When: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Where: Orca Books, 509 East 4th Avenue, Olympia

See Below

January’s topic is Puget Sound Prairies and the Endangered Species Act.

The grasslands and prairies of Puget Sound stretch from coastal southern
British Columbia through Washington south into the Willamette Valley of
Oregon. This presentation will focus on two species recently proposed to be
listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that are native residents of the
prairie-oak ecosystem of South Puget Sound, specifically in Pierce and
Thurston Counties.

Although the prairie-oak ecosystem covers a small amount of land area
(approximately 4 percent), more than three-quarters of the human population
reside in the same area of the states and province where the prairies are
found. The challenge of conserving species in areas of dense human settlement
is compounded by the need for commercial and residential development, the
threats of invasion onto prairies by woody vegetation, the spread of
invasive, nonnative organisms (plants and animals), and changes in the climate.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, based on the best scientific
information available to it, elevated the Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly and the
Streaked horned lark (bird) to Federal candidate species status in October
2001. This candidate status indicates that there is sufficient information to
list these species under the ESA, however, funding was not received until
2011 to carry out the rule making. Since first identifying the species as
candidates, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife has worked with regional federal,
state, and county agencies, and universities and nongovernmental
organizations to conserve prairies through management, and in some cases, acquisition
of lands to support these species. It is continually improving its
management methods to conserve these species. This talk will focus on the threats
faced by these species, the history of the conservation actions, and the
results that have been achieved for managing prairies for the long-term
conservation of these prairie associated species.

Our speakers this month are Jodi Bush and Theodore B. Thomas of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (Lacey, Washington).

February Topic:

The New Golden Age of Bow Making
by Robert Ray, R.L. Ray Violin Shop