Biologists who discovered new species of monkey to speak at Paul Smith's College

PAUL SMITHS, NY (03/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Two biologists who discovered a new species of primate in the Congo will speak at the Paul Smith's College Fisheries and Wildlife Seminar Series, which will feature two talks next week.

Terese and John Hart will give a talk Friday, March 29, titled "Discovery and protection of Okapi, Bonobo, and a new species of monkey in a central Congolese forest."

"Their discovery is remarkable," says Prof. Eric Simandle. "It is rare to find a new animal species, rarer yet to find a new vertebrate species, and virtually unheard of to discover a new species of primate."

Their talk will focus on conservation of the species including threats, and community-based conservation.

The other seminar, on Wednesday, March 27, will feature Class of 1994 graduate Eric Crawford. Crawford has been with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for 14 years. He's now a senior conservation officer assigned to the 1,100-square-mile Deary patrol area of northern Idaho, where he works as a field training officer as well as a certified arrest-techniques and ground-control instructor.

Crawford holds an Advanced Certificate from the Idaho Peace Officers and Standards Training Academy.

Two other Fisheries and Wildlife Seminar talks are scheduled this semester:

– Nicholas Gotelli, Friday, April 5, "Specimen-based modeling, stopping rules and the extinction of the ivory-billed woodpecker."

– Kenneth Nussear, Friday, April 19, "Conservation of the Threatened Desert Tortoise: a Multidisciplinary Approach."

The seminars, which are free and open to the public, take place from 10:10-11 a.m. in the Freer Auditorium.

For the past six years, Paul Smith's College has hosted a different professional fisheries and wildlife biologist each month as part of the series, which is sponsored by the Fisheries and Wildlife Science program.

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