Sept-Oct 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

8/8/2019 Sept-Oct 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

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Membership MeetingSunday October 7, 2007

Nature Journaling1:30 pm 3 pm

Pearsall Building2109 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen

by the volunteers. Also presentis native American dunegrass( Elymus mollis, good grass).The group also found non-native purple beach pea ( Lathyrus ja-ponicas). The greatest find of the

two days was a beautiful stand ofcoastal, saltwater loving yellowsand verbena ( Abronia latifo-lia). The group spent some timegathering seed pods for plantinglater.

Abronia latifolia

Kathy Gunther surveyed the re-search site in late June and earlyJuly and found only one plovernest, later abandoned when awindstorm covered the eggs withsand. The only other bird found

The

Sandpiper

September/October 2007

On July 29th and September7th, volunteers joined Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife staffto measure vegetation at theSnowy Plover Habitat Restora-tion research site at Leadbetter

Point on the Longbeach Penin-sula. Volunteers included SusanClark and Linda Bierma from theShoalwater Bird Club, John andMargaret Green and Ann Muchefrom Willapa Hills Audubon, Ja-net Strong, Mary Ann Spahr andJan McMillan from Grays Har-bor Audubon and Lisa Remlingerfrom Audubon Washington. Alsoparticipating were WDFW FieldStaff Kathy Gunther and WDFWAmeriCorps worker Merran

Owen.Dave Hayes, Endangered Spe-cies Biologist with WDFW led thevolunteers, starting with trainingon plant identification and mea-suring and setting up the 4 pointcross grids. The most prevalentvegetation is an invasive species,American beachgrass (Ammophil-ia breviligul) dubbed bad grass

Volunteers Work for Snowy Plover Habitat Restoration

at the site during her survey wasa savannah sparrow.

The goal of the two year proj-ect is to restore the native duneecosystem of the western snowy plover and streaked horned lark by controlling non-native beachgrasses. The volunteer compo-nent of the project is funded by

a Packard grant to Grays Harborand Willapa Hills Audubon Chap-ters through Audubon Washing-ton.The plant measuring is due to be

completed this fall. Other volun-teer work days will be scheduled periodically through the winterand into next year. Anyone whowould like to volunteer for thisproject can please contact Jan Mc-Millan at mcmomjan@comcast.

net or email Arnie Martin [email protected].

Volunteers shown in photo aboveare from left to right:Jan McMillan GHAS PresidentMerran Owen WDFW AmeriCorpsWorker

Ann Muche Willapa Hills AudubonDave Hayes WDFWMary Ann SpahrGHAS member

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.


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Sustaining Gardensby Janet Strong

Red, orange, amber, golden,yellow, purpleand the greens spring, Irish, blue-green vi-brant colors fill my basket as Icarry it from garden to kitchen.At this time of year my land is

so good to me, rewarding memany times over for all the la-bor in spring and early summer.From March through NovemberI can harvest some food, herbor flower from greenhouse orgarden from early lettuce andspinach to late kale and cherrytomatoes under glass.

Whether we have a hot (toma-to) or cool (cabbage) summer,vegetables and fruits flourish

every year in a reasonably well-tended garden in the northwest.A greenhouse or hotbed greatlyextends the growing season inboth directions while providinga rearing home for tender seed-lings.

Raising a garden and storingits bounty can sustain us witha dependable food supply in-dependent of stormy weatherin central California, bacterialcontamination of veggies, soar-

ing shipping costs and marketfluctuations. Our sustenanceis fresher, tastier and richer invitamins than average grocerystore fare.Gardens also sustain us in oth-

er ways. All that pushing, pull-ing, bending, yanking, reach-ing and hauling can eliminateour need to drive to the fitnesscenter. (I often refer to my plot

Membership MeetingSunday, October 7, 20071:30 - 3:00 pm

Pearsall Building, AberdeenAfter a short welcome and pe-

riod of taking-care-of-businessDianna Moore will lead a dis-cussion on how to begin andmaintain a nature journal. Theemphasis will be on the chang-ing seasons, and what showsup when. We are all concernedwith the possible changes tak-ing place with the warming ofthe earth and as observers of

our own areas of familiar terri-tory we are in a unique positionto help identify the changes, ifany, occuring in our own backyards.As an admitted bribe, a Nature

Journal and pen will be givento the first 15 people to sign upwith Dianna at the meeting.

as Gym.) And we have lessneed for foodstuffs hauled for1500 miles (on average) to ourlocal supermarket. In a veryreal sense we are sustaining theenvironment and certainly sav-ing energy. If most of us raised

at least some of our yearly pro-duce, or purchased it from localfarmers markets, there might bea palpable dent in our nationsenergy gluttony.

The tartness of that first toma-to, the sweetness of fresh-pickedcorn, the succulent tendernessof early cabbage little cancompare to the pride and satis-faction of growing these mouth-watering treasurers. Having ex-tra produce, beyond zucchini!,

to share with friends and fam-ily fosters good feelings in thegiver and the recipient, too. Weand our gardens can create valu-able gifts that are truly part ofourselves. And we can share ourbounty with those less fortunateor less able.

Personally, my garden sustainsmy soul. I am grateful for thesoil, for the bees who swarm into pollinate the blossoms, for

the fence that keeps out the ma-rauding deer. But I most thank-ful for the amazing tiny packetsof DNA that sprout, grow andproduce food and flowers faith-fully year in and year out. It is areal miracle.

