PORT ANGELES — “When Goats Fly,” a short film about the relocation of non-native mountain goats from Olympic National Park to their native range in the Cascade Mountains, will be screened during the first presentation of the park’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series.
The 16-minute film directed by Eliza Goode, visual information specialist at the park, will make its Peninsula debut at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Raymond Carver Room at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
The film was selected for several regional film festivals and was screened most recently at the Friday Harbor Film Festival.
The film will be followed by a question-and-answer period with Patti Happe, Olympic National Park wildlife biologist.
The monthly speaker series is offered free of charge the second Tuesday of each month November through April at the Port Angeles Library.
Here is the schedule from December though April.
• Dec. 10 — “Saving the Dark.”
David Ingram, International Dark Sky Association, and Matt Jordan, have said that 80 percent of the world’s population lives under light polluted skies.
“What do we lose when we lose sight of the stars?” they ask.
“Saving the Dark” explores the need to preserve night skies and ways to combat light pollution.
• Jan. 14 — “Comparing Two Rain Forests.”
Syria Lejau was a park guide for more than 20 years in Gunung Mulu National Park in Borneo. She recently volunteered at the Hoh Rain Forest.
She will tell stories and present visuals about the contrasts between these tropical and temperate environments.
• Feb. 11 — “Wolves in Washington.”
Julia Smith, wolf coordinator with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, will discuss the return of wolves to the state.
Since 2008, Washington’s wolf population has grown by an average of 28 percent per year and has continued to increase for a 10th consecutive year with the highest count to date.
Smith will provide the history and background about wolves in Washington, discuss wolf biology and natural history, give information about Fish and Wildlife’s conservation and management of wolves, delve into resources for coexisting with wolves, and host a question-and-answer session.
• March 10 — “An Update on Glaciers.”
Bill Baccus, physical scientist of Olympic National Park, will discuss how scientists monitor changes in high alpine glaciers and the trends they are observing.
He will break down the science and what it means for the future of Olympic’s watersheds.
• April 14 — “A Big (3)Year(s) in Plants.”
Patrick Loafman, biological technician with Olympic National Park, will tell about some of the adventures of his three-year quest to photograph every plant found in Washington’s Coast Range.
He will discuss the challenges of creating a simple key to allow plant enthusiasts to more easily identify plants.
The series is sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park and the North Olympic Library System.
