(WNY News Now) – Join Dr. Jonathan Townsend on October 4, from 11 a.m. to noon, at the Audubon Community Nature Center for an enlightening presentation on bat biology and conservation. As a local expert, Townsend will share insights into how bats interact with their environment and discuss their conservation status in Chautauqua County.
Jamestown, N.Y. – Jonathan Townsend, PhD, is the guest presenter at Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday, October 4, 11 a.m. to noon. He will provide a glimpse into how bats use the environment around them, as well as updates on the conservation status of bats in Chautauqua County.
Growing up near Olean, N.Y., Townsend developed a lifelong love and passion for the natural world, particularly bat biology and conservation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and a Masters degree in Biology from SUNY Fredonia, and he recently completed a PhD in Geography at the University of Buffalo. His research focuses on bat biogeography and conservation.
Through use of an ultrasonic microphone and map-based analysis Townsend created maps of bat habitat suitability and species distribution, and he used long-term bat colony monitoring, as well bioacoustic bat surveys, to provide information on how well certain bat species are doing in Chautauqua County.
Townsend has worked as a research assistant/adjunct professor with the University at Buffalo and was manager of conservation and restoration at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. He is currently co-owner of Royal Fern Nursery LLC, president-elect of the Northeast Bat Working Group, and on the Board of Directors at Greystone Nature Preserve.
If you’d like to bring a packed lunch, you can visit with Townsend after the program.
Program fee is $8 or $6 for Nature Center members and children ages 9 to 15. Reservations are appreciated by calling (716) 569-2345 or online through Programs and Events at AudubonCNC.org. Walk-ins are welcome.
Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, enjoy the native tree arboretum and gardens, and hike over five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.
The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.
To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org. Check out AudubonCNC.org/about for a quick fly-by visit.
Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.
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