The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, established in 1897, has seen many changes during its long history. This lecture series will explore environmental changes; from the time the colonists arrived to present day. Journey back over centuries to discover challenges the natural world has faced. Registration is required as space is limited.

April 2, 2009 - Land Use Change In 17th Century Rhode Island
7:00 p.m.
Presented by John McNiff, archaeologist and ranger for the National Park Service, Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, Rhode Island.

Explore the changes that took place with land utilization in Rhode Island and southeastern New England during what is known as the contact period, when Europeans and Native Americans were for the first time living in the same environment.  Native American land use practices were very different and sometimes conflicted with the 'proper' use of land as seen by the Europeans.

April 16, 2009 - Exotics in the New World
7:00 p.m.
Lecture and book signing presented by Kim Todd, author of the award-winning book "Tinkering with Eden," a Natural History of Exotic Species in America.

Starlings. House sparrows. Ring-necked pheasants. These species were deliberately brought to America and set free. Once thought to be harmless whims, these purposeful releases proved to be forerunners of increasingly dangerous ecological invasions. Kim Todd tells the stories of animals imported to North America since the time of European settlement, from the pigeons and honeybees brought with the earliest colonists, to 19th-century introductions of the birds of the poets, and onward to the 21st-century experiments with biological control.  The lecture looks at the past and future of non-native species introductions and discusses the importance of acquiring a sense of biological history. Kim will be available after the lecture to sign copies of her book Tinkering with Eden, available at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Shop.

April 29, 2009 - Rhode Island's Ever-changing Landscape: The Promise of Conservation and the Challenge of Stewardship   
7:00 p.m.
Presented by Peter August, Professor of Landscape Ecology & GIS, University of RI.
 
Rhode Island's landscape is in a constant state of change. Thousands of years ago, natural fires, severe storms, drought, and flooding were the major drivers of landscape change. The past centuries have seen agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing bring significant alterations of our forests, rivers, and estuaries. Suburban sprawl is currently changing Rhode Island's landscape and the anticipated manifestations of global climate change will have profound impacts to ecosystems across the state. 
    
The Rhode Island conservation community has been diligent about protecting the state's varied landscapes, successfully preserving over 100,000 acres of land, water, and coast. These properties will play an important role in the long-term protection of our fauna and flora and the delivery of critical ecosystem services upon which all Rhode Islanders depend. The state's mosaic of protected lands cannot, however, be neglected once protected. They are under constant threat from invasive species, malicious human activity, and under-management.  Conservation land stewardship - protecting our protected lands - is an important area of science and an exciting source of community involvement.

May 14, 2009 - Crucial Waters    
7:00 p.m.
Presented by National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry.

Brian Skerry has covered a diverse range of stories, from the harp seal's struggle to survive in frozen waters, to the alarming decrease in the world's fisheries.  For stories in back-to-back issues of National Geographic during 2008, Skerry photographed Kingman Reef, one of the planet's last remaining pristine coral reefs, and documented the plight of the Right Whale, threatened by heavy shipping along the coastal waters it frequents.  In the May, 2009, issue of the magazine he will focus on the world's most endangered species of sea turtle with a story on leatherbacks. This special presentation will showcase work from these stories as well as other remaining Edens for sharks and the success of marine protected areas. An award-wining photographer praised for his aesthetic sense as well as his journalistic drive for relevance, Skerry will offer compelling, up-to-the-minute reports from the world's oceans.

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