with Dr. Jan F . Kamler

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86087528199?pwd=q4nhGbNEPaYSpa8Z9QQcsjTmlg99LC.1

Meeting ID: 860 8752 8199
Passcode: 865814

Dr. Kamler will summarize his conservation work on cats and other carnivores that he carried out in Southeast Asia as well as his current work in Brazil which also includes training bird guides and using bird ecotourism to empower women and local communities.

Originally from Kansas, Kamler obtained a PhD in Wildlife Science from Texas Tech University. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Europe, and a Marie Curie Fellow at Oxford University where he’s been based for the past 20 years.

with Robert Mesta

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Meeting ID: 872 2463 7244
Passcode: 863945

American Indians have always held a unique bond with animals, which has profoundly influenced their belief systems, worship, and cultural practices. The use of animal parts, particularly feathers, is integral to their traditions. However, 20th-century laws and societal changes threatened this connection, leading to declines in both Native cultures and bird populations. Robert Mesta will discuss this important issue and how Liberty Wildlife is working to provide Native Americans legal access to feathers while conserving bird species for future generations.

Robert Mesta, is a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFS) ornithologist with extensive experience protecting endangered birds. He led the reintroduction of captive-bred California Condors to the wild in 1992 and contributed to the recovery of the Bald Eagle, down-listing it from endangered to threatened in 1995. Currently, he oversees the Liberty Wildlife Non-Eagle Feather Repository Program, partnering with the USFS to distribute non-eagle feathers to Native Americans for ceremonial use.

with Christina Kondrat

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Meeting ID: 844 8529 1719
Passcode: 861580

Classified as a Species of Greatest Conservation, the Bendire’s Thrasher population is expected to decline by another 50% in the next 18 years (Partners in Flight 2019). To better understand the migratory and winter movements of Bendire’s Thrashers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the AZ Game and Fish Department formed a partnership. Between 2019 and 2022, GPS tags were deployed to 54 birds in different locations across Arizona and New Mexico. The data collected is leading to new insights used for monitoring and conservation strategies.  

In her role with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Chrissy issues scientific research permits for the state's wildlife; assists with the facilitation of Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative monitoring projects; is involved with the management of a new banding station on the Hassayampa River, the MOTUS AZ Network and species-specific projects (such as with Bendire's and Le Conte's Thrashers). Additionally, she enjoys being involved with a number of citizen science projects.

Please check back closer to the program date for a Zoom link.

If you are planning a trip to another country for birds, whether to increase your life list, an excuse to see new areas, experience different cultures, or just get a way, there are many details to consider. We will discuss everything from picking an itinerary and choosing a tour company to packing and selecting a travel insurance that best suits you.

Dr. Pearson 's specializes in biodiversity, ornithology, ecology and sustainability at ASU’s School of Sustainability. He has written many books on eco-tourism and A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada. He travels extensively, particularly to South America. He also works on international environmental education exchanges for graduate students and elementary teachers and students that promote critical thinking skills and appreciation of cultural diversity.

with Rodrigo Izquierdo

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Meeting ID: 821 4915 9258
Passcode: 241472

In this program, award winning photographer Rodrigo Izquierdo will dissect the avian side of fine art photography. He has found great opportunity in capturing the precise moments needed to create compelling images. Rodrigo, of reagle Photography, will expose the formula he uses, encourage others to take photography opportunities, and open up discussion on others' experiences.

Rodrigo’s barn owl portrait is the October winner in National Audubon Society’s 2024 calendar. His book, How to Photograph: Hummingbirds, and others, are available on Amazon. Rodrigo is the artist who uses the camera as a brush and the world as a canvas.

WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS FOR THE BANQUET AT THIS TIME.

70th Annual MAS Banquet

Franciscan Renewal Center

5802 East Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85252-4124

6:00 PM BYOB Social Hour, Raffle, & Silent Auction. Raffle tickets available at the door.

7:00 PM  Buffet Dinner.

Cost: $30.00 per person. Reservations required. Deadline to register April 15. No-shows will be billed. You may pay at the door (cash or check), or Paypal or credit card online. Mail checks, payable to Maricopa Audubon Society, to MAS Banquet, c/o Emily Thomas, 2519 Diamond, Mesa, AZ 85204.

