March-April 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

8/8/2019 March-April 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

1/9

Membership MeetingSunday, April 1 , 2007

1:30 PM 3 PMHabitat Lands, Opportunities

Perry Spring, GHAS StewardPearsall Building

2109 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen

teresting natural area, as diverseas possible, in a convenient loca-tion. It could be a forest, a mead-ow, a wetland, a stream area,a local park - to have some ofeach would be ideal. It could beour backyard or the back forty. Itshould be a place we can and willvisit often. Then grab a notebookor an extra calendar and a pencil

and start getting to know that spe-cial place.

If we sit quietly for awhile,melding into our surroundings,the natural activities will resumeand we begin to pick up clues -Whats feeding on what? Whatsemerging together? How doesthe light play into things? Whatsblooming? Whats hatching? Didthe stream change course thiswinter? Whats going on in the

wetland?The more often we visit our site,the more we will notice the chang-es through time and the moreamazed we will become at whatreally goes on out there in thenatural world. I was amazed andintrigued one Spring as I watchedtwo pileated woodpeckers inCapitol Forest doing the oddestthing. These birds, usually foundhammering on trees in search ofcarpenter ants and other edibles,

were dangling upside down fromthe ends of the branches of analder tree in bloom. They werefeeding on alder blossoms or theinsects inside them - whichever, Icouldnt tell. But it sure was hu-morous - something I hadnt readabout or seen before.

The

Sandpiper

March/April 2007

2006 Impressions of theChristmas Bird Count froma novice and first-timer

by Carol Sunde

LBB and the ChristmasBird Count of 2006

Little brown bird.I am.Flash of motion.Foliage quiverer.I flit. LookIm here.Who am I?Rich brown

black and tail,dark streakson buff breast.I hop,scratch weedy grasses.Fence sit.Im not singing.Adjust binoculars.Follow me downthe pathbordered with bareblackberry vines.You need tocount me.Sparrow? Thrush? What

kind? ConsultSibley, Peterson, Morse.Identify andthen count me.Ill countyou birders, too:Happy Twit,Lesser Gray Grumpus,Serious Know-It-All.Im a brown clever bird.I am.

Continued on page 6

Dont let spring slip away!By Janet Strong

By now, Spring is coming intofull flower, so to speak.

In the Spring, most of us enjoywatching the riot of color in the

flowers and the new shiny greenleaves, as we listen to the endlesschorus of frogs and songs of thebirds. But we dont generally paymuch attention to the sequenceand the timing of natures annualevents. We probably dont seehow they all relate to each oth-er. Why are the forests a carpetof colorful blooms in spring butmuch more subdued, flower-wise,later on? How do birds time theirnesting activities. Why do all the

different plants and animals dowhat they do when they do it, inthe Spring?

With so many good-for-being-outdoors days, this might be agreat year for us all to dig deeplyinto natures well-orchestratedstrategies for survival, whetherin Spring or the rest of the year.We could begin by finding an in-

Photo by Perry Spring,

GHAS Stewardship Manager

Continued on page 3

Photo by Peter LaTourrette


2/9

The Presidents Perch

Volunteer Opportunities

AboundBy Jan McMillan

Audubon offers many ways to be active members. Tradition-ally weve helped with tablingof events, provided outreacheducation to kids and adults,helped with the Shorebird Fes-tival, written articles and poemsfor the Newsletter and served onthe board or board committees.We have had some opportuni-

ties for hands on conservationwork but with the funding of theSnowy Plover Habitat Restora-tion Project and the launchingof the Wildlife Habitat Volun-teer Land Steward Program,our opportunities just grew dra-matically. And coming withinthe next few months will be thenewly developed Bottle BeachState Parkdesigned especiallyfor birders. The park will requirevolunteer crews to do invasive

plant removal, planting of na-tive plants, help with construc-tion and guiding visitors duringpeak migration times.

I hope you will become avolunteer for one of these pro-grams and spread the word toyour friends and colleagues thatmight be interested. For infor-mation on how to volunteer, seethe articles on the Snowy PloverRestoration and the VolunteerLand Steward programs in thisnewsletter. Or you can alwayscall our chapter number: 800-303-8498 and leave a message.

page 2

My recent participation inEnvironmental Lobby Day inOlympia gave me a chance todirectly apply what I learned atAudubons Budget and Appro-priations 101 Training in Wash-ington D.C. in January.

