Armand Bayou Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage · Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter...

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Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage MARCH 2014 VOLUME 33, ISSUE 3 MARCH 1 Stewardship Saturday 13 Volunteer Board meet- ing, 5:30 pm 13 Volunteer Meeting, 6:30 pm, auditorium 14 Prairie Friday 15 Stewardship Saturday 16 Sundays In Nature, 1-3 pm 20 Bayou Foliage deadline 21 Prairie Friday 22 New Volunteer Orienta- tion 28 Prairie Friday When you are finished with this publication please recycle it. Thanks! Down at the Bayou by Madeleine K. Barnes VOLUNTEER MEETING March 13, 2014 6:30 refreshments 7:00 program 8:00 business meeting On the trail again this month, I am exploring the reasons for volunteering. I have the opportunity to meet and work with many volunteers from a variety of backgrounds. Both of the volunteers I contacted are serving on the volunteer board this year and were gracious in sharing their insights. One of these is Karen Sutera, who heads up the guided trail hikes on weekends, which include the owl prowls and firefly hikes too. She has been volunteering for several years at ABNC while working full time. Like many of us, she spent much of her childhood outside (in Michigan), enjoying nature and activities that included hiking and camping. As an adult, her focus moved to a growing family and career. Then one day while driving on Bay Area Blvd., she saw the sign for ABNC and felt she was missing activities she had enjoyed before, like hiking in the woods. So she signed up to volunteer and finds that by the act of hiking and sharing her love of nature with others, her “spirit is renewed and re- freshed.” She is an enthusiastic volunteer naturalist and this attitude is worth catch- ing and sharing. I also spoke with another long time volunteer, Polly Swerdlin. Polly personifies the meaning of “volunteer” by being willing to take on roles and responsibilities whenever the need arises. She is currently coordinating weekend greeters for the guest admissions area and natural history/cultural history (farmhouse) inter- preters. In addition, she is working on a special project each week to scan all of the photos/slides in the archives onto a hard drive for accessibility. She has said that even if you are tired or somewhat stressed by other issues, they seem to fall to the side once you get out in nature and see something that you find interesting or amazing. She is a pleasure to work with due to her attitude of making the work fun, and is a dedicated volunteer supporter who loves sharing cultural history with others. Why do you volunteer? What would you tell others if you were asked? I would like to share your perspective with others and would appreciate hearing from you. Each of us has something to contribute as well as what we receive in return. What have you seen lately at ABNC that you thought was amazing or special?

Transcript of Armand Bayou Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage · Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter...

Page 1: Armand Bayou Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage · Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 MARCH 1 Stewardship

Armand Bayou

Nature Center

Volunteer Newsletter

Bayou Foliage M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3

MARCH

1 Stewardship Saturday

13 Volunteer Board meet-

ing, 5:30 pm

13 Volunteer Meeting, 6:30

pm, auditorium

14 Prairie Friday

15 Stewardship Saturday

16 Sundays In Nature,

1-3 pm

20 Bayou Foliage deadline

21 Prairie Friday

22 New Volunteer Orienta-

tion

28 Prairie Friday

When you are finished

with this publication

please recycle it. Thanks!

Down at the Bayou by Madeleine K. Barnes

VOLUNTEER MEETING March 13, 2014

6:30 refreshments

7:00 program

8:00 business meeting

On the trail again this month, I am exploring the reasons for volunteering. I have the

opportunity to meet and work with many volunteers from a variety of backgrounds.

Both of the volunteers I contacted are serving on the volunteer board this year and

were gracious in sharing their insights. One of these is Karen Sutera, who heads up

the guided trail hikes on weekends, which include the owl prowls and firefly hikes

too. She has been volunteering for several years at ABNC while working full time.

Like many of us, she spent much of her childhood outside (in Michigan), enjoying

nature and activities that included hiking and camping. As an adult, her focus moved

to a growing family and career. Then one day while driving on Bay Area Blvd., she

saw the sign for ABNC and felt she was missing activities she had enjoyed before,

like hiking in the woods. So she signed up to volunteer and finds that by the act of

hiking and sharing her love of nature with others, her “spirit is renewed and re-

freshed.” She is an enthusiastic volunteer naturalist and this attitude is worth catch-

ing and sharing.

I also spoke with another long time volunteer, Polly Swerdlin. Polly personifies

the meaning of “volunteer” by being willing to take on roles and responsibilities

whenever the need arises. She is currently coordinating weekend greeters for

the guest admissions area and natural history/cultural history (farmhouse) inter-

preters. In addition, she is working on a special project each week to scan all of

the photos/slides in the archives onto a hard drive for accessibility. She has said

that even if you are tired or somewhat stressed by other issues, they seem to fall

to the side once you get out in nature and see something that you find interesting

or amazing. She is a pleasure to work with due to her attitude of making the work

fun, and is a dedicated volunteer supporter who loves sharing cultural history

with others.

Why do you volunteer? What would you tell others if you were asked? I would

like to share your perspective with others and would appreciate hearing from

you. Each of us has something to contribute as well as what we receive in return.

What have you seen lately at ABNC that you thought was amazing or special?

