Bay County Audubon Society’s Nature Connection 2024 Program features Safari Guide and Emperor Penguin Expert

Bay County Audubon Society will celebrate its “Nature Connection 2024” Program main event on April 6 at the Holley Center, FSU PC campus. Keynote speaker is safari guide and naturalist Tom Nkwazi, “Big Tom” as he is known in his native country of Botswana, Africa. He is a fully-licensed professional safari guide of more than 15 years. Also scheduled to present is Noah Strycker, who has extensively studied birds and lived with penguins, as his authorship of six books will attest. Both presenters will tell you their personal stories of what they are observing and learning about the current state of nature in our changing world. Big Tom currently guides in the northern part of Botswana, in the Okavango Delta, close to Chobe National Park (home to 100,000 plus elephants) and world-famous Victoria Falls in nearby Zimbabwe. A quick google search (replete with National Geographic videos) will reveal the magic of the Okavango Delta.

Big Tom brings a unique source of knowledge about Wild Africa, offering us a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to learn about the environmental issues facing the shrinking African natural habitat. The iconic image of Africa is perhaps best revealed by the fauna and flora of the Serengeti, host to elephants, lions, wildebeest, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, antelopes, acacia trees, and exotic birds, to name a few, a migration wonder of the natural world. His message will include discussion of issues with far-reaching consequences, such as: what is happening to the environment across Africa today? What are the threatened species – are rhinos near extinction? Are elephant populations under threat? Is vital habitat being lost? Is there time to fix these situations? How do these events relate to each of us?

We are indeed fortunate to have Noah Strycker back again to present after he headlined our “Nature Connection 2022” Program. At that event Noah delivered a standing-ovation presentation about his around-the-world birding odyssey in 2015 during which he visited 41 countries, all seven continents, identifying a record-setting 6,042 bird species. He hasn’t slowed down much since then, as you will discover at the Program. He has visited the Arctic and Antarctica numerous times, compiling a vast knowledge of these icy regions through these visits and scientific studies. 

This time, Noah will update us on his current area of intense nature focus, the status of the Emperor Penguin in Antarctica. See a few of his photos in the above linked article, “Tom’s Story” (& Noah’s Penguin Update). Recent reporting suggests Emperor Penguin populations are suffering serious nesting, thus survival, issues due to accelerating melting sea ice (their chicks only hatch on ice).

In addition to his presentation on Emperor Penguins at the upcoming April 6 event, Noah will again visit many of our local schools for an updated program about penguins and nature. Big Tom will be speaking at local high schools about the African story.

We are all indeed fortunate to have these two naturalists to be here with us to present a treasure trove of nature information about how things are going in the real world of nature. To participate, consider attending and donating through our tickets on sale.

Depending on the type of ticket (level of donation) purchased to attend the April 6 main event, there are several enhancements to the main Program presentations. Please see the Ticket Information after this article which provides those features and their times. These may include a “Meet and Greet” with our two speakers, a catered buffet, string quartet, the North Bay Haven High School Choralaires, and photo exhibits.

To buy or order tickets, or get more information (reserving a table, payment options, etc.) call Brian Dusseault at 850-832-7579, or email him at bdusseault@aol.com (please put Tickets in the subject line). You can also leave a message about tickets on this website at “CONTACT”.

Net proceeds mainly go to the Bay Education Foundation, which funds grants to public school/charter teachers who apply for nature-related classroom projects. Also, part of the proceeds will be directed to a community school where three of Big Tom’s children attend in his hometown of Kazungula, Botswana. Hope to see you on April 6! For more detailed information on the background of the two presenters and features photography while on African Safari and penguins in Antarctica. Click on the sidebar article entitled “Tom’s Story” (& Noah’s Penguin Update) following the “Schedule of Events” above top on the right.