The two day training, hosted byAudubons public policy staff,

provided a big picture look at ournational environmental prioritiesand at the important process thattakes place between the execu-tive and legislative branches ofour government that fund these priorities. The 23 participantsfrom 12 states all had legisla-tors with appropriations respon-sibilities in the house or senatein addition to backgrounds andinterest in advocacy.

The training covered:tThe State of the Birds and Im-portant Bird Area IssuestThe Three National AudubonPrioritiestAudubons OverarchingPublic PolicytHow to LobbytWorking with the Media

The Three Audubon Priori-ties for 2007 are the Land andWater Conservation Fund, theNational Wildlife Refuge System

and Everglades Ecosystem Res-toration.We spent our final third day on

the hill, lobbying for the three priorities and local prioritiesfrom our home districts. I metwith environmental staff fromSenators Patty Murrays andMaria Cantwells offices and

with Congressman Norm Dicksfrom my own congressional dis-trict. They all promised supporton the three Audubon prioritiesas well as for the Grays Har- bor National Wildlife Refugeand for a Doppler Radar Sever

Weather Early Warning Systemfor coastal Washington and Or-egon.

I encourage anyone with thetime and interest to apply for Na-tional Audubon Training events.Trainings are held on a numberof environmental topics. In Feb-ruary the training is on WetlandConservation. These trainingsare an example of mutual support between our national or-ganization and local chapters.

My trip was fully funded byAudubon. I lobbied for Audu-bons priorities, and they helpedme increase my knowledge andskills in public policy and advo-cacy. Now I can use those skillson the priorities of our chapterand Audubon Washington andshare them with others.

On my way toLobby Day viaWashington, D.C.

by Jan McMillan

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 pdffile.


3/9page 3

Impressions continued frompage 1

Some duckSwimming up river, Annspotted it.Over there on the far shore,just one.I dont see it.Back up past that bush.See. Where?Eleven oclock in front ofthat over turned boat.Oh, yeh, now I see it.What is it? A Mallard?Look at that head so deepred its black.Phooey. There she goes.What do you say?I didnt see it clearly. Nochance to note lores, coverts,

scapularsWasnt a Mallard. Hybridmaybe?Call it UnidentifiableDuck.

Value lecture for bird countersToo common to countofcourse not.Starlings and crows havetheirplace in this worldabun-dance

and inappropriate actsnotwithstanding. Yes, crowseatother birds eggs and star-lingscan devastate gardens. Yet,recall the need for Naturesdark nature and mysterieslike quizzical crows cawingto companions and the flockof starlings flying as aphantasmagorical cloud.

Bird counting at SeahorseRanch

Once home for horses, bedrag-gled buildings slowly succumbto ruin: a gutter loopslike a rusted snake: paint for-gets color:

windows crack, wink withhalf a pane, or go missing; adoor lies entry to the weed-infested ground. Abandonedyears ago.the barn, tackle sheds, trainingarenahouse only the echoes and thefaint smell of snorting ponies,neighing pintos, duns pawingstraw. Quiet and still. Exceptfor wind, birders like us, andfurtive creatures seeking shel-

ter and safety. We think owlsso carefully climb stairs to thehayloft, look down at floorplanks for pellets, up to raftersfor dark eyes in a heart-shapedwhite face. Nope, not this time.Nothing. Just some cobwebs,ghost trappings, and strangetracks in dust.

Reach out, reach withinan ACOW experience

by Charolette Reep

The Lower Columbia BasinAudubon Society invites allchapters to join us in the Tri-Cities April 13-15, 2007 for thenext Audubon Council of Wash-ington Conference. We havean interesting agenda planned,along with enjoyable tours. Ourtheme is Reach Out ReachWithin - Hanford Reach.

Headquarters The TRAC/AmeriSuites in Pas-co Rates: $74 (King) & $79(2Queens) per night, which in-cludes a bountiful breakfast.The TRAC RV Park is $25 pernight

TourstColumbia River boat tour ofthe Hanford Reach This isan 80 mile tour of the last freeflowing stretch of the Colum-bia River. (extra charge for thistour)tBirding walks on BatemanIsland, or Johnson Park, or theChamna Reserve or maybesome burrowing owls in resi-dence.tArid Lands Ecology Reserve

(possible not assured at thispoint)tLaser Interferometer Gravi-tational-Wave Observatory(LIGO) for those who want a dif-ferent type of tour. (no charge)Go to www.ligo-wa.caltech.edu/SpeakerstJack Nisbet, author of Sourcesof the River, the story of ex- plorer David Thompson, will

present Birding Between theMountains, 1800-1860..tMike Denny, recipient ofAudubon Washingtons ScienceAward, giving a presentation onOwlstA special talk/presentationon the Hanford Reach NationalMonument

