November Meeting
Date: November 5th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Michigan Nature Association Meeting Room, 2310 Science Parkway,Okemos, MI 48864
Title: “Winter is Coming” – How Animals Prepare for and Cope with Winter
Presenter: Leah Knapp
Description: “Winter is Coming” – how animals prepare for and cope with winter. Whether they leave, stay active, or sleep through the winter, animals have a variety of physical, physiological and behavioral strategies for getting ready for winter and surviving until the return of spring.
Bio: Dr. Leah Knapp is Professor of Biology at the University of Olivet, in her 37th year there. She earned her BS in animal science from Rutgers University, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University. After practicing small animal and exotic species medicine, she did post-doctoral coursework at MSU in ecology, ornithology and environmental toxicology. At Olivet, she teaches a range of ecology, environmental and medical classes including, ecosystem ecology, plant ecology, ornithology, winter ecology and environmental health. She has done bird census work for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Michigan Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, as well as surveying birds for the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlases 1 and 2. She also collected data for the Frog and Toad Survey through the MI Natural Features Inventory for its the 26 years and has participated in other bird counts and species surveys. Birds are her greatest passion and she has two spoiled rescue pet pigeons.
