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USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Honors Rachel Carson
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center will host a scientific symposium (May 17-18, 2007) in honor of Rachel Carson and her contributions towards protecting the environment, contaminant ecology, and wildlife conservation. The Symposium entitled "Where have we been, where are we now, where are we going?" will be divided into general sessions emphasizing topics of study worked on by Patuxent scientists and others, with generous time for discussion. Each session will include historical aspects of the topic, current work and possible future directions. Talks will be given by scientists and directed towards a general and informed audience of Patuxent alumni, agency scientists, environmental managers and the interested public. The Symposium will be held at the National Wildlife Visitor Center, Laurel, Maryland. Registration required, but no fee is requested.
Contact Marilyn Whitehead, 301-497-5502, Laurel, MD
Rachel Carson Centennial Celebration Event
Celebrate the centennial birth of Rachel Carson (May 19, 2007) –scientist, author and pioneer in the environmental movement at the National Wildlife Visitor Center located in Laurel, Maryland. The USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Rachel Carson Council will co-host the centennial celebration. A public ceremony "Sense of Wonder" will be held at 10:00AM. Experience this FREE event “Sense of Wonder” Ceremony at 10 AM featuring wildlife celebrity Jim Fowler, dignitaries and live animals (including a bald eagle). After the ceremony stay and enjoy more live animals, hands-on activities, guided hikes and tram tours. Refreshments will be for sale from the Friends of Patuxent.
Contact Marilyn Whitehead, 301-497-5502, Laurel, MD
Retirements
Sandra Jackson has been at Patuxent for 32+ years. She as worked with FWS at North Track with their wing survey and with BBL Bird Banding. Her helpful assistance in many projects supported the tasks to keep the BBL program functioning as well as in the Breeding Bird Survey. She retired April 30.
Pete Albers will celebrate Pete's 31+ years at Patuxent. Pete arrived at Patuxent in January 1976. He worked as a FWS biologist during graduate school and a FWS Student Trainee during his undergraduate summers. Pete and his wife will be relocating to Michigan. His last day with us will be May 17th.
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Patuxent Whooping Cranes contribute to 'Hope for Nature', with Jane Goodall
As an antidote to the widespread discouragement that many feel about the state of our natural environment, Dr. Jane Goodall has embarked on a book project that will document the numerous successful efforts to restore endangered species. As part of that project, Dr. Goodall visited the Patuxent Crane program on Sunday 29 April, to learn about the effort we undertake to produce, train and release whooping crane chicks to the eastern migratory flock. Dr. Goodall is particularly interested in the thoughts and motivation of the persons who dedicate their time to preventing extinction, and she wants to document that source of hope in her book. Jane's warm and personal manner created a wonderful occasion for us to reflect on these things; crane crew members Jane Chandler, Brian Clauss, Robert Doyle, Dan Sprague, volunteer Kathy O'Malley, and John French related some of the inspiring aspects of working with whoopers. Dr. Goodall (in costume, of course) helped the crane crew exercise two young chicks and observed a whooper egg in the early stages of hatching. She encouraged us to continue with our 'Adopt-a-Whooper' program, administered though the Friends of Patuxent volunteer Kathy O'Malley, and to name the chicks for easier identification -- so starting at the beginning, she named the hatching chick Addison! We sent her away with a whooper puppet head to be used as a pointer at her next presentation on the 'Hope for Nature'.
Contact John French , 301-497-5702, Laurel, MD
USGS Scientist Presents at Human Health Conference
USGS scientist Caldwell Hahn was invited to present her work "Evolution of Immunity” on May 14-15 at a conference on "Evolutionary Biology and Human Health", the 60th annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) in Washington, D.C. The meeting showcases how principles and methods of evolutionary biology are increasingly important in health science, and plenary session speakers include scientists from NIH, schools of public health, evolutionary biologists, public policy specialists from NGOs, and science journalists. Hahn's work using experimental infections with West Nile Virus to explain why one avian species developed stronger disease resistance than its close relatives will be presented at the invited poster session. For more information visit the AIBS meeting announcement at: http://www.aibs.org/aibs-news/aibs_news_2007_05.html#3595
Contact Caldwell Hahn, 301-497-5653, Laurel, MD
Media:
Linda Weir was interviewed by a reporter with the Charlotte Observer newspaper in North Carolina about the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP). The story should appear sometime in May.
Contact Linda Weir, 301-497-5932, Laurel, MD
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