Photo of George Vrtis

George Vrtis

Professor of Environmental Studies and History, History

Education & Professional History

Marquette University, BS; Northwestern University, MA; Georgetown University, PhD


At Carleton since 2006.

Highlights & Recent Activity

My research and teaching interests focus on the fields of American environmental history, the American West, and contemporary environmental issues. As a joint appointment in the History Department and the Environmental Studies Program, I teach courses on a wide range of subjects, including American Environmental History, American Farms and Food, American Cities and Nature, American Wilderness, and Wilderness Field Studies at the Grand Canyon. My recent publications include Nature’s Crossroads: The Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022), co-edited with Christopher Wells, Macalester College; and Mining North America: An Environmental History since 1522 (University of California Press, 2017), co-edited with John McNeill, Georgetown University. I am currently working on a study of the preservation and meaning of wilderness at Grand Canyon National Park.

Current Courses

  • Winter 2024
    HIST 205: American Environmental History
  •  
    HIST 306: American Wilderness
  • Spring 2024
    ENTS 291: Cameroon Program: NGO Internship/Independent Project
  •  
    ENTS 307: Wilderness Field Studies: Grand Canyon
  •  
    HIST 205: American Environmental History