Wildlife Changes Over Time At The SHS Dinner

The summer potluck dinner meeting of the Stephentown Historical Society will be Monday, July 1, at 6:30 pm at the Stephentown Heritage Center, Garfield Road (County Route 26), Stephentown.  Those attending should bring a hearty appetite and a dish large enough to share, either main dish, salad or dessert.  Plates, utensils and beverages will be provided.  The event is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions, telephone 518-733-0010.
Gayle Tardif-Raser, education coordinator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, will present an illustrated program on “Iron Ore and Orioles – Wildlife Changes Over Time.”  The focus will be on four species – orioles, New England cottontails, spotted turtles and Atlantic salmon – from the time of European contact until today with a discussion of human impacts on wildlife populations, including habitat changes, introduced species and current status.
Of local interest is the plight of the New England cottontail, known in the Berkshire-Taconic region as the swamp bunny or the swamp gray. Any knowledge or sightings of the New England cottontail from audience members is of special interest because the Stephentown area is one of the last patches where they are found.
Tardif-Raser is the Education Coordinator for Massachusetts Audubon’s Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries, working with teachers, students, day camp and public programs.  She attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, majoring in Natural Resources Studies, and Salem State for graduate school in fisheries. She has been at Massachusetts Audubon for almost 20 years and has also worked at the National Marine Fisheries Service and Williams College Schow Science Library.