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Union College and Wachiska Audubon Society present:
Rediscovering the ivory-billed woodpecker—a firsthand account by Bobby
Harrison
“I have always believed that the ivory-billed woodpecker still lived,
and finding one has been a dominant force in my life for more than three
decades. Finding an ivory-bill was a 33-year dream come true for me.” ~Bobby
Harrison
LINCOLN, Neb.—One of the first people to sight the famous bird that has eluded
researchers for decades will present his experience with the long-thought
extinct ivory-billed woodpecker on Feb. 16, 7 p.m., at Union College. Bobby
Harrison, one of a small group convinced the dream sighting would come true,
will discuss his life-long connection to the elusive bird, describe its
habitat and show documentation of its sightings.
The free presentation is open to the
public and will be in the amphitheater of the Everett Dick Administration
Building located at the center of Union’s campus (3800 S. 48th St.). Seating
will be limited; doors will open at 6 p.m. Union College is co-sponsoring
the event with the Wachiska Audubon Society, which regularly meets on the
Union College campus. Free parking is available on campus, off of Bancroft or
Prescott avenues, or in the lots of the College View Seventh-day Adventist
church.
The mysterious ivory-billed
woodpecker has been the topic of national attention and celebration since
spring 2005 after the journal Science on its Science Express Web site (April
28, 2005) reported the bird had been rediscovered in the Big Woods of eastern
Arkansas. Prior to this report, it had been more than 60 years since the last
confirmed sighting of the species. The evidence on the ivory-bill, the largest
woodpecker in North America, was gathered during a yearlong search involving
more than 50 experts and field biologists, including Harrison. This group
continues their work together as part of the Big Woods Conservation
partnership led by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University
and The Nature Conservancy.
Harrison, an associate professor of
art and photography at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., is one of the
first three people involved in the search to see and identify the famous bird
in Arkansas. As an avid bird watcher and a student of the ivory-billed
woodpecker since 1973, Harrison began searching for ivory-bills in 1995 in
Florida, and he has since searched in Georgia and Louisiana. Harrison is one
of the recipients of the prestigious 2006 Explorer’s Club Conservationist of
the Year Award and has received three awards in the Nature’s Best photography
competitions. He was also featured in the television series, Nature’s Best
Photography, produced by the National Wildlife Federation and Nikon
Incorporated. He has published articles on birds and bird photography in most
North American birding magazines and calendars including Audubon, Birder’s
World, Outdoor Photographer and many others.
“The rediscovery of the ivory-billed
woodpecker is arguably the greatest event in ornithology in more than a
century,” said Russell Duerksen, area attorney who is an avid birder, Wachiska
Audubon member and ornithology teacher at Union College. “Hearing a first-hand
account of Bobby’s monumental ivory-bill sightings will be a rare and
wonderful opportunity for all bird and wildlife enthusiasts in this region.”
For more information on the ivory-billed woodpecker including a detailed
account of the sightings and conservation efforts surrounding the ongoing
search, visit the Big Woods Conservation Partnership Web site:
www.ivorybill.org. See also:
Harrison
Biographical Sketch
Union
College is an accredited, comprehensive college and a member of the
Nebraska Independent College Foundation. Enrolling 930 students from 44
states and 26 countries, the campus, 50 acres of tree-covered property in
southeast Lincoln, is a site of the statewide arboretum system. With a
focus on undergraduate students, Union’s nurturing environment offers a
traditional liberal arts education combined with practical experiences
such as internships, academic and career counseling, study abroad and
volunteer opportunities. In the comfortable campus atmosphere where
professors, not graduate students, teach classes, Union students can
choose from more than 50 majors, including a Master of Physician Assistant
Studies, or a personalized degree. Learn more:
www.ucollege.edu.
The Wachiska
Audubon Society was chartered by the National Audubon Society in March
1973 as a local chapter to serve 17 counties in Southeast Nebraska. To date,
there are more than 1,000 members supporting the chapter’s conservation
education mission: to share the experience and love of nature that life may
flourish in all its natural diversity. A nonprofit organization, the chapter
is governed by a volunteer board with an office in Lincoln, Neb. Annual
activities include monthly general meetings with speakers relating to nature,
habitat, and the environment; Christmas Bird Count; birdseed sales; Backyard
Wildlife Habitat Tour; and the prairie preservation project. “Wachiska” is an
Omaha Indian word meaning “land of many streams.”
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