Mongolia - Land of Blue Sky and Cranes

Mongolia - Land of Blue Sky and Cranes

Saturday, September 10, 2016 - 1:30pm to 2:45pm
  • Library Hall

2016 Yampa Valley Crane Festival keynote speaker!

Since early 1990s, the International Crane Foundation has been working in a trans-boundary area between Mongolia, Russia and China, focusing primarily on the preservation of the globally threatened White-naped Cranes. The work led to an establishment of the international trans-boundary protected area and continued successful cooperation among conservationists in the region. This keynote talk by Nyambayar Batbayar, Director and Research Biologist of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia, gives an account of  crane conservation and research activities by Mongolian biologists and conservationists, and brings the audience up to date with some Mongolian cultural hints.

About the speaker
Nyambayar Batbayar (Nyamba) is Director and Research Biologist of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia and Research Associate of the International Crane Foundation based in Wisconsin. Fluent in English and Mongolian, he is editor-in-chief of the Mongolian Journal of Ornithology and Conservation. Nyamba has been a keystone in a partnership initiated in 2012 at the Yampa Valley Crane Festival between the International Crane Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and Mongolian Science and Conservation Center which includes satellite tracking of White-naped cranes to determine migration patterns. An inventory and monitoring program for White-naped crane wetland nesting habitats in Mongolia is another part of the project. This partnership continues in 2016 with a hydrology training session in Mongolia, as well as two Mongolian interns coming to the United States to work with Forest Service personnel on rangeland monitoring and management techniques.

Nyamba was born in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia and graduated from the National University of Mongolia with a BS in biology. After graduation he worked for World Wildlife Fund, Mongolia for two and half years on bird and antelope research and conservation projects. He earned his Masters degree in raptor biology from Boise State University and his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Oklahoma. From 2000-2004 he worked as a research biologist for the Peregrine Fund in Idaho.

Nyamba has authored a field guide to the common birds of Mongolia and numerous research papers that have influenced conservation policy in Mongolia. Articles documenting his research in all areas of avian ecology have been published in many of the top international scientific journals. He has presented over 50 talks on wildlife and ecological research and conservation issues in Mongolia at national and international conferences.

About the Yampa Valley Crane Festival
The Greater Sandhill Crane is an iconic species of the Yampa Valley. Returning in the spring, cranes nest and raise their young in wetland areas throughout the valley. In late summer and early fall, hundreds of cranes from the Rocky Mountain flock join the local birds to rest and feed before continuing their journey south. The festival includes daily crane viewings, expert speakers, films, art exhibits, workshops, family activities and more. All community activities and events are free unless otherwise indicated in the program, and the Bud Werner Memorial Library will be home base for many of these talks, films and events.

Learn more about the Yampa Valley Crane Festival at www.coloradocranes.org.