Our agenda will include induction of our new Board

Guest Speaker Noah Comet

A Cultural History of Hummingbirds

The hummingbird's abundant fascinations have earned a prominent but under-examined place in cultural history, and that is the subject of professor Noah Comet’s presentation. Reaching back to the pre-Colombian Americas—particularly to the Aztec’s chief god, Huītzilōpōchtli, who was named for and often figured as a hummingbird--and forward, via WWII to the present day, Comet will explain how the bird evolved from a bloodthirsty deity into a transatlantic metaphor and even a physical commodity. 

Noah Comet holds graduate degrees from NYU and UCLA, and is a professor of English at the United States Naval Academy. He is widely published in the field of nineteenth-century British studies, his credits including a 2013 book from Macmillan Press and many essays in scholarly journals. He is also a certified State of Maryland Master Naturalist, an avid outdoorsman, and a nature writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Denver Post, the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun. A native of northeastern Ohio, he traces his love of birds to (among other things) a surprise encounter with a Barred Owl in Cleveland, who landed on a branch just inches from his head and shared several minutes with him in silent, mutual curiosity. Since then, Comet has made it one of his life goals to see all of America’s owl species; he’s more than halfway there. He lives in Annapolis with his wife and 12-year-old son.

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Meeting ID: 875 8225 4900
Passcode: 463178

Mat will talk on the birds and animals of Tanzania's most loved National Parks, from Tarangire National Park to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Mat will also talk about aspects of going on African safari.

Mat Dry is an African Safari Guide who has been operating in East and Southern Africa for 18 years. He specializes in creating custom-made trips for clients to see Africa's most iconic wildlife destintations and their iconic animals. He is an expert in all things African from flora and fauna to culture and history.

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Meeting ID: 860 9536 6684
Passcode: 191427

This easily digestible presentation is a great introduction to avian biology. You will get a bird's-eye view of how birds are adapted to the unique challenges they face. Both tyro and advanced birders alike will benefit from this interesting talk. Cindy Marple is a Nature Photographer whose favorite subject is birds. Her interest in birding has grown the more she observes and learns about birds. She teaches Birding Skills and Bird Photography through the City of Chandler Recreation department and at Hassayampa River Preserve.

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Meeting ID: 847 3113 3054
Passcode: 257406

Western Burrowing Owls have experienced declining populations for decades.

Wild At Heart’s Burrowing Owl Recovery Project is a comprehensive, multi-faceted effort to conserve this species in Arizona. Learn about these efforts to rescue, reengineer habitat identification, relocate, release, and monitor these owls and what you can do to help ensure their survival.

Greg Clark is an engineer who volunteered to support the Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas project, an AZ Game and Fish bird survey project in the 90’s. That project led to curiosity about the decline of Burrowing Owls in the West, and what could be done about it. In 2000 Greg decided to expand the earlier work started by Wild At Heart to rescue and relocate owls from areas about to be developed. Over 30 years this program has relocated thousands of owls to thousands of artificial burrows and received recognition from Cox Conserve Heros, The North American Bird Conservation Initiative, The John Muir Association, and others.

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Meeting ID: 898 1884 1594
Passcode: 854085

Evan Waite, an evolutionary biology Ph.D. student at Arizona State University, will talk about his journey from bugs to birds. He has always considered himself a naturalist but only seriously took up birding in October of 2021. After six years of academic entomology, he has shifted his primary pastime from the mocroscope to binoculars. He will discuss the differences between his career and his new hobby, and the challenges of doing both.

Behind the Scenes will raise the curtain on some interesting and seldom observed behaviors of a few of our common and not so common Arizona birds as seen through the photographer's lens.

Jim Burns, a long time contributor to the Cactus Wrendition, is a nature writer/photographer based in Scottsdale.  His birding column, Bird is a Verb, originally carried by the Arizona Republic, continues on his website, jimburnsphotos.com, where you can see more of his work.

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Meeting ID: 854 4970 1369
Passcode: 239271

Meeting ID: 854 4970 1369
Passcode: 239271

zoom link here

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89587385926?pwd=S3ZvS2s2OFQwUEJwOGY1cVBlMDNOUT09

Meeting ID: 895 8738 5926 Passcode: 368504

Historically throughout Africa, wildlife populations have been rapidly declining. In Ethiopia, a 17-year-old civil war along with severe drought negatively impacted the country’s habitat even further. We were fortunate to see the endangered Ethiopian Wolf and Mountain Nyala..both elusive, both beautiful.

