Liza Lehrer, M.S.

Dec 2

Lincoln Park Zoo

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Liza is the Assistant Director at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute. Her research focuses on understanding the drivers that influence what and how wildlife species live in cities, toward creating cities as places where wildlife can thrive. Her interests include identifying collaborative solutions to reducing negative human-wildlife interactions and connecting people to the biodiversity that surrounds them. Liza earned a B.S. in Zoology from Washington University in St. Louis and completed a M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois.

Lincoln Park Zoo Experts: Liza Lehrer
Lincoln Park Zoo: Urban Wildlife Institute

Project Summary

BatTracker: Community-Driven Research to Monitor Bats and Connect Chicago Residents to Nature

Cities can be places where wildlife can thrive when they are designed with supportive habitat. The BatTracker program is a volunteer-led community science program that trains volunteers to contribute to conservation research by recording bat echolocation data in Chicago’s green spaces. Through this work, Liza will collaborate with partners to expand data collection and environmental education programs to more communities. Through paid summer field research experiences, local teens will identify what features of the landscape best support bats. This work will connect more people to urban nature and will provide science-based recommendations for creating bat-friendly habitat in Chicago’s green spaces.