RECORD STAFF

Wetlands and what makes them critical to bird habitat is the public program of the Whidbey Audubon Society on Thursday, May 9.

Dyanne Sheldon presents an overview of the types of wetlands on Whidbey Island, what factors make different wetlands unique and what that means relative to the habitat functions they provide.

She’ll also look at some historic wetland conditions and what state those wetlands are in today.

This program is free and open to the public to learn a bit more about one of the most rewarding birding habitats on Whidbey.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. with refreshments, followed by a brief business meeting and the program starts at 7:30 p.m.

It is in the Coupeville Recreation Hall on the corner of Alexander and Coveland streets.

Sheldon is a semi-retired restoration ecologist who has been working on Whidbey since the early 1990s. She was the first wetland planner for King County and then ran her own environmental consulting firm specializing in aquatic resources, land-management planning, and wetland issues for 16 years.

After merging with a larger planning firm she continued to work on a wide range of environmental and permitting issues.

She teaches through the University of Washington for the professional certificate in Wetland Science and Management.

She has a bachelor’s of science in botany from the University of Minnesota and a master’s in education from Arizona State University. She has lived on Whidbey since 2002.