Celebrating Oklahoma’s Biodiversity
Oklahoma Association for Environmental Education
2006 Environmental Education Expo

FEBRUARY 16, 2006 AGENDA

8:00 am On-site registration and pre-registration check in. Exhibits and Silent Auction Open
8:30 am Welcome: Bert Castro, Executive Director OKC Zoo
  CONCURRENT SESSIONS
  Auditorium Classroom 1 & 2 Classroom 3 & 4
9:00 am Selman Living Lab
Dr. Bill Caire 		Oklahoma Reptiles & Amphibians
Jim Stout
Tag You’re It!
David Walker 		Oklahoma – A Botanical Crossroads
Dr. Ron Tyrl
10:00 am Icebergs on the Prairie?
Melynda Hickman 		Native Mammals of OK
Mark Teders 		Aquatic Oklahoma
Alicia Gillean
11-11:15 am Break -Exhibit hall & Silent Auction viewing
11:15 am Birds of Oklahoma
Dr. Chris Butler 		The Oklahoma BioBlitz
Ian Butler 		The History of Oklahoma's Biodiversity, Reading the Landscape
Claudine Daniel
12:15 pm Awards Slide Show – Auditorium
12:45-1:45pm Lunch – Canopy Restaurant, East Room
2-3 pm Sneak preview & guided tour of OKC Zoo’s newest exhibit – Oklahoma Trails
Exhibits hall & silent auction open
3:30 pm Silent Auction ends, Closing Remarks & Reception
Pick up auction items,
Door prize drawings
& conference evaluation incentives

Speakers Biographies & program synopses:

9 am sessions:

Dr. Bill Caire, Professor of Biology UCO and Director Selman Lab.
Synopsis: The Selman Living Laboratory (SLL) is a field station managed by the Department of Biology at the University of Central Oklahoma. The SLL promotes research and education in the biology of western ecosystems, cave biology, astronomy, and archeology through hands-on experience.

Jim Stout, OKC Zoo Herp Zookeeper & David Walker, OKC Zoo Naturalist
Synopsis: Learn about the super cool reptiles and amphibians found within our state! Next learn how the Oklahoma City Zoo uses the monarch butterfly to promote butterfly conservation.

Dr. Ronald J. Tyrl, Professor of Botany, Curator of the Herbarium
Oklahoma State University
Synopsis: The vascular flora of Oklahoma comprises 173 families, 868 genera, & 2,540 species. It is a complex assemblage of plants representative of different phytogeographic regions. Species characteristic of the eastern deciduous forest and central grasslands are the most common; however, taxa from the Rocky Mountains, the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts, the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the Ozark Mountains also are found in the state. This diversity of plants and vegetation types is related to the state’s environmental diversity – precipitation, temperature, geology, topography, wind, and soils.

10 am sessions:

Melynda Hickman, Wildlife Biologist,
Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation
Synopsis: Learn about Oklahoma’s short, mixed-grass and tall grass prairie communities and take away some hands-on ideas for the classroom.

Mark Teders, Lake Murray State Park Naturalist
Synopsis: Oklahoma is blessed with over one hundred species of mammals. This presentation will cover mammal characteristics, adaptations, size, skins and skulls, and endangered and extinct species.

Alicia Gillean, Education Specialist, Oklahoma Aquarium
Synopsis: Our land is grand, but what about our water? Learn about creatures found in Oklahoma’s waters and develop a new appreciation for our environmental treasures!

11:15 am sessions:

Dr. Chris Butler, Assistant Professor of Biology, UCO
Synopsis: Join me in an introduction to some common (and not so common!) birds of Oklahoma.

Ian Butler, Information Technology Analyst, Oklahoma Biological Survey
Synopsis: The Oklahoma BioBlitz is a rapid inventory of biological diversity hosted by the Oklahoma Biological Survey and conducted by volunteers from around the state and the region. As many plants and animals in a designated area of public land that can be identified in 24 consecutive hours are tallied. Learn how to get your students involved in this fun project!

Claudine Daniel, Environmental Education Specialist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Synopsis: We see evidence of past habitats and climates as we travel around Oklahoma. Some of these resilient remnants of the ghost of biodiversity past will be showcased.


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