March 2008

Posted March 12, 2008

Altered States: Natural and Man-made Changes to the Missouri, Mississippi, and Meramec Rivers

Mississippi, and Meramec Rivers
Civil engineers and others, in efforts to improve the navigational channels, to prevent frequent flooding, and, to provide power and water supply, have dramatically modified Missouri rivers. However, these modifications have caused the rivers to evolve in unexpected ways, with diverse and unexpected consequences. The ecosystem is degraded, and the river disconnected from its natural floodplain, causing severe reductions in the populations and diversity of aquatic and river dwelling species. The result is significant flooding that is more frequent and severe, which is opposite of the intended effect of the “preventative” engineering structures. Regional rivers that have not undergone such extensive channel projects behave much as they did long ago, maintaining their large and diverse natural populations, and their high aesthetic and recreational quality. Such comparisons link the cause of river degradation to man-made structures and not to climate change.
Changes to Missouri, Mississippi, and Meramec Rivers will be the subject of a lecture by Professor Robert Criss, Ph.D., from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. This talk is on Thursday, March 20, 2008 at the Linda Hall Library, 5109 Cherry, Kansas City, Missouri. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 5:30 p.m.

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 this talk or other upcoming events at Linda Hall Library, please contact Kathy Alshouse at 816-926-8727.

Posted March 3, 2008

Vanishing Habitat, Vanishing Species: In Search of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker

What do you get when two reference librarians travel to the Big Woods of Arkansas in search of a lost bird? Come to Linda Hall Library’s Auditorium on Monday, March 10 and find out! From January 23-27, 2008, Eric Ward and Scott Curtis, reference librarians at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology, traveled to one of the few remaining swamp environments in the United States that provide the necessary habitat for the Ivory Billed Woodpecker. The goal of this journey was to make a verifiable sighting of the presumed extinct bird. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was the largest woodpecker in North America – however, it is listed as extinct due to its last confirmed sightings six decades ago. Then, in 2004, the birding community reeled from accounts (disputed) of a sighting in Bayou de View, Arkansas. Every year since then, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has sponsored efforts in the Big Woods to bring back conclusive evidence of the continued survival of this great bird. No indisputable evidence has surfaced...yet.

Were Eric and Scott successful? How many different bird species can you see in an Arkansas swamp in January? Enjoy an evening of discussion on bird watching, wild habitat, and the quality of Mexican food in a small Arkansas town. Share your thoughts on the implications of finding a presumed extinct species as well. The talk, entitled “Vanishing Habitat, Vanishing Species: In Search of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker,” begins at 6:00 pm on Monday, March 10, in the Linda Hall Library auditorium. RSVP by contacting Scott Curtis at 816-926-8739 or email curtiss@lindahallorg. This event is free and open to the public.

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 this talk or other upcoming events at Linda Hall Library, please contact Kathy Alshouse at 816-926-8727.