Winter in Yellowstone means fewer crowds, frigid temperatures and steaming geysers. Skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles are the primary modes of transportation as roads close, rivers freeze, and snowstorms transform the park into a winter wonderland.

Throughout her career, Amanda Moors has done it all - studied black bears in the forests of Maine, taken to the skies for aerial surveys of big game animals in Arizona, scoured grasslands for elusive box turtles, and traveled to the edges of the land (literally) to survey those hard-to-identify shorebirds. However, if you mention her name around conservation professionals in Arizona, there's one species that's bound to come up: the Mexican Spotted Owl, a protected species listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Since the early 90s, Amanda has been surveying for and studying this montane forest and canyon-dwelling owl, providing invaluable data to land managers and wildlife agencies that have greatly aided in its conservation. Through this work, she's traveled from the ponderosa pine forests of central and northern Arizona to the Sky Islands in the southeastern corner of the state. During her presentation, we'll learn more about the imperiled Mexican Spotted Owl, what it takes to survey for them, and more.

In the last few years Amanda has also become a professional photographer, specializing in wildlife and landscape astrophotography.  In addition to printing her beautiful photos, she has also started making functional art by printing her photos on useful items like blankets, bath mats, pillows, mugs and more.  She will be bringing some of those items to sell the night of her presentation.  You can preview some of her work on her website and etsy store linked below; like-and-follow Amanda Moors Photography on Facebook as well.

https://www.amandamoors.com/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoorsWildlife

66th Annual MAS Banquet 

RESERVATIONS ARE CLOSED

Francis Meeting Room 5802 E.Lincoln Drive Scottsdale AZ 85253

6:00 pm BYOB social hour, raffle, and silent auction. Come early to meet old friends and new, and to peruse the auction and raffle tables. Raffle tickets available at the door.

7:00 pm Buffet Dinner (includes vegan option). 

Cost: $30.00 per person. Reservations required. Deadline to register April 15th. No-shows will be billed. You may pay at the door (cash or check) or mail checks payable to Maricopa Audubon Society to MAS Banquet, c/o Vicki Hire, PO Box 603, Chandler, AZ 85244. Our agenda will include induction of our new Board and presentation of the 14th Annual Herb Fibel Award for Distinguished Service to Maricopa Audubon Society. Reserve online here.

Our Program

Between 2019 and 2022, Beehler completed five field trips in search of Hudsonian Godwits. Beehler visited stop-over sites through the Great Plains; visited breeding habitat in western Alaska, Churchill, Manitoba, and the High Arctic of western Canada; and did field surveys at a famous autumn staging site in James Bay. In all, Beehler traveled solo by car more than 30,000 miles, encountering Hudsonian Godwits in ten states and provinces. He also spent time with Marbled and Bar-tailed Godwits, and 33 additional shorebird species. Beehler accompanied various fieldworkers studying godwits and other species in remote and iconic field sites. Beehler will recount the highlights of his more than five months in the field, from Nome and Point Barrow to Tuktoyaktuk, Moosonee, and Monomoy Island.

Our Featured Speaker

Bruce Beehler is an ornithologist, conservationist, and naturalist.  He received his PhD from Princeton studying the behavioral ecology of the birds-of-paradise of  Papua New Guinea. 

Beehler has spent much of his scientific career studying and conserving birds and their forest habitats. He has published seventeen books and monographs and authored scores of technical and popular articles about birds and nature including The Birds of Paradise (1998), The Birds of New Guinea (1986, 2015) and the two-volume Ecology of Papua (2007). He is a Research Associate, Bird Division, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and a Scientific Affiliate of the American Bird Conservancy. Today Beehler carries out natural history studies and writing focused on wildlife and natural places in North America.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86539282171?pwd=RFFwbUFUTDRJM2NLQjhUSDhEUkVBdz09
Meeting ID: 865 3928 2171
Passcode: 874601

6:00PM Pre-meeting dinner at Saigon Bowl 8213 E. Roosevelt Street, Scottsdale

A lifelong amateur naturalist, Jim’s retirement allowed him to return to his love of nature.  He has been a volunteer tour guide for the Boyce Thompson Arboretum for the past eight years, teaching about arid land plants.  Most recently, his book A Walk In The Wallace Desert Garden-Discovering Desert Secrets profiles 48 arid land plants, many found in the Sonoran Desert.  Jim will guide us through Sonoran Desert plants and the habitat they provide for birds.

