Friday, December 18, 2015
Forwarded to Park Wavelengths Subscribers
Subject: Upcoming Science Lectures at Point Reyes on Fungi, Endangered Dune Plants, Snowy Plovers, Invasive Tunicates, Plastics in Seabirds, Climate Change, and Fossils!
Date: Friday, December 18, 2015Please join us for these upcoming lunchtime talks in the Red Barn Classroom at Point Reyes National Seashore. All are welcome and admission is free. Bring your lunch! For more info, contact Ben Becker by email. Science lecture schedules are also posted at: https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/events_sciencelectures.htm.
(NEW) Sunday, January 3, 10 am–4 pm
Fungus Fair at Point Reyes Bear Valley Visitor Center
Fungi from the park will be on display and experts available to answer questions throughout the day.Fungi Lectures are in the Bear Valley Visitor Center Auditorium
12:00 pm, Introduction to Wild and Edible Mushrooms, David Rust
2:00 pm, Amanitarita's Freaky and Fabulous Fungi, Debbie ViessSee: https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/events_fungusfair.htm for more info
(Also: Join local mushroom walks on Saturday, January 2nd. Meet at the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 10:00 am. Bring your finds to the Red Barn at 1:00 pm for identification. Park visitors and local residents are welcome to participate!).
(NEW) SPECIAL EVENING LECTURES:
FRIDAY, January 8, 6:00 - 7:30 PM in the Red Barn
Join us for two special evening presentations on dune restoration, dune plant ecology, and Western Snowy Plovers presented by Washington University, Point Blue Conservation Science, and NPS.Talk 1
Title: "Of Mice and Plants"
Speakers: Dr. Tiffany Knight and Dr. Eleanor Pardini, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
Summary-- Native mice on sand dunes consume the seeds of plants. Recent research at Point Reyes National Seashore has shown that invasive European beachgrass provides shelter that allows mice to consume large quantities of fruits of the endangered plant, Tidestrom's lupine. The recent large-scale restoration at Abbotts Lagoon, which has removed European beachgrass, has allowed for an incredible recovery of this endangered plant at this site.Talk 2
Title: "Secretive inhabitant of the beach and dunes: Snowy Plovers on the West Coast"
Speaker: Lynne Stenzel, Point Blue Conservation Science
Summary-- You find Snowy Plovers year-round on our coastal beaches and dunes, habitats they share with an ever-increasing human population. Learn their intriguing life-history and hear how the public, government agencies, and non-profit organizations have collaborated to recover their populations in many locations along the coast.
Thursday, January 14, 2016 @ noon
Title: "Overgrowth of eelgrass by an invasive tunicate in Tomales Bay"
Speaker: Holly Long, M.S., Bodega Marine Lab - UC Davis, Mosaic Associates
More info: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098115300101
(NEW) FRIDAY, January 15 @ Noon
Title: "Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing"
Speakers: Dr. Chris Wilcox and Dr. Denise Hardesty, Senior Research Scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
Summary: This paper was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was widely reported by the national and international media.
Link to Report: http://www.pnas.org/content/112/38/11899
Thursday, February 4, 2016 @ noon
Title: "Climate change and conservation in the Bay Area: Visualizing the future"
Speaker: David Ackerly, Ph.D., Professor, UC Berkeley
More info: http://www.ackerlylab.org/
Thursday, February 18, 2016 @ noon
Title: "Coastal Paleontology Monitoring at Point Reyes"
Speaker: Lillian Pearson, Geological Society of America Intern, Point Reyes National Seashore Association Intern, UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology
Ben Becker, Ph.D.
Science Coordinator and Marine Ecologist
Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center
Point Reyes National Seashore
www.sfnps.org/pcslc