The Science Café presentation in April is Amphibians: Local to Global Conservation.
Amphibians have risen to the top of the global conservation crisis due to basic aspects of their natural history and physiology, and an introduction to the global issues and features that make them vulnerable will be provided. We’ll also hear how the natural history of amphibians can be used to inform landscape analysis using GIS to better understand landscape level habitat conditions for amphibians. The analysis can identify potential migration and dispersal zones between wetlands and the results can be used to indicate where functional connectivity remains or has been lost to assist with identifying locations needing special conservation and restoration attention during land use planning. We’ll wrap-up by hearing about the very intriguing behaviors of our local amphibians and how these behaviors can inform actions all of us may take in support of their survival in our increasingly populated landscape.
To present and discuss this topic, we will have a panel of three speakers. Dr. Marc Hayes is a Senior Research Scientist for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Molly Levitt is a planner with Thurston County and will be speaking about her recent Master of Science thesis results. Joanne Schuett-Hames is a Conservation Biologist with WDFW who will be speaking on amphibian behavior, an area of research that is independent of her work at WDFW.
When: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Where: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee House, 516 Capitol Way S. Olympia, WA, phone (360) 786-6717.
Batdorf & Bronson has three locations in Olympia. Science Café meets in the downtown coffee house on Capitol Way. On-street parking is available on Legion, Capitol Way, Columbia Street, and Water Street. After 6 p.m., there is parking available at Heritage Bank on Columbia Street between 5th and Legion.
Coming in May:
The Science Café welcomes comments and suggestions on topics, speakers, and how they can improve their meetings. Also, please feel free to pass this notice on to like-minded friends.
Science Café of Olympia provides an informal atmosphere where people both with and without scientific background can meet to gain a better understanding of interesting topics in science and technology. After a brief presentation by an expert in the field, the meeting will be opened to discussions. Science Cafés are found nationwide and are loosely affiliated with the U.K.-based Cafe Scientifique, an international organization promoting public engagement with science. The Sciencecafes.org website is produced by the Science Unit of WGBH in Boston in association with Sigma Xi. Support for Science Café of Olympia is provided in part by the Puget Sound Chapter of The American Chemical Society.
http://www.sciencecafes.org/event_pages/olympia.html
http://www.cafescientifique.org/
The Science Café thanks Batdorf & Bronson and its staff for inviting the Science Café into their delightful gathering spot.