Environmental change topic of Siskiyou ecology conference
From our weekly issue dated May 20, 2009
Siskiyou Field Institute’s (SFI) Deer Creek Center in Selma will be abuzz with activity Thursday through Saturday, May 28 to 30, for the Third Conference on Klamath-Siskiyou Ecology.
SFI is quite familiar with the conference, and actually owes its existence to the first such event in 1997.
More than 30 presentations are planned for this year’s conference, which has a theme of “sustained biodiversity in a changing environment.” Topics slated for discussion include forest ecology and management, watersheds, rivers and fish, wildlife ecology, endemic and sensitive species, forest pathogens and invasive species and hidden diversity.
The keynote address by Susan Harrison, of the University of California-Davis Dept. of Environmental Science and Policy is scheduled for the first day. In her remarks, Harrison will discuss the work of ecologist Robert Whittaker, who studied plants in the Siskiyou Mountains from 1949 to 1951.
Andrew Englehorn, SFI AmeriCorps Conference coordinator said that he is looking forward to Harrison’s discussion of Whittaker’s studies.
“His work was key in recognizing the floral density of this region,” Englehorn said. “Professor Harrison and Ellen Damshon of Washington University have been studying these same areas to track the changes in vegetation due to environmental change.”
Other speakers will address past, present and future regeneration themes, climatic conservation planning and climatic stream flow changes in the aftermath of high-intensity fires.
“We are really trying to make this a bridge between science and people in this area so that everyone can have dialogue about the unique ecosystem that we live in,” Englehorn said.
A panel discussion about climate change in the area will be led by Dominic Della Sala, executive director of the National Center for Conservation.
Englehorn said that Friday, May 29 plans to be a busy day at the conference.
“We will have a full day starting from 8:30 until the evening,” he said. “There will be numerous presentations by researchers.”
Some workshops and field trips also are slated, including a workshop on western pond turtles and a trip to areas affected by the 2002 Biscuit Fire.
Volunteer opportunities are available in exchange for admission fees, Englehorn said. For more information, phone 597-8530 or visit thesfi.org.
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