Thursday January 18th 7:00 PM @ Hal Holmes

ARMCHAIR AFRICAN SAFARI

Please join Deb Essman as she shares her recent photo safari of South Africa and Botswana. The vast numbers of African wildlife were amazing to her, and she hopes she can impart the same awe she felt when she speaks to us about the diverse habitats she was able to explore.

It’s a magical place facing many challenges; the national parks and private reserves visited all have stories to tell of resilience and adaptation for both the wildlife and local human populations. And of course she will show us lots of animals and birds!

Our speaker is a local phenomenon… an avid naturalist, hunter, and birder. She majored in Natural Resources Management at Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo and was a seasonal naturalist at Morro Bay State Park while attending college. After college, she co-founded and ran a raptor rehabilitation center in California for almost a decade, was a vet technician at the Woodland Park Zoo Earthwatch program for Bald Eagles, worked for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife as a Game Warden (the only woman in that position at the time), and even taught a pursuit driving course for the WA State Patrol! After marrying and moving to Ellensburg, she worked in banking and volunteer taught various wildlife courses for the School District and other organizations such as KEEN and Teanaway Community Forest.

She is a past-President of the Kittitas County Field and Stream Club and has taught Hunter Education classes for WDFW for almost 20 years. A now retired hardcore birder, she has 262 species of birds documented in eBird for Kittitas County.

Join us IN PERSON (no Zoom) for this fascinating presentation—what a great way to spend a frosty January evening!

Refreshments will be served. See you there!