Wildlife biologist Scott Rowin will give an overview of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (BCNWR) and present the latest research findings about the migration and over-wintering locations of the golden-cheeked warbler.

Scientists use multiple methods to determine where bird species migrate. These include color-banding individual birds, using tiny geolocators attached to the birds that track and record the birds’ movements, and mining the data provided by citizen scientists via apps like eBird and iNaturalist.

Mr. Rowin will talk about the importance of this research. Specifically, it is impossible to protect wintering grounds of these imperiled birds without knowing where they over-winter and whether they are returning to the same wintering locations each year. Efforts to protect breeding grounds and habitats are, of necessity, coordinated by agencies at the local, state and federal levels of government.

Mr. Rowin has over 20 years of experience as a wildlife biologist, and currently serves as the Refuge Biologist for the BCNWR.

Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for social time and light refreshments. The business portion of the meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. and the invited speaker will begin his remarks immediately afterwards.

Weather permitting, there will be a pre-meeting bird walk at Haley Nelson Park off Hwy. 29 in Burnet.