Tricia Hurley’s presentation will illustrate the importance of native plantings in enhancing habitat for our wild neighbors. She will emphasize the many aesthetic and ecological benefits of specific plant species. Learn why these often overlooked yet beautiful plants deserve prominent space in our healthy landscapes.

After working as a field biologist for Hawk Watch International, the Forest Service and AZ Game & Fish Department’s Research Branch for 11 years, Tricia Hurley settled in Silver City with her husband Mark Cantrell, both avid bird watchers and botanists, to raise their children. Tricia was one of the founding members of the Gila Conservation Education Center and continues to provide education opportunities as the Education Chair of Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society.

Judy Liddell, a freelance writer with a specialty in nature and the out-of-doors and a co-author of Birding Hot Spots of Central New Mexico and is currently working on a similar volume for north-central New Mexico for Texas A & M Press. Her presentation will focus on birds and their habitats, and a sampling of places to bird in the central part of New Mexico. Judy is Vice President, Program Chair and leads bird walks for Central New Mexico Audubon Society and Secretary of the New Mexico Audubon Council. She is a bird monitor for the Rio Grande Nature Center and US Fish and Wildlife. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including The Best Places to See Wildlife, which appeared in the 2008 Albuquerque Almanac. She writes a blog, It’s a Bird Thing www.wingandsong.wordpress.com, which focuses on her birding experiences with a special emphasis on New Mexico.