Saving the Jewels of the Forest, May 14th, Science at Your Library

Mark your calendar for May 14th, 2018. Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton will be presenting, “Saving the Jewels of the Forest” at your local library.

Isolated from parent gene flow, and encountering a myriad of novel niches on this topographically and climatically diverse island, the ancestor of Kauai’s forest birds evolved into a tremendously diverse and spectacular assemblage of species.  However, humans colonizing the island destroyed bird habitat and introduced many alien species, including invasive plants, non-native mammalian predators, and avian diseases carried by introduced mosquitoes. Since then, several forest bird species have gone extinct, and those that remain live only in the most pristine mountain areas, including three endangered species each numbering fewer than 1000 birds. Their precarious existence is further threatened by climate change, which will bring warmer and drier weather to Kauai, thus accelerating disease transmission and further degrading bird habitat. In this lecture, Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton will discuss evolution, endangerment, and conservation of these “jewels of the forest”.

Dr. Lisa Crampton (“Cali”) has been the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project’s Leader since April 2010, overseeing research into the ecology and conservation of Kauai’s native forest birds. She obtained her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada at Reno in December 2004. Her first professional experience in Hawaii was at the USGS Kilauea Field Station on Hawai’i Island, where she analyzed field data on the endangered Laysan teal to improve monitoring and management strategies implemented by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Subsequently, for the US Forest Service, she analyzed impacts of recreation on wildlife in the Sierra Nevada before finding her way back to Hawai’i in her current capacity.