Renowned ecologist to speak at Paul Smith's College about the extinction of the ivory-billed woodpecker

PAUL SMITHS, NY (04/01/2013)(readMedia)-- Has the ivory-billed woodpecker returned from extinction? Or did scientists err when they touted its rediscovery?

Renowned ecologist Nick Gotelli says they made a mistake – and he will speak at Paul Smith's College Friday about the alleged return of the sought-after bird.

Gotelli's talk, "Specimen-Based Modeling, Stopping Rules and the Extinction of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker," will be held at 10:10 a.m. in the Freer Auditorium.

Gotelli will focus on the ivory-billed woodpecker, which was thought extinct until scientists recently announced its rediscovery. Gotelli says the discovery was a misidentification. He will show evidence that he says debunks the birds' existence and talk about the implications of wasting resources on it.

Gotelli's is the fourth in a series of Fisheries and Wildlife Science Seminars this semester.

Kenneth Nussear will round off the series on Friday, April 19, with a talk titled "Conservation of the Threatened Desert Tortoise: a Multidisciplinary Approach."

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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