Ventura Land Trust Presents “Mammals Magnified”
Speaker Series
Discover how museum specimens reveal insights into biodiversity, climate change, disease and wildlife adaptation during Ventura Land Trust’s Environmental Speaker Series presentation, Mammals Magnified: The Appreciation of Collections-Based Research in the 21st Century.
Often seen in museum dioramas, preserved animal specimens also serve an important scientific purpose. These “libraries of life,” which include skins, skeletons and tissue samples, help researchers understand Earth’s biodiversity and study the effects of climate shifts and disease on wildlife.
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has spent more than a century building and caring for an extensive collection of mammal specimens. The collection features species from the Central Coast and Channel Islands and represents nearly 80% of California’s mammal diversity.
Dr. Ally Coconis, the museum’s curator of mammalogy, will share discoveries made through collections-based research and explain how these specimens help scientists understand how wildlife evolves and adapts to a changing world. Dr. Coconis specializes in terrestrial small mammals and earned her doctorate in ecology, evolution and conservation biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, where she studied ecological differences between woodrat species in the Great Basin. She also works with collection management organizations and advocates for FAIR data principles, which ensure scientific information is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.
When: Thursday, Oct. 29, 7 – 9 pm.
Where: Surf Rodeo HQ, 205 N. Garden St.
Cost: Free; a suggested $10 donation may be made at the door.
Space is limited, and advance registration is encouraged. The Environmental Speaker Series is offered free to the public through the generous sponsorship of Southern California Edison. www.venturalandtrust.org/events.
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