Presented by: Samantha Volz

Join us the first Monday of January for our free monthly program featuring guest speaker Danielle Durham. Danielle has been the southeast Michigan Peregrine Falcon nest coordinator with the DNR for the past several years and is also a falconer. She has a bird’s eye view into the lives of some really cool raptors as well as into the efforts which have helped Peregrine populations recover. We can’t wait to hear all about it!

The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. with social hour at 6:30 p.m. at the Sterling Heights Nature Center building. Follow us on Facebook for further updates.

From the brink of extinction to a new model for endangered species conservation, the Kirtland’s Warbler is an iconic species in Michigan, nesting primarily in the jack pine forests of the northern Lower Peninsula. You may have even seen it on some recent Michigan license plates! As late as 1987 there were fewer than 400 birds in the entire population. Today, there are more than 4,000 birds.

In October 2019, the Kirtland’s Warbler was removed from the endangered species list. That’s a reason to celebrate, but it doesn’t mean we can wash our hands and walk away. Conservation of the Kirtland’s Warbler has special challenges. Unlike every other animal that has been removed from the endangered species list, the Kirtland’s Warbler will require continued human intervention to ensure its survival.

Our guest speaker, William Rapai, is the author of The Kirtland’s Warbler: The Story of a Bird’s Fight for Survival and the People Who Saved It. He is also executive director of the Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance, a nonprofit created to support Kirtland’s Warbler conservation. Join us for social hour at 6:30 p.m., meeting at 7:00 p.m.