Contact: Joanne Guilmette
Phone: 518/474-8730
Fax: 518/486-3696
E-Mail: jguilmet@mail.nysed.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NYS MUSEUM'S BIOLOGY/CONSERVATION LECTURE SERIES BEGINS APRIL 2

Albany, New York -- 03/19/08

ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present lectures in April focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State.

     All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Huxley Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

• April 2 – “Do We Still Have to Worry About Deformed Amphibians?” Dr. Stanley Sessions, professor of biology at Hartwick College, will discuss two decades of research on deformed amphibians and the concerns of scientists today about what causes declines in amphibian populations worldwide.
• April 9 – “Algal Biodiversity in Streams of New York State and Its Links with Ecosystem Function.” The biodiversity of algae in New York varies greatly among different streams and watersheds. Dr. John Wehr, director and associate professor at the Louis Calder Center–Biological Station, Fordham University, will explain how algal biodiversity may affect ecosystem function and measures to help understand the value of species diversity in fresh waters.

• April 23 – “Rare Plant Baselines in the Adirondack Alpine: How Many Plants Are There Now?” The alpine zone in the Adirondack Mountains hosts the highest number of rare plant species, per area, in the state. Dr. Tim Howard, of the New York Natural Heritage Program, will discuss the first effort to estimate population sizes by combining random sampling, geographic information systems (GIS), and likelihood methods.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, State University of NewYork, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Audubon New York, the New York Natural Heritage Program, and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at:  www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri or by calling (518) 474-6531.

    The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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