SITKA, Alaska, Feb. 26, 2013 – Impacts on deer and deer hunting will be the topic of the next presentation in the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Sitka Campus’ Natural History Seminar Series. The seminar takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, in UAS Sitka Campus Room 229.

This month’s guest speaker is Todd Brinkman, PhD, who is a research assistant professor in the SNAP (Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Dr. Brinkman’s talk is titled “Integrating the Social, Ecological and Genetic Dimensions of Sitka Black-Tailed Deer and Deer Hunting in Southeast Alaska.” The presentation is free and open to the community.

“I tell a story about how deer and deer hunters have responded to 60 years of landscape change in Southeast Alaska,” Dr. Brinkman said. “I explore this topic through an investigation of the interactions among social, ecological and genetic dimensions of a deer hunting system. Although I discovered the trajectory of change might not be positive, the improved understanding of potential causes and consequences of change place hunters, wildlife biologists and land managers in a better position to strategize how to adapt.”

The UAS Natural History Seminar Series hosts several seminars during the school year on a variety of topics, including Southeast Alaska flora and fauna, glaciers, volcanos, and impacts of climate change in the region. The series is supported by a grant from the Sitka Permanent Charitable Trust to the Sitka Sound Science Center, the University of Alaska Southeast and the Sitka Conservation Society.

For more information on the seminar, contact Kitty LaBounty at 747-9432 or kitty.labounty@uas.alaska.edu. To learn about UAS Sitka Campus course offerings and to register for classes, call 747-7700 or go online atwww.uas.alaska.edu/sitka.