Mar-April 2008 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

8/8/2019 Mar-April 2008 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

1/9

Membership MeetingSunday April 6, 2008

Haiku Workshop1:30 pm 3 pm

Pearsall Building2109 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen

The

Sandpiper

March/April 2008

GHAS launches new look to website www.ghas.org

Grays HarborAudubon Societyhas created a bold

look and invitesyou to nd out the

many ways thatGHAS serves our

chapters needs.

13th Annual ShorebirdFestival May 2 - 4, 2008We are fortunate to have Julia K.

Parrish, Professor of Aquatic andFishery Sciences at the Universi-ty of Washington as our keynotespeaker Friday evening 7:30 pmMay 2nd at the Central Elemen-tary School. A dessert reception preceeds the lecture at 7:00 pm.Prof. Parrish will present a talkentitled Listening to the Birds:Seabird Ecology and Conserva-

tion in the Pacic Northwest.Each year Grays Harbor and itsfriends celebrate the return of thetens of thousands of shorebirdsthat visit the shores of the GraysHarbor estuary. This is a greattime to enjoy eld trips, lectures,a nature fun fair, banquet and auc-tion, birders bazaar, poster con-test, and world class shorebirdviewing. Visit http:/shorebird-festival.com for more informationor call GHAS (800) 303-8498

Dont miss out

Field Trip to South HoodCanal

by Tim OBrien On Saturday, February 16, 2008I led a Grays Harbor Auduboneld trip to the southern portionof Hood Canal. Four chaptermembers including myself and 4guests attended the trip. We cov-ered areas including the lower

Skokomish River valley, PotlatchState Park, Hoodsport, Lilliwaup,Union, Twanoah State Park, and

a brief side trip to the Lake Cush-man area. We ended with 60 spe-cies for the day and enjoyed someclose looks at a lot of differentbirds and a few unexpected birds.Heres the recap by location: George Adams Fish Hatchery(intersection of Highway 101 andSkokomish Valley Road):American Dipper- 1 located by thesmall bridge that crosses SkokomishValley Rd. This bird allowed greatclose views and even was singing as

it hid under the bridge at times. Lower Skokomish River val-ley (in and around the HuntersFarms):Trumpeter Swans - 8 seen ying towest up the valley)Mew Gull- most abundant gull spe-ciesHerring Gull, Thayers Gull American Kestrel-1 perched on asnag

Bald Eagle - they seemed to be ev-erywhere Eells Creek Trout Hatchery:

American Dipper- 1 seen in a smallstream just before the hatchery en-tranceGreen Heron - 1 ushed out of thecreek at the hatchery, it called twicewhile ying Potlatch State Park, Saltwa-ter Park(Tacoma Power park):Awesome close views of severalwater bird species at both parks:

American Wigeon, MallardGreater ScaupHarlequin Duck - 2 males

Surf Scoter, White-winged ScoterBufehead, Common GoldeneyeBarrows GoldeneyeRed-breasted MerganserCommon Loon, Horned GrebeRed-necked GrebeWestern Grebe - large raft seen clos-er to Skokomish River estuary

Continued on page 3


2/9

The Presidents Perch

By Arnie Martin

If you havent been to theGrays Harbor Audubon Soci-ety website lately (http://www.ghas.org), you wont recognizeit. Thanks to the work done byTroy Shelby (http://www.troy-shelby.com) theres a bold newlook there. Troys new graph-ics with RD Grunbaums check-ing that all the links functionmake the new site a pleasure tobrowse. An added advantage isthat Dean Schwickerath wont

have to modify the website us-ing 20 year old DOS-basedtechnology anymore. Thanksto all who helped with the newdesign.

