Professor will speak about native plants and birds at SUNY Orange on Oct. 20

Middletown — Joel Baines, VMD, PhD., a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University, will speak on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in Orange Hall Gallery, on the SUNY Orange campus in Middletown. Baines will speak about “Native Plants for Native Birds.” He recently published a book of the same title and he will have copies on hand for signing. As a child growing up near Austin, Texas, Baines developed from a very early age an interest in gardening and how plants sustain the planet. He became particularly interested in birds and birding through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Spring Field Ornithology course in 2000. From then on, his interest in the two, birds and plants, has continued to expand. In addition, he has maintained an active research program in virology, publishing over 60 papers. Baines received his VMD from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. He also obtained postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago in the laboratory of Dr. Bernard Roizman studying the molecular virology of herpes simplex virus replication. This is the fourth in the “Our Natural Heritage Lecture Series,” which is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Attendees will also be able to view both Natural Heritage exhibits, one focusing on native trees and the other on native animals. This lecture is presented by SUNY Orange’s Cultural Affairs, Biology, and Sustainability Departments in cooperation with the Master Gardener Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more information call Cultural Affairs at 341-4891, e-mail cultural@sunyorange.edu or visit www.sunyorange.edu/culturalaffairs.