Mount Washington: A Billion-Year Story

This visual presentation takes the audience on a journey through geological time and processes that have created the Mt. Washington region of New Hampshire. The more recent historical time, during which humans discovered, occupied and developed the area, will be addressed. The construction of the Mt. Washington Auto Road and Cog Railway, that now provides easy public access to the 6,288-foot summit, will be covered. This program will also take a brief look at the recreational and educational opportunities available to visitors at Mt. Washington State Park on the mountain’s summit. Finally, the presentation will review the extraordinary weather monitoring and climate research work conducted by the Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS), while operating year-round in the “world’s most extreme weather.”

Michael Bernarsky holds degrees in biology and environmental science. During his 40+ years as an educator he developed and instructed ecology courses at the secondary education, community college and university graduate levels. While serving as a professor of ecology for 25 years at Penn State University he instructed graduate-level travel courses in Appalachian Mountain Ecology, New Jersey Bine Barren Habitats, Bermuda Coral Reef Ecosystems, Chesapeake Bay Estuary Ecology, Atlantic Boreal Coast Ecology (Bay of Fundy), Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest Ecosystems, and the Natural History of the Hawaiian Island Archipelago. Other Circle of Scholars’ seminars by Mr. Bernarsky include: “Origin of Earth’s Oceans” and “LUCA: Evolution of Life on Earth.”