LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Redbud Audubon Chapter will hold its next meeting on Thursday, Jan. 19.

Refreshments will be offered at 7 p.m. with the program starting at 7:15 p.m. at the group's new meeting location at Lower Lake United Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St.

Biologist Ron LeValley will present a program about “Our Changing Ocean.”

All are welcome to attend this free program.

In the past few years we have seen incredible concentrations of anchovies and krill along our coast at the same time that starfish have been dying. Now the ocean is very warm and the humpback and blue whales are close to shore. What is going on?

Our ocean is warming, there is an increasing level of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water and sea level is rising. Of course there is increasing amounts of plastic in our ocean as well. These factors have far-reaching consequences to our marine animals and those of us living along the coast.

While not everything is predictable, there are certainly some trends that are obvious. One of the aspects of our local region is an eddy in the California Current that changes our annual ocean conditions.

LeValley will be discussing these trends and changes and how they are affecting our local climate and the local ocean.

Part of the presentation will be the changes we are observing in the local marine life, especially changes in distribution and seasonal trends. He also will be discussing some ideas of what we can expect from El Nino, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and other long-term trends in oceanography andwhat some of us can do to help the future of our local oceans.

LeValley was founder and senior biologist of Mad River Biologists, a biological consulting firm in Northwestern California.

Best known for the identification and distribution of birds along the Pacific Coast, he also has an extensive understanding of natural history subjects. A lifelong interest in marine birds and mammals was enhanced by his involvement with Point Reyes Bird Observatory beginning in 1966, including serving as a biologist at the Farallon Island research station.

He gathered a worldwide perspective on ecological issues when he founded and for 15 years directed Biological Journeys, a pioneering ecotourism company.

One of his outstanding attributes is sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with others. He is particularly adept at explaining complex biological principles in understandable terms. He is also a photographer specializing in photographs of wildlife of all kinds, from whales and birds to insects and natural scenes.