| Sept. | A Swift Night Out: In a special September program, Shirley Needham, a wildlife rehabilitator from Fulton County, told us all about her specialty: chimney swifts. Afterward, we went to a nearby building to watch migrating swifts swoop into a chimney roost. |
| Oct. | Sigma Xi research presentations: In a joint meeting with the BSU Chapter of Sigma Xi (the world’s oldest and largest scientific research organization), Ball State graduate students presented their research, with emphasis in environmental science. |
| Nov. | Conservation awards program |
| Dec. | Showing of Saving Pelican 895: The HBO documentary Saving Pelican 895 highlights the work done by dedicated wildlife professionals and volunteers to save birds in the wake of the BP oil spill disaster. Watch the film’s trailer. |
| Jan. | Invasive plant management: John Taylor, Land Manager for the Field Station & Environmental Education Center at Ball State, discussed common invasive plants he manages, including identification, monitoring, and control methods. |
| Feb. | Indiana bats & bat research: We learned about the 12 bat species in Indiana – two of which are endangered – from Dr. Tim Carter, Asst. Professor of Wildlife Biology and Mammalogy, along with some of the current research taking place in his lab at Ball State University. |
| Mar. | Beauties of Belize: Dr. Kamal Islam, Professor of Biology at Ball State, showed us the biological and cultural diversity that he and his students experienced on a field studies trip to the tiny Central American country of Belize. |
| Apr. | Forest fragmentation: Dr. Josh Gruver, from Ball State’s Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, presented the impact of forest fragmentation and the decisions that private forest landowners make regarding the future of their forest land. |
| May | Water quality & Prairie Creek Reservoir: Dr. Jarka Popovicova, from Ball State’s Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, discussed the status of water quality at Prairie Creek Reservoir and local water quality in general. |
| June | Our Favorite Birds: We watched the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Our Favorite Birds, a beautiful presentation of the Lab members’ favorite birds, and we also enjoyed footage from Marcia Johnson’s trip to Antarctica. |
Enjoying and protecting nature in East Central Indiana since 1974
Robert Cooper Audubon Society 