Originally recorded 1/27/25 as part of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Science Pub Speaker series. Allison Black spends weeks at a time each year at sea searching for marine life as a contracted Seabird & Marine Mammal Observer for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). During her presentation, she’ll talk about life aboard a research vessel, the research she contributes to, and what we can learn from studying seabirds. She’ll also share some of her most unique sightings at sea, and cover tips and tricks for sea-watching from a boat. Enjoy a plethora of photos, and an insider’s look at what wildlife our New England waters hold. Allison Black is a Connecticut native and became interested in birds after taking an ornithology course while completing her undergraduate degree. She has turned her love of birds into a career, working in various roles for non-profit and state organizations alike. Allison is the founder and compiler of the Norwich Christmas Bird Count and is on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA), currently serving as COA’s Secretary and the chair for their Workshops and Mini-Grants Committees. She was recently featured in the Connecticut Audubon Society’s “Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds” lecture series and their annual “State of The Birds” publication. When not on a ship somewhere in the ocean, she resides in eastern CT with her equally sea-going husband, Ryan.

We've all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she'll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation. Bio: Rebecca Heisman is a freelance science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first book.

Science Pub is a virtual speaker series by the Linda Loring Nature Foundation to connect people with real-world science and research. Guest speakers present their work in an informal and relaxed setting where questions and discussion are encouraged.

Elizabeth Crisfield will talk about a 5-year regional pollinator project in the northeast, including Nantucket, and the effects of management on xeric (dry) habitats and the native pollinators these habitats support.

Dr. Wendy Puryear of the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, will give an update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in our region and beyond.

Tribal Nations and Indigenous Communities have witnessed changes in the climate from time immemorial. However, anthropogenic climate change coupled with the impacts of colonization pose unique challenges for Tribal Nations. Despite these challenges, Tribal Nations are leading the way in climate change adaptation planning and resilience. This talk will provide geographic background and political status of Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in the U.S. with an emphasis on the East Coast and coastal Indigenous communities. It will then discuss climate change impacts and concerns of Tribal Nations in addition to sharing some examples of Tribal-led climate change adaptation. The talk will conclude with comments on examples of respectful engagement with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in the space of climate change adaptation and building partnerships.

BIO: Casey Thornbrugh is an Indigenous Geographer with a background in Climate Science. He has a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona and is a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Casey taught geography and climate science courses both at the University of Arizona and at Tohono O’odham Community College, a Tribal College serving the Tohono O’odham Nation. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Casey returned home to work as the Natural Resources Director for his Tribal Nation, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe until 2017. Over the past six years Casey has worked as a Climate Science Liaison for United South and Eastern Tribes Inc. (USET) working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Climate Resilience Branch (BIA-TCR) and the Northeast and Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers (NE/SE CASC). In this role, he has worked with agencies and departments of Tribal Nations to provide climate science information, identify climate research needs and priorities, and offer climate adaptation planning support. Casey is also serving as a co-author on the Fifth National Climate Assessment – Northeast Chapter.

The Great Sunflower Project: Detecting pollinator declines through community science. Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn of San Fransisco State University and the Great Sunflower Project. For the past fifteen years, scientists, naturalists, farmers, and gardeners have been concerned about pollinator declines and the impact on natural and agricultural systems. This talk will bring you up to date on the current state of pollinators, ways you can help and the role of community science in providing essential data while engaging new communities in scientific research.

Ben Gahagan is a Diadromous Fisheries Biologist with MA DMF based at the Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station in Gloucester. His primary focus is on monitoring and restoring diadromous fish populations in Massachusetts and he serves on the diadromous fish Technical Committees for the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers. His research interests are broad but largely focus on the mechanisms and ecology of fish migrations and how this information can be applied to improve conservation and management. Advances in biotelemetry have allowed scientists to unlock the migration patterns and behaviors of fish. MA DMF has been a leader in striped bass research and management and has been using acoustic telemetry for over a decade to inform striped bass fishing and management in state waters. Ben will review past and current DMF projects, including post-release mortality studies, and how the results apply to where striped bass in Massachusetts spend their time, how they get there, and how we can improve abundance and fishing opportunities in the future.

Dr. Banu Subramaniam of UMass Amherst will present a talk about her work: Decolonizing Botany. Abstract: What does it mean to be a feminist botanist? Drawing on recent interdisciplinary scholarship, I show how gender, race, class, sexuality, and nation shape the foundational language, terminology, and theories of modern botany, and how botany remains grounded in the violence of its colonial pasts. Decolonizing Botany reckons with these difficult origins and lays a roadmap to imagine a new field that harnesses the power of indigenous and feminist thought to re-imagine the practices of experimental biology. To learn more about Dr. Subramaniam’s work, visit