Hello all,
The Fall 2016 series of Monday Night Seminars at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology kicks off this coming Monday, October 3, at 7:30 pm, and features the Cornell Lab’s Director of Conservation Science, Dr. Amanda Rodewald <https://dnr.cals.cornell.edu/people/amanda-rodewald>. As always, the seminars are held in the auditorium, and free and open to the public. The doors open at 7:00. We will be streaming this seminar live. Bookmark http://dl.allaboutbirds.org/cornelllab-monday-night-seminars for quick access on Monday evening. Thanks for helping spread the word! *Monday, October 3rd, 7:30pm* *Coffee, Communities, and Conservation: How your cup can make a difference* Amanda Rodewald, Garvin Professor of Ornithology and Director of Conservation Science Accelerating rates of land conversion for agriculture, development, and resource extraction in much of Latin America have challenged us to identify creative ways to sustain biodiversity, protect critical ecosystem services, and support human health and well-being within “working landscapes.” Shade-grown coffee farms are especially well-suited to simultaneously meet a variety of economic, social, and ecological needs. When coffee is grown under trees, the system can provide a variety of products (e.g., coffee, fruits, firewood, lumber, and medicines), while at the same time maintain forest cover, support biodiversity, and reduce erosion and chemical use compared to other intensive agricultural systems. Perhaps no other group better highlights the positive role that shade-coffee can play in conservation than Neotropical Migratory birds, which heavily use shade-coffee farms. Unfortunately, traditional shade management has given way to more intensive uses like “sun coffee” monocultures that promise higher productivity but at greater environmental cost and potentially more economic risk. This shift in practice has prompted conservation organizations to develop incentives for sound environmental stewardship that also support livelihoods. In this talk, I will discuss how shade-coffee and other agroforestry practices can support bird conservation, healthy ecosystems, and ultimately human communities in Latin America. *Upcoming MNS:* *November 7 * *Screening: Sonic Sea, featuring a Q&A with Dr. Christopher Clark* *(@Cornell Cinema)* Come to the Cornell Cinema to watch “Sonic Sea” in this special free screening hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Oceans are a sonic symphony. Sound is essential to the survival and prosperity of marine life, but man-made ocean noise is threatening this fragile world. Sonic Sea is about protecting life in our waters from the destructive effects of oceanic noise pollution. After the screening, join a Q&A discussion with Dr. Christopher Clark who is featured in the film. *December 5 * *Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer* Peter Marra, Head, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center In 1894, lighthouse keepers arrived on Stephens Island off New Zealand with a cat, supposedly named Tibbles. In just over a year, the Stephens Island Wren, a rare bird endemic to the island, was rendered extinct. Mounting scientific evidence confirms what many conservationists have suspected for some time—that in the United States alone, free-ranging cats are killing birds and other animals by the billions. Equally alarming are the little-known but potentially devastating public health consequences of rabies and parasitic *Toxoplasma* passing from cats to humans at rising rates. *Cat Wars* tells the story of the threats free-ranging cats pose to biodiversity and public health throughout the world, and sheds new light on the controversies surrounding the management of the explosion of these cat populations. Marra will trace the historical and cultural ties between humans and cats from early domestication to the current boom in pet ownership, along the way accessibly explaining the science of extinction, population modeling, and feline diseases. He will chart the developments that have led to our present impasse—from Stan Temple’s breakthrough studies on cat predation in Wisconsin to cat-eradication programs underway in Australia today. Marra will also describe how a small but vocal minority of cat advocates has campaigned successfully for no action in much the same way that special interest groups have stymied attempts to curtail smoking and climate change. The outdoor cat issue* is a *complex global problem—*Cat Wars* proposes solutions that foresee a time when wildlife and humans are no longer vulnerable to the impacts of free-ranging cats. Marc Devokaitis Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
