TRINIDAD – Professor Jeff Mitton of the CU-Boulder Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department will take the stage at the Massari Theatre at Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC) Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to talk about a variety of factors affecting the health of Colorado’s forests as part of the “CU in the Community” series.
Among these is the co-dependent relationship between limber pines and Clark's nutcrackers, which has evolved over time. Limber pines rely on nutcrackers to harvest, disperse and plant their seeds, while nutcrackers rely on limber pine seeds to get through the winter. This mutualism is threatened by an unprecedented mountain pine beetle epidemic and the invasion of white pine blister rust — both of which are killing limber pines. The limber pines’ dire predicament is particularly poignant because many of these trees are more than 1,000 years old.
Professor Mitton will discuss the role climate change has played in creating the epidemic. Small shifts in climate have expanded the geographic range in which pine beetles can thrive and extended their life cycle from one generation per year to two. He will also explain a surge in the populations of beetle predators, offering some hope for Colorado’s forests.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. event are $4 for adults and $3 for seniors and children. They can be purchased at the door the evening of November 2 or in advance at Curiosities at 305 W. Main Street and the Trinidad Community Foundation at 134 W. Main Street in Suite. 24. TSJC students and faculty may attend for free with a school identification card. All proceeds will be given to the Purgatoire Valley Foundation Youth Environmental Scholarship.
The presentation is part of CU-Boulder’s “Learn More About Climate” initiative that brings climate change related topics to communities across the state.
LearnMoreAboutClimate.colorado.edu, an online tool developed by CU-Boulder’s Office for University Outreach, features five videos that localize climate change by pairing interviews with leading scientists and everyday Coloradans to explain how climate change is affecting our state. The site also offers teacher-developed and –tested model lessons for middle and high school students, including one that focuses on the pine beetle epidemic. The lessons are available at LearnMoreAboutClimate.colorado.edu by clicking the “For Educators” tab.
The “CU in the Community” series is jointly sponsored by TSJC, Trinidad Community Foundation, Trinidad & Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce, Trinidad Times Independent, and the CU-Boulder Office for University Outreach.