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ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in October focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Huxley Theater. The lecturers will focus on the results of research that was funded by the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute. Lecture topics and dates are:

• October 7 – “White-nose Syndrome: The Darkest of Nights for North American Bats.” During the winter of 2005–2006, a disease appeared in a Schoharie County cave that has nearly eliminated bats that winter in the Northeast. Twenty-five of the 45 bat species in the United States may be at risk, with extinctions being a real possibility. Alan Hicks, from New York State’s endangered species program, will discuss the history, current status, and future conservation efforts regarding this unprecedented problem.
• October 14 – “Impacts to Wildlife from the Consequences of Exurban Development in the Adirondack Park.” Large-scale fragmentation resulting from large lot development outside incorporated cities and towns may decrease biotic integrity, alter species behavior and composition, and increase human-wildlife conflict. Dr. Michale Glennon, a scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program, will discuss her work to understand the responses of avian communities surrounding residential homes in the Adirondacks.
• October 21 – “Benthic Biodiversity in the Great South Bay: Effects of Hard Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) Restoration.” The Nature Conservancy has created hard clam spawner sanctuaries to restore hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, to Long Island’s Great South Bay. Michael Doall, of the Functional Ecology Lab in the Ecology and Evolution Department at Stony Brook University,will discuss the impacts of increasing hard clam populations on benthic biodiversity and examines ecosystem benefits of hard clam restoration efforts.
• October 28 – “Forgotten Floras: Making the Case for Vouchered Plant Collections.” In 2004, a species-area curve analysis revealed that at least 10 counties in the state documented fewer than half the plant species than predicted. Five years later, Otsego, Montgomery and Fulton counties were surveyed, generating more than 1,000 new records, including several rare and some newly invasive plants. Dr. Donna Vogler, of the State University of New York College at Oneonta, will discuss the major findings of those efforts and the role of voucher-based natural history collections in the increasingly molecular and digital world of biology.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-6531.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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