BBS – West – March 1st, 2016
Fungi, Frogs and Furry flying Microbats
The Brisbane Biodiversity Seminar series provides members of Land for Wildlife, Habitat Brisbane, Environment Centres and Creek Catchment groups an opportunity to hear interesting speakers on environmental topics, while enjoying supper and a cup of tea with like-minded people from across Brisbane. In the next Seminar we will discover the fascinating world of ‘Fungi, Frogs and Furry flying Microbats’. All the details are below, and we hope to see you there!
What: Brisbane Biodiversity Seminars – "Fungi, Frogs and Furry flying Microbats"
When: Tuesday, 1st March 2016, 6.00pm to 8.30 pm
Where: Kenmore Library, Kenmore Village Shopping Centre, Brookfield Rd, Kenmore, Qld
Presenters:
- Megan Prance – "Fabulous Fungi and why we need to know more"
Megan became seriously interested in fungi and photography in 2007 after seeing a magnificent Stinkhorn while on a bush walk at Lamington National Park. It took 6 months to find out what it was. To learn about macrofungi she joined Queensland Mycological Society. She is a former nurse and has an Applied Science Degree majoring in Biology. She currently works at Queensland Herbarium assisting with the Fungal Collection, the new DNA lab and running the Botanical library. Megan is the past president of Wolston & Centenary Catchments Inc. With Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher she conducted a fungal survey of West Brisbane Fungi in 2014-15. - Gordon Grigg – Frogs
Gordon Grigg is an Emeritus Professor of Zoology from UQ and a Brookfield resident. His main research projects have dealt with crocodiles and kangaroos, but he also has an abiding interest in frogs, having co-written two field guides to the Australian frogs and, most recently, co-written an App ‘Frogs of Australia’, which he will talk about briefly. He will play some frog calls and talk about what they mean, and explain how monitoring frog calls using a network of automated systems could be used to keep a watch on environmental health in remote areas. This month he and some colleagues are in the Northern Territory surveying frogs along the Roper valley Highway. This is a repeat of a survey done 20 years ago along the same 100 km stretch of road, with the same colleagues, just before the cane toads moved in. That survey recorded 21 species. It will be interesting so see how many species they see this time, and he may be able to give us a preview of the results. - Monika Rhodes – Microbats
Monika is an ecologist, specialising in insectivorous bats (or microbats). Since coming to Australia in 1995 she has been involved in many bat studies, including Tasmania, where she carried out bat work with her husband, Martin Rhodes.
Monika completed her PhD on urban bats in Brisbane in 2006. Martin and her latest involvement in urban bats was a study commissioned by the Cubberla-Witton Catchments Network Inc. (CWCN) and funded by Brisbane City Council and consisted of a survey of the microbat fauna found in the Cubberla, Witton, Toowong, Sandy Creek catchments and part of the Brisbane River corridors. This presentation will provide the exiting results Martin and Monika found for the CWCN study.
Cost: FREE
Bookings: BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL – Phone Council’s Contact Centre to BOOK – 07 3403 8888. Bookings close 11:59pm, Sunday 28th February, 2016
This free event is part of the city-wide Brisbane Biodiversity Seminars – bi-monthly evening seminars offering a diverse range of environmental topics.
Complimentary refreshments served from 6pm, presentations commence at 6.30pm.
The seminars are an initiative of Brisbane City Council’s Community Conservation Partnership Programs.