Are Invasive Plants Really Bad For Birds?

Vast amounts of conservation resources are annually allocated to invasive plant removal, with the goal of improving habitat quality for wildlife. However, the ecological impacts of these plants and the benefits to wildlife from their removal have been surprisingly understudied. Dr. Chad Seewagen, Ph.D., Executive Director, Great Hollow Nature Preserve and Ecological Research Center will discuss some of his research on the relationship between invasive plants and birds, and whether invasive plant removal is always worth the effort and side-effects.

Register for Zoom link and reminders:
https://www.sawmillriveraudubon.org/invasives

Dr. Seewagen joined Great Hollow as the organization’s first executive director in May of 2016. He leads Great Hollow’s conservation science program, the planning of education programs and community events, fundraising, and all other aspects of the administration and operation of Great Hollow. Prior to joining Great Hollow, Dr. Seewagen was a Senior Wildlife Biologist and Technical Director at a New York City-based environmental consulting firm, and before that, worked as a Research Scientist and Intern Program Coordinator in the Department of Ornithology at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.  He has a B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, an M.A. in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Western Ontario. He is an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment at the University of Connecticut and the Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Biology at Columbia University, where he teaches ornithology. Dr. Seewagen’s primary research interests include the physiological ecology of bird migration, the impacts of mercury pollution on birds, the impacts of light pollution on bats, and the effects of non-native plants on wildlife habitat quality.