Join us on Saturday, June 21, for a field excursion focused on the Kirtland’s Warbler!
The recovery of the Kirtland’s Warbler from the brink of extinction and its recent removal from the U.S. Endangered Species List is one of North America’s greatest conservation success stories. But as a conservation-reliant species, the work is never complete. Why did the bird nearly go extinct? What management actions led to its dramatic population rebound and how can management be sustained in perpetuity?
Join Dr. Steve Roels, an Au Sable alum who serves as the Kirtland’s Warbler Project Director for the American Bird Conservancy, for a field excursion to explore Kirtland’s Warbler habitat near Au Sable and search for birds followed by a discussion of the fundamental philosophical questions the Kirtland’s Warbler poses to conservationists. Bring both your binoculars and your discernment!
Participants will meet on our campus at 8:15 am on Saturday, June 21. This event is part of our Summer Visit Days. The event is free, but we ask you to register so that we can plan accordingly. Click on the button below to bring you to a registration page where you can select this event and any others you would like to attend.
Steve’s Bio:
Dr. Steve Roels is Kirtland’s Warbler Program Director for American Bird Conservancy and serves as the Coordinator of the Kirtland’s Warbler Conservation Team, an international network of conservation organizations. He earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2018, studying bird ecology in tropical forest restorations. He has conducted field research in Michigan, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Vietnam, and Panama. His scientific work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Avian Conservation and Ecology; Restoration Ecology; and Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment. Dr. Roels was an Au Sable Institute Graduate Fellow from 2013 to 2018.