May 2004 OASis Newsletter Orange Audubon Society

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The voice of Conservation in Central Florida

OASisOrange Audubon Society

A Chapter of National Audubon Society and Audubon of Florida

This Month's PrThis Month's PrThis Month's PrThis Month's PrThis Month's Program: May 20, 2004 - 7:00pmogram: May 20, 2004 - 7:00pmogram: May 20, 2004 - 7:00pmogram: May 20, 2004 - 7:00pmogram: May 20, 2004 - 7:00pm

Kissimmee River Restoration by Loisa KerKissimmee River Restoration by Loisa KerKissimmee River Restoration by Loisa KerKissimmee River Restoration by Loisa KerKissimmee River Restoration by Loisa Kerwinwinwinwinwin

The Kissimmee River Restoration Project of the South Florida Water Management

District is centered at the Riverwoods Field Lab, 20 miles southeast of Sebring onUS98. Over forty square miles of floodplain are being restored, as the river isreturned from a straight canal to the original meandering river. In our May pro-gram, Riverwoods Field Lab director Loisa Kerwin will tell us about research andmonitoring in these restoration efforts. Join us May 20 for a fascinating program.

Deborah Green, Vice President

Orange Audubon Society meetings are heldthe 3rd Thursday of every month (Sept -June) at 7:00pm in the Camellia Room at

Harry P. Leu Gardens1920 North Forest AvenueOrlando, FL 32803-1537

For directions, call 407-246-2620

VOLUME 39VOLUME 39VOLUME 39VOLUME 39VOLUME 39 MAMAMAMAMAY 2004Y 2004Y 2004Y 2004Y 2004 NUMBER 9NUMBER 9NUMBER 9NUMBER 9NUMBER 9

In this Issue...In this Issue...In this Issue...In this Issue...In this Issue...

This Months Program ...............................p1

Field Trips .................................................p1

Presidents Message ...................................p2

Conservation News ................................p2,3OAS Birdathon a Success! .........................p3

CNPC Deadline ........................................p3

Another Audubon Election ........................p3

OAS Nature Walks @ ONP.......................p3

Broken Laws of Ecology .............................p3

Double the Fun in June .............................p4

Calendar of Events ....................................p4May Field TMay Field TMay Field TMay Field TMay Field Trip - South Brrip - South Brrip - South Brrip - South Brrip - South Brevarevarevarevarevard WTFd WTFd WTFd WTFd WTF, V, V, V, V, Viera FLiera FLiera FLiera FLiera FL

April Field TApril Field TApril Field TApril Field TApril Field Trip Reporrip Reporrip Reporrip Reporrip Reporttttt DICK SMITH, FIELD TRIP CHAIRThe bird of the day was the juvenile BarredOwl with one of the parents in the palm treeon the trail down by the creek. It sat out infull view and everybody was able to get a re-ally good at it and the parent. Some peopleeven took some pretty good photographs.The butterfly of the day was the QuestionMark found and identified by Randy Snyder.Some of the species seen were: Wood Stork,

Wood Duck, Sharp-shinned Hawk, ReShouldered Hawk (carrying nesting material), Carolina, House and Marsh Wrens, andnine species of Wood-Warblers. Although wonly had 37 species for the day, SaturdayApril 17, was a beautiful day to be in MeadGardens and all of the 29 birders had a goodtime. All in all, it was a good day to be in thegreat outdoors with good birding friends.

On Saturday, May 22, 2004, we will have ourfinal field trip of the 2003-2004 year. We will

travel to the South Brevard Water Treatmentfacility in Viera. This is a driving trip, as weare allowed to take vehicles up onto theberms. Last year we had really good luck andsaw nine species of Shorebirds and four spe-cies of Terns among 55 total species for theday.

Well meet on Saturday morning in therear parking lot of the Burger King at the

corner of Hwy 50 and Alafaya Trail. Be therin time to sign in, get assigned to a carpoo

and LEAVE by 7:30AM SHARP. Bring binoculars, spotting scopes, field guides, sunscreen, insect repellant, water and a picniclunch. We will bird until approximately11:30-12:00 then enjoy our lunch at one othe observation towers.

If you have any questions, please contact Dick Smith at 407-257-7361 (Cell) [email protected].

Reminders...Reminders...Reminders...Reminders...Reminders...

