Curious about the dragonfly population in our area?
On Tuesday, April 8, at 10 a.m., Dr. Janet Rith-Najarian will present “Dragonflies of Northern Minnesota” at Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation (CRI).
More than 38 species have been identified around Bemidji. Rith-Najarian’s talk will explain the life cycle and ecology of dragonflies and how to identify local species. As well, it will look at how dragonflies can be used as an “indicator species” to determine habitat quality and environmental impact.
“Certain sensitive dragonfly species have very specific habitat requirements, and may disappear from their usual habitats in response to environmental disturbances,” said Rith-Najarian.
Some of those disturbances include reduced oxygen content in the water, increased water pollution, changes in shoreline vegetation or nearby forest cover, as well as macro or micro climate change. The greatest diversity of dragonflies is found in protected areas such as Itasca State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park and undisturbed sites in the Mississippi Headwaters.
Rith-Najarian is a teacher-consultant with the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education, but also spent many years working with biological survey projects for the Mississippi Headwaters Board, Rivers Council of Minnesota and the DNR Non-Game Wildlife Program.
Her talk is part of the spring Tuesday morning lecture series sponsored by the Academy of Lifelong Learning and coordinated by the CRI. The lectures are free and open to the public at 3801 Bemidji Avenue. They continue until April 15.
ALL offers humanities-based programs that are made possible in part with private donations and BSU support. More information about ALL is available by contacting the Center for Research and Innovation at (218) 755-4900 or by visiting its website, www.cri-bsu.org.