Janet Strong and I attended ameeting on February 28th atNisqually NWR about the GraysHarbor Taskforce for eradica-tion of Spartina in Grays Har-bor. The Taskforce is composedof personnel from the US Fishand Wildlife, Washington State

Department of Agriculture, andthe Washington Dept of Fish andWildlife. They ran an extensiveprogram in 2007 to identify andtreat (mostly by spraying duringcarefully monitored and timedtidal states) Spartina-infestedlocations. They surveyed fromairboats, aerial surveys, and onfoot; they found it necessary totreat 2.51 infested acres of theentire 32,000 acres that weresurveyed.The eradication program is con-

tinuing for 2008, and we needto keep our legislators (Sena-tors Cantwell and Murray, andCongressman Dicks) informedof the requirement to renew thefunding for the program. The program needs to verify thatthe treatment did kill the plants,and additional treatment will be

page 2

needed to eliminate any plantsthat re-grow from last yearsseed production and from plantsthat were too small to identifylast year.

The DopplerRoundtable

by Linda OrgelOver 50 people crowded into a

meeting room at the Grays Har-bor College Library on Thursday,March 6 to discuss the futureof a coastal Doppler Radar sta-tion. Senator Maria Cantwellhad called for the roundtable togather information and feedbackfrom academic atmosphericscientists, members of the Na-tional Weather Service, countyand city rst responders, localelected ofcials, members of theshing and crabbing industries,and interested citizens. Sena-tor Cantwell joined the discus-sion via telephone. Staffs fromRepresentatives Baird, Dicksand Inslee and from SenatorsCantwell and Murray were alsoin attendance.

The National Weather Servicehas several Doppler radar sitesin the state, but the current lo-cations cant reach through theOlympic Mountains, leavingwhat atmospheric scientists calla black hole from the Straitof Juan de Fuca to the Oregoncoast. Scientists, shermen andcommunity activists have been proposing a new radar station

be built along the coast for yearsand are hoping the Northwestcongressional delegation can ob-tain the funding from the NOAAbudget this year.

Brad Colman, from NOAAsNational Weather Service (NWS)Seattle Ofce began the presen-

tations. Mr. Colman reviewedthe various methods used toforecast weather and the historyof weather prediction along thecoast. He believes the NWS gavethe coastal communities adequatewarning for the December stormand that theyve done a good jobin coastal forecasting.Professor Cliff Mass, from Uni-

versity of Washingtons Depart-ment of Atmospheric Sciencespresented a different pictureof coastal weather prediction.Prof. Mass has been working toget Doppler radar on the coastfor over 10 years. He believesa Doppler in place somewherebetween Westport and PacificBeach would allow for more ac-curate forecasting. It works likea CAT scan allowing forecast-ers to see inside the storm. In2001, a trial station was placedin Westport, which transmitted

valuable information to NWS.Prof. Mass stated that the PacicNorthwest has some of most se-vere storms in the country yet ithas the worst coastal weatherradar coverage in the continentalUnited States

Dale Beasly, President of theColumbia River Crab Fisher-mens Association spoke pas-sionately about the dangers to theshing industry without properweather information. He told the

audience that there have been 17fatalities off the coast in recentyears, which is 50% higher thanthe fatality rate in the Bering Sea.He also stressed the need formore buoys, stating that most areeither non-functioning or havebeen washed away.

continued on page 3


3/9

Hood Canal Trip continuedfrom page 1

Hoodsport:Western Gull - at least 2 on thedockDunlin - a ock of 150 ying near

the shoreMerlin - 1 that grabbed one of theDunlinLilliwaup: the tide was in hereso not many new birds seenLake Cushman: (we only madeone stop near the dam overlookdue other roads being closed bysnow)Ring-necked Duck- 1 female seenjust before the dam overlookPine Siskin - small ock of 6 seenjust before the dam overlook

Union: (the actual stop wasbefore Union where we lookedinto the Skokomish estuary)Canada GooseChinese x Greylag Goose hybrid- 1 possible domestic bird hadthe body coloration of a ChineseGoose with the dark stripe goingup the back of its neck to the top ofits head, however it showed whiteat the base of its bill and the billwas orange, orange legs as well Northern Pintail- good numberspresent hereTwanoah State Park:Red-throated Loons - 2 spottedDunlin 25 counted

Good birding!

page 3

With April Haikuthe membership meetspoetically

Haiku is a form of poetry thatis perfect for birders and natu-ralists since it requires patience,quiet and spending a lot of timeoutdoors. In this workshop, par-ticipants will learn how to follow

the simple haiku form, gain un-derstanding about the essentialnature of a haiku poem, and trytheir hand at writing a haiku.

