September and October 2025 meetings

Programs will take place in person and via Zoom at the Cuyahoga County Library - Fairview Park Branch on Lorain Rd. at 7:00 p.m. during the months of September, October, April and May. For the months of November through March, when weather can be iffy and night comes early, the programs will be via Zoom only. WCAS members, guests and friends are always welcome in person or via Zoom. 

September Program: “Lynds Jones—The Birdman of Oberlin”
Presenter: Diana Steele, avid birder, writer, and member of Black River Audubon Society
Date & Time: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in person and via Zoom
Location: Fairview Park Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library, 21255 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park 44126
Description: Lynds Jones (1865-1951) was a pioneering ornithologist and ecologist from Ohio who is responsible for many of the common practices that recreational birders take for granted as “standard practice” in the field, more than a century later, including keeping lists, doing Big Days, and the Christmas Bird Count. At Oberlin College in 1892, Jones began teaching ornithology, which was the first course of its kind ever offered at an American college or university. Not only was he a professor at Oberlin for nearly four decades, Jones also had a tremendous impact on the fields of ornithology and recreational birding. He founded both an ornithological society (The Wilson Ornithological Society, 1888) and a journal (now the Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 1889); both are active today. Jones was also an early pioneer and mentor in ecology and founded the first-ever department of animal ecology in 1915.

October Program: “The Totally Awesome Virginia Opossum – The Natural and Cultural History of our Only Native Marsupial”
Presenter: Harvey Webster, Board member of Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland and retired Wildlife Officer & Museum Ambassador from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Fairview Park Branch of the Cuyahoga County Library, 21255 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park 44126
Description: This program is a celebration of that often maligned and misunderstood but totally awesome opossum. Besides being a homage to this curious creature that hails from an ancient line of mammals, the program is an exploration of their evolution and natural history. Further we will explore the cultural history of opossums. They have served as cartoon characters, mascots, presidential pets, and have a dark connection to Jim Crow. They have long been served at ‘possum’ dinners in the south and have their own recipe in the Joy of Cooking. There is even a monument to Opossums! All in all, a remarkable creature that deserves some respect and this program aims to give the opossum its due.