Free Sunday Lecture Series Re-Launching This April At Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center

The first weekend of April will bring the debut of the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt’s 5th annual Sundays at Two.

The series will premiere on Sunday, April 8 with Evolution: The Most Important Theory in Biology, presented by Douglas J. Futuyma, Professor of Ecology & Evolution at Stony Brook University.

Futuyma, who was a Guggenheim fellow and a Fulbright senior scholar, will cover biological evolution and how it offers insight into the full range of biological studies, from molecular biology to ecology. Additionally, Futuyma will speak about how evolutionary principles and research impact practical issues, such as health and conservation.

His research revolves around speciation and the evolution of interactions between species, with a focus on herbivorous insects and their host plants. The distinguished professor is the senior co-editor of Coevolution, and penned the textbooks Evolutionary Biology, Evolution and of Science on Trial: The Case for Evolution. He also serves as the editor of Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, and sits on the editorial board of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Futuyma was also president of the Society for the Study of Evolution, the American Society of Naturalists, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. The avid naturalist was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1996 and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2006.

The series continues on Sunday, April 22 with Coyotes: A Photo Lecture, presented by Ivan Kuraev, a contributing photographer for the Urban Coyote Initiative.

“Coyotes are expanding their native range and settling new habitats, and it’s happening very quickly,” Kuraev explained. “If we pay attention, we can observe an apex predator colonize new territory and see the effect that coyotes have on native ecosystems, and the animals and people who inhabit them. I think this is a unique opportunity, and I intend to bear witness and document this story as it unfolds.”

Additional Sundays at Two will feature Early Native American Artifacts with Larry Cook, Curator & Director of the Montauk Indian Museum, on May 20, Owls with Jim Ash, birder & SoFo Museum Board of Directors, on June 10, Birding with the FishGuy on July 15, Racing Daylight Poetry Reading with Susan Baran on August 19. The September and October guests have yet to be determined.

Admission to the Sundays at Two series is free.

The Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center is located at 1061 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton. For more information, visit www.longpondgreenbelt.org.