Workshop presenter Jan Mc-Millan, past president of GraysHarbor Audubon, has beenwriting haiku since 1998 andhas also published a chapbook,Night Gift, of her other poetry.Jan will read several of her po-ems and those written by the

master poets like Basho, Busonand Issa as well as other modernhaiku poets.

The meeting will be on April6th at 1:30 - 3:00 pm at thePearsall Building, 2109 SumnerStreet in Aberdeen.

GHAS Mission

The mission of the GraysHarbor Audubon Society isto seek a sustainable balancebetween human activity andthe needs of the environ-ment; and to promote enjoy-ment of birds and the naturalworld

Olympic BirdFest 2008SequimApril 4-6, 2008 Visit the rain shadow of theOlympic Peninsula to discover

the birds of the coastal Pacic NorthwestMarbled Murre-lets, Rhinoceros Auklets, Har-lequin Ducks, dippers, BlackOystercatchers, Long-tailedDucks, and more. Guided eldtrips, a boat cruise in the Straitof Juan de Fuca, silent auction,and a salmon banquet withour partner, the JamestownSKlallam Tribe.

New this year: A three-day,two-night birding cruise of the

San Juan Islands, April 6-8,2008, immediately followingBirdFest. The festival with themost spectacular setting! Con-tact: Dungeness River AudubonCenter, P.O. Box 2450, Sequim,WA 98382; 360-681-4076;email: [email protected] ; or go online at www.olympicbirdfest.org .

Roundtable continued frompage 2

In January 2007 FOGH (Friendsof Grays Harbor) joined Prof.Mass in ling a budget requestto Senator Cantwells ofce to

fund the Doppler radar station inor near Westport. Grays HarborAudubon Society wrote a letterof support for the funding. Thecost of a Doppler could be from$4 million to $9 million. Sena-tor Cantwell is hoping to includefunding in this budget cyclewhen NOAA testies before theSenate Commerce Committeein March. As many in the audi-ence commented, that is not verymuch money for something that

could save coastal communitiesmillions of dollars in storm dam-age and loss of lives if we are notadequately warned of the sever-ity of approaching storms.


4/9

page 4

Join us for SpringACOW

For Spring ACOW 2008, to be held April 11th throughApril 13th, Audubon Washing-ton has chosen the SleepingLady Mountain retreat, locatedin the foothills of the Cascademountain range outside Leaven-

worth, Washington. The Sleep-ing Lady creates an atmospherethat blends seamlessly with na-ture and the surrounding naturallandscape, and provides an en-vironment that fosters creativeinteraction. This all inclusiveretreat is also a leader in envi-ronmentally conscious industry;with conservation a primaryconcern from its constructionthrough daily operations.

Friday evening will kick offwith a reception and art show,including Wildlife Biologist andnature artist Heather A. Wal-lis Murphy, photographer TeriPieper, a book display by ABook for All Seasons and booksigning by Brian Bell authorof Birds of Washington State.Friday evening we will alsohave our rst guest speaker, Dr.Nalini M. Nadkarni, a professorat Evergreen State College and

at the forefront of canopy stud-ies. Dr. Nadkarni has made aname for herself as the Queenof the Forest Canopy throughnumerous scientic articles anddocumentary appearances, aswell as two books. Dr. Nadkarnihas also become well known forpromoting the conversation be-tween the scientic communityand the general public.

