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Meetings

Meetings

Monthly meetings are held every fourth Tuesday September through May, 6:30 pm (social), 7:00 pm - meeting begins. Meetings are held at South Valley Library, 15650A Wedge Parkway, a boldly designed mustard yellow building ~1 mile from the intersection of Wedge Parkway and Mt. Rose Highway. Enter the meeting room directly from the door on the Wedge Parkway side of the building. We look forward to seeing you there!

September 25, 2007 - Michelle Petroelje - The Lake Davis Pike Eradication Project

Michelle Petroelje from the CA Fish and Game Department, Portola Office, will present a slide show and talk discussing the problems with pike in Lake Davis, CA and the efforts to eradicate them. By the time we meet in September, CA Fish and Game will have treated the streams leading into the lake and probably also the lake itself. Michelle will describe the eradication effort and give us an update on the success of the program.

October 23, 2007 - Kris Coston - Preparing Defensible Space for Fire Protection

With the memory of this past summer's fires (the Angora fire at south Lake Tahoe, the Hawken fire in Reno, and thousands of acres burned elsewhere) fresh in our minds, how fire-safe do you consider your home? Kris Coston, a fire fighter since 2000, will show you how you can hopefully avoid the tragedy of a home lost to wildfire. Kris will discuss the benefits of defensible space in the urban, wild land interface, talk about the proper standards for home clearance, and show us the techniques necessary to achieve adequate fire protection. Kris will illustrate his talk with a slide show.

November 27, 2007 - From Black Gold to the Black Oystercatcher: Challenges and Opportunities in Alaska

Taldi Walter, Alaska Field Coordinator for the National Audubon Society, will present an informative slideshow showcasing some of the important natural areas and brilliant birds found in wild Alaska. Her presentation will explore some of Alaska’s natural treasures set aside decades ago for the benefit of wildlife and the American public. She will highlight the imminent and compelling challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Tongass National Forest, Chugach National Forest, and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Come and enjoy a virtual tour of the more than 600,000 sq. miles of rugged mountains, grinding glaciers, endless tundra, diverse temperate rainforest, and winding coast lines that constitute the largest of our states, often referred to as the "the last frontier." Taldi will also discuss the work National Audubon is doing to seek a balance between resource extraction and protecting internationally critical habitat.

January 22, 2008 - Wild Alaska: A Photographer's Journey

In November we learned about the environmental challenges and conservation opportunities in Alaska from Taldi Walter, the Alaskan Field Coordinator for National Audubon. Now join us for a view of Alaska from a photographer's perspective. This past June, Doug Canham, an emergency medicine specialist, and his wife Lu, a retired nurse and IT instructor, both of whom are avid, accomplished nature photographers, "shot" their way through Homer, Katmai National Park, and Denali National Park in late June and early July. Alan Gubanich, LAS Vice-President, and his wife, Teresa, traveled with camera in hand though Alaska during the first two weeks of August, journeying from Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau in Alaska's "panhandle" to Anchorage, Seward, Talkeetna and Denali National Park. Doug, Lu and Alan will show photos of their journeys, focusing on the spectacular wildlife and gorgeous scenery they encountered during their travels.

February 26, 2008 - Will Richardson - Avian Use, Nest-site Selection, and Nesting Success in Sierra Nevada Aspen

Will Richardson, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno, has studied the breeding birds of aspen habitat in the Sierra Nevada for several years, a habitat that is often subjected to encroachment by surrounding conifers. In this illustrated presentation Will will discuss the many factors that affect breeding bird abundance, diversity, nest -site selection, predation, and overall breeding success of aspen birds.

March 25, 2008 - Bird Identification Panel -- How Do They Know?

Ever wonder how those "experts" can identify practically every bird they see while you can't even figure out if it's a sparrow or a thrush or a hawk? Now's your chance! Join us for an evening of "how-to" with a group of local birding "experts" who have agreed to show us how they identify those birds that you only scratch your head over. Some of our best birders, such as Martin Myers and Greg Scyphers among others, have agreed to form a panel that will try to identify birds from photos submitted by you -- including photos of birds that almost anyone would have trouble identifying! So search your files for bird photos (35mm slides or digital) and contact Alan Gubanich well ahead of time (857-0191 or aag@unr.nevada.edu) so he can collect the photos for the meeting. He will then show your photos to the panel, one at a time, and we can all then listen as these accomplished birders agree (or disagree!) as to what the bird is and why they think so. Perhaps we'll all find out that even "experts" can sometimes be stumped like the rest of us!

April 22, 2008 - The Effects of Urban Weeds on Avian Populations

Robin Powell, the Audubon Director of Bird Conservation for the state of Nevada, will present a topic that the general public usually never thinks about: the impacts that weeds in urban or disturbed environments have on many species of birds. Throughout Nevada, weed management has predominantly been a concern for agricultural communities and watershed conservationists. However, weed infestations in urban and suburban areas are quickly growing. Without proper response or action to these weed infestations, there is the potential for enormous impacts on bird populations.

May 27, 2008 - Dawn Davis - Prairie Grouse: Status and Conservation Efforts in the Great Plains

Prairie grouse, including all species of prairie-chicken and the sharp-tailed grouse, have declined precipitously and steadily from historical levels throughout the Great Plains of North America. While many factors have contributed to these declines, the loss and fragmentation of expansive prairies to farming, and the reduction of habitat quality within remaining prairie fragments are known to be the primary causes. Dawn Davis, presently a graduate student at the University of Idaho, was a wildlife biologist with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and has dedicated over 10 years to upland game bird management and conservation efforts. She will discuss the many factors affecting the life history of prairie grouse and the ongoing conservation efforts being undertaken to maintain both prairie grouse and many other grassland species.