....Plan to attend this years Audubon Assem-bly in St. Petersburg on October 7-10, 2004. Assembly highlights include Dr. StephenKress, Dr. Peter Stangel, Dr. Jerome Jackson,Kenn Kaufman and more! Get together withold friends and make new ones. Exchangeideas on Chapter governance, conservationprojects, education programs, fundraising,and other Chapter activities. Look for As-sembly registration information in the Springedition of The Florida Naturalist. You canalso register for the Assembly now on-lineat www.audubonofflorida.org


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PrPrPrPrPresidentesidentesidentesidentesidents Messages Messages Messages Messages Message LORETTA SATTERTHWAITE, PRESIDENT

The Orange Audubon Society (OAS) promotes the under-

standing of and an interest in wildlife and the environment,recognition of the intangible values in the remaining natu-

ral beauty of Florida and the World, and the responsibility

for the conservation of these remaining resources.Orange Audubon Society

P.O. Box 941142

Maitland, FL 32794-1142

President.................Loretta Satterthwaite ([email protected])407-886-2925

Address Change................Mike Daley ([email protected])

386-668-5021

Editor.................................Claire Hilliker ([email protected])407-677-5374

The OASis is published monthly from September through

June and is sent free to all members of Orange AudubonSociety.

http://www.orangeaudubonfl.org

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ConserConserConserConserConservation Newsvation Newsvation Newsvation Newsvation News PEGGY COX, CHAIRThis year's session of the Florida Legislaturewill have ended by the time you are readingthis, but there may still be some issues wewill be asking Gov. Bush to veto or sign. TheWekiva legislation, sponsored by Sen. Lee

Constantine in SB1214 has been reconciledwith the House version and hopefully willbe signed by the Governor. This legislation,can provide the necessary protection to theWekiva springshed and sensitive lands in theBasin while allowing for the building of thefinal leg of a beltway around Orlando, theWekiva Parkway. Gov. Bush should sign thislegislation, please ask him to do so.

The DRI bill, SB1174, was changed dra-matically into a bill entitled " The Planningand Development Study Commission".Needless to say, another Growth Manage-ment Commission was not well received, andwith little support from the Governor or theHouse, this bill should be history by the endof the session.

SB2774/HB1495 will most certainly bepassed, and Audubon has some grave con-cerns about these bills. Under the guise ofproviding emergency 911 wireless service,the plan to locate thousands of new cell

phone towers on public lands could becomethe law under these bills. All State lands willbe treated the same and DEP and the Boardof Trustees of the Internal ImprovementFund (who hold title to the majority of StateLands) will have to give authority for leasingand approving lands for these towers to theDept. of Management Services. Local gov-ernment zoning and land use regulations willonly be able to have administrative review,with no public hearings or input required.Cell Phone towers are one reason for signifi-cant deaths in migratory bird flocks, and soAudubon is concerned about the prolifera-tion of towers on natural lands that are fre-quented by high numbers of migratory birds.Please check the Audubon of Florida websitefor further information on this issue andexpress any concerns about this to Gov.Bush. In Appropriations, most environmen-tal issues were settled. Florida Forever willbe fully funded for this year and so will Ev-erglades Restoration projects. Bills establish-ing at least $5 million of funds for the Ruraland Family Lands Protection act are expected

to become law. These funds will come mainlyfrom excise taxes and help fund purchase ofconservation easements and developmentrights on rural lands for preservation of wild-life habitat and open space.

Nationally, Audubon along with otherconservation groups, achieved a big victorywhen on March 23rd, the U.S. SupremeCourt ruled that pollutants cannot bepumped into U.S. waters without a CleanWater Act discharge permit, regardless of

whether the pumping originates the pollut-ants or is conveying them from another lo-cation. Audubon and seven other environ-mental groups had filed an amicus brief inthe case; the South Florida Water Manage-

ment District vs. the Miccosukee Tribe. TheCourt's ruling found that the South FloridaWater Management District's practice opumping stormwater from a collection ca-nal into a natural wetland area in the Ever-glades required them obtaining a pollutantdischarge permit - and meeting the waterquality standards that would allow them topump pollutants, that originated elsewhereinto the natural wetlands. Exempting con-veyance of pollutants from permitting wouldhave opened the door to serious degrada-tion of cleaner water bodies by pollutantspumped into US waters.

