Scroll down for details…
October 16 / Teia Schweizer
Conserving Hawai’i’s Native Birds
Islands throughout the world have suffered major species extinctions, primarily as a result of anthropogenic changes. The Hawaiian Islands are no exception, and have earned the unfortunate moniker “The extinction capital of the world” due to the high percentage of endemic plant and animal species that have gone extinct since human contact. Of the endemic bird species once found in Hawai’i, almost 70% are extinct, and an additional 20% are listed as threatened or endangered. The surviving species face challenging odds of survival due to invasive species, introduced diseases, and habitat loss and fragmentation. While these sobering issues can seem insurmountable, conservation efforts to mitigate loss of avian species have seen considerable success. In this talk, Teia will provide an overview of the challenges facing native Hawaiian birds and current conservation efforts, with a focus on the work she did with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project to monitor critically endangered Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill) and restore native habitat.
Teia is interested in conservation biology and currently employed at Colorado State University as a Research Associate for the Bird Genoscape Project. Her passion for conservation was sparked while working for three years in Hawai’i with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, which uses research, education, and restoration to protect the critically endangered Kiwikiu (or Maui Parrotbill). She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology.
Save the Dates:
November 20 /Dr. Garth Spellman
DNA Footprints in Birds
December 14 / Christmas Bird Count
Come join us!
Aiken Audubon programs are free and open to the public. They are held at Bear Creek Nature Center, located at 245 Bear Creek Road, Colorado Springs, 80906. Coffee, snacks, and socializing begins at 6:30 pm and programs begin at 7 pm.
Aiken’s weather cancellation policy: Sometimes inclement weather may cause us to cancel an Aiken meeting. If this happens, a decision will be made by 1 pm on the meeting date. Notification will be placed here our website, on our Facebook page, and sent out through our email notification list. In addition, a message will be posted on the CoBirds Listserv, which many Aiken birders subscribe to. If there is any doubt, please do not hesitate to contact any Aiken board members via telephone. Always, your safety is first so use your own judgement when coming to a meeting.
Finally, if you have ideas or would like to present a program at one of our meetings, please contact program chair Diane Luck at [email protected].