The Naturalists' Club of Broome County, NY

As a curious observer of nature on her property and in her community, club board member Colleen Wolpert enjoys sharing the knowledge she has accumulated about improving habitat for a wide variety of insects and the wildlife that depends on them for food. On only ¾ of an acre, she has had over 50 different species of butterflies and 100s of species of moths. Dragonflies and damselflies hunt by day and different species of fireflies glow at night from May…

Our May Program gives club members a chance to share 10 to 15 of their favorite photographs with fellow club members. Please go through your photographs and select some to share. You may bring your pictures on a CD or thumb drive. If possible make arrangements ahead of time so that digital images can be preloaded on to the computer and avoid any computer related difficulties at the meeting. Only members are invited to share photos. If you have any questions…

Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska is a shining star in the National Park system of the United States. Larger than the state of New Hampshire with nearly a third of it designated as “Wilderness”, this intact ecosystem houses incredible diversity, landscapes, and a magic all its own. Framed by the Alaska Range and Mount Denali, visitors can enjoy charismatic megafauna, incredible wildflowers, and unimaginably large vistas. Come enjoy a photographic journey of some of our favorite parts of…

Our December Program gives club members a chance to share 10 to 15 of their favorite photographs with fellow club members. Please go through your photographs and select some to share. You may bring your pictures on a CD or thumb drive. If possible make arrangements ahead of time so that digital images can be preloaded on to the computer and avoid any computer related difficulties at the meeting. Only members are invited to share photos. If you have any…

Join us as guest speaker Bob McGuire talks about spending several weeks in the summer of 2017 traveling across Siberia, from the Mongolian border to the Arctic Ocean. Join him for photos, recordings, and videos of some amazing birds as well as landscapes, street scenes, and then a few stories from an experience he will never forget. Bob is a former president of the Cayuga Bird Club and editor of “Birding the Cayuga Lake Basin”. An avid birder and sound recordist, he has…

Human activities are threatening freshwater ecosystems across the globe.  Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to human activities with populations declining worldwide. Understanding the myriad ways our activities influence amphibians is paramount to conservation efforts. Members of the Hua lab will provide a broad overview of recent work examining various threats to amphibians, including light pollution, road salt, and invasive species. Specifically, graduate student, Grascen Shidemantle, will discuss her recent discoveries regarding the effect of light pollution at night on amphibian growth and development. Graduate student, Nicholas…

Pollination is a critical ecosystem service, and one that is mostly provided by flower visiting animals. In addition to supporting terrestrial ecosystems, pollination is also directly responsible for much of the food human populations consume. Unfortunately, global change is weakening these critical interactions, and some pollinator species and communities are in decline. In this talk, I will explore some interesting facts and examples of plant-pollinator interactions and conclude with some simple steps we all can take to promote pollinator diversity…