Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Fwd: nysbirds-l digest: June 16, 2015



NYSBIRDS-L Digest for Tuesday, June 16, 2015.    1.

 Brooklyn Bird Club Evening  Presentation    ----------------------------------------------------------------------    

Subject:  Brooklyn Bird Club Evening Presentation  

From: Dennis Hrehowsik


 Please join the Brooklyn Bird Club Tuesday, June  23rd, 7:00 PM for: 

   *An environmental DNA (eDNA) approach to discovering life  in NYC Ponds.*    

*Presenter: Seth Wollney*   

 Location: Brooklyn Public Library  Central Branch  <http://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/central> at Grand Army  Plaza  

  Various human impacts, such as pollution and buildings, can  shape  freshwater pond ecosystems in the urban landscape of New York City.  Ponds  are important centers of biodiversity in cities and benefit humans in  many  ways. At our June meeting, Seth Wollney will talk about his project  to  inventory the biological communities in seven local ponds  using  cutting-edge environmental DNA collection techniques. The data  collected  will lead to a deeper understanding of what humans can do to help  conserve  these important ecosystems for future generations. 

   As a native New  Yorker, Seth Wollney has been a life-long naturalist  exploring the ponds,  woods, fields and beaches of the city. While  passionate about almost everything  that concerns ecology and natural  history, he has a particular interest in  birds, turtles, dragonflies and  moths. He is currently working on his doctoral  degree at the Conservation  Genetics lab at the College of Staten Island, CUNY.  His thesis project  investigates how biological communities found in urban ponds  are impacted  by human activities with a particular focus on painted turtle  ecology and  population biology. In March 2015, he received an Honorable Mention  from  the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship  Program!    http://www.brooklynbirdclub.org/meetings.htm      Dennis  Hrehowsik    Brooklyn        ---    END OF DIGEST