Speakers

  • The Invasive Spartina Project and Rails

    The Invasive Spartina Project (ISP) is tasked with removing invasive Spartina species to restoring native habitat in SF Bay and protect our newly restored tidal wetlands. Tall, dense, and fast-growing, hybrid Spartina outcompetes other marsh species, overrunning wetlands and mudflats. Infestation reduces shorebird habitat but also provides cover for secretive marsh birds, including endangered California Ridgway’s Rails (RIRA). From 2005-2025, hybrid Spartina was reduced from 805 to 18 net acres, a reduction of over 97%. We also actively enhance habitat, including planting over 650,000 natives to provide cover for rails at over 40 sites. In 2027, we plan to begin our restoration work in San Leandro Bay, including at Arrowhead Marsh. This talk will cover what we have achieved so far and our plans for the future.

    About Our Speaker

    Jeanne Hammond
    Jeanne Hammond has worked on the Invasive Spartina Project for Olofson Environmental since 2008. She wears many hats for the ISP but the main one is as Restoration Program Manager. Before working on tidal marsh restoration projects for OEI, Jeanne worked at Point Blue Conservation Science conducting songbird research and monitoring projects, primarily in restored riparian habitats. She has a B.A. in Urban Studies and Environmental Planning from UCSD and an M.S. in Natural Resources: Wildlife Management from Humboldt State.

    Tobias Rohmer
    Tobias Rohmer is the Monitoring Program Manager for the San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project and works for Olofson Environmental. Tobias has a B.A. in German Studies and a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from University of Arizona, and received his M.S. in Ecology from UC Davis where he did his master’s thesis on California Ridgway’s rails. When not working in tidal marshes, Tobias is most often traveling in pursuit of fun birds to watch.

    Jen McBroom
    Jen McBroom is a biologist at Olofson Environmental Inc. and has been conducting surveys for Ridgway’s rails since 2005 for the Invasive Spartina Project. Jen got her start in the tidal wetlands of the San Francisco Bay studying song sparrows and marsh wrens after finishing her degree at UC Davis. Since then, she has logged many hours in muddy boots mapping invasive plants and observing the wildlife at the edge of the Bay.

    Date: Thursday, April 16 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83469900711?pwd=ctwB0S75KKRaETeYpaAjE9WZTavNlY.1

    Passcode: 146181…

  • Listening with Merlin: How Sound ID Works and What It Can (and Can’t) Do

    Merlin Sound ID has made it possible for anyone to identify birds by sound, but how does it actually work, and how should birders use it? In this talk, I’ll give an accessible overview of how Merlin Sound ID listens to audio and turns it into species suggestions. I’ll describe the kinds of recordings that teach Merlin, how the system continues to improve, and where its strengths and limitations lie.

    About Our Speaker

    Grant Van Horn is a machine learning researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he works on the Sound ID and image-recognition models used in the Merlin Bird ID app. His work focuses on building practical tools that help people engage with nature. Grant received his PhD from Caltech, where he studied how to train and deploy large-scale machine learning models on mobile devices, work that contributed to technologies now used in iNaturalist, Seek, and Merlin. He is currently on leave from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is an assistant professor of computer science. Learn more about Grant’s work here.

    Date: Thursday, February 19 @ 6pm

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87377145453?pwd=Jt8aYrFqyD9zTBGl09jH58J5s9gbev.1

    Passcode: 052289

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  • Around the World in 80 Birds

    If you want to see a wide variety of birds, you’ll want to see representative species from different families of birds. That’s been a long-term goal of birder and photographer Bob Lewis who has set a goal of photographing a representative species from every bird family (Birds of the World Online currently recognizes 251 families of birds). Please join this special GGBA Travel Program Speakers Series presentation “Around the World in 80 Birds” in which Bob will describe efforts to photograph birds in all eight of the world’s biogeographical regions. You’ll enjoy his knockout photographs of some amazing birds.

    Drinks and Dessert will be provided!

    About Our Speaker

    Bob Lewis has taught birding classes in the Bay Area for over 25 years and loves to travel, especially to islands in search of birds.  He is a board member of the Farallon Islands Foundation, created to foster life on islands.  Bob has visited many of the larger islands populated with unique species, including Madagascar, Borneo, Hawaii, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Cuba etc.  The talk will be illustrated with his photos of birds from these places.

    Date: Thursday, March 12 @ 7pm

    Location: Tamalpais Room @ the David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way, Berkeley 94704

    This event will be hybrid (both in-person an online via Zoom) and will be recorded to watch later.

    ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED for attending in-person.

    Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86499042053?pwd=xrOKGippyDfyHVK8Cs3YbH9gLMjYNO.1
    Passcode: 969967

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  • Tales of Animal Sex, Murder and Mayhem

    Join naturalist and conservationist Jeff Miller for a talk about his book Bay Area Wildlife: An Irreverent Guide, to learn about the ecology and antics of the Bay Area’s most charismatic wildlife species. Learn about conservation and recovery of iconic Bay Area critters such as tule elk, elephant seals, river otters, beavers, bald eagles, burrowing owls, salmon, and condors. Jeff’s irreverent and entertaining take on our region’s coolest fauna will inspire your local wildlife viewing excursions and adventures.

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    About Our Speaker

    Jeff Miller is a naturalist, conservationist, and passionate advocate for wildlife. He has dedicated several decades to championing protection of endangered species and native wildlife habitat in the Bay Area. He’s the founder of the nonprofit Alameda Creek Alliance and a senior conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, spearheading biodiversity and wildlife protection campaigns throughout the Bay Area and California.

    The Irreverent Naturalist website.

    Date: Thursday, March 19 @ 7pm

    Location: Hybrid — Tamalpais Room @ the David Brower Center (2150 Allston Way, Berkeley 94704 and online via Zoom

    If you plan to attend in-person, please RSVP at the button below. Otherwise, you can join us via Zoom through the link below.

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    Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87377145453?pwd=Jt8aYrFqyD9zTBGl09jH58J5s9gbev.1

    Passcode: 052289…

  • The Impact of Artificial Lights At Night on Birds

    A billion birds migrate over the Bay Area every year as they journey from wintering grounds to breeding grounds, and back. Most bird species migrate at night, using the stars to navigate. Artificial lights from our cities and towns cause birds to collide with buildings, veer off course, and tire out, making them vulnerable to predators, starvation, and exhaustion. Learn what you can do to help keep birds safe on their migratory route along the Pacific Flyway.

    About Our Speaker

    Whitney Grover is the Director of Conservation for Golden Gate Bird Alliance. Grover is a life-long coastal Californian, enthusiastic birder, and lover of the Bay Area’s unique ecology. In 2023 she earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco, with a concentration in Ecology. She is a long-time volunteer for Golden Gate Bird Alliance, starting as a Field Trip Leader, later Board Member, and the Chair of the San Francisco Conservation Committee. Before joining the GGBA staff in 2022, she worked in healthcare as a Hospital Pharmacy Buyer and served on the Hospital’s Environmental Action Committee. Whitney is a Master Birder, co-founder of the SF Bay chapter of the Feminist Bird Club, gardener, and film buff.

    Date: Thursday, January 22 @ 7pm

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87377145453?pwd=Jt8aYrFqyD9zTBGl09jH58J5s9gbev.1

    Password: 683020…