Page 2: Armand Bayou Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage · Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 MARCH 1 Stewardship

From the Chair

Barbara Baxter Ext 18

Kathy Gardner Ext 13

Eloise Harper

Dave Kovach Ext 16

Tom Kartrude Ext 11

Mark Kramer Ext 15

Jessica Collier Ext 17

Jennifer Logsdon Ext 10

Heather Millar Ext 14

Susan Millsap Ext 10

Janice Schrager Ext 12

P A G E 2

Armand Bayou

Nature Center

Volunteer

Board

2013

Chair Liz VanOrstrand 281-480-8296 [email protected]

Vice-chair Joe Bryan 409-933-4087 [email protected]

Secretary Sam Dinsmore 281-461-6270 [email protected]

Treasurer Eleanor Stanley 713-455-1502 no email

Administrative Gaye Batiz 713-518-5759 [email protected]

Weekend demos Polly Swerdlin 281-814-4606 [email protected]

Weekend trails Karen Sutera 281-474-5087 [email protected]

Greeters/Interpreters Polly Swerdlin 281-814-4606 [email protected]

Weekday Education Madeleine Barnes 281-474-9406 [email protected]

Outreach Susan Millsap 281-538-6695 [email protected]

Facilities Jim Frantz 281-470-0946 [email protected]

Stewardship Ed Craven 917-921-8290 [email protected]

Webmaster Shawn Gano 832-314-1608 [email protected]

Bayou Foliage editor Mary Alice Trumble 281-435-5788 [email protected]

Staff

Roster

B A Y O U F O L I A G E

Email addresses are ‘firstname’@abnc.org. Example: [email protected]

I am starting to feel like maybe winter is about

over here on the Texas Gulf Coast. There is pol-

len all over everything and bits of green on

many of the plants. It would be nice if we could

get some rain, we really do not want another

drought year. With spring right around the cor-

ner, it is time to start looking at what we want

to explore this year.

“To be an explorer is to set off toward a goal we

cannot name on a path we do not know. It re-

quires that we be willing to find what we least

expect – and to make a life out of it whatever it

is. It is out of explorers like these that the

planet got a New World. And so may we.” That

is my favorite quite this month from The Monas-

tic Way.

Armand Bayou Nature Center is full of explor-

ers. Each and every staff member, volunteer

and all our visitors are explorers. Maybe you

have been out here for years and it does not

seem like an adventure any more. On the other

hand, if you have been here for years then

maybe you can rediscover the awe and wonder

by helping those of us who are newly exploring

this wonderful oasis.

There will be a New Volunteer Orientation on

March 22 and April 5. This training will focus on

Natural History Interpretation. Is there someone

you work with, go to school with, or even live

with that would be interested in exploring the

many aspects of volunteering at ABNC? If so,

please have them contact the office for addi-

tional information.

In the past, ABNC had continuing education

training for our volunteers. Our volunteer meet-

ings have had some excellent speakers and I

myself am looking forward to hearing Dr. Paul

Nester on the crazy ant issue. But, the one hour

of lecture just isn’t enough for the explorer in

me. I think it is time to invest more time in con-

tinuing education for our volunteers. Each and

(Continued on page 6)

Liz VanOrstrand

Volunteer Chair

2014

Page 3: Armand Bayou Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage · Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 MARCH 1 Stewardship

VOLUNTEER MEETING PROGRAM Crazy Ants Invade the Houston Area

Thursday, March 13, 2014

7:00—8:00 pm

Don’t forget to count this

program as continuing

education.

...Joe Bryan

Vice-Chair

Dr. Paul Nester of Texas AgriLife presents

“Tawny Crazy or Rasberry Crazy Ants in the Houston area”

Learn how to identify these invasive, destructive ants and what can

be done to protect your home and property from them.

More information to follow on volunteer website.

ABNC Volunteer Meeting Minutes March 14, 2013

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3

A half hour of social time was enjoyed by all from 6:30 until

7:00. Joe Bryan, Volunteer Vice Chairman, then introduced

the speaker for the evening, John Thornton with his talk on

butterflies. Originally from Rhode Island, John has been inter-

ested in butterflies since the late 70’s. He has a large collec-

tion and presented a wonderful video presentation of photos

he has taken in various parts of the world. Planting a butterfly

garden in his tiny subdivision plot in 2004 resulted in 35 but-

terfly species being sighted plus providing him the opportunity

to raise a number of species through their life cycle. He gave

tips on the type of plants needed in our gardens in order to

attract butterflies. John is also a volunteer at ABNC.

After the program, Chair Liz VanOrstrand opened the monthly

meeting. She reported that a committee had met to prioritize

the “wish list” that had been presented to the Vol. board for

purchase. The list was shared with the members and after

everyone had a chance to review it, the motion was made and

seconded to buy the items listed. Motion carried. Total cost

$2,317.00.