The Lower Columbia BasinAudubon Society looks forwardto welcoming you to the Spring

2007 ACOW Conference. Reg-istration details will be availablesoon. Visit http://www.lower-columbiabasinaudubon.org

Lower

Columbia Basin

Audubon

Society


4/9

page 4

Grays Harbor and WillapaHills Audubon Chaptersreceive $15,000 grant forSnowy Plover Habitat Con-servation Project Audubon recently received$88,000 from The David andLucille Packard Foundation tosupport seven habitat conserva-tion projects targeting endan-

gered shorebirds at ImportantBird Areas (IBAs) on the Pa-cific Coast. Projects were alsofunded at Pilchuck Audubon inWashington State (habitat con-servation in Port Susan Bay)and Mendocino, San Diego andSanta Barbara Audubon Chap-ters in California. International projects were also funded inMexico and El Salvador.Grays Harbor and Willapa

Hills Chapters were funded torestore western snowy ploverand streaked horned lark habi-tat at Leadbetter Point and Da-mon Point, two of our impor-tant coastal IBAs. Through this project ten volunteer scientistswill be recruited and trained toassist State Parks staff and sci-entists from the WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wild-life to survey and help to restorea minimum of 4 habitat sites.

They will also identify sites foradditional future restoration.Funds from the project will beused to provide a stipend forvolunteer coordinator(s), mile-age for volunteers, volunteertraining and to purchase GPSunits, digital cameral and daypacks.Anyone interested in volunteer-ing for this two (2) year project,

which will start later this spring,should contact Grays HarborAudubon at 1-800-303-8498.Grays Harbor Audubon is grate-ful to Audubon and the Davidand Lucille Packard Founda-

tion for the opportunity to helpin this vital habitat conservationeffort. We will provide updatesin The Sandpiper as the projectprogresses.

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 Loop GreatWashington Birding Trailmap is here!

Unveiled at a rollout in Olym- pia on Environmental LobbyDay the Olympic Loop map ishere and ready to guide bird-ers on a fantastic journey fromthe Nisqually National WildlifeRefuge around the OlympicPeninsula and back to the HoodCanal, with over 50 stops alongthe way. Grays Harbor sites

include Friends Landing, theGrays Harbor National WildlifeRefuge at Bowerman Basin, theHumptulips Estuary, DamonPoint, Ocean Shores North Jetty,Point Grenville, the CampbellTree Grove and Lake Quinault.With the production of this mapand last years Southwest Loopmap, community partners in-cluding Audubon chapter members, Grays Harbor Tourism,Grays Harbor County, the City

of Aberdeen, Ocean Shores andothers have created a tool thatwill bring birders from all overthe country to Grays Harbor forsome wonderful birding. Con-gratulations and thanks to every-one who helped to make thesemaps a reality! You can pick upyour free map at the April 1stMembers Meeting. See frontpage for time and place.

Membership meetingApril 1st, no foolinHabitat Lands andVolunteer OpportunitiesEver wanted to see some of the

3000 acres we are protecting forwildlife habitat? At our nextmembership meeting on April1st, we will have a powerpoint

presentation of the estuaries,rivers, shoreline, forests of ourWildlife Habitat Program. PerrySpring, Grays Harbor AudubonStewardship Manager, will pro-vide a story through pictures ofthe wildlife, plants, and featuresof our properties as well as share preliminary information on theVolunteer Stewardship Programwe are initiating this year.

photo by Jack Haverty

photo by Perry Spring


5/9

page 5

Imagine the Future with$100 million for Wildlife,Birds and People!

By Nina Carter

Remember when the localAudubon members and their

land conservancy partners savedthe small wetlands near Spokane--Reardon Ponds -- from devel-opment? You and your chaptermet the challenge and raised part of the money to buy the property. Audubon Washing-ton contributed its lobbying ex-pertise to get more money intothe state budget for the Wash-ington Wildlife and RecreationProgram (WWRP) to completethe Reardon Pond transaction.

We all celebrated the day whenthe property became permanentbirding site near Spokane! It isa great tourism draw and the lo-cal governments love the addedtax revenue.

