Program topics and presenters have been announced for this year’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series, offered free of charge on the second Tuesday of each month, November through April.
Talks take place at 7 p.m. and are offered in the Raymond Carver Room at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 South Peabody St.
“We invite our neighbors and visitors to see Olympic National Park through new perspectives,” Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum said.
“Science, research and collaboration provide new windows on the park and are all featured in this year’s series.”
The series is sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park and the North Olympic Library System.
The series includes:
• Nov. 12, “When Goats Fly” with Olympic National Park’s Eliza Goode, Park Ranger/Visual Information Specialist, and ONP wildlife biologist Pattie Happe
View “When Goats Fly,” a short film about the relocation of non-native mountain goats from Olympic National Park to their native range in the Cascade Mountains. The film was selected for several regional film festivals most recently at the Friday Harbor Film Festival. The film will be followed by a question and answer period with biologist Pattie Happe.
• Dec. 10 — “Saving the Dark” with David Ingram of the International Dark Sky Association
Eighty percent of the world’s population lives under light polluted skies. What do we lose when we lose sight of the stars? Excessive and improper lighting robs us of our night skies, disrupts our sleep patterns and endangers nocturnal habitats. “Saving the Dark” explores the need to preserve night skies and ways to combat light pollution.
• Jan. 14 — “Comparing Two Rain Forests” with Syria Lejau, International Volunteer-in-Park at Olympic National Park
A park guide for more than 20 years in Gunung Mulu National Park, Borneo, Lejau recently volunteered at the Hoh Rain Forest. Join her for stories and visuals about the contrasts between these tropical and temperate environments.
• Feb. 11 — “Wolves in Washington” with Julia Smith, Wolf Coordinator with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Since 2008, Washington’s wolf population has grown by an average of 28 percent per year and has continued to increase for a tenth consecutive year with the highest count to date. The natural return of wolves to Washington is a conservation success story and Washington’s wolf population is on a path to recovery. In this presentation, state wolf coordinator Julia Smith will provide the history and background about wolves in Washington, discuss wolf biology and natural history, give information about state conservation and management of wolves, delve into resources for coexisting with wolves and hold a question-and-answer session.
• March 10 — “An Update on Glaciers” with Bill Baccus, field scientist with Olympic National Park
How do scientists monitor changes in high alpine glaciers, and what trends are they observing? Bill Baccus breaks down the science, and what it means for the future of Olympic’s watersheds.
• April 14 “A Big (3)Year(s) in Plants” with Patrick Loafman, biological technician with Olympic National Park
Patrick Loafman will share some adventures of his three-year quest to photograph every plant found in Washington state’s Coast Range. Learn about the challenges of creating a simple key to allow plant enthusiasts to more easily identify plants.
