Our raptors are amazing for their speed, maneuverability and their reign at the apex of the food chain. This program will introduce information on natural history, behavior, habitat, preferences, population declines and more.

Judy is the founder of Chrysalis In Time, the first Ohio chapter of NABA. Judy also serves on the board of OOS (Conservation committee) and Ohio Biological Survey. She has co-authored two natural history guides on Dragonflies & Damsels and Goldenrods. For 20+ years Judy was a Conservation Specialist in the Natural Areas Division of CMNH. As a former petroleum geologist and science teacher Judy loves to learn about and share her passion for the natural world through field trips, interpretive programs and photography.

Learn more about Judy’s latest adventures & offerings through her new company, Nature Spark!

Website:  www.naturesparkohio.com

Email:  naturesparkohio@gmail.com

About one billion birds die each year in the United States from window strikes and 46% of these collisions occur on residential structures. Learn some of the latest research and what simple, affordable deterrents can be purchased or made at home.

Lucy began experimenting with bird-window collision prevention at her Seven Hills home in 2009 after witnessing a male robin strike the sunroom window, at a top speed, as he was fleeing a raptor.

Her early methods were using crude materials that often resulted in hilarious window aesthetics, but they worked! Now, Lucy uses the latest films and markers for a more please effect.

Woodpeckers represent one of the most specialized bird families in the world, and these woodland carpenters perform critical ecological services in Ohio’s forest and woodland habitats. In fact, on no other continent than North America are woodpeckers such important contributors to woodland ecology. Join author, naturalist, field biologist, and woodpecker fanatic, Steve Shunk, for an exciting journey into the lives and times of Ohio’s woodpeckers. Steve will share secrets of woodpecker anatomy and their fascinating adaptations plus stories of their dynamic natural histories as he interprets the keystone roles that woodpeckers play across the Buckeye State and beyond.

Author of the Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America, Steve gives presentations and leads birding tours from North America to Borneo. He co-founded the East Cascades Bird Conservancy and the Oregon Birding Trails program, and he has studied woodpeckers for more than 25 years from his former base in Central Oregon. Today, Steve and his partner, Lizzy Martinez, work as resident naturalists at a private guest ranch in western Jalisco, Mexico, where they enjoy regional endemics like the Golden-cheeked and Gray-crowned Woodpeckers. When not guiding on the ranch, Steve leads tours for Arizona-based Naturalist Journeys.

Lynds Jones (1865-1951) was a pioneering ornithologist and ecologist from Oberlin who is responsible for many of the common practices that recreational birders take for granted as “standard practice” in the field, more than a century later, including keeping lists, doing Big Days, and the Christmas Bird Count.

Diana Steele has been a science writer for more than 30 years. She is an avid birder and has birded in all 50 U.S. states and six continents. An active volunteer with BRAS, she is also a former board member of the Ohio Ornithological Society.

A series of slides and specimens will be presented along with a discussion of a new “invasive” species.

Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive planthopper that feeds on a wide range of plants, including grapes, hops, stone fruits, and hardwood trees. When the spotted lanternfly feeds, it excretes a sticky, sugary fluid that causes sooty mold, which can further damage plants. Its preferred host is tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), and today 17 States have some degree of infestation.

The spotted lanternfly is a hitchhiking pest that is native to Asia. It lays its eggs on any hard surface including grills, vehicles, trailers, firewood, outdoor furniture, bikes and toys. The pest was first detected in 2014 in Pennsylvania. It likely arrived in the United States on goods shipped from overseas.

Sue is a retired earth and life science teacher who has traveled to all 50 states visiting many national parks and monuments. She is also the first woman firefighter, paramedic, inspector serving the Avon Lake Fire Dept. for 32 years, part time. Sue was the recipient of the 2024 BRAS Hog Island scholarship.

Marily will explain the mutual dependence of flowers and bees, the caste system within the hive and how to manage a hive.

Marilyn has been a beekeeper for 10 years, successfully managing two of her own hives and is deeply involved with the Lorain County Beekeepers Association.

Butterflies are largely admired for their beauty and grace, but are rarely recognized for their variety of physical, chemical, and behavioral adaptations that increase their survival rates. This program is designed to discuss these defense strategies along with photos and anecdotes from the travels of Dr. Glenn Crisler’s travels across the eastern USA.

Dr. Glenn Crisler II is an analytical chemist with a deep passion for lepidoptery. Glenn is an avid naturalist who leads outdoor hikes and delivers lectures for various organizations. He is on a mission to photograph all the butterfly species of the eastern USA. Some of his findings have been featured in News of the Lepidopterist’s Society and the Society of Kentucky Lepidopterists.

Ms. Uhrig will focus on the current population status of American kestrels, discuss several research projects conducted a The Wilds by staff and university researchers, trends in nesting success and what we can do to help conserve this declining species.

Genelle Uhrig, M.Sc. is the Director of Ecology at The Wilds. Ms. Uhrig is a Conservation Biologist with 8 years of experience in field ecology and conservation genetics, specializing in on-invasive genetic studies utilizing scat and environmental DNA (eDNA) for species and individual ID, genetic diversity, gene flow, and parentage analyses. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University and a Master of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Ms. Uhrig has worked with a variety of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife species and currently works with native species reintroduction efforts at The Wilds, including Eastern hellbenders and the federally threatened, state endangered American burying beetle. In addition to working with native Ohio wildlife species, mis. Uhrig also oversees restoration efforts at The Wilds.

The Wilds has been involved in American kestrel conservation in SE Ohio for over a decade with the initial installation of several nest boxes on and around the property. Efforts were expanded in 2020 with the addition of 9 new boxes and again in 2024 with an additional 3 new nest boxes. The Wilds has worked with several Ohio bird conservation groups on these efforts including the Ohio Ornithological Society, Ohio Bluebird Society, several chapters of the Audubon Society, and Kirtland Bird Club, to name a few. The Wilds has also partnered with university professors from Muskingum University and Ohio University on several American kestrel research projects. With almost 10,000 acres of protected land of which over 700 have been restored to tall-grass prairie, The Wilds is prime habitat for this declining species.