Archive for the ‘Speeches’ Category
IMD 2009 Speech
This speech was given by KMPL president Shawn James Morrissey at the International Mountain Day seminar, December 11, 2009. Thank you. On behalf of the other organizers, I’d like to thank everyone for coming today. This is the third time we’ve held this seminar marking International Mountain Day, and just like myself, it seems to be getting better with age. IMD was designed as a way to bring awareness to the necessity of montane environments. Mountains provide incalculable sustenance to living things. They are ecosystems that function within the greater ecosystem of our Planet Earth. They are roughhewn and harsh places, but they just as equally sensitive and fragile. Without mountains, the water cycle wouldn’t function, deserts wouldn’t exist, and Earth would be devoid of a vast percentage of its biodiversity. Read more →
IMD 2008 Speech
This speech was given by KMPL president Shawn James Morrissey at the International Mountain Day seminar, December 7, 2008. I’d like to thank everyone for joining us today. My name is Shawn Morrissey. I’m one of the chief organizers of this seminar. I’m a naturalist, an author, and the founder and president of the Korean Mountain Preservation League. In 2003, the UN General Assembly designated December 11 as International Mountain Day, an annual observance of the importance of mountains on ecology and human culture. IMD is coordinated by the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation, and every year the FAO works under its Sustainable Management of Mountains program to raise awareness of the undeniable importance of mountain environments. Read more →
IMD 2007 Speech
This speech was given by KMPL president Shawn James Morrissey at the International Mountain Day seminar, December 9, 2007. In the early months of 1923, the then famous and now legendary mountaineer George Leigh Mallory embarked upon a tour of the United States, giving lectures about the previous reconnaissance of Chomolungma, more commonly referred to in our part of the world as Mount Everest. Mallory also discussed in these lectures the expedition planned for the spring of 1924 to attempt the first summit of Chomolungma. During that 1924 expedition, on June 8, Mallory along with his climbing companion Andrew Irvine were seen by expedition geologist Noel Odell from a great distance ascending over the north-east ridge into the clouds of Chomolungma. It was the last time they ever seen alive. Read more →