Long Island Natural History Conference Expands To Accommodate Surge In Attendance

The 3rd Annual Long Island Natural History Conference (LINH) is taking place Friday, March 20th through Sunday, March 22nd, with two days of presentations, followed by a day of field trips. The weekend long forum will feature lectures from leading naturalists and the opportunity to explore the natural world of Long Island.

Following a 75 percent increase in attendance over the first two years, the Long Island Nature Organization decided to expand the conference format to accommodate naturalists and educators who are unable to attend a weekday seminar. The Long Island Nature Organization was founded in 2012 to support education and research about the natural history of Long Island.

Opening day of the conference will feature Effects of excessive nitrogen loading on coastal ecosystems with Dr. Chris Gobler, SUNY Marine & Atmospheric Sciences; White-tailed deer and their influence on forest vegetation with Thomas Rawinski, USDA. Forest Service; Long Island lichens: an exploration of a hidden world with James Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden; Establishing phenology monitoring sites with Kerry Battle, President, CEO Community Greenway; The Role of ctenophores (comb jellies) in Long Island estuaries with Dr. Marianne E. McNamara, Suffolk Community College; Novel ecosystems: a threat to wildlife with Dr. Marilyn Jordan, The Nature Conservancy; Bald Eagles nesting on Long Island with Michael S. Scheibel, The Nature Conservancy; and New York’s newest immigrants: coyotes in the metropolitan area with Chris Nagy, Mianus River Gorge Preserve.

Topics covered on Saturday will feature Harbor seals at Cupsogue Beach: population trends and site fidelity with Dr. Arthur H. Kopelman, SUNY, CRESLI; Cybertracker conservation track and sign certification with George Leoniak, Cybertracker Conservation; Status of orchids on Long Island with Dr. Eric Lamont, LIBS, and Tom Nelson; Management, urbanization, and isolation on grassland biodiversity with Polly Weigand, Suffolk Soil & Water Conservation; Breeding birds of Long Island: past, present, and future with Eric Salzman, Bard member, SOFO; Sharks and rays of the New York seascape with Merry Camhi, Director, NY Seascape; Coyotes on Long Island: a participatory framework for planning with Dr. Mark Weckel, American Museum of Natural History; and Falcons on FIRE (Fire Island Raptor Enumerators) with Drew Panko and Trudy Battaly, Fire Island Hawk Watch.

The conference will conclude with several field trips on Sunday including Alewife Spawning Run at Little Peconic River, Seal Observation Walk at Cupsogue Beach County Park, and Reading Wildlife Track and sign evaluation in the Manorville area.

Registration begins at $15 for students, $27 for LINO members, and $30 for non-members. Lectures will take place at the Berkner auditorium at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY.

For more information, visit longislandnature.org.