The Windham Garden Club welcomes avid outdoorsman and waterman Ron Watson to present “Great Blue Herons and Beavers.” Watson will explore the fascinating relationship between these two species and explain how their remarkable recoveries represent an important conservation success story. Much of his field work of this relationship was performed in the Windham Great Blue Heron Rookery over a period of 7 years.
Community members are warmly invited to attend the Windham Garden Club meeting at 7:00 PM on Thursday, October 15, at Windham Town Hall. The program is open to everyone—club members and nonmembers alike—including experienced gardeners, newcomers, and nature enthusiasts.
Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship in which one species gains food, shelter, or transportation while the other remains largely unaffected. The Great Blue Heron is among the many species that benefit from the beaver’s presence on the landscape. Reintroduction efforts, protective regulations, public education promoting coexistence, and the preservation of critical habitat have helped beaver populations rebound. In turn, beavers create and maintain wetlands that support a wide variety of wildlife, including the Great Blue Heron. The recovery of beaver populations has therefore contributed in multiple ways to the resurgence of Great Blue Herons.
Presenter Ron Watson, a resident of Atkinson, New Hampshire, has spent his life exploring and documenting the natural world. During more than 60 years as a photographer, he has focused primarily on the ocean, both above and below the surface. His work has appeared in scientific journals, on PBS’s NOVA, and on Amateur Naturalist programs. Watson has served as a scientific diver for the New England Aquarium and as Chief Scientific Diver for the Charlotte Marine Research Team. He has also worked with marine mammal rescue organizations across the country and currently serves as Lead Volunteer for Marine Mammal Rescue and Special Projects Coordinator at the Seacoast Science Center.
Join us for an evening of learning, inspiration, and community as we discover conservation efforts and the connections between local wildlife. Bring a spouse, family member, friend, or neighbor. For more information, contact info@windhamgardenclub.com. We hope to see you there!
