RINHS will host a lecture “Seal Biology & Ecology in New England: Insights Through Strandings” by C.T. Harry, on Tuesday evening, September 27th, at 7:30 p.m. in Corless Auditorium on the URI – Graduate School of Oceanography, Bay Campus in Narragansett (URI-GSO).

The Natural History Survey’s 17th Annual Meeting will precede the September 27 lecture, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and be held in the Hazard Conference Room at the Coastal Institute, URI-GSO. Light dinner fare will be served, please RSVP to programadmin@rinhs.org if you plan to attend. Executive director David Gregg and president of the RINHS board Robert Kenney will discuss accomplishments, challenges, the role of the Survey in the course of environmental science and management in Rhode Island in the past year, and share plans for the future. The annual meeting is free and open to the public.

From 6:45 – 7:30 p.m. a Dessert Social will be held in the Corless Auditorium Lobby at URI-GSO.

At 7:30 p.m., CT Harry, Assistant Stranding Coordinator for the Marine Mammal Rescue & Research Division at the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Yarmouth Port, MA, will speak. From the Gulf of Maine to the Mid-Atlantic States, seal populations (gray, harbor, hooded & harp) are on the increase. Additionally, all species are being consistently observed outside of their historical distribution ranges. These changes, in concert with our rising human population, and more frequent excursions into seal habitats, have lead to increasing contact between humans and seals. At the same time as seal watching has emerged as an industry, conflict with fishermen and concerns about disease vectors has increased as well. Come explore with Harry, the natural history parameters that contribute to these recent changes, and then embark on discussion of what may lie ahead for seal populations? Changes to federal protection? The carrying capacity of the environment in which they live? And finally, some thoughts on future research that will assist scientists and managers in understanding and managing their increased presence among us.

CT Harry’s lecture is the first in the 2011-2012 Mark. D. Gould Memorial Lecture Series organized by the Natural History Survey. The series will focus on animal interactions with humans, or, as Executive Director David Gregg puts it “animals we didn’t used to have to deal with but now they’re living all around us”! And, will culminate in a conference in April 2012. Support for the lecture series is generously provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The entire evening is free and open to the public. For more information and directions call 401-874-5800 or click here for a Google Map.

RINHS and Westerly Land Trust are coordinating another water chestnut pull at Chapman Pond in Westerly to replace the one we had to cancel because of Hurricane Irene. On Saturday, September 10, from 8 am to 12 noon, please come out for a muddy morning on the water and help preserve our wonderful pond for recreation and wildlife.

Meet at the DEM boat ramp off Town Landfill Road off of Rt-91 (Westerly-Bradford Road). Everyone should bring sturdy gloves that can get wet, clothes that can get wet and muddy, sun screen, and insect repellant. Canoes, kayaks, or small skiffs are welcome, but you don’t have to have one to help. If you bring a boat please bring life vests/jackets for you and your passengers. Plastic buckets (5-6 gallon size) or sturdy plastic totes are helpful so bring some if you can. Instructions will be provided. Call the Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS) at 874-5800 if you have questions, or the Westerly Land Trust at 315-2610.

Water chestnut (no relation to the common Chinese-food ingredient) is native to Eurasia but is an invasive species in North America. It can grow vigorously and densely in shallow, nutrient-rich waters, obliterating native pond habitat, clogging waters to most recreational uses, and presenting a significant physical hazard to swimmers and waders due to its barbed seed pods. The discovery of water chestnut in Rhode Island in four water bodies is a serious development and one that must be handled aggressively to prevent damage to some of Rhode Island’s most valuable natural resources.

Luckily, water chestnut is an annual, meaning that if removed before their seeds drop, the plants cannot grow back. They are also fairly easy to remove, as they are lightweight and root loosely in soft pond-bottom substrate. Their seeds can remain viable for up to 12 years, so close monitoring of managed populations is necessary for some time to make sure the entire population has been removed.

The Westerly Land Trust, the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, the town of Westerly, and Rhode Island DEM have banded together to take the initiative of removing water chestnut in Chapman Pond before the population grows into an even larger problem than it already is. It is hoped that by connecting different parts of the community, a successful rapid response to an invasive species can occur, simultaneously raising interest and awareness of invasive species in Rhode Island. Please join us if you can.