On Friday, Mar. 24 at 7 p.m. award-winning author Florence Williams will speak on her new book “Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative.” The free lecture will be given in the Byrd Auditorium at the National Conservation Training Center, Shepherd Grade Road.

At a time when half of the world’s population lives in cities, a figure that could reach 70 percent by 2050, Florence Williams investigates the consequences of and potential solutions to increasing urbanization. In a starred review, the well-respected Kirkus Reviews said her book was “A thoughtful, refreshing book with a simple but powerful message: ‘Go outside, often, sometimes in wild places. Bring friends or not. Breathe.'”

Florence Williams is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and a freelance writer for the New York Times, National Geographic, Slate, and numerous other publications. She is currently a fellow at the Center for Humans and Nature and a visiting scholar focusing on the environment, health and science at George Washington University. In 2007-2008, she was a Scripps Fellow at the Center of Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado. She has received six magazine awards from the American Society of Journalists, the John Hersey Prize at Yale and her work has been anthologized in numerous books. The Wall Street Journal called her writing “droll and crisp,” Her first book, “Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History” received the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in science and technology and was named a notable book of 2012 by the New York Times. She serves on the board of her favorite non-profit, High Country News and lives with her family in Washington, D.C.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase. A portion of the price of each book goes to The Friends of NCTC to support the lecture series, The Friends of NCTC Scholars and other projects.

The lecture is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. It is part of The Conservation Lecture Series held at the National Conservation Training Center. For more information please contact Mark Madison at (304) 876-7276 or mark-madison@fws.gov or visit nctc.fws.gov/history/publiclectures.html