Speakers

In this talk, acclaimed plant ecologist John Zentner will discuss how wetland health impacts the health of birds and wildlife. John will guide participants through understanding different types of local wetlands, from marshes, vernal pools, riparian wetlands, and more. He will then outline methods of wetland conservation and how these projects are crucial to maintaining holistic and healthy ecosystems that sustain all life. 

The latest climate science supports what millions of people and animals are experiencing daily: the impacts of climate change are hitting harder and faster than expected, posing grave threats to human health and planetary health. We are already pushing against multiple global tipping points that could unleash abrupt and irreversible damage to people and wildlife alike. Children, the elderly, and people living in low-income communities are disproportionately affected. Our only hope for a vibrant, healthy, and equitable future for all is to enact bold climate policies now, not decades from now.

Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with 2.6 million residents. It has the largest sand dunes in the world, and it hasn’t rained for over 10 years in parts of the Namib Desert.  But it hosts many birds and animals that have learned to survive in this arid place. Bob and GGBA friends spent some time in Cape Town, and then drove to Walvis Bay to meet the GGBA tour group.  Bob will show you many of the desert creatures he saw on tour. Photo of Burchell's Courser by Bob Lewis.

During the 19th century, Britain maintained a complex network of garrisons to manage its global empire. During their tours abroad, many British officers engaged in formal and informal scientific research. Kirsten A. Greer tracks British officers as they moved around the world, just as migratory birds traversed borders from season to season. Greer examines the writings of a number of ornithologist-officers, arguing that the transnational encounters between military men and birds shaped military strategy, ideas about race and masculinity, and conceptions of the British Empire.

Wildfires are an important part of many ecosystems around the world. Fires provide an opportunity for new growth, to return nutrients to the soil, and to create a wholly unique type of habitat. Many species are adapted for these ever-changing systems, and they have developed a wide variety of strategies for making the best of the post-fire habitat.