Shirley Heinze Land Trust will sponsor an event featuring two outstanding regional naturalists on Sunday, April 6, at 2:00 pm, at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center.
Joel Greenberg, a renowned authority on the natural history of the Chicago area, will speak about his recently published book, A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction. The book, which has received national attention and acclaim, chronicles the decline of the passenger pigeon from billions in number to none in a short fifty years. This year marks the centennial of the bird's extinction. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Greenberg's presentation is entitled "Hope is the Thing With Feathers: The Passenger Pigeon, Kirtland's Warbler, and Whooping Crane".
Also that afternoon, Northwest Indiana's iconic birder, Ken Brock, will be honored by the American Birding Association. Brock will receive the Ludlow Griscom Award, recognizing his outstanding regional ornithology work. He has recorded and compiled hundreds of thousands of bird records and authored the two essential reference works for local birders: Birds of the Indiana Dunes and Brock's Birds of Indiana.
There is a $5 fee at the park entrance gate. Attendees should allow an extra five minutes to enter and reach the Nature Center.
To learn more about Shirley Heinze Land Trust and how to become involved, visit the website at www.heinzetrust.org or call (219) 242-8558.