West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District Calendar
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| Added By: Erica Stokes |
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"Urban wildlife" may seem a contradiction in terms, but many wild animals are finding cities and suburbs to their liking -- and sometimes conflicts and controversy can result. Communities debate ways to control flooding caused by beavers, stop deer from eating petunias or respond to the occasional black bear wandering down Main Street.
John Hadidian, director of urban wildlife programs for the Humane Society of the United States, will speak on the topic of human-wildlife relations when he kicks off the 2010 Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Oregon Zoo.
In his lecture, "Wild Neighbors: Living With Wildlife on Urban Landscapes," Hadidian will look at some of the conflicts caused by wildlife in cities, discuss humane solutions and identify the challenges we face within the context of urban ecology.
The Humane Society's urban wildlife programs advocate concepts such as backyard sanctuaries as a means of helping displaced wildlife, a concept that has also been promoted by the zoo.
"Although the first goal in wildlife conservation is to preserve a species' natural habitat, there are many things people can do to provide animals with livable space in an urban setting," noted David Shepherdson, deputy conservation manager for the zoo. "We want to provide some relief to the pressures these animals are facing."
Hadidian has participated in or led nearly 100 urban wildlife workshops and has published numerous scientific articles on wildlife issues. In addition to his role as director of urban wildlife programs, he serves on the steering committee for the Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration. He has served on the national wildlife services advisory committee for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as the Human-Dominated Systems Directorate for the State Department's Man and the Biosphere program. He was an associate editor of the Journal of Urban Ecosystems. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech's Northern Virginia Center.
Hadidian received his master's and doctoral degrees in primatology from Penn State University and has a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona.
The Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series continues through April with the following additional lectures:
Tuesday, March 30
Dusty Gedge
President, European Federation of Green Roof Associations
"Green Roofs and Living Walls for Wildlife"
Tuesday, April 13
Chris Parish
Director, Condor Reintroduction Program, The Peregrine Fund
"Returning Condors to Arizona"
Tuesday, April 27
Stanley Gehrt
Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist, Ohio State University
"Urban Coyotes"
The series is presented by Pro Photo Supply and Shiels Obletz Johnsen, with additional support from Portland General Electric. Hadidian's lecture is co-sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States. Hosts for the series are the Audubon Society of Portland, the Oregon Zoo and the World Forestry Center. Lectures are held in the zoo's Banquet Center and begin at 7 p.m. The cost for each lecture is $10 for nonmembers and $8 for members of host organizations, students or seniors.
The host organizations hope the lecture series will strengthen the community's knowledge base on ecological systems and environmental issues -- motivating people to make a difference in the environmental future of the region.
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