•January 28 – Professional photographer Keith Walters discusses his 2017 photo-narrative project, “Beyond the Turnouts.” He spent the year documenting areas of Letchworth State Park that are less traveled by most visitors.
•February 4 – Vernal pools are unique ecosystems that are critical to amphibian reproduction. SUNY Geneseo geography professor Jim Kernan will discuss the importance of vernal pools in regional biodiversity.
•February 11 – Environmental Education and Outreach – SCA’s Excelsior Conservation Corps was started in 2015 as Governor Cuomo’s initiative to create a modern day Civilian Conservation Corps. The ECC is a 10-month residential program which employs 50 AmeriCorps members aged 18 to 28. There are five distinct crews in this program: Mixed Stewardship crews (2), Infrastructure and Sustainability Crew, Surveying/Assessment Crew, and Environmental Education and Outreach crew. The Education/Outreach crew spends 10 months traveling the state of New York as they provide campgrounds with environmental educational programming, build interpretive trails for parks and perform other environmental educational work across the state. This will be presented by Leah Cantor.
•February 18 – The Scent of Death and a Woodland Salamander by Aaron Sullivan, Houghton College. Anti-predator behaviors revolve around two simple truths: 1) virtually all animals are predators and prey at some point in their lives, and 2) traits that make an animal an efficient predator may increase their danger of becoming a meal. Because the risk of predation is high (for nearly everyone), prey should maximize their sensitivity to stimuli from predators in the environment. In our research, we investigate how some prey species (salamanders) respond to chemicals from predators (snakes).
•February 25 – Maple Sugaring by Greg Zimpfer – Making maple syrup is a time-honored tradition in Western New York. Learn the history and process of maple sugaring from a local producer who helps keep New York State one of the top producers of maple syrup in the country.
•March 4 – SUNY Geneseo students will showcase their research in this poster exhibition. Students will provide a brief introduction to their work. Afterward, the audience can visit the posters and ask questions. SUNY Geneseo geography professor Jim Kernan will introduce the exhibition.
•March 11 – So You Think You Want an Exotic Pet? by Karin Fires, Wildlife Educators Coalition. Meet some real live exotic pets. Find out what life is like with an unusual mammal, tropical bird or big reptile. Enjoy up close and personal encounters with some beautiful beasts.
•March 18 – The world of fungi and their mushrooms is a mystery to many people. David Wolf, of Rochester Area Mycological Society, highlights some common mushrooms in our area, and shares natural history notes of some of our little forest treasures.
•March 25 – John Rogers explores the life history of the Eastern Bluebird, as well as other birds that nest in bluebird boxes, nest box management, and more. While the focus will be on bluebirds, John will also share his passion for the natural world in hopes that the audience will take away some broader and deeper messages about nature – and life.
All lectures are free of charge and held on Sundays, 1 to 2:30 p.m. For more information, call 493-3680.
