Continuing on the themes introduced in their Cultivating Connectivity speaker series program in 2024, co-hosts Plumas Audubon Society and Friends of Plumas Wilderness invite the community to the first of the series for 2025. This presentation, set for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 10, explores the impact of roads on wildlife movement and landscape connectivity. This event is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Plumas County Library, 445 Jackson St. in Quincy.
Led by conservation biologist Paul Hardy, the program will provide an in-depth look at the challenges roads pose to wildlife and the ways research is informing solutions, says Friends of Plumas Wilderness. Roads and highways can dramatically affect wildlife movement, creating barriers for some species while increasing road mortality risks for others.
The University of California, Davis Road Ecology Center studies these impacts using the California Roadkill Observation System, a volunteer-driven citizen science database. Information collected through CROS helps guide policy, management strategies and funding decisions to reduce roadkill and improve habitat connectivity, says Friends of Plumas Wilderness.
During this session, Hardy will provide background on the database, discuss how road ecology research informs conservation efforts and offer insights into the statewide funding landscape for wildlife movement projects, say organizers. Participants will also receive a walkthrough of the CROS platform, including an explanation of how data is entered and utilized. In addition to learning how road ecology shapes conservation efforts in California, participants can also learn how they themselves can get involved in wildlife connectivity solutions, say organizers.
Hardy has over 35 years of experience in conservation, land management and nonprofit leadership. He founded the Feather River Land Trust in 1999 and served as its executive director for 18 years. His background includes avian research, wildlife biology and leadership roles with various conservation organizations. Now a consulting conservation biologist with Hardy Conservation, Hardy continues to advocate for habitat protection and wildlife connectivity.
More information about the speaker series is available at http://www.plumaswilderness.org/connect/cultivatingconnectivity.
Information provided by Friends of Plumas Wilderness