| FOSR Speaker Series 2009 Season |
1/26/2009, Don Simons: Ancient Finds and a Pictoral Trip Down the Shiawassee River Valley Circa 1910
Don Simons is a lifelong resident of Genesee County and worked for 30 years at GM. He is married to Phyllis who taught for 35 years in the Flint area, Hamady Schools. Now retired both are active in archaeological pursuits. Don has been an active member of the Michigan Archaeological Society for 43 years, serving twice as State Society President and is many terms as Chapter President.
He has participated in many projects under the direction of both amateur and professional researchers. He has also directed work at a number of his own projects mostly in the area of southern Genesee County. He has also authored and co-authored a number of reports on his research. The most significant are the Gainey and Butler Sites, Michigan's oldest and largest known prehistoric loci. Other interests include geoarchaeology, paleontology, genealogy, and local history. His current project is the archaeological excavationa at the Waterous Site in Grand Blanc Township, which includes occupations in 1835 and circa 2000 years before present.
2/5/2009, Steve Kahl, Refuge Manager, Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge: Management of Wildlife, Habitat and Public Use at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge provides important habitat for a great diversity and abundance of wildlife. As many as 40,000 ducks and 25,000 geese stop at the refuge during spring and fall migration and 280 species of birds have been documented here. Consequently, Shiawassee Refuge has been designated a U.S. Important Bird Area and one of the top 25 destinations for birders in the Midwest. This program will describe the refugeʼs wildlife resources, habitat management programs, and compatible public use opportunities. The program will also provide an overview of the refugeʼs history and future challenges.
Steve Kahl is the refuge manager at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge where he started in February 2005. Steve has 10 years of experience working on National Wildlife Refuges and comes to Michigan after serving as refuge manager at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge in northern New Jersey. Steve has also worked at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in western NY and Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in NYʼs Finger Lakes region.
This speaker event will be hosted at the Friends of the Shiawassee River Annual Meeting at the Shiawassee Arts Center.
3/12/2009, Steve Woods, Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy in Michigan: Invasive Species and Management on Your Property
Steve Woods earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Lake Superior State University in 1998 and a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Forest Biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2002. For the last seven years he has worked as a Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy where he has implemented large scale restoration projects that focus on prairie fen and oak savanna communities. He has consulted extensively with public and private partners to aid them in ecological restoration of their properties. Among his current projects is the development of practical guidelines for the restoration of Michigan grasslands. This talk will focus on the most common invasive species, such as garlic mustard, to the Shiawassee River watershed and management options for landowners.
4/16/2009, Tom Meder and Charles Rolfe: The Dam Story from Chesaning
What does the dam redesign in Chesaning mean for the Shiawassee River? Can improved fish passage lead to other species upstream? Will this give us options for dealing with other dams that are failing on the Shiawassee? “The Dam Story” will cover the process of addressing the failing dam from a community member, Mr. Tom Meder, who led the process. Mr. Meder will be joined by Charles Rolfe, from Wade-Trim, to discuss the design process and what the new structure could mean for the Shiawassee River.
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