“In Search of the Ghost Bird: Is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Still Alive?” Zoom program on Thursday, August 7, 7 p.m.
It’s been 90 years since Arthur Allen led a team from Cornell University across the United States, including Jim Tanner, future University of Tennessee Professor of Zoology, searching for vanishing birds. They were on the road for over five months, photographing and recording over 100 species of birds for the first time. One of the most sought-after was the mysterious Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The Allen team found and photographed the bird in the swamps of Louisiana in 1935.
Join the UT Arboretum Society via Zoom on Thursday, August 7, 7 p.m. EDT, as Michelle Campanis, education coordinator at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, and naturalist/author Stephen Lyn Bales as they give us an overview of “The Ghost Bird.” You can watch this virtual presentation from the comfort of your own home. To register for this free program, go to utarboretumsociety.org under Programs. If you are unable to watch at the scheduled time, the program will be recorded and sent to everyone who registers. Closed captions are available.
The question remains: is this bird still alive? For the past several decades, the debate has raged. Is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker extinct or does it survive somewhere hidden in the swamps of the South?
Stephen Lyn Bales, author of “Ghost Birds,” published by the University of Tennessee Press, claims the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was still alive in the late 1930s, and he has excellent vintage photographs to prove it.
To contact Stephen Lyn Bales or buy one of his UT Press books, email him at hellostephenlyn@gmail.com.
The Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024. It is one of the ten University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture AgResearch and Education Centers located throughout Tennessee. The Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT Herbert College of Agriculture, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension offices, with locations in every county in the state.
The UT Arboretum Society celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025; to learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org.
