Peter Raven, internationally honored plant scientist and leader in conservation and sustainable development, will be in Lincoln Oct. 10 to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.

Honored by Time magazine as a “Hero for the Planet,” Raven has headed the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis since 1971, nurturing it into a world-renowned center for botanical research, education and conservation. He is recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest award for scientific accomplishment in the United States. Raven is active internationally in science, science policy and conservation issues, and has advocated for a transition to sustainability in forums worldwide.

Raven will be the honored guest of a reception and fund-raiser for the arboretum beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1040 P Street. Ticket price is $75 per person ($44 tax-deductible), and reservations can be made by calling 472-2971 by Oct. 1.

Following the reception, Raven will present a free public lecture, “A Sustainable World: Our Shared Responsibility,” at 7:30 p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall. His lecture is being underwritten by the UNL Chancellor’s Office, Peru State College and Lincoln Journal-Star Recycling.

“We are thrilled to bring a scientist and environmental leader of Dr. Raven’s influence and stature to Nebraska,” said NSA director Jim Locklear. “It will be a great evening and a fitting way to celebrate three decades of good, green work by the arboretum.”

Raven’s appearance is part of a year-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. A public/private partnership based at the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the arboretum has been a catalyst for environmental stewardship and community development across Nebraska, helping bring nearly 900 public landscaping projects to fruition in over  250 Nebraska communities while stressing plants and practices that conserve water and benefit the environment. The arboretum received the 2008 Urban Beautification Award from the American Horticultural Society in recognition of “significant contributions to urban horticulture and the beautification of American cities.”