ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
& SILENT AUCTION
Sunday, February 23, 2025 12 - 5 p.m.
Harvard Forest ~ Fisher Museum
324 North Main Street, Petersham
Guest Speakers:
Florencia Sangermano, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Geography ~ Clark University
&
Jon Skinner, IT Project Manager & Massachusetts birder
SCHEDULE
12 p.m. Social hour with appetizers and beverages
1:00 p.m. Catered hot meal by Kro's on the Common
2:00 p.m. Welcome and appreciation message by Club coordinator
2:15 p.m. DECODING NATURE'S SIGNALS by Florencia Sangermano
3:30 p.m. FLYING INTO THE FUTURE by Jon Skinner
~ SILENT AUCTION ONGOING ~
4:45 p.m. Last call for auction bids & farewell
12 p.m. Social hour with appetizers and beverages
1:00 p.m. Catered hot meal by Kro's on the Common
2:00 p.m. Welcome and appreciation message by Club coordinator
2:15 p.m. DECODING NATURE'S SIGNALS by Florencia Sangermano
3:30 p.m. FLYING INTO THE FUTURE by Jon Skinner
~ SILENT AUCTION ONGOING ~
4:45 p.m. Last call for auction bids & farewell
DECODING NATURE'S SIGNALS:
SOUNDSCAPES REVEAL HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
by Florencia Sangermano
SOUNDSCAPES REVEAL HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
by Florencia Sangermano
Habitat loss due to land-cover change is the main threat to biodiversity globally, causing cascading effects on fauna and flora abundance, composition, and ecology. Also affected are ecosystem services such as the production of food, water, and other vital resources.
Satellite remote sensing allows for low cost for monitoring land change over extensive areas. Because of this, satellite-derived measurements of, for example, forest cover have been deemed a key source of information to map biodiversity. However, the presence of an ecosystem, such as a forest, does not guarantee that the resident assemblage of animal life is intact. In some cases an ecosystem's fauna may be depleted due to direct (e.g., hunting) or indirect (e.g., modification of surrounding habitat) human activities, leading to “empty ecosystems”. Linking top-down satellite data with on-site diversity measurements is essential in order to gain a more holistic assessment of ecosystem health. |
Ecoacoustics is a low-cost approach to monitoring acoustic community diversity over extended periods. Sounds from animal life, humans, and non-living entities (such has air and water) are present in a landscape at sound frequencies with particular characteristics. This means that acoustic indicators may be used to distinguish across sound sources and assess ecosystem health.
In this presentation, Dr. Sangermano will show how acoustic measurements act as landscape indicators of habitat health in central Massachusetts. She will show how this information can be used to map potential action areas to support biodiversity conservation. In Massachusetts, urbanization is the leading cause of current deforestation. The relationship between urbanization and biodiversity is complex and can lead to habitat conditions that negatively affect biodiversity. The talk will conclude with descriptions of the emerging technologies used to monitor habitat and biodiversity remotely, with examples developed by team ETH BiodivX, deployed and tested during the XPRIZE Rainforest competition. |
Florencia (Flor) Sangermano is a geographer interested in conservation technologies. Her research focuses on climate and land cover change impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity through the lens of geospatial analysis to support conservation planning and ecosystem management. She merges geographic information science (GIS) and remote sensing technologies with acoustics and landscape ecology to uncover how ecosystems change due to human actions, and the potential cascading impacts on wildlife and humans.
Flor is proud to be part of the team ETH BiodivX, which won the bonus prize in the XPRIZE Rainforest competition. She earned a Licenciatura (BSc/MSc) in Biology from Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina, and an MA and PhD in Geography from Clark University In her free time she likes baking, cooking, and having fun with her family. |
FLYING INTO THE FUTURE:
HOW TECHNOLOGY IS ADVANCING BIRDING AND BIRDING RESEARCH
by Jon Skinner
In this presentation, Jon will explore how innovative technologies are transforming birding and bird research via tools like Merlin Sound ID for instant species identification,
nocturnal flight call recordings for tracking migratory patterns,
and the MOTUS network for real-time tracking of bird movements.
We'll learn how these advances are reshaping our understanding of avian behavior and conservation efforts.
HOW TECHNOLOGY IS ADVANCING BIRDING AND BIRDING RESEARCH
by Jon Skinner
In this presentation, Jon will explore how innovative technologies are transforming birding and bird research via tools like Merlin Sound ID for instant species identification,
nocturnal flight call recordings for tracking migratory patterns,
and the MOTUS network for real-time tracking of bird movements.
We'll learn how these advances are reshaping our understanding of avian behavior and conservation efforts.
Jon Skinner is an avid birder local to Massachusetts. He has extensive experience with many citizen science bird projects as well as Cornell's Lab's eBird and Merlin Sound ID technology.
Jon's favorite species of birds are shrikes, gulls and finches. Jon leads bird walks for several local clubs, and he enjoys exploring the intersection of technology and birds. When not birding, he works as a project manager for a web agency. |
HARVARD FOREST FISHER MUSEUM
The Fisher Museum's primary exhibit is 23 internationally acclaimed models (dioramas), the first seven of which depict 230 years of landscape change in central New England, beginning with European colonization in 1700.
The remaining dioramas portray 20th-century forest management techniques and
a series of conservation challenges including erosion and fire.
Additional displays now bring the story up to modern times,
begin to address the harmful erasure of Indigenous people in our land narratives
(this work is ongoing in partnership with the Nipmuc tribe),
and include a brief overview of current Harvard Forest research.
The Fisher Museum's primary exhibit is 23 internationally acclaimed models (dioramas), the first seven of which depict 230 years of landscape change in central New England, beginning with European colonization in 1700.
The remaining dioramas portray 20th-century forest management techniques and
a series of conservation challenges including erosion and fire.
Additional displays now bring the story up to modern times,
begin to address the harmful erasure of Indigenous people in our land narratives
(this work is ongoing in partnership with the Nipmuc tribe),
and include a brief overview of current Harvard Forest research.
RESERVATION FORM
ENTIRE MEETING including catered meal, guest presentations, & silent auction
$60 per member $75 non-member
Number of members: _________ @ $60 = _________
Number of non-members _________ @ $75 = _________
PRESENTATIONS ONLY
Number of members: _________ @ $20 = _________
Number of non-members _________ @ $30 = _________
MEMBERSHIP DUES - ONE YEAR February 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026
$20 individual or couple $25 family
2025 Dues Individual/couple . . . . . . @ $20 = _________
2025 Dues Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . @ $25 = _________
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________
NAME(S):_________________________________________
EMAIL or TELEPHONE:_______________________________
* * RSVP by February 19, 2025 * *
Send check or money order (preferred) to: Ware River Nature Club, P.O. Box 76, Hardwick MA 01037
OR
Remit through PayPal (please add 3% for fees) to [email protected]