MANTA Noon Seminars

The Seminar sessions include a variety of topics, including conservation ecology from local to worldwide scales. Attend one of these presentations and enjoy a trip to the ends of the world, an education on the local stream conditions, or get a preview of the newest installation at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Below is the agenda for upcoming sessions and short summaries of each.

All Seminars take place at:

Maryland Department of Natural Resources
C-1 Conference Room
Tawes Office Building
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland

If there is a topic you would like to see included in the upcoming series, or a recommended speaker, please contact Ron Klauda
For summaries of previous sessions, click here.

2011 Agenda

September 22, 2011

Gasland, the Film

Introduced by Paul Kazyak (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis)

SYNOPSIS: Written and filmed by Josh Fox, Gasland, an award winning and Oscar-nominated documentary film released in 2010, focuses on communities in the U.S. impacted by natural gas drilling, especially the practice known as hydraulic fracturing. During the filming of this controversial documentary, Fox embarked on a cross-country odyssey and spoke with citizens living near gas wells plus scientists, politicians, and gas industry executives for insights into this resource extraction process. He ultimately found himself in the halls of Congress as a subcommittee was discussing the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, a bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal a certain exemption for hydraulic fracturing. This process was exempted from the Safe Water Drinking Act in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

October 13, 2011

Ethnoichthyology in Edo: Legends, Lore and Life History of Lampridiform Fishes from Japan

Jennifer Martin (Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point VA)

SYNOPSIS: The families Lophotidae, Radiicephalidae, Trachipteridae, and Regalecidae belong to the taeniosomous Lampridiformes, a rare group of mesopelagic fishes characterized in part by extremely elongate bodies and vivid coloration. Ragelecus, for example, with its immense size (reported to 15 m) and fiery red mane (actually elongate dorsal fin rays), may well be the basis for many “sea serpent” sightings. Because of their striking appearance, these fishes have long been the source of folk tales in Japan that are commonly reflected in their local nomenclature. Examination of the ethnotaxonomy (fold taxonomy) of the lampridiform fishes in Japan reveals the anatomical, ontogenetic, ecological, and cultural information which is lost without translation of their Japanese common names.

November 17, 2011

How to See the Best of Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Lee’s Ferry, Lake Powell, Navajo, Grand Staircase Escalante, Indians & Mormons on a Tight Budget and Lose Weight

Steve Carr (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis)

Synopsis: Come along on a 10-day loop trip with Steve that starts and ends in Las Vegas. He’ll tell you how to find each park, where to stay or camp, the best trails to hike, the best restaurants, and where to buy your supplies. He’ll also provide you with interesting cultural tidbits about the prehistoric Anasazi Indians and the unique people who settled the American Southwest. Steve will autograph copies of his latest book, “The Canyon Chronicles”, that will be available for sale after his seminar.

If you would like to view the presentation, click here

December 8, 2011

Costa Rica, from the Mountains to the Sea: Adventures of an Unconventional Traveler

Paul Kazyak (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis)

Synopsis: TBA

DATE: January 19, 2012

A River Runs Under It: Modeling the Distribution of Streams and Stream Burial in Large River Basins

Andrew Elmore (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Appalachian Laboratory, Frostburg MD)

Synopsis: Stream network density exerts a strong control on hydrologic processes in watersheds, but for most of the mid-Atlantic region we have very little data on the location of streams. For example, most small streams, especially those that were buried beneath urban development, are not included in stream maps used by scientists and regulatory agencies. Dr. Elmore will report on new methods for mapping these “missing streams,” describe some results for Maryland watersheds west of the Chesapeake Bay, and show how the new stream maps can be applied to studies seeking to understand the impact of land-use on stream network structure and functioning.

February 16, 2012

FOREST CERTIFICATION: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Jack Perdue (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis)

Synopsis: Forest certification has become a more common and yet controversial platform from which to manage public, industry and conservation lands. Now that the Maryland DNR has 200,000 acres under both the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative programs, what does this really mean regarding how forests are managed and how the habitats and economies are supported on these lands. Jack Perdue, a forester with DNR for over 30 years who has been involved with certification efforts since 2003, will answer these questions.

March 15, 2012

A Snapshot of Cuba Today

SPEAKER: Dr. Gwen Brewer

Synopsis: In mid-April 2011, Dr. Brewer participated in one of the Caribbean Conservation Trust’s long-running bird surveys in Cuba. Both resident (particularly endemic) and migrant birds, 166 species in all, were seen in the course of her 2,600 km journey. She visited many of the ecosystems of this isolated island country, including pine and deciduous forest, extensive marshes, fields, caves, mangroves, beaches, and coastal scrub. Throughout her 10 day visit, Dr. Brewer had the opportunity to observe Cuban culture, history, and other natural history components such as insects, reptiles, amphibians and plants. Join us and take a look at Cuba more than 50 years after the revolution!

April 19, 2011

There’s Something About Horseshoe Crabs…….

Stacy Epperson (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis)

Synopsis: Why should we care about horseshoe crabs? The 3B’s to start: Blood, Birds, & Bait. Stacy Epperson, Education Specialist in Chesapeake and Coastal Services and program manager for Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom will explain the value of horseshoe crabs to various stakeholders and how climate change may have a negative affect on all of the horseshoe crab industries. In addition she will demonstrate how to sex a juvenile crab molt (in case you are ever on Jeopardy), and will have some live juveniles to examine.

May 17, 2012

TITLE: TBA

Chris Dungan (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Oxford)