August 3, 2005

Wayne State University to host free seminar on Ivory-billed Woodpecker once thought to be extinct

More than 60 years have passed since the last confirmed sighting of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the United States. However, researchers now have evidence that this magnificent bird still lives. On February 11, 2004, this unusual woodpecker was spotted in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge of Arkansas. A subsequent year-long search produced further evidence in the form of video and audio recordings that has convinced many that at least one Ivory-billed Woodpecker survives in the United States .

Martjan Lammertink, one of the search team leaders and one of the world’s experts on large woodpeckers, presents this evidence in “The Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker”, a one-hour seminar offered to all WSU faculty, staff, students and the general public on August 16, 2005.

According to Lammertink, “The 2004-2005 search for the ivory-billed woodpecker in the Big Woods of Arkansas is an undertaking of epic proportions in terms of the number of people employed, the time spent in the field, the available technology and the dedication of the institutions and agencies involved. This search is a prime example of how to follow up on evidence suggesting the presence of ivory-billed woodpeckers.”

The seminar will be held on August 16, 2005, at 1:00 p.m. in the General Lecture Hall, room 150, located on Anthony Wayne Drive on Wayne’s main campus.

Wayne State University is one of the nation’s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. In the past 20 years, Wayne State’s research has grown nine percent annually, with research expenditures reaching nearly $214 million in 2003. Over 75 percent of research at WSU is focused on the life sciences, and this focus has led our School of Medicine to climb the National Science Foundation rankings to 22.

Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.

Contact

Julie O'Connor
Phone: 313-577-8845
Email: julie.oconnor@wayne.edu

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