Sac Audubon forum considers building of ecologically connected network
Recent calls have been made to protect the Earth’s remaining wild lands and complete the system of protected areas by establishing an ecologically connected network that better represents all ecosystems and species.
Sacajawea Audubon Society has announced presentation “Wild, Connected & Diverse: Building a More Resilient System of Protected Areas” with Travis Belote of the Wilderness Society to provide a forum for insight. The event will take place Monday, February 11th at Hope Lutheran Church, located at 2152 W Graf in Bozeman. The evening begins with a social at 6:30pm, followed by the program at 7pm.
The Wilderness Society recently conducted a national assessment for expanding U.S. protected areas to include the wildest unprotected lands while creating a connected network of protected areas that better represent biodiversity. This assessment can help guide conservation planning for expanding the system of U.S. protected areas to sustain biodiversity in the face of future threats.
Travis Belote has served as a research ecologist in the Northern Rockies office of The Wilderness Society in Bozeman since 2009. His research focuses on understanding the basic science of ecosystems to inform conservation and adaptive management under increasing pressures of global change (including land use, climate change, and invasive species). He completed his M.S. at the University of Tennessee, Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, and conducted postdoctoral research with the USGS in Flagstaff, Arizona.
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. •