RECEPTION & SHOWCASE | DINNER | PRESENTATION
The Minnesota Zoo Foundation is taking a stand against invasive species at the Wildlife Conservation Benefit. Join us to learn more about this threat to wildlife In Minnesota and become part of the solution to this widespread problem.
You'll mix and mingle with industry experts, learn how the Zoo and its partners are deploying revolutionary strategies to combat invasive species, and come away inspired and hopeful for our state's future.
We hope you’ll join us on April 10 to join in the fight against invasive species in Minnesota. Event tickets and fundraising benefit the Minnesota Zoo Foundation and wildlife saving projects.
EMCEE
Sven Sundgaard
Sven Sundgaard has been a meteorologist for more than two decades, most of which has been spent broadcasting in the Twin Cities. He’s currently a meteorologist for Minnesota Public Radio, and digital news and information platform, Bring me the News.com. He also provides weather and climate content for Currently, Inc. a subscription based climate and weather service, and is a science advisor to the Minneapolis Foundation. He’s also a licensed realtor in Minnesota to top it off.
Sven received his degree in meteorology from St. Cloud State in 2003. His research in thermodynamics won several undergraduate research awards.
He is passionate about conservation, climate change and social justice issues. He's combined these topics with his travels around the world which include six of the seven continents. He has done climate & conservation reports all the way from the Arctic and Antarctic to the jungles of the Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef and the arid interior of Africa. He’s raised money on behalf of numerous LGBTQ+ organizations and conservation based initiatives.
EVENT SPEAKERS
Dr. Dale Gentry | Director of Conservation | Audubon Upper Mississippi River
Dr. Dale Gentry is the Director of Conservation for Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River regional office. Dale works to develop and implement Audubon’s conservation and science programs in the Mississippi River flyway, grasslands, and wetlands across Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. Before starting with Audubon in 2021, Dale spent 15 years in higher education as a professor at the Teton Science Schools in Grand Teton National Park and the University of Northwestern St. Paul studying avian community ecology and the keystone species concept in forests. Dale lives in Shoreview with his family and enjoys birdwatching, cooking, cycling, and Nordic skiing.
Dr. Tricia Markle | Wildlife Conservation Specialist — Turtles | Minnesota Zoo
Dr. Tricia Markle is a Conservation Research Scientist at the Minnesota Zoo where she leads the Zoo’s Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program. Her work includes boosting wild populations of threatened turtles through nest protection, headstarting, road mortality mitigation, and research into habitat needs.
Prior to her tenure at the Zoo, Dr. Markle studied the range limits and physiology of North American salamanders during her graduate work, including how specific species may be impacted by climate change. In addition, Dr. Markle has experience studying spotted owls, Fowler’s toads, and jumping slugs. She currently serves on the Minnesota Zoo’s Research Committee, the Midwest PARC (Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) board, is a representative for the American Turtles SAFE program, and is an active member of the Midwest Wood Turtle Working Group.
Ben Minerich, M.Sc. | Wildlife Conservation Specialist — Freshwater Mussels | Minnesota Zoo
Ben has worked at public aquariums rearing jellyfish, coral, and native mussels since 2009. In partnership with the Minnesota DNR, he has worked at the Minnesota Zoo to rear and restore native mussel populations in Minnesota since 2015. His research on zebra mussels at the University of Minnesota focuses on husbandry requirements to hold adult research animals and to rear larvae to facilitate study of new biogenetic control strategies being developed by the Gohl Lab at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.
Cale Nordmeyer, M.Sc. | Wildlife Conservation Specialist — Pollinators | Minnesota Zoo
Growing up chasing insects across Minnesota, Cale Nordmeyer has had a lifelong interest in studying and preserving the state’s rarest butterflies. Cale has a master's degree in Conservation Sciences and Entomology from the University of Minnesota. As a Conservation Specialist at the Minnesota Zoo, Cale has spent the last decade propagating two federally protected butterflies: the Poweshiek skipperling and Dakota skipper and studying reasons for their decline.
Dr. Nick Phelps | Director | Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) at the University of Minnesota
Dr. Nick Phelps is a Professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology and the Director of the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota. He studies emerging threats to aquatic systems at both the macro and microbial scales in the fields of fish health and aquatic invasive species. His highly interdisciplinary and collaborative research approach has provided him the opportunity to engage with amazing people and impactful projects across Minnesota and around the world. Nick's educational background also spans disciplines and systems, including a BS in Aquatic Biology, an MS in Aquaculture/Fisheries and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Erik Runquist | Wildlife Conservation Specialist — Pollinators | Minnesota Zoo
Dr. Erik Runquist has been chasing butterflies since childhood, and now leads the Pollinator Conservation Initiative at the Minnesota Zoo. Partnering with dozens of governments and other organizations in the US and Canada, he works to reduce the risk of extinction of two endangered prairie butterflies through foundational conservation rearing, breeding, and reintroduction efforts, wild population monitoring, habitat suitability studies, and public outreach. Erik also coordinates research for the endangered rusty patched bumble bee on the Minnesota Zoo campus. Erik holds degrees in Ecology from the University of Florida and the University of California, Davis.
