| Oct. | Introduction to the world of orchid pollination: Following a tour of Ball State’s new Nature Lab, Carol Day, Orchid Curator of the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse, introduced us to the strategies that orchids use to entice hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insects to transfer pollen from one plant to another. |
| Nov. | Julian Grudens, a graduate student at Ball State, shared stories and photos from famous bird observatories and migration spectacles in eastern North America, featuring Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (Minnesota),Cape May Bird Observatory (New Jersey), and Long Point Bird Observatory (Ontario, Canada). |
| Dec. | Five different conservation heroes in East Central Indiana were honored at our annual conservation awards celebration. Visit the Conservation Awards page to learn more. The program was recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube channel. |
| Jan. | William Rapai, a nationally recognized author and authority on Kirtland’s Warblers, gave a presentation on the amazing rebound of this iconic Michigan species. It went from fewer than 400 birds in 1987 to more than 4,000 today, losing its status of Endangered Species in 2019. The program was recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube channel. |
| Feb. | Nathan Pieplow, author of the Peterson Field Guides to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America and Western North America, shared insights on the language of birds, from the pillow talk of Red-winged Blackbirds to Cliff Swallows that have found food. The program was recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube channel. |
| Mar. | Three Ball State graduate students in biology shared their research on Indiana forests and wildlife: Brit Nahorney (microbiome diversity and diet of Cerulean Warblers), Kathryn McGowan (impact of human-altered landscapes on bat abundance and distribution), and Nate Golub (Indiana’s few remaining old-growth forests). |
| Mar. | For a program at Ball State University that was co-sponsored by our chapter, Kathryn Aalto, a nature writer, teacher, and landscape historian gave a presentation based on her latest book, Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World. |
| Apr. | Ryan Smith told us about his work as Regional Ecologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Nature Preserves and about ECI preserves like Munsee Woods, Smith-Crisler Nature Preserve, Stout Woods, Bell-Croft Woods, and others. |
| May | Sarah Williams (Ball State University) told us about her work in assisting a large carnivore biologist in trapping and radio-collaring bobcats for mortality studies conducted by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. |
| June | Tabitha Olsen shared findings of research she helped conduct on rails—”secretive, understudied, and in decline”—with the goal of improving monitoring techniques for six rail species found along the Texas Gulf Coast. Tabitha was our chapter’s 2022 Fox Student Grant recipient. |
Enjoying and protecting nature in East Central Indiana since 1974
Robert Cooper Audubon Society 