Upcoming Events
Iowa Conservation Biology Symposium
When: Saturday, October 11, 2008
What: The second annual Iowa Conservation Biology Symposium will be held at the Iowa State University campus. Our keynote speaker is Karen Root, a conservation biologist from Bowling Green State University.
The 2008 Iowa Conservation Symposium is an effort to bring together conservation researchers and practitioners from across the state to facilitate cooperation and collaboration. This symposium provides opportunities to present both oral and poster presentations, and is an excellent opportunity for academic researchers and government/private conservation practitioners to present their work. Undergraduate and graduate students are strongly encouraged to attend to gain valuable experience presenting at professional meetings, as well as to receive feedback and establish important network connections. Come to the meeting to help support conservation development and efforts in Iowa. We hope to see you at the meeting on October 11, 2008!
Schedule of Events
9:00-10:00 Registration/Poster set-up
10:00-11:30 Oral Presentations
11:30-1:00 Lunch Break
1:00-2:00 Oral Presentations
2:00-4:00 Poster Session
This event is FREE and open to the public.
A Silent Auction will also be held during the event to raise funds for conservation efforts in Iowa.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Karen Root
Professor, Bowling Green State University
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Cardinal Room, Memorial Union, Iowa State Univerity
“A Multispecies Approach for Large-scale Management and Conservation in a Heterogeneous Landscape”
In the face of ever-increasing human impacts on the landscape we face an urgent need to prioritize conservation and management and to maximize the value of protected areas. These challenges call for an approach that incorporates both the requirements of individual native species and the heterogeneous spatial context in which they live. Using GIS and population viability analyses, my approach combined habitat suitability maps with spatially-explicit population models for rare and imperiled vertebrate species. The individual risk assessments were then used to develop Multispecies Conservation Value (MCV) maps to address a variety of goals such as conservation of specific taxa or ecosystems and increased connectivity. I also examined the contribution of the priority areas to the existing managed areas in terms of connectivity, heterogeneity, size and shape. In contrast to methods that rely on identifying biodiversity hotspots, this risk-based method highlighted areas that would contribute the most value to the long-term viability of the most vulnerable species. This approach is flexible. It can readily accommodate a variety of data, scales, or goals, and it can incorporate dynamic elements (e.g., habitat impacts) to explore potential strategies or impacts. Therefore, this project can serve as a guide to large-scale conservation and management elsewhere.
Past Events
Strange Days on Planet Earth Movie Series
We presented this movie series at the Ames Public Library throughout October and November 2007. Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend. If you missed this series, we will have more in the future!
Advocacy on Endangered Species Act
We have written and sent out letters to our Senators stating our opposition to current efforts to undermine the integrity of the ESA. This letter was drafted by the Berkeley Chapter of the SCB. To read our thoughts on this subject, please click here.
Contact: annabel@iastate.edu
Lecture by Carolyn Raffensperger
Date: Thursday, March 23rd, 2006
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Sun Room, The Memorial Union, Iowa State University
Title: The Precautionary Principle: Applying Ethical Environmental Decision Making in a World of Uncertainty
Reception with refreshments will be provided
We now face a Bermuda triangle of environmental troubles with the loss of biodiversity, the contamination of every corner of the planet with toxic chemicals, and global warming. The precautionary principle, with its call for ethical action to prevent harm in the face of uncertainty, offers us a new way forward. Carolyn Raffensperger will explore the theory and action of the principle with a special focus on conservation biology. If you've worried about the fate of the planet, and are looking for hope, this is the talk to attend.
Sponsored by:
ISU chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology
Bioethics
Committee on Lectures
Public Viewing of "Oil on Ice"
This film puts a human face on a political fight by portraying the people, wildlife, and natural wilderness that is at risk if the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is opened up to oil and gas drilling.
Date: Thursday, April 13th, 2006
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Location: La Boheme (corner of Campus and West Streets in Ames)
For more information see the website: www.oilonice.org
Contact: annabel@iastate.edu
VEISHEA 2006
Date: Saturday, April 22nd, 2006
Time: All day
Location: Iowa State University campus
Face painting of endangered species
Coloring projects for kids
Informative Handouts for families
Contact: annabel@iastate.edu
Donations to NREM Banquet
Date: Saturday, April 8th, 2006
We will be raffling and auctioning off hand crafted rugs made from recycled jean materials, notebooks made from recycled paper, and jewelry.
Contact: annabel@iastate.edu
Workday
Stash the Trash/Pohl Praire Rescue
Date: Saturday, April 1st, 2006
Go out and pick up trash in the morning in your selected area of the Ames community. Then bring it back to the Iowa State Center and grill out and get free lunch. The prairie rescue will consist of brush cutting and brush burning. Always a good time, and easy to volunteer for just an hour or two to show your concern.
Contact: annabel@iastate.edu
Pohl Prairie Clean-up
A small group of individuals have helped with the brush removal and burning at the Pohl Prairie.
Public Screening of 'The End of Suburbia'
Informative event screening this film about oil depletion and the collapse of the American dream.
Volunteer Recycling and Clean-up at NREM Picnic
A group of dedicated individuals helped with the set-up and clean-up of the 2005 NREM picnic in order to help NREM recycle. Thanks to their dedication we received an extremely large donation from the Natural Resource Ecology and Management Department.
Meeting with Mayoral Candidates
In the interest of knowing more about our community, a group met with the 2005 Ames Mayoral candidates for a question/answer session.
NREM Recycling
Our organization volunteered to pick up the recycling for the NREM department.
Earth Day 2005
The group hosted a booth at the 2005 Earth Day Fair on the ISU campus. Volunteers baked all organic cookies, cakes, and candies to distribute, along with information on why to buy organic. To see some pictures click here.