This Faculty Café features Dr. Sara Ashpole’s work on the Indigenous-led reintroduction of the Pygmy Short-horned Lizard to Syilx Okanagan Nation territory. Declared extirpated in Canada in 2021, the species represents both ecological loss and disrupted relationships with the land. The project, led by the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, integrates Indigenous knowledge and IUCN conservation frameworks to support long-term restoration, reconciliation, and ecological resilience.
Dr. Susan Willson will discuss the conservation of the rapidly declining Evening Grosbeak at the Faculty Café on February 26. As part of the Road to Recovery Working Group, she tracks migratory routes using nanotags to understand the threats driving this species’ dramatic population decline and inform long-term conservation strategies.
