulf of Mexico in late August 2021, Jonathan Foret was on edge but felt mentally prepared about what to expect from the storm. Having grown up in the small bayou community of Chauvin, LA, hurricanes were nothing new to Foret. What was new, however, was the sheer magnitude of the destruction that Ida’s 150 mph winds left in its wake.
“As residents of southern Louisiana, we’re good at hurricanes, but this was unlike any storm we have experienced,” said Foret, director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center in Houma, LA. “We talk about Bayou residents as being resilient—about building back, being stronger, taking the next storm, and staying here. But what if, at some point, being resilient means figuring out how to maintain the culture and heritage that makes our communities so special while not putting ourselves in harm’s way again and again?”
Foret will explore these and other questions during a special presentation entitled “Rescuing the Rougarou: Preserving Culture in a Changing Climate” on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at the Eli Broad College of Business. The event, organized to coincide with the annual celebration of Geography Awareness Week, will be hosted by the Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Science at Michigan State University and sponsored by the College of Social Science and WKAR.
Established by a presidential proclamation more than 35 years ago, this public awareness program is celebrated each third week of November and encourages citizens, young and old, to think and learn about the significance of place and how we affect and are affected by it. “For the past decade, we’ve organized a variety of activities during Geography Awareness Week. Not only do we want to celebrate our love and excitement for the discipline, but take the opportunity to highlight the numerous career paths offered within the field and demonstrate just how much people, space, and place impact our daily lives,” said Ashton Shortridge, department chair and professor of Geography.
In addition to directing the day-to-day operations of a busy nonprofit, Foret is the founder and guiding force behind the Rougarou Fest. Now in its 12th year, this award-winning, family-friendly festival with a spooky flair celebrates the rich folklore that exists along the bayous of Southeast Louisiana. “Rougarou Fest is designed to increase awareness of the plight of Louisiana’s wetlands so that this valuable resource may be preserved for future generations,” explained Foret.
Additional activities and events are being planned for Geography Awareness Week by the Geography department, the MSU GIS Users Group, the MSU Library, and related student groups, including the MSU Geography Club, the Geography Graduate Group, and Supporting Women in Geography. For more information about these events, please visit geo.msu.edu.
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2023 MSU Geography Awareness Week Poster
EVENT DETAILS:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @ 7:00 PM
BUSINESS COLLEGE COMPLEX, N130
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
DOORS OPEN @ 6:30 PM
SEATING CAPACITY: 600
AUDITORIUM FILLED ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS