**NEW VENUE-NEW DATE-NEW TIME**
This marks the first Coeur d’Alene Audubon chapter meeting at Coeur d’Alene Library, where chapter meetings will be held going forward. Join us in the Community Room.
Coeur d’Alene Audubon welcomes Denver Holt, founder and president of the Owl Research Institute, for a special evening program on owls and long-term wildlife research. Denver Holt will share insights from more than 35 years studying Snowy Owl populations in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska. His research reveals the fascinating and fragile relationship between snowy owls and their primary prey, the lemming, and how changes in these predator, prey cycles are affecting Arctic ecosystems. Drawing from decades of “boots on the ground” fieldwork, Holt will explore the recent population declines observed in both species, the environmental forces that may be driving these shifts, and why long-term studies are critical for understanding wildlife, climate change, and conservation. This engaging presentation offers a rare glimpse into Arctic ecology and the ongoing efforts to better understand, and protect, one of the North’s most iconic owls.
Entry is free; donations encouraged and accepted at the door to benefit the Owl Research Institute. This is going to be an exciting presentation—you won’t want to miss this one!
Holt is one of the world’s leading authorities on Snowy Owls and currently serves as the team leader for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Snowy Owl species account. His research has been published widely in academic journals and featured prominently in the media, including a National Geographic cover story (December 2002), The New York Times, and numerous television and documentary productions. His work has appeared on PBS, Audubon’s Up Close, National Geographic Explorer, BBC’s Frozen Earth (a sequel to Planet Earth), NHK Japan, and in collaboration with David Attenborough’s Life of Birds. He has also been a featured speaker at major bird festivals across the U.S. and delivered a TEDxBozeman talk in 2023.
The Owl Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to owl and wildlife research, conservation, and education, with a global reputation for rigorous long-term field studies. Be sure to check our field reports for summaries of our visits to ORI in the past few years.