The Lancaster County Bird Club (LCBC) will meet on Thursday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area's Visitor Center, 100 Museum Road, Stevens. Mercy Melo will present "Collaborations in Conservation: Working Together to Solve the American Kestrel Mystery."

Because migratory birds do not obey state and international borders, research projects that span large geographic areas are key to understanding bird populations and how to protect them. Melo will discuss the importance of teamwork in conservation studies using examples from her research on American kestrels.

Melo is a wildlife management supervisor with the Pennsylvania Game Commission with a background in raptor biology and ecology. She got her start in raptor research through her undergraduate work with American kestrels at Cedar Crest College and continued following this passion throughout her graduate career. She completed her doctorate at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, where she researched potential causes of the population decline in American kestrels, with the goal of developing management strategies for the species.

The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call 717-856-3851 or 717-725-2717.

The LCBC will also offer a field trip exploring Lancaster Conservancy's Ferncliff Preserve and nearby Bald Eagle Road in Drumore on Sunday, June 22, starting at 7 a.m. The trip is free and open to the public, but participants must register by 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, by contacting trip leader Ted Nichols at 717-856-3851 or tanicholsii@gmail.com.

For more information about the club, visit http://www.lancasterbirdclub.org, http://www.facebook.com/lancasterbirdclub, or http://www.instagram.com/lancasterbirdclub.