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Meeting ID: 883 5057 3727
Passcode: 965597

6:00PM Pre-meeting dinner at Saigon Bowl 8213 E. Roosevelt Street, Scottsdale

Adam C. Stein will share insights into the natural world of the Solomon Islands and the forces at play to exploit it from his work with the Trop Bio Lab in the summer of 2022.

 Link to the Trop Bio Lab: http://tropbiolab.org/JACU/

 Adam C. Stein earned his PhD in evolutionary biology from Syracuse University. Since completion of his dissertation, Adam has been involved in research, teaching, and conservation projects around the globe. Currently, he is an assistant teaching professor in the Applied Biology Department at Arizona State University. www.adamcstein.wordpress.com

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Meeting ID: 835 5068 2895
Passcode: 869495

The authors of The Astonishing, Astounding, Amazing Sonoran Desert will present their latest book, Magnificent Majestic Mono Lake. This book is an entertaining introduction to the simple ecosystem and fascinating wildlife of California’s Mono Lake and its basin, and it tells the inspiring story of the fifty-year effort to save Mono Lake from being drained dry by the City of Los Angeles. The book will be available for purchase.

Andrew Smith is President's Professor Emeritus and a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. He is a conservation biologist whose work includes the behavioral ecology of mammals, effects of habitat fragmentation, and ecosystem services provided by small mammals. Smith served as Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Lagomorph Specialist Group from 1991 - 2021. Books include: A Guide to the Mammals of China (2008) and Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World (2018). In 2015 Smith received the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award from the American Society of Mammalogists. He has studied American pikas in the Sierra Nevada since 1969 and Plateau pikas on the Tibetan plateau since 1984.

Harriet Smith is a retired clinical psychologist and published author (Parenting for Primates, 2006) with an avid interest in the ecology and conservation of wild places. She hopes that writing about threatened ecosystems will help contribute to their conservation.

Photo by Muriel Neddermeyer.

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Meeting ID: 841 4735 1629

Doug Jenness, Editor of Arizona Birds , Founding member of the Arizona Field Ornithologists, has been involved in field work on Crested Caracaras in Arizona for the past 15 years and authored many articles on them.

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Meeting ID: 882 7772 7584
Passcode: 425153

For effective conservation and habitat management of biodiversity, it is not enough to know a species is present or that it is declining. We must know why it is in trouble. The detailed knowledge to answer the “why” relies on in-depth studies that are unavailable for most species. One way to deal with this problem is to use a few well-studied species as stand-ins or surrogates for the species in trouble. What are the qualifications for these surrogates, and what are the advantages and limitations of this policy? Is it reliable, and is it accurate?

Dr. Pearson's research is focused on ecology, conservation and environmental education. Although he has worked on a breadth of organisms from crabs and insects to Paramecium and birds, and a range of habitat types from coral atolls to desert grasslands, much of his research concentrated on a small group of insects, tiger beetles, in tropical lowland rain forests around the world. He has also worked with the Gila River Indian Community the last five years surveying seasonal changes in the birds of their artificial wetlands. Dr. Pearson has taught 28 biodiversity workshops in 18 countries, and he has written 15 books including a series of travelers' wildlife guides for various countries.

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Meeting ID: 839 8336 6530
Passcode: 646646

Nature filmmaker Larry Arbanas will present footage filmed last summer from Montana and the West coast from Washington to California. Arbanas produces bird, wildlife, environmental, social issue and documentary films for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, PBS, USFWS, USFS and most recently the orientation room video for the redesigned River of Time Museum in Fountain Hills. He currently resides in Mesa with his bride of 3 months. Just to be clear, his bride is a bit older than 3 months.

