Olympic National Park’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series, free presentations held at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month through April, is set at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.

Sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park and the North Olympic Library System, this free series kicked off Nov. 13.

Upcoming topics this season include:

• Dec. 11 — “Pacific Martens on the Olympic Peninsula” with Betsy Howell, Olympic National Forest wildlife biologist

Since 2008, federal partners have been working to better understand the conservation status of Pacific martens, small carnivores in the weasel family, on the Olympic Peninsula. In the past 30 years, only 10 verifiable records of the species have been counted — all in high, remote locations. The survey effort involves a number of partners and a number of methods, including remote cameras and scent-detection dogs.

• Jan 8 — “Wolves, Elk, Rivers, and Trophic Cascades in Olympic National Park” with Dr .Kurt Jenkins, United States Geological Survey wildlife biologist

Just how potent was the wolf in controlling riverine ecosystem structure and function in Olympic National Park? In this presentation, Jenkins will explore evidence for a trophic cascade of ecological effects that may have affected the park’s riverine ecosystems as a result of wolf eradication nearly a century ago.

• Feb. 12 — “The Edge of the Sea: Scales of Change on Olympic Coast Beaches” with Dr. Ian Miller, Coastal Hazard Specialist/Washington Sea Grant

Learn more from Dr. Miller’s recent studies on Rialto and Kalaloch beaches, and investigations of sea level change on the Olympic Coast.

• March 12 — “Predators and Prey: Columbian Black-Tailed Deer and Cougar Research on the Olympic Peninsula” with Kim Sager-Fradkin, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe wildlife biologist

Sager-Fradkin shares results of a four-year study examining patterns of fawn and buck mortality on the north Olympic Peninsula, and provides preliminary results on a study designed to answer questions about cougar population genetics, movement patterns and prey selection.

• April 9 — “A Witness to Change” with Janis Burger, Hurricane Ridge Interpreter and Olympic National Park

Burger will share photos and experiences gleaned over a 37-year career as a seasonal biological technician and longtime Hurricane Ridge interpreter.

Find more

For more about this and other upcoming events at your library, visit www.nols.org or email to discover@nols.org. For more information about Olympic National Park, visit www.nps.gov/olym.