All Chapter meetings till further notice will be conducted virtually on ZOOM , please contact Don for more information –Greatauk4@gmail.com
A Life Gone to the Birds with Al Batt
February 8, 2022
When you go birding, you always come back with a story. Come sit on the porch and hear Al Batt’s.
Al Batt of Hartland is a writer, speaker, storyteller and humorist. Al writes humor and nature columns for newspapers and does regular radio shows about nature. He is author of the book, “A Life Gone to the Birds” and a columnist for Bird Watcher’s Digest and Watching Backyard Birds. He is a trustee of the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, Alaska, and speaks at various festivals, conferences and conventions all over the world. He has received the Ed Franey Conservation Media Award from the Izaak Walton League and the Thomas Sadler Roberts Award from the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union for lifetime contributions to birding. Al speaks to anyone who will listen. His mother thinks he’s a big deal.
Creatures of the Night, The Bats of NJ with Ethan Gilardi
March 8, 2022
Often stereotyped as sinister and dangerous, bats are among the most beneficial animals for humans – providing free pest control and indirectly helping our health, agriculture, and water quality. Join Conserve Wildlife Foundation biologist Ethan Gilardi on a lively talk exploring common myths and misconceptions about bats, spotlighting current threats to New Jersey’s bats, and discussing what you can do to help them.
Ethan Gilardi is a wildlife biologist working to protect NJ’s resident bat species as a part of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey’s bat research and conservation program. His work involves supporting Bats In Buildings (a program aimed at helping homeowners with house bats), mist netting and radio tracking wild bats, mobile and stationary acoustic survailance, and presenting Creatures of the Night, one of CWF’s fantastic public education programs.
Beauty in the Ordinary Odd Facts about Common Birds with Blaine Rothauser
April 12, 2022
New Jersey is home to more than 400 species of birds, a combination of both residents and migrants. If we disregard the migrants using the Garden State as a refueling state during long migrations and focus strictly on our backyard denizens, a surprising insight to the inner workings of nature’s soul will surface. In this one hour program Blaine will describe, through lifelong photographic representation, a wide array of bird behaviors that anyone with a little spare time and a pair of binoculars can observe from the comfort of their own backyards. Blaine promises to galvanize the viewer to bear witness for themselves the many odd and fascinating behaviors of our avian neighbors that grace our lives, hidden behind the scenes of our familiar backyards.
This Land Is Your Land with Chris Sturm
May 10, 2022
In our country, we have a wealth of public lands that are overseen by various levels of government, but actually belong to the people. Unfortunately, some of our most popular lands are awash in visitors, foreign and domestic, and it is difficult to commune with nature in those environments. However, there are alternatives. Many lesser known parks, refuges, forests, and recreation areas exist where the crowds are not so overwhelming. The aim of “This Land is Your Land” is to make citizens aware of some of those alternative sites.
Chris has always spent a great deal of time in nature, hiking and camping. He first took up birding in 1971, and shortly thereafter started on a life of nature photography. The nature bug having bitten, he, like so many others, has expanded his interests to all phases of nature study. He has taught basic photography at nature centers and adult education courses, and has presented programs all over the state. Presently, Chris also hosts a nature-oriented TV show on our community cable channel. Over the years, Chris and Maria have visited all 50 states, much of Canada, and Iceland. By himself, he has also spent time in Mexico and the Canary Islands.
All programs and events are free and open to the public. We are supported by memberships and donations.
If you have suggestions or would like to help with future programs, please contact Marilyn Sadowski msadowskibcas@gmail.com
