Hear a presentation by Anahit Amiri, a 2024 Kendeigh Grant awardee, about her research on how predation affects the future of grassland birds. Amiri has spent summers following raccoons at night in Southern Illinois grasslands to determine how they move and forage. Her observations have helped her determine what is known as the “nest line,” where the choices a raccoon makes will determine whether or not a grassland bird will be able to successfully raise a brood of young birds to adulthood or be left with merely broken eggshells and an empty nest. Why is that important? Populations of grassland birds have declined by more than 40% since 1970. Together with desert species, they are the group of birds most in danger of disappearing from the American landscape. The aim of Amiri’s research is to be able to recommend types of grassland management of predators that will improve the prospects of these important birds.

Speaker Bio: Amiri is a doctoral student at Southern Illinois University in wildlife biology. She earned her Masters in cognitive neurosciences at Sorbonne University and her Bachelor of Science from Aix-Marseille University. Amiri attended high school in France after moving with her family from Shiraz, Iran. She believes “that the not-yet-done can be done, and that imagination is the most practical and empathy the most powerful [as] tools for change.” Join us December 4 to meet this remarkable woman.