Wildlife Wednesday

The Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges
of Rhode Island, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, are pleased to announce the line-ups for two Summer 2013 Lecture  Series—“Wildlife Wednesdays” and “Wildlife
Tuesdays.”

Wildlife Wednesdays presentations, returning for the 8th year, will take place every Wednesday from June 12
through August 28, at 7:00 PM, at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Road, Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Wildlife  Tuesdays presentations, a new program for 2013, will take place on the  fourth Tuesday of June, July, and August, at 7:00 PM, at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Sachuest Point Visitor Center, Third Beach Road, Middletown,  Rhode Island.

There is no admission charge, however donations to the Friends will be gratefully accepted. For updates or additional information visit us at  http://www.FriendsNWRofRI.org or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/rinwrc), or contact Bob Kenney (friends.ri@verizon.net, 401-783-4369, or 401-874-6664)
or Sarah Lang (Sarah_Lang@fws.gov, 401-847-5511 ext.
203).

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Wild life Wednesdays at Kettle Pond NWR:

June 12th: “The Enchanted Isles: Wildlife of the Galapagos,” with Dr. Bob Kenney, naturalist and retired  marine biologist from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography. He will share
some of his photos of giant tortoises; sea lions and fur seals, blue- and red-footed boobies, marine and land iguanas, Darwin’s finches, and other  residents of the Galapagos archipelago.

June 19th: “Ecological Gardening With Rhode Island Native Wildflowers,” with Karen Asher, past president of the R.I. Wild Plant Society and certified Master Gardener. Using
native plants in your landscape will attract songbirds, butterflies and other pollinators—adding to the pleasure of your home landscape and creating a lower-maintenance garden.

June 26th: “Killer Whales in the Northwest Atlantic,” with Tara Stevens, marine biologist and Ph.D. candidate at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography. Tara will discuss preliminary
findings about the northwest Atlantic population of killer whales, based on her research in collaboration with international scientists, focusing on killer whales in Newfoundland and Labrador.

July 3rd: “Snakes of Rhode Island,” with Dr. Bob Kenney, a
volunteer naturalist with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Kimball Wildlife Refuge for more than 25 years. Only a dozen species of snakes live in Rhode Island, and they are more afraid of us than we (at least most of us) are of them. Bob will be showing pictures of all of them and talking about aspects
of their biology.

July 10th: “Narwhals: Arctic Whales in a Melting World” with Todd McLeish, writer, naturalist, expert birder, and URI public affairs specialist. Todd’s third book about rare wildlife describes the world’s northernmost whale and the one most threatened
by global warming, as well as the scientists who study them, the Inuit who hunt them, and the other animals living in their Arctic habitats.

July 17th: “Superstorm Sandy’s Impacts on Trustom Pond,” with Rhonda Smith, a wildlife biologist with the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Superstorm Sandy breached Trustom Pond for the first time in six years, opening it to the ocean for nearly five months. The refuge is assessing impacts of the breach on the ecology of Trustom Pond and its wildlife—including water quality, aquatic plants, rare species,
waterfowl, and fish.

July 24th: “How to Tell if a Moth is Rare,” with Dr. David Gregg, Executive Director of the R.I. Natural History Survey. David will talk about what we know and don’t know about insect biodiversity, and what seemingly unimportant insects like moths
and beetles can tell us about biodiversity and the health of natural communities.

July 31st: “All About Bluebirds, and More,” with John Rogers, conservationist and co-founder of the New York State Bluebird Society. He maintains some 250 nest boxes near Syracuse, New York, which have fledged over 12,000 birds. His presentation will include eastern bluebird life history, nest box management,
other birds that nest in bluebird boxes, and more. He will also have nest boxes and kits for sale.

August 7th: “Maritime Birds of Narragansett Bay,” with Dr. Gerald Krausse, a professor emeritus from
the URI Dept. of Marine Affairs and a consummate
videographer and photographer. Gerry will share one of his latest video projects—five years in the making but still in the “rough cut” stage—covering parts of the breeding cycle for several species and showing the challenges of filming
large colonial birds.

August 14th: “An Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation in Rhode Island,” with Dr. Chi Chan, a veterinarian and Vice President of the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of
R.I. Back by popular demand, she will talk about what wildlife rehabilitation is (and isn’t), share a few interesting cases, and discuss how to become a wildlife rehabilitator.

August 21st: “Those Extraordinary Hummingbirds,” with Shannon Griffith, a Fish&Wildlife Service volunteer and Friends board me mber. Hummingbirds are not only considered as one of nature’s most accomplished athletes, but, with wings that beat up to 200 times per minute, also one of the
fastest and smallest warm-blooded animals on the planet. Come enjoy an evening of magic and delight and see these tiny marvels fly through the air.

August 28th: “Rhode Island’s Frogs and Toads,” with Dr. Bob
Kenney, a volunteer naturalist with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Kimball Wildlife Refuge for more than 25 years. The songs of frogs and toads can be heard almost everywhere from early spring through the fall. This presentation will include pictures and sounds of all of our local species, describe something of their biology, and provide information about how you can take part in a nationwide citizen-science study.

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Wildlife Tuesdays At Sachuest Point NWR:

June 25th: “The Enchanted Isles: Wildlife of the Galapagos,” with Dr. Bob Kenney, naturalist and retired marine biologist from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography. He will share some of his photos of giant tortoises; sea lions and fur seals, blue- and red-footed boobies, marine and land iguanas, Darwin’s finches, and other residents of the Galapagos archipelago.

July 23rd: “Bats!,” with Dr. Peter August, a professor in the URI
Dept. of Natural Resources Science. He will tell us everything we ever wanted to know about these mysterious creatures of the night, including the latest updates on the impacts of white-nose syndrome.

August 27th: “Meet the Reptiles,” with Lou Perrotti, Director of
Conservation Programs at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. Lou will introduce us to the diversity of reptiles, and bring along some live examples to share with the kids—which might include snakes, lizards, an alligator, and a large alligator  snapping turtle.

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The Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island is a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing conservation, education, and outreach activities on the five National Wildlife Refuges in our state. All donations to the Friends are tax-deductible.

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