This is a press release from the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation:

The Sequoia Park Zoo’s 13th annual Conservation Lecture Series continues on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 7:00 PM, hosted by the Conservation Advisory Committee and sponsored by the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation. Keith Bensen will discuss the nesting behaviors of the elusive and threatened marbled murrelets in his talk entitled, “25 Years of Conservation and Research on the Marbled Murrelets of Redwood National and State Parks.” Lectures are hosted in-person at the Zoo and online through Zoom and Facebook live.

Redwood National and State Parks is home to one of the largest breeding populations of federally threatened, and extremely secretive, marbled murrelets. These unique seabirds do something that no other temperate seabird does: they nest in the tops of old growth trees along the coast of the Pacific Northwest.  The giant redwoods of the parks provide a perfect home for murrelets, but nesting hundreds of feet in the air also makes them extremely difficult to study and conserve. Keith Bensen will take you through the last quarter century (and more) of studying these elusive animals and trying everything imaginable to ensure their survival into the future.

Keith Bensen has been a wildlife biologist at Redwood National Park for the past 24 years. His duties include knowing where all of the rare animals of the park are, what they need, how they are doing, and in what ways park operations might cause them harm.

The 2023-2024 Conservation Lecture Series will be held in-person and remotely through Zoom. The in-person lecture is located at the Sequoia Park Zoo’s Flamingo Room at 3414 W Street in Eureka, CA. In-person attendees can enter the Zoo through Gate C, located to the left of the main gate at the W Street crosswalk. Virtual attendees can watch on the Zoo’s Facebook page or on Zoom (where a free, registered Zoom account is required). The Zoom link will be available on the Zoo’s website at redwoodzoo.org and through the Zoo’s social media channels.

The event begins with refreshments and a Zoo update slideshow at 6:45 PM. The lecture starts promptly at 7:00 PM. Attendees are encouraged to ask the speaker questions after the presentation.

What: FREE Hybrid Conservation Lecture: 25 Years of Conservation and Research on the Marbled Murrelets of Redwood National and State Parks

When: Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Zoo information begins at 6:45 PM; Lecture at 7:00 PM

Where: Sequoia Park Zoo, 3414 W Street, Eureka, CA or online via Zoom.us

Cost: FREE

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89686641153?pwd=dUFPNzIyaGdtSXFZcDJrdzFqczlwdz09

Meeting ID: 896 8664 1153

Passcode: 477537

Join Zoom Meeting by Phone: +1 669 900 6833 US

Sequoia Park Zoo inspires conservation of the natural world by instilling wonder, respect and passion for wildlife.