Pinhead Institute: Open Space Land Stewardship Course 2008
Telluride is known for many things; for its amazing skiing, its many festivals, its historic architecture. One other thing that makes Telluride unique is its abundance of open space, set aside as undeveloped land, accessible to the public. It belongs to each of us, and the responsibility of caring for the health of this habitat rests on all those who use it. But just how can each one of us be a good steward to this precious wild place? We can begin by becoming educated about the creatures and plants with which we share this land. Since 2002, the Town of Telluride’s Open Space Commission, in collaboration with the Pinhead Institute, became committed to providing education for all of us so that we might live up to our responsibility as its stewards. This intensive three-day, 16-hour course, is taught by a team of PhD scientists -- experts in their fields.
Learn more about the land you love.
Beavers, Birds & Bugs:
Investigating the Wild Side of Telluride's Open Space
SCHEDULE
(Times subject to change for possible birding expeditions)
Download the detailed schedule here
Friday, September 5th
Presentation - 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Topic overviews by each presenter (about 20 minutes each presenter)
Rebecca Hall
Saturday, September 6th
Field Studies, 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Meet at Bear Creek Trail Head
Bird Watching with Dr. Jack Dumbacher
Presentation, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Specific presentation topics by each presenter (about 30-40 minutes each presenter)
Field Studies, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Workshops by each presenter in the field
Sunday, September 7th
Field Studies, 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Meet at Valley Floor River Trail Entrance (Mahoney Ave.)
Bird Watching with Dr. Jack Dumbacher
Presentation, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Specific presentation topics by each presenter (about 30-40 minutes each presenter)
Field Studies, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Workshops by each presenter in the field
INSTRUCTORS
Sherri Tippie, Beaver expert
Chester Anderson, Entomologist
Dr. Jack Dumbacher, Ornithologist
Sherri Tippie: An expert on beaver relocation, Sherri Tippie will share her enthusiasm for this important species, highlighting her presentation with a slideshow and with her stories of trapping and relocating more than 1,000 beavers around Colorado. Known internationally for her work, Tippie is the go-to person for Coloradans and others trying to co-exist with beaver as well as for those who want to bring beaver onto their property for the many benefits they provide.
Tippie began working with beaver in 1985 when she saw on television that wildlife officials in Aurora, Colo. were killing beaver that had been cutting trees on a golf course. Without any prior knowledge of the animal, she borrowed traps from the Aurora officials, figured out how to work them, trapped the beaver and delivered them to Rocky Mountain National Park. The rest is history.
In 1986 Tippie founded Wildlife 2000 to educate people about beaver and to train them in live-trapping and relocation techniques. In cooperation with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, she has relocated beaver all over Colorado, including to a sheep ranch in Montrose and to various sites near Westcliffe in the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo range.
Chester Anderson: Born in Durango, Chester Anderson has always been connected to rivers through fishing, kayaking, and later in life, through science. He received his B.A. in Ecology & Evolution from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his M.S. in Entomology from Cornell University. For the past 25 years he has been involved in numerous educational, monitoring and research efforts involving aquatic ecosystems. In 1995 he began his own consulting business called B.U.G.S. (Bioassessment Under Water,Graphs and Stats) where he and his staff monitor and study the effects of land-use practices on the health of streams and rivers. Chester is also the Executive Director of La Boca Center for Sustainability, a non-profit dedicated to education and research in sustainable agriculture.
Jack Dumbacher: Jack Dumbacher has two major research programs. First, in the field of molecular ecology, he uses DNA sequence variation to reconstruct phylogenies, character evolution, and to understand phylogeographic patterns. He has used phylogenetic techniques to study the evolution of toxicity and mimicry in toxic New Guinean birds, to understand the history and relationships of rare Pacific Owlet-nightjars, while also working on an NSF-funded project to study the lowland phylogeography of New Guinean tropical forests.
Secondly, he studies the ecology and evolution of chemical defense in birds. Most of his research has focused on two avian genera, Pitohui and Ifrita, which comprise seven endemic New Guinean passerine species that carry potent steroidal alkaloid neurotoxins known as batrachotoxins.
Education:
Ph.D. Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago
M.S. Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago
B.S. General Biology, Vanderbilt University
Download Registration Form Here
For more information, call Pinhead at 970.708.7441 or email info@pinheadinstitute.org