Insects are declining in a global phenomenon happening even here in the Pacific Northwest. Merrill Peterson will discuss vivid examples of these declines, describe how they threaten our lives, and examine evidence that such declines underlie dwindling bird populations. He will also make the case that, as keen naturalists and community scientists, birders can make important contributions to monitoring the region’s insects, and that learning about our fascinating insect diversity can be immensely rewarding.

 Dr. Merrill A. Peterson is Professor and Chair of Biology and Insect Collection Curator at Western Washington University and the author of Pacific Northwest Insects (Seattle Audubon, 2018, 528 pp.). He is also an adjunct professor in the Entomology Department at Washington State University. A Seattle native, Peterson has been fascinated with the region’s insects since his childhood. He received his B.S. from the University of Washington and his Ph.D. from Cornell University. His research focuses on insect ecology, evolution, and diversity, and has resulted in numerous publications. Peterson has long been interested in macrophotography and his natural history photographs have been featured in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and many other places. Pacific Northwest Insects is the culmination of a decade-long labor of love in which he invested more than 10,000 hours.