2010 Speaker:
Kevin Hamed
Kevin Hamed has been leading field trips for the naturalist rally since 1997. At that time Kevin was the nature center manager at Steele Creek Park. He has a BS in Biology from Tennessee Technological University and an MS in Biology from East Tennessee State University. Kevin's graduate research was on the life history of the Tennessee Dace. For the last six years Kevin has been the associate professor of biology at Virginia Highlands Community College. Recent research topics include the effect of bottle trash on small mammal populations, use of artificial nesting structures by the brown creeper on Whitetop Mountain. For several years Hamed and his VHCC students have been studying salamander distributions in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Disease, climate change, habitat loss and invasive species are causing amphibians worldwide to suffer population declines. Hamed is continuing the research of Dr. James Organ, a biologist who tracked salamander populations on Whitetop in the 1950's through the 1990's. Organ, now retired, lives in the Konnarock area and has guided Hamed through much of the work he has done so far. This year, Kevin will be furthering his education at the University of Tennessee as he pursues his doctorate degree.
For the naturalist rally program on May 7, 2010, Kevin will discuss his ongoing research concerning the ecology of salamanders in the Southern Appalachians, which have the world's greatest biodiversity of these animals. The lecture will introduce the audience to these amazing creatures and the threats to their survival.