Speakers

  • The Winged Heroes of the Night – Bats

    Bats consume large quantities of insects each night. Learn about these fascinating flying mammals with Mary Jean Quirk, the founder of NorCal Bats.

    About Our Speaker

    Mary Jean (Corky) Quirk is the founder of NorCal Bats, an organization that provides care for injured bats and educational programs for libraries, school, nature programs, fairs and other events throughout the region. Corky has been working intensely with native bats since 2004 and has educated thousands of people. She works with injured and orphaned bats, returning them to the wild and keeps a captive colony of non-releasable bats for use in education. She is permitted through the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USDA. Corky also is responsible for maintaining www.norcalbats.org She is also an experienced environmental educator who got her start with Camp Fire Boys and Girls.  She has an undergraduate degree in natural resource planning and interpretation from Humboldt State University.   She teaches three days a week at Yolo Basin Foundation, a wetland education program in the Sacramento Valley, in addition to her work with bats.

    Date: Thursday, October 16 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86441286536?pwd=BGDmOr9REVbTmRfnNwCmNqZ4wgiGgf.1

    Passcode:173735…

  • Long-billed Curlew

    Learn about the biology of these charismatic birds, the largest North American shorebird: their habitats, nesting requirements and migratory journey. Learn how satellite technology is uncovering some of their mysteries and is connecting communities from the mountains of Idaho to coastal California.

    About Our Speaker

    Heather Hayes is a research biologist and the Community Science Coordinator for the Intermountain Bird Observatory (IBO) in Boise, Idaho. In addition to the Long-billed Curlew Satellite Tracking program, Heather has worked on the 8-state Western Asio flammeus
    Landscape Study (WAfLS) community science program for Short-eared Owls, and the IBO’s Hummingbird Monitoring Program.
    Heather loves integrating her fieldwork with education, not only in the K-12 classroom but also in Hunter’s Education.

    Date: Thursday. July 24 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83897582723?pwd=1Nc6IbOGx1PXlnVqAVBJKSUS9DFL7l.1…

  • Nest Building: Creating Lasting (Birding) Community

    Chelsea will be sharing her thoughts and perspectives on “Nest Building”. No, not bird nests per say, but rather the spaces we build to create a lasting community with our fellow birders.

    About Our Speaker

    Chelsea Connor is the co-founder of Black Birders Week, a 2024 GGBA Birding for Everyone Fellow, and an MS candidate at SFSU.

    Date: Thursday, May 15, 2025 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86714178233?pwd=l4bsUnQAmdRESjJ25qdNzI2aXZp4St.1

    …

  • The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: connections and complexity

    In this talk, Aaron will discuss the connections that created and define the Delta
    from its formation to its ecology and biodiversity. The talk will also explore some of the
    ecological and social complexities the Delta embraces and faces.

    About Our Speaker

    Aaron N. K. Haiman has been a student of nature his entire life. He spent countless hours
    birding across California and has lived and birded in the California Delta for over a decade.
    Aaron volunteered from a young age with numerous bird research organizations before
    attending the University of California, Berkeley (BS in environmental science), rotating through
    several bird-focused internships, attending the University of California, Davis (MS in avian
    science and a second MS in animal behavior), working for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
    Conservancy, and now as a Senior Environmental Scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Board.
    Beyond his formal career, Aaron leads bird walks for a variety of organizations, mentors high
    school students on ecology and sustainability, leads a youth bird-a-thon team for Point Blue
    Conservation Science, gives presentations on birds and habitat restoration, has written for
    multiple science websites, and creates content for his own blog, social media platforms, and
    YouTube channel all under the A Birding Naturalist handle.

    Date: Thursday, June 26 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83516705279?pwd=a76VLb7FhDsDqGxt2HE9XChkKQHrbW.1

    …

  • Restoring the San Franciso Bay Estuary: Wetlands, Birds and More!

    The San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the west coast of the United States, and is home to a wide range of birds, from rails to shorebirds, waders, and ducks. Over 90% of the tidal wetlands around the estuary have been lost, but there is now large-scale local support for protecting and restoring the estuary. We’ll review efforts to restore San Franciso Bay wetlands, including challenges and opportunities associated with sea-level rise and climate change, and implications for local birds. 

    About Our Speaker

    John Callaway is a wetland ecologist who specializes in plant and soil ecology of tidal wetlands, but his original motivation for researching wetlands was driven by an interest in waterbirds. He recently retired from Department of Environmental Science at the University of San Francisco. His research has focused on sea-level rise impacts, carbon sequestration, and restoration issues for salt and brackish marshes in the San Francisco Bay estuary.

    Date: Thursday, April 17, 2025 (7pm)

    Location: Online via Zoom

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87631566197?pwd=Eb7h5It2RWiLoBoJbzAML0KE2TYHG7.1

    Passcode: 381334…