Please join us at Olympic Natural Resources Center, 1455 S. Forks Ave., at 7 p.m. in the Hemlock Forest Room for a presentation with Ben Dittbrenner. Ben is a PhD candidate in the UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Beavers Northwest.

Ben holds an MS in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Policy from the University at Albany, and BS degrees in Biology, and Environmental Science and Conservation from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. His PhD research focuses on exploring non-traditional approaches to promote habitat enhancement and maintenance, increase ecosystem resilience, and reduced effects of climate change on riparian systems at multiple scales.

He co-manages the Sky Beaver Project, which seeks to relocate beavers from areas where human-beaver conflicts would normally result in euthanization of the beaver to headwater riparian systems.

The project assesses how beaver dams and networks of beaver dams modify measures of stream water quantity, timing, and temperature. Ben has managed beavers and worked with landowners to reduce conflict in a number of capacities for over 10 years. He is passionate about environmental education, creating opportunities for emerging ecologists, and providing landowners with realistic options to enable them to coexist with wildlife.

“Evening Talks” at ONRC are supported by the Rosmond Forestry Education Fund, an endowment that honors the contributions of Fred Rosmond and his family to forestry, education, and the Forks Community.

Refreshments will be served and a potluck of your favorite dessert is encouraged. For more information contact Frank Hanson at 360-374-4556 or fsh2@uw.edu. See you there!