Renowned Naturalist Speaks at AWARE Meeting By Kris Casavant Have you ever had a question about birds which you felt was important, but didn’t know who to ask? Or even had a developing curiosity toward the world of ornithology? On Jan. 27, the award winning author and biologist, Dr. A. Wayne Campbell will discuss and answer questions about our feathered friends during an illustrated presentation which he calls "Everything you wanted to know about birds but were afraid to ask." The presentation, which is part of the Association for Whistler Area Residents for the Environment’s annual general meeting, will be held in the Millar Room at Myrtle Philip school, and should prove to be both humorous and informative. "Dr. Campbell is excellent. He's definitely one of the best natural history speakers around," said Max Gotz, a member of AWARE. "During his presentations he speaks as one who really has true passion for his work, or with so much animation that his audiences often come away with charged up enthusiasm." Campbell’s credentials are lengthy. He has been curator of ornithology at the Royal British Columbia Museum since the early 1970s and has used his position to inform audiences throughout B.C. with insights on birds and other wildlife within our province. He has written 40 books, over 360 articles, and produced four CD-ROM programs based on ornithology. His latest achievement is completing a landmark, four-volume set on the birds of British Columbia. During the next decade, Campbell plans to work on the development of a visionary project which will promote the enjoyment, understanding, and conversation of the birds within our province, called "British Columbia Birds in the New Millennium – We Can Make a Difference!" Of the numerous honours received during his 30-year career, Campbell's lecturing, writing, and conversation activities have earned him awards for excellence in biology, a lifetime service award, and recently a commemorative Medal of Canada in recognition of the 125th anniversary of confederation. The doors are open to all members of the community. The presentation will begin at 8 p.m. AWARE is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Whistler.
