January 2008

Posted January 30, 2008

In Search of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Kansas City, Missouri, January 28, 2008 - Reference librarians are great at discovering hard-to-find information. But can those same skills help two local librarians in their search for the Ivory Billed Woodpecker? Scott Curtis and Eric Ward, reference librarians at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology, are heading to Arkansas on a field trip to look for the elusive bird. ”We know there is a slim chance of actually seeing the Ivory-Billed,” said Ward, “but we may be able to find nest holes or other evidence of their activities.” The two amateur birders will leave Kansas City in the pre-dawn hours on January 23 and head for Brinkley, Arkansas, where they will the search the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges.

A video of what many people believe to be an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker was taken in Arkansas in 2005. Since then scientists and amateur birders have been scouring the Arkansas swampland for the bird. However, a definitive photograph or video of the Ivory-Billed remains as elusive as the woodpecker itself. The two librarians hope that they will be able to produce the needed evidence.

Curtis and Ward will present a lecture on the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker on March 3, 2008, at 6 p.m. in the Linda Hall Library auditorium. “We will discuss the woodpecker’s fascinating history from Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon in the early part of the 19th century through the recent rediscovery of the bird,” explained Curtis. “We also will talk about our trip and the environmental and social aspects of the Arkansas ‘Big Woods’ habitat.”

The Linda Hall Library, the world’s largest privately funded library of science, engineering and technology, is open to the public. It is located at 5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri. Library hours are Monday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

For more information about their plans for this expedition or other upcoming events at Linda Hall Library, please contact Kathy Alshouse at 816-926-8727.