Orange Audubon has been participat-ing in meetings called by Orange CountyDistrict 4 Commissioner, Linda Stewart, todiscuss developing a resource sector plan formost of District 4 inside the urban serviceboundary. The urban service boundary(USB) is the Econ River through much ofeastern Orange county. CommissionerStewart is concerned about the continuedprotection and preservation of our environ-mental resources in the face of continued

pressure for changes to the Orange CountyComp Plan to accommodate higher densitydevelopments in the southeastern section othe County. OAS suggestions for the pro-posed Sector Plan include: Prioritizing landacquisition of already identified sensitivelands, with emphasis on establishing wild-life corridors and open space buffers to iden-tified ecosystems, no extension of the USBeast of the Econ River, and making perma-

Contd ...p3Contd ...p3Contd ...p3Contd ...p3Contd ...p3

At the Orlando Wetlands Park Annual Fes-tival, a college student surveyed several ofus regarding our outdoors experiences, pref-erences, etc. One question asked waswhether you consider yourself a novice, in-termediate or expert birder. I answered thatI was an intermediate level birder and thenwas asked how many birds I could identifyreadily. In an interview, there isnt time to

start counting up how many birds you canrecognize, and I hadnt given the issue anythought, so I guessed at about 30. Imaginemy surprise when I did start naming the birdsI knew and realized that I could easily iden-tify over twice that many without a field

guide. Im not a lifer or life-lister or what-ever that group calls themselves; I dont jumpon a plane and fly to Texas or Ontario to seean unusual bird, but I do enjoy spottingthem.Within the last couple of weeks, weve hadsome excellent sightings in our own yard Eastern Bluebirds, Red-headed Woodpecker(the first time in 23 years!), Swallow-tailed

Kite, and Chuck-wills-widows calling toname just a few. This may be due to thedestruction of habitat that the birds used tofrequent, but we cant be sure thats the rea-son. Unfortunately, not all of these birdsshowed up on Birdathon day, but the excite-

ment of seeing them almost makes up forthat especially since other OrangeAudubon team members did see some othese on their trips.This story simply leads to the thought thayou shouldnt let this beautiful weather disappear before you get out and enjoy it. Visia natural (or not so natural) area and watchthe birds or butterflies; maybe well see you

at the butterfly ID course? By the way, donforget to take your camera for getting yourChertok Nature Photography Contest entries deadline is May 20th, the day of thismonths meeting. See you there.


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OrangeAudubonSocietyP.O.Box941142Maitland,FL32794-1142

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATIONU.S.POSTAGEPAID

Orlando,FL

PERMITNO.790

Calendar of EventsCalendar of EventsCalendar of EventsCalendar of EventsCalendar of EventsMay 1, 2004 - SaturMay 1, 2004 - SaturMay 1, 2004 - SaturMay 1, 2004 - SaturMay 1, 2004 - SaturdaydaydaydaydayLANSRA Bird Survey; 7:30am-Noon.Pam Bowen [email protected]

May 8, 2004 - SaturMay 8, 2004 - SaturMay 8, 2004 - SaturMay 8, 2004 - SaturMay 8, 2004 - SaturdaydaydaydaydayHal Scott Regional Preserve & Park and LongBranch Park Bird Survey. Call Lorne Malo (407-349-2536)

May 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-Sun

FPNS Annual ConferenceHotel Royal Plaza, Lake Buena Vista, FLKarina Veaudry [email protected]

May 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunMay 13-16, 2004 - Thurs-SunFirst Coast Birding & Nature FestivalSt. Augustine, FL. 800-653-2489www.visitoldcity.com/interests/nature/festival/

May 20, 2004 - ThursdayMay 20, 2004 - ThursdayMay 20, 2004 - ThursdayMay 20, 2004 - ThursdayMay 20, 2004 - ThursdayGeneral Meeting, 7:00pm, Leu Gardens.OASBoard Meeting takes place prior to theGeneral Meeting at 5:30pm. All welcome.Loretta Satterthwaite 407-886-2925

OAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENTLoretta Satterthwaite ............... ............. 407-886-2925

VICE PRESIDENTLeesa Sward ................ ................ ........ 407-677-5374

