Domestic cats can make wonderful pets but also have the capacity to kill birds and other wildlife, spread infectious diseases, and cause nuisances in the community. Predation by cats is the number one cause of wild bird deaths in the country. Grant Sizemore will talk about how to manage domestic cats for everyone’s benefit - birds and other wildlife, people, and cats themselves.
Fifty years ago Spokane became the smallest city to host the World’s Fair and the first to adopt an “environmental sustainability” theme. That theme was a natural in the ‘70’s with the creation of Earth Day, the Environmental Protection Agency, and so many new environmental protection laws (Endangered Species, Clean Air, Clean Water acts, etc.). But it was also controversial among some local Expo ’74 planners who wanted to promote the Spokane area for business and avoid focusing on environmental woes. When construction and development for the fair along the Spokane River in downtown Spokane was seen by some as threatening to displace yellow-bellied marmots, one planner scoffed “Who cares about those damn birds, anyway?!”
Mike Munts, Wildlife Biologist at the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties, will share information at our monthly meeting about the life cycles of three species of chickadees – Black-capped, Mountain, and Chestnut-backed – and three species of nuthatches – Red-breasted, White-breasted, and Pygmy – that inhabit the refuge.
For hundreds of years, birds have been considered stupid and incapable of advanced thought or learning; this is why the phrase “bird brain” is commonly used to denote persons who are dolts or simpletons. Kim Adelson, a retired college professor and currently president of the Black Hills Audubon Society chapter in Olympia, Washington, says birds don’t deserve this bad reputation and are in fact NOT less intelligent than mammals.
“What’s going on at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge?” presented by Molly Dixon, Turnbull Wildlife Biologist. Before Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge was established in southwest Spokane County in 1937, the land had been altered heavily. Wetlands were drained, forests were logged, and grasslands were heavily grazed.
How to Manage Domestic Cats to Benefit Cats, Wildlife and People, presented by Grant Sizemore
Domestic cats (Felis catus) can make wonderful pets but also have the capacity to kill birds and other wildlife, spread infectious diseases, and cause nuisances in the community. Predation by cats is the number one cause of wild bird deaths in the country.
Grant Sizemore, Director of Invasive Species Pro- grams at American Bird Conservancy, where he runs the “Cats Indoors” campaign, will talk about how to manage domestic cats for everyone’s benefit – birds and other wildlife, people, and cats themselves.
Effective cat management is often complicated by the species’ close affiliation with people and unique legal status. Grant will focus on the conservation and public health science under- pinning the need to manage domestic cats and identify opportunities for organizations and individu- als to advance science-based solutions.
Grant has earned degrees in Zoology and Environ- mental Science from Miami University in Ohio and an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. He has worked in wildlife con- servation policy, education, and research for over 15 years and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist. Outside of work, Grant enjoys hiking, birding, and taking care of his indoor cat.
