Meetings & Programs

 

George Dante, Jr., founder and director of the Institute for Natural History Arts, will discuss his work combining art and biology to protect and preserve natural history taxidermies of birds and mammals. 

 

George Dante is an acclaimed taxidermist, sculptor, model maker, and fine artist. With a devoted love for art and nature from an early age, it wasn’t long before his lifelong career path had been set. He began practicing taxidermy at the age of seven, and founded Wildlife Preservations, LLC while in high school. George continued to develop his company while obtaining a Bachelor of Arts from the School of Visual Arts and soon earned the reputation as a world-renowned provider of natural history exhibit services. George Dante Studios, LLC continues to provide these highly specialized skills including the restoration and conservation of historic specimens and dioramas. George has been entrusted with the care of some of the rarest specimens and collections in the world and his clients include the American Museum of Natural History, The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, National Geographic, Oxford University, and the Field Museum.

 

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The Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area is the crown jewel of natural areas in our region. It provides valuable habitat for a variety of breeding and wintering birds. Most significantly, it acts as a world-class migratory corridor for warblers and other bird species. A good Spring day in the gap can produce over 30 species of warbler alone – a feat claimed by very few birding hotspots in the world! We will explore some of the best birding hotspots the recreation has to offer and learn about the beautiful and unusual birds that can be found there as residents and migrants.

 

Bio:Bradley White is an avid local birder, educator and naturalist who has explored Sussex County for the past 30 years. As a youth he was mentored by many former and current SBC members, leading him to pursue a degree in ecology. After working as an avian field biologist, Bradley began a 20 year career at Ridge and Valley Charter School in Blairstown working to educate children in earth literacy and sustainability.  Bradley is a county coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas Project and a point count technician for the US Geological Survey. He serves as captain of the Wrenegades World Series of Birding team, raising money to support the conservation work of the Ridge and Valley Conservancy. Bradley birds intensively throughout the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as he travels back and forth to his home in Dingmans Ferry Pennsylvania where he resides with his family and an ever growing collection of native plants.

 

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In this talk, we will discuss the amazing Amazon Basin, a place rich in biodiversity and of great importance to the planet’s climate, people, & ecosystems. We will look at some of Dr. Musher’s recent trips to the Amazon to study birds, review some fascinating avian discoveries, and discuss how researchers use museum collections to explore biodiversity and evolution. 

 

Bio: Dr. Luke Musher is an ornithologist working at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. His field and laboratory research focuses on how new species of birds evolve in the Amazon Rainforest, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.