VICE PRESIDENT (PROGRAMS)Deborah Green .............. ................. ..... 407-869-7762

SECRETARYMary Keim ...........................................407-851-5416

TREASURERTeresa Williams ................. ................. 407-644-0796

BOARD MEMBERSSusan Clary Kimberly Clough Peggy Cox Mike Daley

Louise Friderici Chris Gandy Milton Heiberg ClaireHilliker Ayme Smith Dick Smith Randy Snyder BobStamps Pete Vogt John Winfree Gordon Wolfram

OAS COMMITTEES/CHAIRS

BIRDATHON .............. ................. ............. Claire Hilliker

CHERTOK NPC .................................. Teresa Williams

CONSERVATION ........................................ Peggy Cox

EDUCATION ........................................ Deborah Green& Leesa Sward

FIELD TRIPS ...............................................Dick Smith

FINANCE ............................................... Milton Heiberg

HOSPITALITY ................. ............. Tom & Ruth Williams

MEMBERSHIP ............................................ Mike Daley

NEWSLETTER ........................................ Claire Hilliker

May 22, 2004 - SaturMay 22, 2004 - SaturMay 22, 2004 - SaturMay 22, 2004 - SaturMay 22, 2004 - SaturdaydaydaydaydayField Trip - South Brevard WTF, Viera, FLDick Smith [email protected]

May 29, 2004 - SaturMay 29, 2004 - SaturMay 29, 2004 - SaturMay 29, 2004 - SaturMay 29, 2004 - SaturdaydaydaydaydayHal Scott Regional Preserve & Park and LongBranch Park Butterfly Survey. Call Randy Snyde(407-851-5416) or Lorne Malo (407-349-2536

June 5, 2004 - Satur June 5, 2004 - Satur June 5, 2004 - Satur June 5, 2004 - Satur June 5, 2004 - Saturdaydaydaydayday

LANSRA Bird Survey; 7:30am-Noon.Pam Bowen [email protected]

June 17, 2004 - Thursday June 17, 2004 - Thursday June 17, 2004 - Thursday June 17, 2004 - Thursday June 17, 2004 - ThursdayGeneral Meeting, 7:00pm, Leu Gardens.OASBoard Meeting takes place prior to theGeneral Meeting at 5:30pm. All welcome.Loretta Satterthwaite 407-886-2925

October 7-10, 2004 - Thurs-SunOctober 7-10, 2004 - Thurs-SunOctober 7-10, 2004 - Thurs-SunOctober 7-10, 2004 - Thurs-SunOctober 7-10, 2004 - Thurs-SunAudubon Assembly 2004Hilton Hotel, St. Petersburg, FLwww.audubonofflorida.org

Double the Silent Auctions means Double the Fun in JuneDouble the Silent Auctions means Double the Fun in JuneDouble the Silent Auctions means Double the Fun in JuneDouble the Silent Auctions means Double the Fun in JuneDouble the Silent Auctions means Double the Fun in JuneOn June 17th OAS will present its final program of the year and what a fun evening we have planned for you. Youll enjoy a potluckdinner with culinary treats prepared by you and your Audubon friends - lets face it, by Publix as well! Youll also enjoy a slide presentationfeaturing entries in the 2004 (16th Annual) Chertok Nature Photography Contest (CNPC) at which winners will be announced andreceive awards its OAS traditional finale to a season of fantastic programs.

The evening wont be complete without some friendly competition for items offered in the Make It, Bake It, Grow It! silent auctionOnce again they will be complemented by other items donated by sponsors from the community to benefit the CNPC Endowment Fund

Are you a talented dessert maker or nest box builder? Do you wish to donate a creation to benefit OAS? If so, please contact Teres([email protected] or 407-644-0796) by Sunday, June 13th with details to ensure that well have adequate tables, bid sheets, etc. W

need your name and phone number, description of item(s), retail or appraised value, starting bid amount (if desired) and the OAS fund tobenefit from the proceeds i.e., the CNPC Endowment or general operating fund. Note that you may either bring your item to theprogram on June 17th or make arrangements to deliver it to Teresa in advance, whichever is most convenient for you. Acknowledgmentfor tax purposes available upon request. Your continued support is sincerely appreciated. Teresa Williams, CNPC Chair

May 2004 OASis Newsletter Orange Audubon Society

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