Date: Tuesday, August 16
Time: 5:15 PM – 7:00 PM » Presentation begins at 6:00 PM
Location: Thistle & Mirth, Pittsfield

Join us for our August Pittsfield Green Drinks event to hear conservation biologists Linda Merry and Mara Silver speak about their research on Cliff Swallow nesting.

Being aerial insectivores (birds that feed exclusively on insects while flying), Cliff Swallows and other swallows have seen some of the greatest declines in the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada since 1970. That decline has steepened since the late 1990s. Linda and Mara will discuss their research on Cliff Swallow nesting, the causes of the species’ decline, the current conservation status, and measures to conserve the populations.

Linda Merry is a conservation biologist and operational meteorologist who thoroughly enjoys photography and ornithology. Her work exists at that junction where the sciences and the arts collide. She is currently an Assistant in the Environmental and Life Sciences Department at Berkshire Community College.

Mara Silver has been working on swallow conservation projects for the past 30 years, primarily Cliff and Barn Swallow projects. Her work focuses on developing simple management techniques to attract and enhance breeding success at Cliff and Barn Swallow nesting sites. Mara holds an M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she researched characteristics of river banks used by nesting Bank Swallows.

On Tuesday, August 16th, Pittsfield Green Drinks will start at 5:15 PM at Thistle & Mirth, 44 West Street, Pittsfield. Linda Merry and Mara Silver will speak at 6:00 PM.

Pittsfield Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the third Tuesday of the month. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. Bring your curiosity and questions!

What is Pittsfield Green Drinks? Each month a guest speaker talks for about 30 minutes beginning at 6PM on the third Tuesday of the month. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, is followed by discussion and Q&A. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join and bring along questions!

What is Green Drinks? Green Drinks is an international forum where people who work in the environmental field meet for a drink and snacks at informal sessions. There will be a lively mix of people from non-profit organizations, academia, government, business, and the general public. Green Drinks is a great way of catching up with people you know and for making new contacts. These networking events are very simple and unstructured. Come along and you’ll be made welcome.