Sac Audubon program links fire, bark beetles & birds
Sacajawea Audubon Society will host wildlife biologist Vicki Saab for its next monthly program, “Birds, Burns & Beetles of Rocky Mountain Forests.” The event will take place on Monday, February 10th at Hope Lutheran Church, located at 2152 W Graf. The evening begins with a social at 6:30pm, followed by the program at 7pm.
Join for a revealing presentation on the relationship between fire, bark beetles and birds. Saab will discuss how birds coevolved with wildfire and bark beetle outbreaks in western North American forests. Several bird species directly benefit from the ephemeral habitats generated by these forest disturbances. Learn how important fire and beetle-killed trees are to cavity-nesting species and how our changing climate is increasing the frequency and severity of these events. Saab will also offer insight on a new mapping tool being used by the Forest Service to locate suitable nesting habitat and make informed decisions on locations for salvage logging.
Vicki Saab is a research wildlife biologist with the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station and Affiliate Faculty at Montana State University. For nearly 30 years she has conducted research on songbirds and woodpeckers in relation to fires, bark beetles, and land management activities in the Interior West. A primary focus of her work has been evaluating effects of post-fire salvage logging and forest restoration activities on birds and identifying appropriate measures for bird conservation. She received graduate degrees from the University of Colorado and Montana State University.
Sacajawea Audubon Society programs are free and open to the public. The events feature a special guest speaker the second Monday of each month, September through May, at Hope Lutheran. The organization’s mission is to build on an interest in birds to promote the conservation of our natural environment through enjoyment, education and action. Learn more at www.sacajaweaaudubon.org. •