Endangered species conservation talk to lead off spring Olson seminars

A talk on threatened and endangered species conservation will lead off the spring semester series of Paul A. Olson Seminars in Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Mary Bomberger Brown will discuss "A Partnership Model for Sustainable Threatened and Endangered Species Conservation in Nebraska: The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership," in a seminar at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St.

Brown is program coordinator for the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership at UNL. A native Nebraskan, she has held research biologist positions at Princeton, Yale, and Tulsa universities. She studied cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonoto) for 25 years at UNL's Cedar Point Biological Station near Ogallala before moving to the Conservation Partnership.

Threatened and endangered species in general and interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) in particular, are a sensitive political and social issue in Nebraska. Their need for water and riverine nesting habitat is perceived to be in conflict with industrial, recreational, private and commercial interests. The presence of these legally protected birds nesting on private or industrial property has the potential to affect economic activity through interrupted production and loss of revenue and to impact the birds' reproductive success and survival. The avoidance of bird-human conflicts is imperative for the recovery of terns and plovers not only in Nebraska but across their ranges.

The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership, based at UNL's School of Natural Resources, works proactively to prevent these sorts of conflicts from occurring. Working with the sand and gravel mining and the real estate development industries, the partnership has demonstrated that sustainable threatened and endangered species conservation through partnership with business and industry is possible.

Following is the schedule of other spring semester Olson seminars. All seminars begin at 3:30 in the Great Plains Art Museum, following a 3 p.m. reception. Sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies at UNL, they are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the center at (402) 472-3082 or visit www.unl.edu/plains.

* Feb. 16 -- "Avians and Indians: Feathered Folk on the Plains," Thomas C. Gannon, associate professor of English and ethnic studies, UNL.

* March 16 -- "Importance of Elders for Culture Continuity and Sovereignty," Wynne Summers, assistant professor of English, Southern Utah University.

* April 13 -- "Railroads, the Making of Modern America, and the Shaping of the Great Plains," William G. Thomas, III, chair and professor of history, John and Catherine Angle Chair in the Humanities, UNL.

WRITER: Linda Ratcliffe, Publications Specialist, Great Plains Studies, (402) 472-3965