Join us for the 39th annual Summer Lecture Series! This event takes place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in July and August. Seating is first-come, first-served. Free tickets are available at 6 p.m., and doors open at 6:30 p.m.
On July 8, the program is Following feather trails to help our birds. Birds are visible, vocal sentinels that alert us to environmental harms. In her book Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds, Sophie A.H. Osborn shares her experiences reintroducing endangered Peregrine Falcons, Hawaiian Crows, and California Condors to the wild. While immersing readers in the trials and triumphs of being a wildlife biologist, Sophie explores the threats that imperiled these birds and reveals that what harmed them threatens us, too. She will discuss what led to the endangerment of these captivating species, recount the efforts of biologists to recover their populations, share how their stories are relevant to birds worldwide, and offer advice on how to help the birds that enrich our lives.
Sophie A. H. Osborn is an award-winning writer and wildlife biologist whose work has included the study and conservation of more than a dozen bird species in the Americas. She contributed to reintroduction efforts for several endangered birds, including as a field manager for the California Condor Recovery Program in Arizona. Her first book, Condors in Canyon Country, won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award for Nature and the Environment. Reviewers for the American Birding Association chose her second book, Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds, as their favorite bird book of 2024. Sophie has written articles for Bird Conservation, BirdWatching, and Wyoming Wildlife magazines, and co-edited an anthology of short stories, Wild Work—Adventures of Women Field Biologists (out September 2026). She also writes the Words for Birds blog.