Boston Flora

Tag: Wheaton College

  • Saturday, April 28, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – Ware River Nature Club Spring Conference: Our Aerial Insectivorous Birds – Current Conservation Issues

    The Ware River Nature Club’s Spring Conference will take place Saturday, April 28 from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The guild of northeastern avian insectivores—birds that specialize in feeding on flying insects—includes Whip-poor-wills (picture below, courtesy of www.allaboutbirds.org), Common Nighthawks, Chimney Swifts, several species of swallows and flycatchers, and Purple Martins. Most of these species are experiencing dramatic population declines and range contraction. The plight of aerial insectivores is gaining increasing attention since the magnitude of the declines over the past 25 years has been alarming. This conference will address ecology, current status, and theories regarding population decline in several species. Some citizen science opportunities will be explored.

    GUEST SPEAKERS:

    Kim Spiller, UMass ECO Graduate School—Overview: Aerial Insectivore Conservation Concerns

    Pam Hunt, New Hampshire Audubon—The Whip-poor-will: Biology and Conservation of a Crepuscular Enigma

    Marja Bakermans ,Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Andrew Vitz, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife—Migratory Connectivity of the Eastern Whip-poor-will

    KEYNOTE: Margaret Rubega, University of Connecticut—The Disappearance of an Almost-Invisible Bird: The Mysterious Biology and Decline of the Chimney Swift

    Mara Silver, Northeast Swallow Conservation—Conservation of Cliff and Barn Swallows, Two Species in Decline in the Northeast

    Mary Keleher, Cape Cod Bird Club—Mary’s Mashpee Martins

    Jessie Knowlton, Wheaton College—Threats and Coping Strategies of Neotropical Migrants on the Wintering Grounds: Examples from Southern Mexico

    Hollie Sutherland, UMass ECO Graduate School—Using Trail and Web Cameras for Bird Study

    $35 for WRNC members, $45 for nonmembers, lunch included. Contact warerivernatureclub@yahoo.com to register or for more information.

    Image result for whippoorwill bird

  • Tuesday, April 22, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – The Balance of Nature: Ecology’s Enduring Myth

    The idea of a balance of nature has been a dominant part of Western philosophy since before Aristotle, and it persists in the public imagination and even among some ecologists today. In his lively and thought-provoking book, The Balance of Nature: Ecology’s Enduring Myth, John Kricher, Professor of Biology at Wheaton College demonstrates that nature in fact is not in balance, nor has it ever been at any stage in Earth’s history. John will explain how and why this notion of a natural world in balance has endured for so long, and show why, in these times of extraordinary human influence on the planet’s ecosystems, it is critical that we accept and understand that nature is constantly in flux, and, in effect, quite naturally out of balance.

    This Arnold Arboretum lecture will take place Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arboretum. Free for Arboretum members, $10 for nommembers. Register online at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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  • Saturday, March 8, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Extinction is Forever: What Have We Learned?

    Using the passenger pigeon as an iconic example of what can happen to a super-abundant species in a relatively short span of time, the 22nd annual Mass Audubon Birders Meeting on Saturday, March 8, from 9 – 3, will focus on the extinction phenomenon from a variety of perspectives. Since 1992, birders from around New England have come together every March to attend Mass Audubon’s Annual Birders Meeting. With the help of supportive sponsors, they have successfully brought together engaging speakers from around the country, been joined by top-notch vendors, and drawn enthusiastic participants to these day-long events.

    The meeting will take place at Bentley University in Waltham, and is co-hosted by Mass Audubon, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Featured speakers are:

    Patrick Comins, Audubon Connecticut – Weather: Its Significance to Birds and Birders

    Keynote Joel Greenberg, Research Associate of both the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Field Museum – A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction

    Matthew Kamm, Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University – Legacy of the Heath Hen

    John Kricher, Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts – Bird Conservation: Ultimately it’s Personal

    Michael Reed, Professor of Biology at Tufts University – Causes and Consequences of Avian Extinctions

    There will also be a silent auction, proceeds of which will provide financial support to the Bird Conservation programs at Mass Audubon. Register ($60 sponsor members, $65 public) at https://secure2.convio.net/mas/site/Ecommerce;jsessionid=2941D35BFE22BC33B67791314E6F05F1.app271b?store_id=1761.

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