Media Release

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – Alachua County Manager Randall H. Reid will be addressing the Gainesville Daughters of the American Revolution at their monthly chapter luncheon meeting on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.  The meeting is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 826 NW 23rd Ave., Gainesville. 

Reid’s talk entitled "Who Will Tell the Village That the Buffalo Are Gone” has been presented at national conferences.  By using the analogy of the cultural dependence of the Plains Indians on the herds of bison with America’s cultural dependence on foreign petroleum resources, Reid discusses the impact of rising petroleum prices on American communities and local strategies necessary to become more resilient and sustainable.

In speaking of the talk Reid said, “We have an obligation to tell folks that the end of plentiful cheap supplies of petroleum, which is a staple of our modern society, is currently affecting more than just our foreign policy.  More importantly, as we share this village it is going to affect our food supplies, transportation, and design of our communities.  We can change consumption or innovate technological solutions but local communities must have a strategy for dealing with this threat to our security and our way of life.  We are not much different from those Indians who saw their way of life being drastically altered.  How will we respond to this challenge?”

The public is invited to attend.  Attendees must make a reservation and pay for lunch in advance.  Please RSVP by April 6, 2011.

For more information, or to make a reservation and arrange the lunch payment, contact Janet Zengel Messer at 352-665-0693 or email at jzm@atlantic.net.