Home » , » VIRTUAL Community Program - APR 19th - No Birdbrains Here!

VIRTUAL Community Program - APR 19th - No Birdbrains Here!

April Annual Membership Meeting and Presentation

April 19, 2021

The April community program will begin with the required MCAS annual membership meeting, followed by the presentation No Birdbrains Here: The Latest on Bird Learning, Instinct, and Intelligence.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

This year members will be voting 1) on the proaposed slate of Board candidates to begin their terms on May 1st, and 2) on the proposed revisions to the MCAS By-laws. 

1) The Board positions voted on in “odd” years and the slate of nominees is as follows:

  •       President:   Judy Neuhauser 
  •       Vice President:   Dave Tyra 
  •       Treasurer:   Bart Beckman 
  •       Membership:   Rosalie Valvo 
  •       Education & Outreach:   Kaaren Perry 
  •       Communications:   Joanne Aasen 
  •       Fund Development:   Nancy Foley 
  •       Hi Mountain:   Steve Schubert 

2) The proposed by-law revisions now follow the “California Attorney General’s Guidelines for Charities,” necessitating some additions and modifications to the existing MCAS by-laws. Other revisions include changing the title “Past President” to “Vice President” (and that new position need not be filled by a past president), eliminating the position of “President Elect,” and eliminating, with Board approval, term limits of Board members (previously a 2-year limit). The standing chair committee duties were removed from the by-laws and placed in a separate “stand alone” document, making them easier to amend if necessary.

The full revisions and the standing committee duties can be found on the MCAS website: https://www.morrocoastaudubon.org/p/about-mcas.html#bylaws (or select OUR CHAPTER-->About MCAS from website menu).

PRESENTATION

No Birdbrains Here: The Latest on Bird Learning, Instinct, and Intelligence

Presenter:     Dr. Susan Schneider

When:             Monday, April 19, 2021, 7:00 pm (after the annual membership meeting)

(Zoom info at bottom.)

Birds can learn from consequences, as we and many other species can:  Baby chicks learn to peck accurately, wild mockingbirds learn to recognize individual people, and pigeons learned to categorize art and music.  Even instinctive behaviors like imprinting can be more flexible than scientists used to think, and songbird song appears particularly malleable.  This talk will explore bird learning and intelligence, from everyday foraging, to learning through observing, to tool use.  Such adaptability may be critical as wild birds attempt to adjust to the many threats they face.  Scientists also take advantage of this powerful learning ability to help save endangered species.

A behavioral and biopsychologist, Dr. Schneider is an expert on learning principles and nature-nurture relations. She’s also an avid birder, field trip leader, and environmental activist. A Past President of San Joaquin Audubon (CA), she is currently focused on applying learning principles to the climate crisis.  Her award-winning book for the public, The Science of Consequences: How They Affect Genes, Change the Brain, and Impact our World, was a selection of the Scientific American Book Club.  Schneider is a Visiting Scholar at University of the Pacific (Stockton) and a consultant for the Bay-area sustainability nonprofit Root Solutions.

Website:  http://www.scienceofconsequences.com

For more program info, email mcas@morrocoastaudubon.org or leave voice msg at 805-772-1991.

ZOOM INFO:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85013205771?pwd=cUJzNEIwSkgvY240VGlDd1N1NFhhdz09

Meeting ID: 850 1320 5771
Passcode: MorroCoast