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Program Night: Tracking Tree Kangaroos in Papau New Guinea

Date & Time
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Additional Information

Doug Bonham grew up in Washington DC where he began birding in 1966 when there was only one published bird field guide. He later moved to Montana to earn degrees in wildlife biology and electronics at the University of Montana. Doug was also the founding president of the Audubon chapter in Missoula. To this day, Doug alternates jobs every few years between biology and electronics; he is currently working on motherboards for Surface Pro laptops at Microsoft. He has designed custom GPS tracking devices for wildlife research for a range of species including eagles, owls, deer, elk, sheep and the subject for the presentation – endangered tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea.

For our November program night, Doug will describe the unforgettable three weeks he spent at a research camp at 10,000 feet in a remote corner of Papua New Guinea. The cloud forest at those mountain tops is home to the endangered Matchie’s tree kangaroo. With help from local trackers and hunters they were able to successfully capture eight wild tree kangaroos. The group attached Doug’s custom tracking devices that acquired the first ever GPS tracks plus activity and altitude data from wild Matchie’s tree kangaroos.

Doug’s trip to Papua New Guinea was funded by National Geographic and the United Nations. The project has arranged an agreement with local villagers whereby if they respect a no-hunting zone for endangered tree kangaroos, in exchange they get three times normal market price for their coffee. Their coffee is then sold as premium ‘Tree Kangaroo Conservation Coffee’ at high end shops including Cafe Vita in Seattle.

Please join us this November to learn about the ongoing conservation project on tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea!

This event is free and open to the public. Program Nights takes place on the fourth Thursday of every month from 7-9 pm unless otherwise indicated. Doors open at 6 pm.