Kat Imhoff, President of The Montpelier Foundation, will discuss how James Madison, the 4th President of the United States and “Father of the Constitution, may also be regarded as the “forgotten father of American environmentalism.” Montpelier is home to some of the only “old-growth” forest on the east coast—200 acres of unspoiled forest protected as part of over 800 acres of conservation and historic easements at Montpelier. Nearly a century after Madison’s speech about environmental protection, a young lady, often referred to as a “tomboy” because of her penchant for the outdoors, Marion duPont Scott took over the stewardship of Montpelier. She built an equestrian tradition that still flourishes—including the annual steeplechase races that have been held at Montpelier since 1934, ongoing horse training operations.
Today, The Montpelier Foundation honors Madison’s environmental leadership as well as the rich equestrian heritage of the property. Part of this vision is restoring, to the best of our ability, the historic landscape that Madison designed as part of his vision for the landscape.
$5 admission, free to NSLM members.
Please RSVP to Anne Marie Barnes, the Clarice & Robert H. Smith Educator, at ABarnes@NationalSporting.org, 540-687-6542 ext. 25