Polly Swerdlin gave a report on the Frank C. Smith Library

Project Progress. Duplicate books have been taken to the

Evelyn Meador Library Friends Bookshop in Seabrook. The

books on the shelves are in Dewey Decimal order. Some of

the books are delicate and should only be read in the library,

not loaned out. Work is still in progress re-sorting slides that

have been scanned. Once done, staff and volunteers should

have access to them. Work is also being done to sort the his-

torically rich resources from the map cabinet that was in the

auditorium and now in the library. Kudos to all the volunteers

who have spent numerous hours on these projects. Polly also

mentioned that a group of volunteers, under the direction of

Julia Knutson are making and collecting a large assortment of

costumes to be available for use by interpreters.

(Continued on page 6)

Treasurer’s Report December 2013

Beginning Balance $4418.66

Expenditures: Postage 45.70

Website 140.00

Total Expenditures $185.70

Total Income -0-

Current Balance $4222.96

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P A G E 4

B A Y O U F O L I A G E

This page was intentionally left blank. It is reserved for volunteers

and staff to share news, natural history articles or photos of Armand

Bayou Nature Center. Consider this a challenge to share your talents.

Contributions will be used depending on space available.

Email to the editor at [email protected].

Bayou Foliage deadline: 3rd Thursday of each month.

Page 5: Armand Bayou Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage · Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 MARCH 1 Stewardship

P A G E 5

ABNC Volunteer Duty Roster—March

DATE

10:00 Trails

Karen Sutera

281-474-5087

2:00 Trails

Karen Sutera

281-474-52-087

Greeters

Polly Swerdlin

281-814-4606

Farm

Interpretation

Polly Swerdlin

281-814-4606

Natural History

Demos

Polly Swerdlin

281-814-4606

Farm Demos

Polly Swerdlin

281-814-4606

3/1 Madeleine

Barnes Randy Olsen OPEN Jane Bingel

Madeleine Bar-

nes

Vultures

Susan Hesley

Yarn Dolls

3/2 Karen Sutera Ken Russell

OPEN

Eleanor Stanley

Reptiles

Kathy Stocker

Crochet

3/8 Leda Parker OPEN Ed Adams OPEN OPEN

Jane Bingel TBA

HABA Blacksmiths

3/9

Liz

VanOrstrand OPEN Jill Macomber

John Thorton

Butterflies

Nancy Saint

Yarn Dolls

3/15 Polly Swerdlin OPEN Paul Brunkow Joan Brunkow OPEN

Polly Swerdlin

Stereoscope

3/16

Sundays

in

Nature Karen Sutera Stan Krauhs Polly Swerdlin

Odie & Marie

Asscherick

Bats/Butterflies

Hilary Gibbs Garden

Tom Scarsella Woodshop

3/22 Gaye Batiz Karen Sutera Polly Swerdlin OPEN

Jane Bingel

Birds

Julia Knutson Fabric

Ray Parker Rope Making

3/23 Randy Olsen Joe Bryan

Eleanor Stanley

John Thornton

Butterflies

Julia Knutson Fabric

Tom Scarsella Blacksmith

3/29 Dave Bolon

Madeleine Bar-

nes Ed Adams

OPEN

Zel Arbuckle Pond Life

Julia Knutson Fabric

3/30

Marie

Asscherick Judy Culligan

Dottie Evans

Odie Asscherick

Bats Madeleine Barnes

Bison

Lana Sims Herbs

If you have to cancel, please do your best to find your own replacement. If

you cannot, please notify your coordinator AND the front desk. If you can

cover for any open slots, please call the coordinator for that event. When

you arrive at ABNC for your duty, please check in at the front desk.

V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3

If you can cover for any open slots, please call the coordinator for that event.

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P.O. Box 58828

8500 Bay Area Boulevard

Houston, TX 77258

Phone: 281-474-2551

Web: www.abnc.org

We’re on the Web!

www.abncvols.org

every one of us can always learn more and the more we learn

the better volunteers we become. Gaye Batiz is already work-

ing on a new birding class. Is there a program you would like

to share with other volunteers? Is there something you would

like to explore in greater depth? I would love your feedback on

this topic, so please feel free to contact me at lizvanor-

[email protected].

Liz VanOrstrand Volunteer Chairperson

****************************************

Do you have an idea for a

float to be built on the

nature center’s flatbed

truck for the Pasadena

Strawberry Festival in

May? If so, or if you’d like

to help build a float to

commemorate ABNC’s

40th anniversary, please

notify Liz VanOrstrand.

(Continued from page 2)

Liz read a report from Tom Scarsella on the progress being

made to clear the non-native vegetation in the vicinity of the

bird blind. Now is a good time before our biting insects get

active to get the work done. Since this area is one of the first

to be viewed by the public, it will be nice to have a high-quality

habitat along the boardwalk that will be attractive to birds and

butterflies. Andrew Hamlett donated three Mulberry trees

which have been planted. (Hooray for Andrew!) It was also

mentioned that bird seed is always needed should anyone like

to contribute.

There being no more business the meeting was adjourned.

The next volunteer meeting will be March 13.

Sam Dinsmore

Secretary

****************************************

Reminder: Volunteers are asked not

to use the woodshop and the tools

without supervision of a volunteer fa-

miliar with them. Thanks.

(Continued from page 3)