Speakers
Dennis Arendt has taught birding identification for 20 years at Lane Community College and was an elementary school principal for 20 years. He started birding in 1974 in Chicago and has traveled to Europe, Africa, Central and South America on birding trips.
Bruce Newhouse is an experienced Lane County naturalist and has led numerous educational walks on natural history topics. Bruce is a botanist and field ecologist, specializing in plants, birds and butterflies.
Dave Bontrager is a former biologist/educator with National Audubon Society at the 4,000 acre Starr Ranch Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in California. He was also a research biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and co-authored the California gnatcatcher chapter in Birds of North America. Dave currently teaches a variety of bird and natural history classes in Eugene.
Jerry Gowins is an award winning photographer & instructor of Carpe Lumen! Photo Workshops with over 30 magazine & book covers to his credit, Jerry truly enjoys teaching others what he knows based on his 35 years behind the camera.
Dan Farrar is a student at the University of Oregon, majoring in biology with a keen interest in birds and conservation. Dan moved to Veneta in sixth grade and became a birder after attending high school biology field trips to Malheur NWR. He fell in love with the birds and listing the different species. He currently works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a wildlife technician and conducts research in bird populations via different scientific methods including bird banding and point counting.
Rick Ahrens is a local nature guide and volunteer for Mt Pisgah Arboretum, Nearby Nature, West Eugene Wetlands, Cascades Raptor Center, ODFW and Lane County Audubon Society. Rick has been a nature guide volunteer for the past 20 years, has birded on 7 continents and started his love of birding early in life when his grandmother taught Rick and his brother about the birds near their home.
Kat Beal is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wildlife biologist, with an emphasis on non-game species and habitat management. This will be her fifteenth year managing and monitoring western pond turtle nesting areas at Fern Ridge Lake.
Dan Gleason author of Birds! From the Inside Out, an introductory textbook about birds that is richly illustrated by his wife, Barbara. Dan retired from the Biology Department at the University of Oregon where he worked for nearly 30 years and still teaches the summer Field Ornithology class. Dan is on the Board of Directors of Lane County Audubon Society and has been actively involved in environmental education throughout the Eugene area leading field trips, workshops and volunteer guide training. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and interest in birds and the natural world.
Patti Chappel is the owner of Secret House Vineyards and has developed hedgerow habitat throughout her property. Her beautiful gardens are enjoyed by all who visit!
Peg Bouley is a wildlife biologist/ecologist, and has field experience with a variety of wildlife species.
Wes Messinger, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers botanist. He works for the recovery of endangered species and manages native plant communities to benefit fish, wildlife, and ecosystem processes.
Dick Lamster has been active with Audubon for over 30 years and is past-President of Lane County Audubon society.
Louise Shimmel is the founder and director of Cascades Raptor Center, a Eugene nature center and wildlife hospital specializing in birds of prey. Sixty percent of the birds presented for care at the center are owls, and she has worked with over 1500. For 20 years, Louise has been sharing her fascination with the natural world with all ages, presenting hundreds of classroom programs, leading field trips at the center, and teaching classes in wildlife rehabilitation.