For the health and safety of our attendees, staff, and conference presenters, the Indiana Wildlife Federation board has decided to host a fully virtual conference due to the rise in Indiana coronavirus cases. As you may recall, the event was originally scheduled to be a hybrid in-person/virtual event at the Garrison located at Fort Harrison State Park.
We have already seen a greater number of registrations for virtual attendance so we felt it best for our friends and partners to attend safely from home (sweatpants encouraged). While we will be sad to miss another year to gather together and enjoy time with other wildlife experts and enthusiasts, we are still very excited to host two incredible keynote speakers and one heck of a silent auction.
In an effort to respect everyone’s Zoom-attention span, we have reduced our full day agenda down to a hot 2.5 hours without losing any punch. We hope you will join us Saturday, January 29th from 9:30am-noon to hear from Dr. Mamie Parker and Jim McCormac.
Dr. Mamie Parker is a professional fish and wildlife biologist and made history serving as the first African American U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Regional Director of the 13 northeastern states after working in the Great Lakes and Big Rivers regions. She has received numerous conservation awards and is widely known for her tireless work on wildlife conservation and invasive species. Dr. Parker is a transformational speaker with incredible conservation experience ready to share a message on Our Pivotal Stretch to Make the Best Better.
Be sure to read the fantastic National Wildlife Federation blog post: Dr. Mamie Parker Leads the Way for Women in Conservation.
Jim McCormac who served
at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects, especially involving birds. He shares his experience in nature through stunning photography and interpretive storytelling that captivates and inspires. Jim has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio, and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage. We are so pleased to host Jim speaking on Flora, Moths, and Birds: A Tangled Ecological Web.
There are at least 2,600 species of moths and approximately 150 butterfly species in Indiana. The conspicuous and often showy winged adults are but the short-lived finale of a four stage life cycle: egg, pupa, caterpillar, and adult. It’s caterpillars that make much of the natural world go around, and countless billions become food for other organisms, birds included. Without vegetation-eating caterpillars and the native plants that they require, most songbirds would vanish, insect diversity would plummet, and our forests would fall silent. This richly illustrated talk delves into the seemingly magical synergy between flora and caterpillars, and its ecosystem ramifications, especially for birds.
We hope to virtually see you there!
Registration is $25 for members/$35 non-members.
(Psst…High school and college students can apply to attend at no cost through our scholar registration fund supported by IWF board members Rick Cockrum, Tina Mahern, and John Goss).