Visiting Namibia’s Skeleton Coast with Jerry Bertrand: Lecture at Joppa Flats 4-7-10

The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s president emeritus Jerry Bertrand will present a slide program and lecture, “Namibia – The Skeleton Coast,” at Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center on Wednesday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Namibia is the only country in the world to specifically address conservation and protection of natural resources in its constitution, and it is the least populated country other than Mongolia. As a consequence it still has a diverse and abundant fauna, particularly in its parks such as Etosha and Skeleton Coast National Parks. It is rich in endemic plants and animals and a must visit for any serious naturalist.

On Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, desert elephants, the world’s tallest at eleven feet, still cross the 400-foot-tall dunes in search of water holes, and lions still prowl the coastline in search of dead seals and whales. Crossing the southern border into South Africa, one passes quickly from a tropical habitat with crocodiles and flamingos to sub-antarctic waters with penguins, fur seals, and albatrosses.

A resident of Hamilton, Massachusetts, Jerry Bertrand has been active in international conservation and environmental science for over 30 years. He was president of the Massachusetts Audubon Society for eighteen years. He is Honorary President of the World Land Trust and currently serves on the boards of BirdLife International and the National Audubon Society.

This program is open to the public, appropriate for all ages, and free to Mass Audubon’s members; non-members are asked to pay an admission fee of $4. No pre-registration is required.

Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center, located at One Plum Island Turnpike in Newburyport, is a natural history education and visitor center that is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday and Monday holidays, 8:30 to 4. Call 978-462-9998 for information about additional programs and events, or visit the website at www.massaudubon.org.