Speakers in the Hall

“Whidbey Island Wildlife Habitat Project”

  Lydia Sikes, Team Leader
Whidbey Island Wildlife Habitat Project
and
  Courtney Sullivan,Education Manager
  Pacific Region, Seattle Office

Courtney Sullivan has been developing and managing programs that offer sustainable environmental education opportunities for communities for nearly fifteen years.  She earned her BA in Environmental Science and Education from Alaska Pacific University and also holds a MS in Management of Non-Profit Agencies from Capella University.  Originally from Washington, Courtney fell in love with nature on the shores of the Puget Sound and then spent ten years in Alaska exploring the abundant environmental, outdoor, and cultural education career opportunities.  Returning to Washington in 2008, Courtney joined the National Wildlife Federation where she engages and develops community stewards and education champions, advocates for educational policies, and works to build partnerships and coalitions to support sustainable environmental education in the Pacific region.  Courtney enjoys to travel, kayak, and play soccer.

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“Landscaping for Wildlife”

Russell Link, WDFW, Local Author

Russell Link is an urban wildlife biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  He is also a well known speaker and author.  Russell makes his home on Whidbey Island and is a wealth of information for homeowners about local backyard wildlife habitats.  His books, Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacfic Northwest and Living with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest both contain valuable information to help gardeners to select, arrange, and maintain plants and other landscape elements that nurtures wildlife in our backyards.

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“One Swallow Doesn’t Make it Spring: A Look at Migrating Swallows”

Frances Wood, Whidbey Audubon, Author

Frances Wood will present a lively illustrated lecture on the six swallows, one martin and one swift that are regularly found in Western Washington. Her talk will include the facts as well as the folklore surrounding these small but mighty, long-distance flyers. Frances will make suggestions for attracting swallows to your backyard and how to keep them returning each spring.

Writer and naturalist Frances Wood is the author of Brushed by Feathers: A Year of Birdwatching in the West, birding columnist for the South Whidbey Record and script writer for BirdNote aired daily on public radio throughout the country. For the last 20 years she has visited various places in Mexico, Central and South America—observing swallows at their southern “winter” locations—and teaching local nature guides and conducting bird surveys.

Frances is a past president of Whidbey Audubon and regularly has four species of swallows nesting on and near her home.

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“Not tonight, Deer!”

 Anne Baum

Anne Baum has been a WSU Master Gardener for nine years and has been talking about learning to live happily with deer for eight of those years.  When she bought her Central Whidbey property and began landscaping, her first experiences with deer were expensive and heart-wrenching as she watched countless beloved plants become meals for the local deer families.  As she eventually learned how to landscape appropriately, she was able to regain wonder and appreciation for these gentle creatures.

Anne speaks regularly at the Master Gardeners’ annual Whidbey Gardening Workshop and at various gatherings on the island, bringing tips and tricks and plant lists to anyone whose attitude toward deer could be improved.