Audubon program examines wetlands and climate change

Gary Sullivan, senior restoration ecologist of The Wetlands Initiative, will discuss reducing fossil fuel use at the Lake County Audubon Society's meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 6, at the Libertyville village hall, 118 W. Cook Ave.

Sullivan will also discuss the challenges and progress at the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge of Hennepin and Hopper Lakes and the latest bird counts and trends. He has had primary responsibility for planning and managing the restoration work at both the lakes.

After years of restoration work, the 3,000-acre project is one of the premier natural areas in the state and is open to the public 365 days a year.

"Today, it is a mosaic of lakes, marshes, seeps, savannas, and prairies that support native flora and fauna. More than 270 bird species have been observed nesting, foraging, or resting at the refuge among more than 570 native plants that also thrive at the site," according to The Wetlands Initiative.

Before 2001, Sullivan was an adjunct assistant professor at San Diego State University and an NRC Postdoctoral Fellow at EPA's Coastal Ecology Branch. He has a Ph.D. in plant ecology from Binghamton, a B.S. in biology from Elmira, and a B.A. in anthropology from St. John Fisher College.

The program will last an hour and a half. All are welcome. Home-schooled families are especially encouraged to attend.

The mission of the Lake County Audubon Society is education, conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.