SAS Monthly Program: Monday, April 14 at Hope Lutheran Church

The Beauty of North America’s Prairie with John Carlson

Before being broken by the plow, prairies comprised the largest continuous ecosystem in North America. They stretched from Texas in the south to Saskatchewan, Canada in the north and from the Rocky Mountains east beyond the Mississippi, covering nearly ⅓ of the continent. This vast open land of grasses and forbs supported a multitude of mammals, birds, and other wildlife. Lands of once open beauty, the grassland biome is now the most threatened in the world. Sadly, the suite of birds that populated these plains are now among the most rapidly declining of all the world’s avian groups.

John will present an overview of North America’s prairie including a discussion of what a prairie is, how prairies are formed and maintained, grassland ecology, management issues, and ongoing conservation efforts. In addition to this technical approach to the subject,

John will delve into the understated beauty of our prairies through a series of photos displaying the flora and fauna of this highly threatened ecosystem.

About Our Speaker

John Carlson in Antarctica.

John Carlson is the Regional Grassland Conservation Coordinator for the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Prairie and Mountain Region based in Billings, MT. He was formerly the Branch Chief for Resources and Sage-Grouse Implementation Lead for Montana/Dakotas Bureau of Land Management in Billings. Other relevant positions he has held include Wildlife Biologist with the BLM in Glasgow, MT and the Zoology Program Manager at the Montana Natural Heritage Program in Helena. Additional irrelevant positions include bread store worker, fence builder, and snow shoveler at an Antarctic base. John obtained his BA in Zoology from the University of Montana and MS in Zoology and Physiology from the University of Wyoming. He was born and raised in northeastern Montana and has had a strong interest in wildlife in general and birds specifically for as long as he can remember. 

Many of you will recognize John as he is a past president of SAS and has long been deeply involved with the birding community in Montana.

The in-person meeting will be held Monday, April 14 at Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 West Graf (off S. 19th) A social begins at 6:30 PM; the program begins at 7:00 PM. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable cups. 

For virtual attendance, please REGISTER HERE. Attendees—whether in person or virtual—are encouraged to share their bird sightings at this and every monthly program. 

SAS monthly programs are free and open to the public, featuring a special guest speaker the 2nd Monday of each month, September through May. For more information, contact Ken Sinay at programs@sacajaweaaudubon.org.