American Alligator Book Talk with Robert W. Hastings

Join us at the Roy House for a presentation and book signing with Robert W. Hastings, author of The American Alligator, Abused, Protected, Restored. Hastings traces the history and success of the campaign to protect these crocodilians from extinction in the United States. From initial interactions with prehistoric Indigenous peoples to the recorded history of early European immigrants to North America, this book details the endangerment of alligators brought about by excessive hunting for hides and wetlands habitat destruction.

As the population declined significantly in the early 1800s and into the 1900s, concern grew across the South that the American alligator might be threatened with extinction. Efforts to combat this problem, which included listing the species as endangered and pushing for legal protection, stimulated research and management and led to increased, stable populations. Today, the species is recognized as an economically valuable resource; captive farming and ranch production yield annual harvests valued at millions of dollars. The American alligator, abused for more than a century, has thankfully been restored.

Our doors open at 5:00 p.m. There is limited parking in our Roy House lot and across the street at Martin Hall Circle. There are ParkMobile pay lots down University Avenue, which are walking distance from the Roy.

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