What is it people like or don’t like about the Nebraska landscape? Richard K. Sutton, professor of agronomy and horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been thinking about that question during his many decades interacting with the state’s landscape and has crafted his own environmental and aesthetic approach to the answer.

Sutton will deliver a Paul A. Olson Great Plains lecture on the topic at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Center for Great Plains Studies, 1155 Q St. The lecture is free and open to the public. Watch it on Facebook Live.

Sutton will walk listeners through the process of reading Nebraska’s landscape by connecting scenery, exploring shared history and interweaving the community of people and plants. He will discuss the impacts of natural and cultural places and how people can protect the future of the shared landscape.

A Center for Great Plains Studies Fellow and fourth-generation Nebraskan, Sutton draws upon his roots and deep experience from decades of travel, teaching and design to suggest answers to how Nebraskans feel about the state’s landscape. His major research activities include low-input green roofs, rural landscapes, the visual impacts of wind development, and native plant materials.

The Paul A. Olson Great Plains lectures are held by the Center for Great Plains Studies on various Great Plains topics. Find out more.