Imagine what we can accom-plish with $100 million for habi-tat for birds and wildlife! Everymonth I get calls from Audubonmembers asking how they cansave a small wetland or a forest

or a farm in their neighborhood.Those places are home to theirfavorite Ruby-crowned King-let or Cedar Waxwing flocks.Id like to tell them that $100million is available from theWWRP so they can save thosespecial places.

Now, you have a chance tosave birds and their habitat byasking for more funding in theWWRP. Governor Gregoiresbudget allocated $70 million for

the WWRP. But, there are over$100 million in projects wait-ing to be funded. We think thestate Legislature should approve$100 million for WWRP to savefarms, forests, wetland, and spe-cial places, like Reardon Ponds.Call your legislators today andask for $100 million in WWRP.

For more information and to

see what projects are fundedin your area go to: http://www.wildliferecreation.org.Nina Carter is the Executive Director

of Audubon Washington and a Wash-

ington Wildlife Recreation Coalition

Member.

12th Annual Prairie Appre-

ciation DaySaturday May 5, 200710 am - 4 pmLittlerock, WA Celebrate the wonder of springoutside on the South Soundprairies during our 12th AnnualPrairie Appreciation Day at theGlacial Heritage Preserve! Thisall day event includes excitingworkshops on birds, wildflow-ers, butterflies, gardening with

native plants and ethnobotany.Explore the prairies at your own pace and bring the kids for ahayride and a chance to meetthe Big Blue Gopher! Wheel-chair accessible activities forindividuals and groups will beavailable at the Washington De- partment of Natural ResourcesMima Mounds Natural AreaPreserve.

Directions: Take I-5 to Exit 95(the Littlerock exit). Go west

through Littlerock (past the gasstation and tavern) to the T-in-tersection at the Mima Road/Waddell Creek. Go south (left)on Mima Road 2.7 miles. Youwill pass an obscure green andwhite sign on the right that saysWeyerhauser Mima nurseryat the beginning of fields of tinyevergreen trees. Take the next

left onto an unmarked gravelroad, where there is a tree farmon the near side of the intersec-tion and a few houses on thefar left side of the intersection.Please be sure to adhere to the10 mph speed limit as there are

often dogs and small childrennearby. Follow the road to itsend and park near the gate. Forlimited mobility/wheelchair ac-cessible tours turn right on Wad-dell Creek Road at the T inter-section and go 0.7 miles north.Mima Mounds Natural AreaPreserve is on the left.

www.prairieappreciationday.orgContact: [email protected]

Save the Datefor the

12th AnnualGrays Harbor Shorebird

FestivalFriday through Sunday,April 27th through 29th

Highlights includeFriday Night Key NoteSpeaker, Paul Bannick Field Trips to Westport,Tokeland, Bottle Beach,Ocean Shores and more!Trips to the RefugeBoardwalk to see BirdsSaturday Night Banquetand AuctionWorkshops, LecturesVendors

We will need lots of vol-unteers. Contact Jan Mc-Millan at (360) 258-1004if you would like to help atthis years festival.


6/9

page 6

Slip away continued frompage 1

There are many good reasonsfor us all to get better acquaint-ed with our natural world and

how it works, both for each ofus and for its benefit. Regularvisits to some natural place forobservation can allow us to stepoutside ourselves for awhile andforget our stresses and prob-lems. We can learn so much anddeepen our appreciation of theclever tricks different speciesuse to survive. The concepts of partnership, competition, mul-tiple-use, physical fitness andmore will have new meanings.

We may be able to pass on thatappreciation and knowledge toothers or to the body of scien-tific information. Over time, wemay be able to translate our ap-preciation into action on behalfof these delicate and complexnatural systems that we, in fact,depend upon in so many ways.

So, Go, Spring!

Puget Sound Bird Fest is acelebration of birds and natureand International MigratoryBird Day. This event is orga-nized by The City of EdmondsParks & Recreation and Eco-nomic Development Depart-

ments. Edmonds is stop #1 onthe Cascade Loop of the GreatWashington State Birding Trail.While youre in town, drop inour historic Main Street shopsand restaurants, and convenient-ly stay the night in one of ourlocal hotels or bed and breakfastinns. For more information, anda complete schedule of activi-ties, visit our website at: www.pugetsoundbirdfest.org.

