Archives: Speakers

Prey-go-neesh Nes-kwe-chohl: California Condors Return to Yurok Country

When: Thursday, November 16 @ 7pm

Where: Zoom

Description: Tiana Williams-Claussen, Director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, will join us and provide an update on the newly released population of California condor in Yurok country in far northern California, after conclusion of the first year of initial releases. She will also discuss biology of the birds, their cultural importance to the Yurok people, and next steps for condor reintroduction in the Pacific Northwest.

About Our Speaker

Tiana Williams-Claussen is a Yurok Tribal member and Director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University, after which she returned to serve her tribe. Instrumental to the establishment of the Wildlife Department in 2008, with California condor recovery as its flagship project, her native upbringing and formal education allow her to bridge the gap between traditional understandings of the world, and those rooted in Western-science, supporting her in her work toward a cohesive, well-informed approach to holistic ecosystem management.

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89198505969?pwd=OXhtc0tWcHdrZnRXYURUK29WZTlzUT09
Passcode: 781063…

How Birds are Responding to Climate Change

Date Thursday, October 12, 2023

Location: Zoom

Description: When we contemplate how bird diversity has changed, we often focus on the handful of species we have lost entirely. But while we have yet to lose a single bird species to our rapidly changing climate, birds and other creatures are currently adapting and responding in myriad ways. Across the world, species are shifting their geographic distributions, shifting the timing of life history events, and even shifting their body shapes and sizes. Integrating field research and citizen science over decades to centuries, the research presented in this talk demonstrates the complex ways that species are responding to a changing climate.

About Our Speaker

Morgan Tingley joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020, after previously serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut and as a David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow at Princeton University. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to this, he received a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.Sc. from Oxford University.

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86849685738?pwd=N3lXcG0vSW9mQlVNR3FaMmxKRFo3UT09

Passcode: 608623…

Unraveling the Mystery of Avian Keratin Disorder in Alaska

When: Thursday, September 21 @ 7pm

Where: Zoom

Description: Avian keratin disorder (AKD) is an outbreak of debilitating beak deformities affecting wild birds. First observed among Black-capped Chickadees in Alaska in the late 1990s it now appears to affect a variety of species across a broad geographic area. Danielle Gerik will present results of tracking AKD across the globe using citizen science and will discuss which bird species might be most vulnerable.

About Our Speaker

Danielle Gerik is a biologist with the Alaska Science Center in Anchorage, Alaska. She earned her master’s degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks studying shorebirds in Arctic Alaska. Prior to joining the Alaska Science Center as a biologist, Danielle worked as a field biologist on several avian research projects across the state.

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85453831156?pwd=MkJYVytPc1hIL3BEWlBUdi9YdVR4QT09
Passcode: 548866

Photo: Kenneth R. Whitten…

Offshore Wind and Seabirds in California

When: Thursday July 20 7pm
Where: Zoom

Description: Offshore wind is an important part of the solution to meet California’s clean renewable energy goals, reduce our carbon pollution, and mitigate the worst outcomes of climate change. But offshore wind energy infrastructure may have negative
impacts on the marine environment, including seabird collision. Seabirds already face many challenges and we have the opportunity to plan ahead for California’s first two offshore wind projects to prevent collisions and protect our incredible diversity of seabirds. We’ll look at which seabirds are most vulnerable to collisions, what the risk of collision is based on offshore wind
farms around the world, and how we can prevent the worst impacts.

About Our Speaker

Whitney Grover, Golden Gate Audubon’s Deputy Director, recently earned an M.S. inEnvironmental Management from USF with a concentration in Ecology. Her final Master’s Project, Offshore Wind Energy and Seabird Collision Vulnerability in California, reviewed and synthesized the current scientific literature, applying lessons learned from U.K. projects to California.

Photo: Keith Maley…