Saturday will be dedicated toworkshops and breakouts onadvocacy, leadership/board de-velopment, and fundraising.Saturday evening will usher inour keynote speaker, Dr. TerryL. Root. Dr. Root is a Senior

Fellow and University facultyat the Woods Institute for theEnvironment and Professor bycourtesy in Biological Sciencesat Stanford University. Dr. Roothas worked extensively in theresearch of climate change. Dr.Root has won several honors,most recently, lead authorshipof the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change, which wasco-recipient of the 2007 NobelPeace Prize.

Sunday will be dedicated toeld trips, conveniently leavingfrom Sleeping Lady. These tripswill include a Chelan-DouglassLand Trust trip, as well BarnBeach Reserve and BlackbirdIsland trip and trip to RockyReach Dam and Visitor Center.

For more information onSpring ACOW 2008, visit theAudubon Washington websiteat wa.audubon.org where online

registration is expected to beavailable by Wednesday, Febru-ary 13th.

Are you interested in re-ceiving The Sandpiper on-line? Send us your emailaddress and we can forwardthe latest issue the momentit is ready to publish or visithttp://ghas.org to view thenewsletter as a color pdfle.

Photo WDFW

You can help endangeredbirds Do you wonder what you cando for endangered birds in yourown part of Washington State?Here is a perfect opportunity foryou to help two species of suchbirds: Western Snowy Ploverand Streaked Horned Lark.

Our Washington Department ofFish and Wildlife and Depart-ment of Parks and Recreationare restoring habitat in the dunesof Leadbetter Point State Park tohelp the plovers and larks. Forone season, in 2007, the agencywith help from Willapa Hills andGrays Harbor Auduboners andother bird-loving volunteers,has collected baseline data andbegun improving the conditions

for the birds.In 2008, from April throughOctober, there will be opportuni-ties to assist with surveying andmonitoring of vegetation, and ifwe are lucky, of birds. No priorexperience is needed to monitorthe vegetation; training will be provided. To survey for birdsrequires some expertise. Sometraining is possible.A small grant makes it possible

for us to pay for mileage driven

by volunteers to the site. Therewill be a training session onMonday, March 24th, in SouthBend.

If you are interested in helpingwith this project, please contact:Ann Musch, Naselle, Washing-ton 360-484-7119 [email protected]


5/9page 5

Grays Harbor ChristmasBird Count 2007

By Tim OBrien The Grays Harbor ChristmasBird Count (CBC) for 2007was held on Saturday, Decem-

ber 29th. This was the rst yearwithout Bob Morse as the com-piler for the count. We want tothank Bob for his many years ofcoordinating this count. TimOBrien of Elma and DiannaMoore of Ocean Shores tookover as the new co-compilersthis year. The count had over20 participants from all acrosswestern Washington that tookto the eld for a full day ofcounting birds in specic ar-

eas inside the 15 mile diametercount circle. The weather forthe day started out nice with adry, but chilly morning whichthen turned over to rain show-ers starting around 11am.The day was busy with lots of

bird activity. At the post counttally dinner at the AberdeenPizza Hut, the counters con-verged to share stories of theday and to listen to what every-

one else found in their areas.The preliminary total numberof species seen during the countis currently at 134 species.

Some of the more interest-ing sightings found during thecount include: Slaty-backed Gull one adultspotted on Damon Point inOcean Shores Brown Pelican one spottedying over Damon PointAmerican Tree Sparrow one

seen in the trees on DamonPointGyrfalcon one seen near thePoint Brown jetty in OceanShores Barred Owl one seen in Di-anna Moores yard in OceanShores Bullocks Oriole one seencoming to a feeder in Westport

Townsends Solitaire one seenin Ocean ShoresA big thank you to all those that

helped with the count this year!Dianna and I look forward toeveryone returning to help next

year in 2008. And remembernewcomers are always welcometo help with the count!

Christmas Bird Count impressions, 2007By Carol Sunde

1. Many years ago, the Christmas Bird Countreplaced the Christmas Bird Hunt.White egrets got to retaintheir feathers and their lives, enrichlife not decorate hats.2. There are not pigeons at Pigeon Point

but pine siskins and bushtits utter

from tree to tree like leaves in a purposeful windand an eagle coasts through rain-soaked skies:or stumble across blackberry bramblesrewarded.3. We adore the rusted velvet

head with brushed-back shaggy crestof the merganser riding the Humptulipstoo soon blurredaway into raindropssliding down binoculars.

