2019-2020 Programs
20 Sept. Stuart Perlmeter Bats
Perlmeter is a
retired public school teacher. In 2015, in recognition of the
effectiveness of the methods he had developed and for his own
excellence as a teacher, Perlmeter
was selected as Oregon’s Math/Science Teacher of the Year, the
second time he was so honored. Perlmeter
will delve into his 15 years of bat research to help us
understand these fascinating animals. Bats account for 25% of
all mammal species on earth, but the roles chiropterans play in ecosystems
have been overlooked until recently. In his talk to us, Perlmeter will cover a range of topics
including bat diversity, basic biology, echolocation, roosting
patterns, reproductive strategies, the importance of bats to
ecosystems worldwide, and some of the current threats to bat
populations. If conditions permit, he will bring live bats for
attendees to observe up close.
18
Oct.
Jesse D’Elia
Reintroducing California Condors to the Pacific
Northwest
D’Elia is the
endangered species reintroduction coordinator for the Pacific
Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with recent
projects involving California condors, Oregon silverspot butterflies, Guam
kingfishers, and grizzly bears. He is the lead author of the
book, California
Condors in the Pacific Northwest (OSU Press), and his
research on endangered species spans multiple disciplines,
including history, spatial modeling, genetics, and policy. In
his talk, D’Elia will discuss the
history of condors in the Northwest and progress toward their
recovery and eventual return to the region. He’ll also share
some insights from his latest spatial modeling efforts to
predict where condors might become established if they were
reintroduced to Redwood National Park.
15 Nov.
Greg Retallack
Astropedology and the
Origin of Life
Retallack’s professorship in the department of geology here at the
University of Oregon began in 1981. His research specialty is
paleosols: fossil soils. In his talk to us he will expand his
view to include soils from extraterrestrial locations. Astropedology is soil science of other
planets and the early Earth. Current planetary exploration is
favoring soil planets such as Mars as promising locations for
the origin of life. The very early record of soils on Earth is
also becoming better understood, and Archean paleosols are
surprisingly similar to soils on Mars and Ceres. Could it be
that after all we are but soil grown tall?
.
13 Dec.
Scott Pearson
Tufted Puffins in a Dynamic Seascape
Pearson is a
senior research scientist with the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife, where his research focuses primarily on
shorebirds and seabirds of conservation concern, including the
snowy plover, marbled murrelet,
and tufted puffin. In addition, he is continuing research on
one federally threatened land-bird species, the streaked
horned lark. He also supervises the west-side research team.
Scientists on this team study cougar-human interactions,
predator-prey dynamics in landscapes occupied by wolves,
black-tailed deer population dynamics, Mazama pocket gopher
habitat, Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly population trends, the
influence of pinnipeds on salmon, and marine mammal stranding.
In his talk he will give an overview of tufted puffin natural
history, conservation status, population threats, potential
conservation actions, and ongoing research and research needs. Cosponsored by the Lane
County Audubon Society.
These are
hard times for naturalists, birders, hikers, children, and all
of us who love the Earth and its wild creatures. Messages of
global mass extinction, climate catastrophe, and ecosystem
collapse are dark and pressing. So let us take an evening to
gather our loins for the work ahead of us. We may be tired, we
may be weary, but the world desperately needs our defense.
With drawings and essays from her new collaboration with
Canadian humorist and artist Bob Haverluck,
Kathleen Dean Moore will remind us of why we work so hard for
the sake of the planet and why we must continue. Moore is a
philosopher, climate activist, and writer from Oregon State
University, the author, most recently, of Piano Tide,
a novel; Great Tide Rising; and Moral Ground.
From Corvallis, she travels widely to speak about the moral
urgency of climate action and perform with the music/spoken
word collaboration, “The Extinction Variations (Meadowlarks).”
21 Feb.
Paul Cziko
Opening a "Window" into Antarctica's Frozen Ocean
Cziko is an
evolutionary biologist, physiologist, tinkerer, Antarctic
SCUBA diver, and research faculty member at the University of
Oregon. In 2017, he conceived and led the development of the
McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory at McMurdo Station,
Antarctica—a first-of-its kind live-streaming science and
outreach platform positioned 70 feet below the solid sea ice
in the world’s southernmost accessible marine environment.
Paul will present how—with this technology along with field
and laboratory experiments—he studies the physiology and
ecology of Antarctic marine fishes and invertebrates,
especially the risk of organismal freezing and the evolution
of their freezing avoidance strategies. He has completed eight
seasons in Antarctica and 180 dives under the ice in support
of Antarctic research projects. His talk will be augmented
with mind-blowing photos, video, and audio recorded under the
sea ice of Antarctica.
20 March John Helmer Steens Mountain: A Tale of Beauty and Hard Work
Helmer retired as Executive Director of a higher education consortium in 2016. He remains active in a number of organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, for which work he was honored as volunteer of the year. Germane to his talk to us, he has served as the Recreation Representative to the Steens Mountain Advisory Council, a group comprising landowners, environmentalists, ranchers, the Burns Paiute tribe, and others advising the BLM on creative approaches to managing 428,000 acres of public land in Harney County. Helmer will speak about the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management & Protection Area, including its origins, history, recreational highlights, and management. Come hear about this unique and wild Oregon treasure and how you can influence its future.
Bishop is Co-Director
& Associate Dean at the College of Arts and Sciences and
professor of biological sciences at Washington State
University. He is interested in the response of populations,
communities, and ecosystems to catastrophic disturbance. In
his ecological research at Mount St. Helens he is examining
the plants, animals, and soils of the primary successional
Pumice Plain. Much of this work is focused on herbivore
effects on keystone plant colonists, such as a lupin (Lupinus lepidus var. lobbii, and its specialist
lepidopteran herbivores), and willows (Salix sitchensis) and cascading
effects on community and ecosystem development. If you go to
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/from-mt-st-helens-volcanic-ashes-mother-nature-rebuilds you
can view
a PBS video
in which Bishop describes his Mount St.
Helens research. Cosponsored
by the
Native Plant Society of Oregon, Emerald Chapter.
15 May
David Wagner
Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts
David Wagner has lived and worked in Eugene, Oregon,
for over 40 years. He was Director and Curator of the
University of Oregon Herbarium from 1976 to 1993. Since 1993
he has operated the Northwest Botanical Institute, dedicated
to research, education, and public service. He specializes in
ferns, hornworts, mosses and liverworts with a focus on field
botany and taxonomy. Ferns are the most prominent, then
mosses. The mossy world is composed of more than just mosses,
however. Hiding among the mosses in our forests are plants
with a mossy aspect but in completely different divisions:
liverworts and hornworts. The liverworts with a ribbon like
thallus are easy to mistake for
lichens. Leafy liverworts are easily overlooked because they
share the same life form and life cycle as mosses. The leaves
of liverworts typically have asymmetrical shapes that are
unlike mosses or vascular plants. Hornworts look like grass
blades when mature. This program will focus on
photomicrographs that get up close and personal with their
beautiful and graceful forms.Wagner
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