Songs from the Ashes: Wildfire and Bird Communities Presentation

Our Sonoma County birds are real-life phoenixes, with many of them enduring one wildfire after another and adapting to a changed landscape each year. How does smoke and flame affect bird populations? What happens in a bird rescue center after a wildfire? Which species thrive after a burn? Join us to hear behind-the-scenes stories of bird rescue and unique avian observations from the last few fire-heavy years with Ashton Kluttz, Executive Director of the Bird Rescue Center in Santa Rosa.

PANELIST BIO: Current Executive Director at the Bird Rescue Center, Ashton Kluttz completed her BA in Environmental Studies at Washington College (Maryland). She began her tenure with the Bird Rescue in 2010 and her career as a wildlife rehabilitator in 2009 with the Marine Mammal Center where she served in the Stranding Department. Striving to provide the best care for our local wildlife, she obtained her Registered Veterinary Technician certification in 2018, has co-authored a chapter on towhee care currently included in a wildlife care book for facilities around the world, and serves on the board of the California Council for Wildlife Rehabilitators that provides community, protocols, and information to all California wildlife facilities.

Photo credit: "Lazuli Bunting" by nickavarvel