Thursday, October 9, 2025 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Speakers: Hernan Casanas and Tamara Zalewski Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series. Topic: For over a century, Aves Argentinas has been at the forefront of bird and nature conservation in Argentina. As the country’s leading ornithological and conservation NGO and the national partner of BirdLife International, its mission is to protect birds and biodiversity through science, education, advocacy, and collaboration. Hernan and Tamara will discuss how by tending to critically endangered bird species and landscapes they have built large-scale conservation programs. Speaker Bios: Hernan Casanas Hernan is the Executive Director of Aves Argentinas, responsible for the organization’s strategies and the building of strategic alliances, which have been instrumental in the creation of national protected areas.  He has a degree in Biological Sciences from the Universidad de Buenos Aires and has written over 100 publications on the environment and ornithology. Tamara Zalewski Tamara grew up in Patagonia, where she learned to love and care for nature from a young age. She graduated from college with a degree in fine arts but went to work to protect nature professionally. She leads partnership development efforts, looking for partners worldwide who are driven to save species and ecosystems.

Topic:
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System ('Motus') is an international collaborative research network that uses automated radio telemetry to study the movements of birds, bats, and insects. Motus, meaning "movement" in Latin, uses coordinated arrays of receiver stations that detect animals carrying miniaturized radio transmitters, enabling researchers to simultaneously track hundreds of individuals at local to hemispheric scales. Developed as a program of Birds Canada, Motus provides key insights into animal movement and behavior that are fundamental to wildlife conservation and habitat management. This presentation will provide an overview of the Motus system and its research applications.
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Thursday, December 11 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Speaker: Dr. Sarah Allen Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series. Topic: Elephant seals were hunted to extinction at Point Reyes over 150 years ago, but in 1980, the colony recolonized the Point and gradually spread throughout the peninsula. Younger colonies may exhibit novel behaviors such as male altruism and adaptations to changes in climate. Marine protected areas such as national seashores and marine sanctuaries are critical to the recovery and persistence of species and ecosystems. Speaker Bio: Sarah Allen grew up in Marin County where she learned and has a passion for conservation. Sarah received her M.S. and Ph.D. studying marine birds and mammals from UC Berkeley and retired after 26 years as an employee of the National Park Service (NPS), 15 years of which were at Point Reyes National Seashore and then as Science Program Lead for the Pacific Region. She previously worked for 15 years with Point Reyes Bird Observatory. She has authored and co-authored publications, including the UC Press, Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast: Baja, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia. Sarah lives with her husband in Inverness, California.

Thursday, January 8 7:00 - 9:00 PM Speakers: Kathy Biggs and Sandra von Arb Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series. Topic: Learn about the colorful and interesting Dragonflies and their unique biology with enthusiast Kathy Biggs and field biologist Sandra von Arb. These co-authors of Dragonflies (Anisoptera) of California will teach about the 47 species that occur here, how to identify them and present what the Dragonflies need for survival, where to find them and their migratory habits. Seeing these colorful beauties on your screen will be a delight. Speaker Bios: Kathy Biggs has been a nature lover all her life. When she built a wildlife pond in the backyard in 1996, dragonflies arrived and she found her true passion. Wanting to share her passion, she developed websites for her wildlife ponds, and those matured into her authoring California’s first Dragonfly Guide, Common Dragonflies of California, as well as other publications. She manages the eGroup CalOdes and is a member of several other Odonate groups, and tracks flight data and distribution for California and the greater southwest. Sandra von Arb has been a professional wildlife biologist for 30 years, focusing on sensitive and endangered species in northern California, southern Oregon, and northern Illinois. She is a co-founder of Biodiversity Education and Research Foundation, whose mission is to foster ecological stewardship through science and education.