Free illustrated lecture with Ken Doud

This event occurred on Thursday, May 11, 2023
Co-sponsored by Solvang Library
Solvang Library, 1745 Mission Drive

This in-person talk was live-streamed via Zoom. To access the Zoom lecture, please follow this link: Figueroa Mountain Game Preserve.

As recently as 10,000 years ago, in what is known as the Late Pleistocene period, prehistoric elephants, lions, saber-toothed cats, and many other large beasts were part of the now-vanished megafauna in California. Ken Doud will reprise his popular 2009 presentation to reimagine a scenario where these creatures did not become extinct, but instead could be viewed at a local game preserve on Figueroa Mountain. Doud’s photo simulations use state-of-the-art digital technology to depict accurate restorations of the extinct animals based on Rancho La Brea Tar Pit fossils.

The imaginary “Figueroa Mountain Game Preserve” is modeled after the warm-temperate game preserve Hluhluwe-Imfolozi in South Africa, which boasts a full complement of large mammals and associated fauna. The Late Pleistocene megafauna did not disappear in Africa and has survived into recent times. We can compare the two ecosystems and speculate whether megafauna could fit ecologically in present-day California. We will also examine some possible reasons why these animals became extinct.

Local resident Ken Doud holds an MFA from UCSB. He uses computer technology to create special effects and photo simulations for land-use planners, scientific publications, and architects.  All of the photos and computer-generated images used in the presentation are original.