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February Monthly Meeting
The Elhew Field Station
Presented by Eric Soehren
Thursday, February 16, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Birmingham Zoo Auditorium
The Elhew Field Station (named in honor of Mr. Robert G. Wehle's prestigious Elhew Kennel) is a new facility dedicated to supporting sound land stewardship principles and promoting the understanding and appreciation of Alabama's natural heritage through research, conservation, and outreach initiatives. It is a component of the State Lands Division's Wehle Land Conservation Center in southeast Bullock County and provides the infrastructure necessary to achieve this mission.
Elhew Field Station program operations began in March 2011 and have focused on developing/implementing supporting initiatives. Core objectives include: 1) establishing a base of operations for a statewide avian conservation program, 2) developing partnerships with other conservation/academic entities focusing on avian conservation and awareness, 3) developing and implementing conservation outreach programs on the Wehle Forever Wild Tract, 4) fostering avian research opportunities with academia on the Wehle Tract/Barbour WMA and other Forever Wild lands, and 5) participating in professional meetings and technical work groups as a partner for larger state and regional conservation planning initiatives.
This program will provide examples of each of the aforementioned objectives and some of its achievements during its short existence. Also, time will be dedicated to discussing potential opportunities to partner with BAS and develop an annual workshop focusing on southeast Alabama's natural heritage.
Biographical Information:
Eric Soehren attended Jacksonville State University in northeast Alabama for both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology. He has been with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resource's State Lands Division since 1997 as a zoologist and now manages the Elhew Field Station (EFS) in Bullock County; a new facility of the Wehle Land Conservation Center. One of Eric's primary responsibilities at the EFS is administering a statewide Avian Conservation Center, which focuses on developing and coordinating several avian research and monitoring programs on conservation lands to help address management needs of birds. Other tasks include developing partnerships to provide educational and short course opportunities for target audiences and the public, conducting field surveys for rare and poorly known faunal species, and coordinating conservation outreach at the Wehle Land Conservation Center. Most of his fieldwork is performed on lands acquired through Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust Program. Eric is also actively involved with several non-profit conservation organizations including the Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS), Alabama Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ALAPARC) and the Inland Bird Banding Association (IBBA). He and his wife Jennifer reside in Macon County with their son Ethan and twin daughters Emma and Elise.
March Monthly Meeting
"Moths Of Central Alabama: (Mostly) Nothing To Be Afraid Of, And Much To Appreciate"
Presented by Dr. Peter Van Zandt
Thursday, March 15, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Birmingham Zoo Auditorium
For most people, moths are at best something to overlook and at worst something to dread. However, they serve important roles in our ecosystems as selective herbivores, detritus feeders, and pollinators. Moths are also important sources of food for predators such as songbirds, who can consume over half of the caterpillars in a forest during nestling and fledgling seasons. While many moths can be drab or subtly patterned, some are exceptionally colorful; arguably surpassing butterflies for their beauty. It is estimated that 3,000 – 4,000 species of moths occur in Alabama, but very little is known about these species and their habitat associations. During this presentation, I’ll introduce you to some interesting and important groups of moths in Alabama. I’ll also share the results of an ongoing study that compares moth communities found at an urban woodlot to species at the Bibb County Glade and Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge.
Biographical Information:
Dr. Van Zandt received two degrees from Michigan State University (BA and BS) with majors in Philosophy and Fisheries and Wildlife. After receiving an MS in Wildlife Ecology from Utah State University he went on to earn a PhD at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and then did post-doctoral studies at the University of Toronto and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is now a community ecologist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). His research focuses on plant chemical and physical defenses against insect herbivory. He studies how insects alter plant defenses and how changes in plant defenses impact the herbivore community. Over the past two years, he has been conducting a biodiversity inventory of moths in Bibb and Jefferson Counties. This work was supported in part by a Walter F. Coxe Research Grant administered by the Birmingham Audubon Society.
April Monthly Meeting
Members' Slide Show
Thursday, April 26, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Birmingham Zoo Auditorium
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