See below for important information about where to park to avoid being ticketed or towed.
Please register via Mobilize if you are planning to attend in person. That will ensure that you get email and text reminders and let us know how many people to expect. Coming with a group? One person can register up to 5 people.
In Person: Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 PM | Announcements at 7:00 PM . See information below for our new parking lot assignment!.
Program will start at 7:15 PM sharp!
Zoom Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3ZtB89d
What we do at home affects what we do to the world.
Follow one man's journey chasing Purple Martins, one of America's favorite backyard birds halfway around the world and back.
Synopsis: After millions of years of evolution, treacherous migrations, and forming a unique relationship with humans, North America’s largest swallow species, the Purple Martin, has managed to become almost completely dependent on man-made nesting structures to nest & rear their young.
Captain Zach Steinhauser has taken it upon himself, after spending years guiding folks to North America’s largest Purple Martin roost, to chase these birds across their range to understand exactly how this species put themselves in this position and discover a lost culture of bird-loving enthusiasts across the Purple Martin’s range. Zach’s journey takes him across the western hemisphere from the Great Lakes to the Amazon Rainforest all the way to the Sonoran Desert making unexpected connections at every turn.
Captain Zach Steinhauser
Zach Steinhauser is a Lake Murray native who moved down to the Midlands from New Jersey when he was 13 years old. He took to nature at a young age and was always getting his hands on anything he could catch. Upon graduating from the University of Florida, Zach noticed a huge disconnect between professional knowledge and the general public and took it upon himself to become a naturalist and educate his community on local conservation issues. He began leading tours to Lake Murray’s Purple Martin Roost in 2017 as a way of educating lake-goers about what is actually happening at the roost and letting his guests know where these birds came from. Now he’s made it his mission to tell everyone where Purple Martins can be found where they come from & what we can do to keep them around.
Heather Allen has been enthralled with Purple Martins since she was a child. As soon as she laid eyes upon them, she had to be around them all the time. She has since become an avid Purple Martin landlord based North of Charleston SC, working with her community to appreciate her birds. Among her colony is a plethora of different Purple Martin houses that she uses and notices different behaviors among her birds. Some of her birds have returned year after year, and she has come to know them quite personally.
Locations featured in the film
Purple Martins in the Sonoran Desert nesting in natural cavities in Suguaro Cactuses.
IMPORTANT PARKING INFORMATION!
FSU has directed us to park in the Psychology Building’s parking lot east of the King Building. To access this lot, take Call Street east from Stadium drive, turn right on Psychology Way and go through the open gate to the parking lot east of the King Building. Go through either set of glass doors on the ground floor to the open foyer outside the meeting room. See map to parking lot below.