4. From the uppermost reach of a tall snagthe peregrine falcon watches.

She sees 11 mallards, 36 western sandpipers,and 19 Canada geese. Below hertree, suddenly 1 great blue heronstalks off, a gray hunchback, scaringthe shorebirds into a white wing maneuver. Turningher head 1/8th of an inch, the falcon waits.We watch the falcon wait.5. A male bufehead who dives

into the bayhis body strikingwhite contrasted against rich blackconfounds the eye with actsof here-not-here.We cheer when he comes,

sigh when he goes,think incredible.6. The pleasure of the day is not only the birds,

it is the muted magenta, gold, gray and brownvariations of winter; the One Who Knows saying,Listen. A Bewicks wren sings. Pleasureis walking over a bridge in the company of happy labs;the rain washing worries away; the laughterover a lunch of Irish stew and soda bread.


6/9page 6

Volunteers Help JumpStart Bottle BeachRestoration

by Lisa LantzWashington State Parks

Visitors to Bottle Beach StatePark will see changes underwayin the parks uplands. On Janu-ary 26th, 39 volunteers joinedstaff from the Washington StateParks and Recreation Commis-sion to plant nearly 4000 nativetrees and shrubs between theparks Grays Harbor shorelineand Redman Slough.

Previously, the area had in-cluded an impenetrable tangle ofHimalayan blackberry and oldgrowth Scotch broom. Prison

crews removed the invasive spe-cies, but Parks staff was stillfaced with the daunting taskof re-planting the area with na-tives. This problem was solved by a group of hard-workingvolunteers who dedicated their

Saturday to planting bundles ofelderberry, Pacic crab apple,salmonberry, and other nativespecies.

With representatives from theGrays Harbor and Black HillsAudubon chapters, Grays Har-

bor and Pacic County MasterGardeners, Ocosta High School,Kinnikinnick Garden Club, Ame-riCorps, and the local commu-nity, the volunteers contributed138 hours to the project.

The volunteers not only im- proved the parks habitat, theyalso developed a sense of com-munity and desire to provideongoing stewardship of the area,said Kathy Hale, the volunteercoordinator for State Parks

Southwest Region.The project, which was made

possible by funding from theWashington State Parks Founda-tion and the Coastal ProtectionFund, is a rst step in restoring

habitat at the park.Future restoration efforts will

center on the parks freshwaterwetlands. In addition to restor-ing native vegetation, State Parkshopes to further enhance wildlifehabitat by placing features such

as woody debris, nesting boxes,and frog boards.Kelli Burke, a State Parks En-

vironmental Planner, has beenmanaging the restoration effortsat Bottle Beach. Restoring na-tive vegetation on the site willenhance the aesthetic appeal forpark visitors, improve accessibil-ity, and enhance wildlife habitat.Our native plant selections focuson species that provide foodand cover for wildlife, she

said. The restoration work willcomplement the development ofwildlife-viewing facilities at thepark. Construction of a trail andbird blinds is slated to begin thisspring.

Photo in upper left shows the park uplands prior to the restoration project. Volunteers begin the

planting process.


7/9page 7

GHAS Board of Directors

Rose DuBois 532-4067 [email protected]

Steve Hallstrom 273-9280 [email protected]

Theressa Julius 537-4386 [email protected]

Arnie Martin 612-0437 [email protected]

Dianna Moore 289-5048 [email protected] ONeill 533-9833 [email protected]

Linda Orgel 648-2476 [email protected]

Renee Prine 268-0485

Diane Schwickerath 495-3101 [email protected]

Janet Strong 495-3950 [email protected]

Chapter Ofcers

President Arnie Martin 612-0437

[email protected]

Vice President Mary ONeill 533-9833

[email protected]

Treasurer Diane Schwickerath [email protected]

