Olympic National Park’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series, “Salmon and the American Dipper” on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.

February 2, 2023 1:30 am
An American Dipper catches food in a western stream. Images courtesy of Christopher Tonra.
An American Dipper catches food in a western stream. Images courtesy of Christopher Tonra.

Avian ecologist Christopher Tonra, Ph.D., will share findings about “Salmon and the American Dipper” at Olympic National Park’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series on Tuesday, February 14 at 7 p.m.

The presentation is hosted by the North Olympic Library System (NOLS) on Zoom. Learn more and access the Zoom link at nols.org/ONP. No registration is required.

Dr. Tonra will talk about the influence of salmon and the nutrients they provide on the life history of the American Dipper, a bird that dives into rushing streams to forage and catches most of its food in the water. His team studied dippers along four streams in areas with and without salmon to determine the impact salmon have on the survival, reproduction, body condition, and behavior of this charismatic species of western streams.

In addition, the team explored the impacts that the removal of two dams on the Elwha River had on dippers by sampling birds before and after removal of the Elwha Dam. This work has shown how salmon can have enormous impacts on wildlife populations beyond the water.

The free talks continue each month through April. Save the date for presentations on March 14 and April 11. Recordings are available the day after the presentations. View the series recordings at nols.org/ONP.

The series is sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park, and the North Olympic Library System.

For more information about visiting Olympic National Park, see www.nps.gov/olym.

For more information about this and other upcoming events at your library, visit www.nols.org or email Discover@nols.org.