Larry Arbanas was born in Chicago and spent most of his youthful years in the 'burbs. Summers were spent at his Grandfolk's rural Michigan farm, basically as free child laborers in Grandma’s garden. When the work was done, we were free to roam. The best spot was the swamp. just full of Pickerel Frogs, Bullfrogs, Northern Pike and all sorts of bird life. It was heaven on Earth! This love of nature was instilled early and Larry has been pursuing, learning about and documenting natural history ever since.

The BLM is hosting Urban Wildlife Conservation Day at the Rio Salado Park and Restoration Area in Phoenix! Maricopa Audubon Society be there alongside other community partners to celebrate wildlife and our natural habitats.

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Meeting ID: 838 9187 6329
Passcode: 745097

Anthropogenic hazards are largely responsible for the net loss of nearly 3 billion birds from North America between 1970 and 2018. Bird-window collisions is estimated to indiscriminately kill 0.5 to 1 billion birds annually in the US. Unfortunately, this avoidable human-caused hazard receives little public attention and minimal research. Join me as we delve into this, and other anthropogenic bird hazards. Learn some solutions that you can do to ensure that birds can prosper, be enjoyed by future generations, and continue to provide key ecosystem services that we depend on.

Jason D Struthers obtained his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2011 from  U of Montreal, his Masters in anatomic pathology in 2013 from U of Saskatchewan and completed his anatomic pathology residency at U of Florida. He become a board-certified anatomic pathologist in 2015 and spent a year as such at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. In 2016 he joined Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Glendale. As associate professor, he divides his time among teaching, scholarly pursuits, mentoring the new Audubon on Campus chapter, and providing diagnostic pathology services to veterinarians, law enforcement, Arizona Humane Society, AGFD, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix and Reid Park Zoos, Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, etc. He is Education Chair for Maricopa Audubon Society. His scholarly endeavors include 15 peer-reviewed publications, dozens of conference presentations, and mentoring veterinary students and anatomic pathology residents. His scholarly publications include research on tamandua (anteater), Mexican gray wolf, Bornean rangutan, cattle, and bighorn sheep.

Jacob will recount the spectacular places and biodiversity he experienced at Rio Diablo Birding Camp, touring the Big Bend area last year from the high-elevation Chisos and Davis Mountains, to the winding gorges of Seminole Canyon, to the banks of the Rio Grande River.

Jacob Bagley is a sophomore at Shadow Mountain High School where he takes honors and AP classes. He is involved in the Digital Academy of Advanced Placement Scholars, Veterans Heritage Project, and the National Honor Society. He has been birding since April 2020. What started as a quarantine hobby quickly became his number one passion. Jacob enjoys chasing a rarity as much as birding his local patch. Birding has enabled Jacob to establish many great friendships, expand his network, and explore the natural beauty of Arizona and beyond. He is excited to lead his first birding tour in Southeast Arizona, one of his favorite birding regions.

We are currently meeting both in person and by Zoom. We are correcting the zoom audio so please come back!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81237705301?pwd=ZkFnSDNBMDU2dlc5cmRobHd3WStxUT09 

Meeting ID: 812 3770 5301. Passcode: 940862

Please see meeting location, details and pre-meeting dinner information here.

This meeting is our annual member meeting and includes the election of the Board of Directors. Please contact the nominating committee to get on, or nominate someone for, the ballot here.

Extending from the southwestern US into northern Mexico, the Sonoran Desert is an ecological hotspot of biodiversity due to its vast array of habitats. The Smiths will speak on the wonders of the Sonoran Desert and the importance of environmental education through books such as “The Astonishing, Astounding, Amazing Sonoran Desert”. They will sign copies and all proceeds from their book  funds Friends of the Sonoran Desert (FSD), a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and protect the Sonoran Desert. 

Harriet Smith, Managing Director, FSD, is a retired clinical psychologist from Tucson. As a child, she awoke to the coos of Mourning Doves, hiked trails where the vibrant colors of cactus blooms and the sound of rattlesnakes caught her attention, and swam in natural desert pools that filled after monsoon rains. Her desire to conserve the Sonoran Desert motivated her to write this book. She also authored Parenting for Primates, 2005, Harvard University Press.

Andrew Smith, Director, FSD, is President’s Professor Emeritus and a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist in the School of Life Sciences at ASU. Since 1991 he has served as Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Lagomorph Group. Books include A Guide to the Mammals of China, 2008, Princeton University Press, and Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World, 2018, Johns Hopkins University Press. In 2015 he received the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award from the American Society of Mammalogists.

