Lost Connections; Uncovering the Impacts of Nearly-lost Keystone Species on Grassland Ecosystem Health with Andy Boyce-Pero, Ph.D., Avian Ecologist, Smithsonian Wednesday, April 8th at 6:30 pm (MT) on Zoom Register for the live stream and/or recording at gallatinvalleyearthday.org (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar).

Join Andy Boyce-Pero, Ph.D., Avian Ecologist, to learn why the temperate grassland of North America is one of the most imperiled ecosystems on earth. This is mainly due to habitat loss – grasslands are being continually, and permanently, converted to cropland. Another major reason is the incredibly rapid and comprehensive loss of the region’s keystone species; bison, prairie-dogs and beavers. During western expansion, these species were eradicated so fast, and so completely, that as a (Western) society we never fully understood their role in this ecosystem. Consequently, in the present day, we don’t understand their value in restoring this ecosystem. These lost ecological connections are sometimes intuitive, sometimes surprising, and will be the subject of this talk.

About Andy Boyce-Pero, Ph.D.
Andy is a Research Ecologist with Smithsonian’s Great Plains Science program. He is one of the founding members of the team and has been a part of the project since 2018. His work focuses on one overarching theme; understanding how to most effectively conserve imperiled grassland birds and their habitats. Sometimes this takes the form of cutting-edge tracking studies, old school point counts and nest searching, or even piloting remote-controlled badgers to understand how birds respond to potential predators. In addition to his research, he is also a faculty affiliate at the University of Montana. Andy received his bachelors degree in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Colorado, and his PhD in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. Presented by Gallatin Valley Earth Day, Gallatin Wildlife Association and the Smithsonian