941 The Alameda
North Berkeley, California 94707

Exurban development—the subdivision of large, privately owned properties into smaller parcels for residential use—is one of the fastest-growing types of land use that is surrounding public lands and fragmenting wildlife habitat. The research by Dr. Adina Merenlender's laboratory group at the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California , Berkeley , addresses the impacts of expanding exurbia on birds and other wildlife in California 's oak woodlands and the North Bay wine country. For this talk, she will present evidence that exurban development is uniquely different from suburban development and can have substantial negative impacts on bird communities. Her research also reveals that low-density residential and vineyard development affects the quality of salmon spawning habitat more seriously than previously believed. To meet the goals of protecting salmon habitat and conserving bird species diversity, additional land conservation tools are needed to prevent the ongoing subdivision of wildlife habitat in the oak woodlands.

Dr. Adina Merenlender, an internationally recognized conservation biologist, has published more than 60 scientific articles focusing on the underlying relationships between land use and biodiversity and recently coauthored a practical guide to planning wildlife corridors, Corridor Ecology: the Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation . For the past 15 years, she has worked with decision-makers to address the forces that influence loss of biodiversity.

Official Website: http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/html/speakerclass/speakerseries.htm

Added by slozito on October 23, 2007

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