Lake County Audubon Society presents program on bison and birds

Members of the public are invited to attend the Monday, Feb. 1, Lake County Audubon Society program offered by Dr. Jeff Walk, Director of Science for the Illinois Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. and be held at the Libertyville Village Hall, 118 W. Cook St., Libertyville.

Jeff will explain the reintroduction of bison at the Nachusa Grasslands in October 2014 and how scientists are monitoring the effects. It is one of the Conservancy's greatest ongoing success stories.

"Re-establishing bison is the natural next step in the restoration process at Nachusa. Their grazing behavior and the effects they have on the prairie with their hoofs and horns naturally promotes biodiversity and help a wide range of wildflowers, plants, insects and amphibians to flourish."

The calls of upland sandpipers helped conservationists discover Nachusa Grasslands 30 years ago, but they have not been heard recently. Changes in the bird community will be documented, including those utilizing the patchy, intensely grazed areas, as well as changes in the distribution or abundance of cowbirds, increases in migratory birds responding to increased seed production of annual and biennial plants, and the potential return of upland sandpipers.

Jeff Walk is the Director of Science for the Illinois Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He serves on the board of directors for Illinois Audubon Society and the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, and is a past-president of the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society. He has co-authored and published the book "Illinois Birds: A Century of Change," which uses information from bird surveys completed in the 1900s, 1950s and 2000s to document how Illinois birds and landscapes have or have not changed in the last 100 years.

The hour and a half meeting is free and open to the public. Children are welcome.