Science Mondays

Science Mondays

Science Mondays is a collaborative effort between the Jersey Shore Sierra Club and Brookdale Community College Science Clubs

Dates: Fourth Monday of the Month: January 22nd, February 26th, March 25th, April 22nd.
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Twin Lights Rooms, Student Life Center (SLC), Brookdale Community College, Parking in Lot #7 is most convenient.
Contact: tmacaluso@brookdalecc.edu (Tim),  pdillon@brookdalecc.edu (Pat)
Meetings are free and open to the public. Light refreshments at 6:30 PM.

It Takes a Village: Saving New Jersey’s Coastal Wildlife Through Community Engagement

January 22 at 6:45 p.m.* – 7:45 p.m.

Speaker: Jenna Reynolds, Director and Founding Member, Save Coastal Wildlife

Director Jenna Reynolds will describe the mission and goals of Save Coastal Wildlife, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving wildlife along the Jersey Shore through educational outreach programs, citizen science projects, habitat restoration and research activities. Ms. Reynolds will discuss the importance of collaboration amongst community volunteers, local businesses and government, and she will highlight a few of Save Coastal Wildlife’s important activities, including horseshoe crab monitoring, seal monitoring, and fish surveys.

*Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; Lecture begins at 6:45 p.m.

Bats in the Garden State

February 26 at 6:45 p.m.* – 7:45 p.m.

Speaker: Mackenzie Hall, Biologist, NJDEP Fish and Wildlife Endangered and Nongame Species Program

NJDEP Biologist Mackenzie Hall will describe the fascinating world of bats, focusing on the nine species that reside in New Jersey.  Ms. Hall will explain how these secretive creatures survive the four seasons, and the many ways they are beneficial to people. She will also discuss modern threats to bat populations, and the research and conservation efforts taking place in New Jersey to protect these flying mammals.

*Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; Lecture begins at 6:45 p.m.

Protecting NJ Wildlife: The Example of Red Knots and Ecosystem Protection on Delaware Bay

March 25 at 6:45 p.m.* – 7:45 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Lawrence Niles, Biologist/Owner, Wildlife Restoration Partnerships

Dr. Lawrence Niles will describe his company’s work on shorebird conservation, with a focus on endangered Red Knots.  He will also explain how innovative beach and marsh restoration projects can provide protection against the negative impacts of climate change.

Dr. Niles worked for the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, first as a biologist and then as chief of the Endangered and Nongame Species Program where he led the Bald Eagle Recovery Project and the Delaware Bay Shorebird Project. In 2006, Dr. Niles started Wildlife Restoration Partnerships to focus on shorebird ecology and habitat conservation. Nearly all of Wildlife Restoration Partnerships projects are funded by federal and state wildlife agencies and foundations and are carried out in partnership with many groups, including the American Littoral Society, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, NJ Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife. Dr. Niles is a member of the National Shorebird Council, the Executive Board of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. and the Adaptive Resource Management Committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fish Commission.

*Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; Lecture begins at 6:45 p.m.

For the Birds: Tracking Wildlife Migration and Movements – Even From Your Backyard!

April 22 at 6:45 p.m.* – 7:45 p.m.

Speaker: Scott Whittle, Author, The Warbler Guide and Director of the Terra Project

Mr. Whittle will describe the history of tracking birds and the technologies available for tracking birds today, including the MOTUS network, satellite trackers, and miniaturization of radio tags.  He will discuss exciting opportunities on the horizon for learning about and saving wildlife.  He also will talk about his company, the Terra Project, and how it is combining bioacoustics, crowdsourcing and community science to create a global sonic net that will allow bird and wildlife tracking 24/7.

*Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; Lecture begins at 6:45 p.m.

DIRECTIONS to the Brookdale Student Life Center:

Enter the main entrance of the campus from Newman Springs Road (Route 520 at the roundabout). You will be on Campus Drive. Take Campus Drive to Arena Drive, which is just past High Tech High School. Turn right. On Arena Drive, you will pass playing fields on your left and Parking Lot 6 with solar panels on your right. You will also pass Collins Sports Arena on the right.  After Collins Arena, pull into Parking Lot 7 on your left.  Walk out of the parking lot, turn left. The SLC is the last building on the right. Turn left when you enter the building, walk down the corridor to the end, turn right into the Twin Lights Rooms.  A campus map is at: https://map.brookdalecc.edu