Zoom/in person hybrid meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87124014481?pwd=RXFzZlk5VjhWTklIeVZrYVZvcW40QT09 

Meeting ID: 871 2401 4481. Passcode: 357056

Pre-meeting dinner will be held at Saigon Bowl. Please see details here.

The Pinyon Jay, an iconic bird of western Pinyon-Juniper forests, has declined precipitously since the late 60’s. Drought, climate change, and habitat loss negatively impact the bird, and we are struggling to get an accurate picture of Pinyon Jay status due to the birds’ enormous range and nomadic nature. Enter community scientists and an ambitious monitoring plan! Learn about the program and how you can help.

Cathy Wise has a BS in Avian Sciences from UC Davis and has studied birds throughout the west. She is Community Science Manager with Audubon Southwest and has worked for the USFS, Utah DWR, and the AGFD. Cathy oversees Burrowing Owl relocation and Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys, and promotes Audubon’s “Plants for Birds” intentional landscaping program. She is an avid hiker, climber, snowboarder, gardener and beer enthusiast.

NOTE: Our regularly scheduled program, Larry Arbanas on Montana and the West Coast, has been postponed. We have a new program which will be ZOOM ONLY. NO IN-PERSON MEETING. No pre-meeting dinner. Please enjoy the program from home.

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88471103580?pwd=QXcyZ2RXc0Y1Y2NJeis4NFA0ejM4QT09

Meeting ID: 884 7110 3580 Passcode: 708853

Jay will discuss some of the challenges and results of his study of this uncommon desert bird. This thrasher is a shy, poorly-known, and little-studied species found in the hottest and driest deserts of the American Southwest and northwestern Mexico. The bird rarely, if ever, drinks any water. Jay has spent years studying this enigmatic bird and gives the results of his study with some insight into its daily life. Some 350 thrashers were color-banded and followed around an 1800-acre tract in the San Joaquin Valley of California for several years. Extensive information was learned about the life history of this bird. His monograph, “The Biology of a Desert Apparition: LeConte’s Thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei)” was published in 2018.

Jay is a retired biologist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and lives in Laurel, Maryland. He worked for a number of years at the Bird Banding Laboratory, located at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, and later in the endangered species program office in Washington, DC. He was born and raised in Ohio, went to Miami University, served 5 years as a Navy officer with the Pacific Fleet, and moved to Maryland in 1972 after graduate school at Long Beach State University. He has been watching and studying birds and nature since as long as he can remember.

We are currently meeting both in person and by Zoom, for those who prefer not to attend in person.

 Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84387334915?pwd=Z1RETU9mbUU4cHZGMkFCbGxYZVV5QT09

 Meeting ID: 843 8733 4915 Passcode: 630581

Please see meeting location, details here. THERE WILL NOT BE A PRE-MEETING DINNER TONIGHT.

The tropical regions of the planet are known for their biodiversity; the New World tropics have the most diversity of birds of any region.  From the familiar to the unique, we’ll explore bird families and species of the various habitats found in the Neotropics. Spoiler alert- it isn’t all rainforest! 

Cindy Marple is a Nature Photographer whose favorite subject is birds.  Her interest in birds and birding has grown as she spends time observing and learning more about her subjects.  She now teaches  Birding skills and bird photography through the City of Chandler Recreation department, with Thursday night classes starting January 2022.

We are currently meeting both in person and by Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87223090083?pwd=OUxGbmYvTzFtWGtrS01rakJmV29KQT09

 Meeting ID: 872 2309 0083 Passcode: 110706 

Please see meeting location, details and pre-meeting dinner information here.

In the new book South Mountain Park and Preserve: A Guide to the Trails, Plants, and Animals in Phoenix’s Most Popular City Park, local college educator and park volunteer Dr. Andrew Lenartz covers the history, hiking trails, and recreational opportunities of the 4th largest municipal park in the US.  Lenartz will share information on this unique local treasure including the geology, natural history, and his favorite places to visit.

 Dr. Lenartz is a Psychology Professor at Gateway Community College in Phoenix. He is a volunteer Park Steward and a near-daily user at South Mountain Park. When not visiting the park, he is generally talking, writing, or dreaming about it.