Plenary/Keynote Sessions
Tuesday, October 29th
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Allen Fish
Director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) and co-founder of Raptors Are The Solution (RATS)
Raptors, Rats, and Rodenticides – Is this DDT all over again?
Allen Fish, Director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) and Co-founder of Raptors are the Solution (RATS), will trace the history of raptor population studies, including the impact of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and the current impact of anticoagulant rodenticides, on the health of raptors. The US EPA recently banned second-generation rodenticides because they caused “unreasonable risks to the environment” by not only killing rodents, but also by killing the wildlife and pets that feed on poisoned rodents. Allen will discuss how RATS was founded as an offshoot of the GGRO’s citizen science-based methods, as well as the progress that RATS has made toward removing these rodenticides from store shelves.
Wednesday, October 30th
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Joel Greene
Host of PBS television show, “Curiosity Quest Goes Green”
Keep it Simple: Helping People Take Action Because They Want To, Not Because They Have To
Joel Greene has the unique perspective of peering on both sides of the fences when it comes to the public and understanding used oil and household hazardous waste. As host of the PBS television show “Curiosity Quest Goes Green”, his job is to explore what people are curious about and explain and demonstrate it in a way that can be understood by a 4th grader. Joel Greene’s travels around the country have allowed him to explore a vast array of episodes, such as battery recycling, HHW, storm water, etc. Through the medium of television, he is able to create awareness within communities about sustainability and instill a passion for the environment that transcends science and legislation. Greene’s “keep it simple” messaging and approach to complicated topics at hand will leave you feeling, like his television audience that you’re not just doing your job...you are making a difference.
Thursday, October 31st
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Dr. Eric Mussen
Apiculturist, University of California, Davis
The Health of our Honey Bees and our Beekeeping Industry
Dr. Eric Mussen will provide some historical information, bring us up to the present, and then discuss the various factors that seem to be involved with the inability of many beekeepers to keep their colonies alive and in a healthy condition. Discussion topics will include: colony malnutrition and reasons for the lack of adequate food resources; the impact of moving bees across the country repeatedly; the impacts of recently introduced and more familiar diseases, such as Nosema ceranae and the ubiquitous RNA viruses; the extremely difficult time beekeepers have trying to keep populations of the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, at sub- economic levels; and how the bees are coping with frequent exposures to pesticides in their environment. Dr. Mussen will include some hints for how members of the general public can help protect the bees.