Puget Sound Bird Fest in

EdmondsMay 18th 19th, 2007

The third annual Puget SoundBird Fest in Edmonds has some-thing for every birder! Thisyears event includes the OnWing Juried Art Show through-out the month of May at the Ed-monds Conference Center (201 -4th Ave N), culminating with anartists reception, on Friday eve-ning, May 18th. Following the

reception Paul Bannick, Seattlenature photographer, will givea presentation entitled WildWings, A Photographic Celebra-tion of Northwest Birds.On Saturday, May 19th, guided

walks and field trips take advan-tage of birding opportunities inlocal parks, wildlife reserves,along the Puget Sound shorelineand at the Edmonds Marsh. In-door activities take place at the

Frances Anderson Center (700Main St), including speakers ontopics ranging from Birdwatch-ing Basics and Identification ofCommon Backyard Birds, toBird-Friendly Gardening, BirdPhotography, Raptor Educa-tion, and Birds of Puget Sound.Many of the activities will ap-peal to children, including TheMigration Game at the marsh.The Edmonds Plaza Room (650

Main St) will be the sight of our

Exhibit Space and Marketplacefor Vendors all day Saturday.Festival attendees will be able toview exhibits, shop for bird andnature-related items, and bid ona silent auction of artisticallydecorated bird houses. Saturdayevenings keynote speaker inthe Plaza Room will be Dr. JeffPrice, on A Birds-Eye View ofGlobal Warming.

Olympic BirdFest 2007Visit the rain shadow of the

Olympic Peninsula to discoverthe birds of the coastal Pacific NorthwestMarbled Murre-lets, Rhinoceros Auklets, Har-lequin Ducks, Dippers, BlackOystercatchers, Long-tailedDucks, and more. Guided fieldtrips, a boat cruise in the Straitof Juan de Fuca, and a banquetwith our partner, the Jamestown

SKlallam Tribe. The Birdfestwith the most spectacular set-ting! Contact: Dungeness RiverAudubon Center, P.O. Box 2450,Sequim, WA 98382; (360) 681-4076; [email protected].

photo by Perry Spring


7/9page 7

GHAS Board of Directors

Rose DuBois 532-4067 [email protected]

Ann Haarer 268-1004 [email protected]

Steve Hallstrom 273-9280 [email protected]

Theressa Julius 537-4386 [email protected]

Arnie Martin 612-0437 [email protected] McMillan 268-1004 [email protected]

Dianna Moore 289-5048 [email protected]

Linda Orgel 648-2476 [email protected]

Renee Prine 268-0485

Dean Schwickerath 495-3101 [email protected]

Diane Schwickerath 495-3101 [email protected]

Janet Strong 495-3950 [email protected]

Gary Utter 269-0157 [email protected]

Chapter Officers

President Jan McMillan, 268-1004

[email protected] President Arnie Martin 612-0437

[email protected]

Treasurer Diane Schwickerath 495-3101

[email protected]

Secretary Theressa Julius, 537-4386

[email protected]

Committee Chairs

Newsletter R.D. Grunbaum, 648-2476

[email protected]

Membership Ann Haarer, 268-1004

[email protected]

Conservation/Habitat Dean Schwickerath, 495-3101

[email protected]

Education Janet Strong, 495-3950

[email protected]

Field Trips vacant

Program Chair Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Hospitality Renee Prine, 268-0485

Publicity Jan McMillan, 268-1004

[email protected] Audubon Contacts

GHAS voice mail (800) 303-8498

State Audubon (360) 786-8020

National Audubon (212) 979-3000

GHAS Website http://www.ghas.org


8/9

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 fill out the form below,make check 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 Member-ships above the Sandpiper category provide financial support to our Chapter. The Grays HarborAudubon Society 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 fill out the MembershipForm above and send it in to keep your membership active and keep receiving the newsletter!Thanks!

page 8


9/9

No FoolinMembership Meeting

Habitat Lands, OpportunitiesPerry Spring reports

Pearsall Building

2109 Sumner AvenueSunday, April 1, 2007

1:30 - 3:00 PM

News & Editorialsend materials toP.O. Box 1044

Westport, 98595-1044or email to

[email protected] deadline May 6th

Inside this Issue

Impressions 1Spring Slip Away 1Presidents Perch 2Lobby D.C. 2Impressions cont. 3ACOW at Reach 3Snowy Plover Grant 4Membership meeting 4Olympic Loop Map 4$100M future 5Shorebird Festival 5Prairie Day 5Slip Away continued 6

Olympic BirdFest 6Puget Sound BirdFest 6Board & Officers 7Member Application 8

TheSandpiperP.O.Box470Montesano,WA98563

NonProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePAIDAberdeen,WAPermit#5

March-April 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

Documents

Transcript of March-April 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society