Published: Nov. 18, 2003

Professor Andrew Martin of the University of Colorado at Boulder will lecture Dec. 3 on strategies that saved two native species from the grip of extinction: the Devil's Hole pupfish and Colorado's greenback cutthroat trout.

"The Challenge of Native Fish Species Conservation: A Tail of Two Species" will begin at 7 p.m. in the Chautauqua Community House at 900 Baseline Road in Boulder. The talk is part of the 2003-04 Chancellor's Community Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.

The two fish stories will provide a glimpse of the intersection of biology and human interests that caused the species' near extinction and then recovery, Martin said. Both stories will illustrate the complexity of native species management in a world of conflicting interests and differing values.

Martin is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who specializes in using genetic analysis for conservation biology.

The talk is one of nine public lectures presented by CU-Boulder faculty in 2003-04 on the theme of "Healing the West." The series is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Chancellor's Office, the CU-Boulder Center of the American West and the Colorado Chautauqua Association.

The series will continue through May on the first Wednesday of every month, except for the lectures on Jan. 14 and Feb. 18. For more information call the CU-Boulder Office of Community Affairs at (303) 492-7084.