Secretary Theressa Julius, 537-4386

[email protected]

Committee Chairs

Newsletter R.D. Grunbaum, 648-2476

[email protected]

Membership Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Conservation Janet Strong, 495-3950

[email protected]

Education Renee Prine, 268-0485

Field Trips Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Program Chair Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Hospitality Vacant

Publicity Vacant

Habitat Vacant

Other Audubon Contacts

GHAS voice mail (800) 303-8498

State Audubon (360) 786-8020

National Audubon (212) 979-3000

GHAS Website http://www.ghas.org

13th Annual PrairieAppreciation DaySaturday May 3rd, 2008

10 am - 3 pm

Littlerock, WA

Explore the South Sound prairies with the wildowersin bloom, during the 13th An-nual Prairie Appreciation Dayat Thurston Countys GlacialHeritage Preserve. Learn about birds, wildowers, butteries,gardening with native plantsand ethnobotany. Enjoy a hay-ride across the prairie. Specialactivities for children. Entranceavailable until 3 pm but all are

welcome to enjoy the prairieuntil 4 pm. Wheelchair accessi-ble activities for individuals andgroups will be available at theWashington Department of Nat-ural Resources Mima MoundsNatural Area Preserve pleasecontact Birdie Davenport at360-596-5144 to schedule tours.All events are Free. No Pets. Formore information, please visitwww.prairieappreciationday.

org or contact Peder Engelstad([email protected]).

Directions: Take I-5 to exit95 (the Littlerock exit) about10 miles south of Olympia. Gowest through Littlerock (pastthe gas station and tavern) tothe T intersection at the MimaRoad/Waddell Creek. Go south(left) on Mima Road 2.7 miles.You will pass some big brownelds, the Weyerhauser tree

nursery, then a tractor crossingsign. Take the next left onto anunmarked gravel road. Followthe road to its end and park nearthe gate. There will be signs onthe day of the event.


8/9page 8

Please Fill Out and Mail Back

ANNUAL GRAYS HARBOR AUDUBON

CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

If you would like to join Grays Harbor Audubon Society (GHAS), please ll out the form below, makecheck payable to Grays Harbor Audubon Society and return it with your check to:

Grays Harbor Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 470

Montesano, WA 98563

Chapter Memberships include a subscription to The Sandpipernewsletter. All Chapter Membershipsabove the Sandpiper category provide nancial support to our Chapter. The Grays Harbor AudubonSociety is totally self-supporting.

Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________

Address _________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________ State/Zip _______________

Phone Number _____________________ E-Mail ______________________________

Heron $25.00

Pelican $50.00 Falcon $75.00

Eagle $100.00

The Sandpipersubscription only $15(Fixed or limited income membership orSandpipernewsletter only)

I am renewing my membership I am a new member

To join National Audubon or renew your National Audubon Membership, call 1-800-274-4201.

If your newsletter is stamped withLast Issue-Please Renew, be sure to ll out the Membership Formabove and send it in to keep your membership active and keep receiving the newsletter! Thanks!


9/9

MembershipMeetingHaikuWorkshopPearsallBuilding

2105Sumner,Aberdeen1:30-3:00pm

April6,2008 News&Editorial sendmaterialsto

P.O.Box1044Westport,98595-1044

[email protected]

InsidethisIssueShorebirdFestival1

CanalFieldTrip1PresidentsPerch2DopplerRoundtable2CanalTripcontinued3Roundtableconinued3OlympicBirdFest3HaikuWorkshop3SpingACOW4EndangeredBirds4BirdCount5Impressions5BottleBeach6PrairieAppreciation7Board&Ofcers7 MemberApplication8

The SandpiperP.O. Box 470Montesano,WA 98563

Non Proft Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDAberdeen, WAPermit # 5

HowDoIKnowWhenMyMembershipIsDue?

Justlookintheupperright

handcornerofyourlabelanditwillgiveyouyour

renewaldate!

Mar-April 2008 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

Documents

Transcript of Mar-April 2008 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society