About a dozen excuses for notraising our own food circulatearound every neighborhood.Bad back, poor soil, too busy,no room for a garden, too muchwork, out of town too much,

hate yard work all of thesehave merit but can be overcometo a great extent by a person whoreally sees the value in an own-er-grown food supply. I know a paraplegic woman whose hus-band built her waist-high raised beds so she could pursue herpassion for gardening.

Raised beds, mulches, patio pots, cloches, compost, hand

tools of every description, light-weight rototillers these are buta few of the ingenious devicesavailable to gardener-wanna- bees. Experienced Master Gar-deners and the media of all kindsare out there to assist folks with

any problem. Teaching peopleto garden and raise their ownfood is fostering their health,independence and perhaps theirreconnection to the earth uponwhich we all depend. Teachingchildren to garden is an invest-ment in the future of humanity.

Mike FarrellStar of M*A*S*H and a lead-ing environmental and socialactivist is coming to Grays Har- bor. He will be appearing atthe Bishop Center, Grays Har-bor College on October 19th at7:30 PM. Tickets available atthe door, $15.


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GHAS MissionThe mission of the Grays

Harbor 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

Grays Harbor Audubonacquires land next toBottle Beach

As a result of a settlement byFriends of Grays Harbors at-torney Knoll Lowney over the

Links Golf Course in Westport,Grays Harbor Audubon has pur-chased approximately 40 acresof what is known as the BlairProperty, land next to BottleBeach State Park. Bottle Beachis currently being developed byState Parks as the first ever state park designed especially forbirding. The new Audubon prop-erty includes a slough, meadow-lands and wetlands that will bepreserved as wildlife habitat.

Grays Harbor Audubon members Jan McMillan, DiannaMoore, Robert Morse and Di-ane Schwickerath provided in-put and suggestions to the BottleBeach park designers includingthe design and placement of theviewing platforms, location oftrails, handicapped amenitiesand other features. The chapterwill also help with the designand placement of interpretive

signs and provide volunteersduring the peak shorebird mi-gration seasons in the spring andfall. Jan McMillan, Grays Har- bor Audubon President states;Acquiring land next to BottleBeach will provide a contiguousand protected habitat for wildlifein the area. Especially importantis the management of the floodgates, now on Audubon proper-ty, that allow bay water to flowinto the slough. The flow of salt

water affects the natural vegeta-tion in the area.

Hummer notesby Ruth McCausland

For several years I was in-volved in the U. W. Bird Nest-ing Project. When we moved toTokeland, one of the things I no-ticed was the number of rufoushummingbirds around a neigh-bors fuchsia basket hanging onthe porch. Another neighbor had

a syrup feeder that was so busythe birds were trying to drinkwhile he was carrying the feederto the hanger. There obviouslywas an opportunity to recordnests but first it was necessaryto see where they were and whatthey looked like.

The first two nests I saw wereon spruce tree branches, perhapsfifteen feet from the ground withno chance to see what was in

them. When approaching thetree I quickly learned that thefemale clicked when she felt theyoung were in danger. This tinything would also click at andharass any crow that showed aninterest in a nest.

One day when I was workingalong the edge of our property,a female rufous was annoyedat me for being there. She wasconsiderably higher than myhead and was going back and

forth like a pendulum. Evident-ly there was a nest nearby and Iwas determined to find it. Aftera few minutes of remaining mo-tionless with no result, I movedout of the birds sight but couldstill see her. I got down on oneknee, close to the brush on theneighbors property and watchedfrom behind the gorse bush.

Time passed, the clicking wenton and on but she did not makeany effort to settle in a nest. I gaveup before she did. As I loweredmy head and got ready to standup, about a foot away from myface was the nest with two little

beaks pointing upwards. Thestartled watcher quickly backedup so that the poor thing couldfeed her hungry babies withouthuman interruption. Baby hum-mers grow fast and the pair wasable to leave the nest in threemore days.

What a learning experiencethis was. Female hummers lovethe thorny gorse and this nox-ious weed grew all over in theempty lot in front of us. From

then on, it was easy to locatenests. The Ornithological pro-gram was the recipient of over100 rufous hummingbird nestsfound in Tokeland plus a fewothers in the beach area. My re-cord year 54 nests, about half ofwhich were successful.


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Nominating CommitteereportThe Annual Meeting and elec-

tion of the Board of Directorswill be on December 2nd atthe regular bi-monthly Mem-

bers Meeting. The Nominat-ing Committee Chair, GaryUtter, will be working withhis committee in the next fewweeks to put together a slate of Nominees. If you have namesto suggest, please contact Garyat kngutter@coastaccess or callhim at 360-289-0157.

Shorebird Festival Plan-ning Committee seeksnew members

If you have a little time tospare this year and would like

to be a part of one of the mostsuccessful events on the Har- bor, the Shorebird FestivalPlanning Committee could sureuse your help. The committee,composed of representativesfrom Grays Harbor Audubon,Grays Harbor National WildlifeRefuge, the City of Hoquiam,Port of Grays Harbor, GraysHarbor Tourism and ordinarycitizens meet once a month Oc-tober through April. Members

help plan field trips, the auctionand banquet, publicity, activi-ties for kids, the vendor/exhibitand community participation.The planning committee is afun and flexible group and wel-comes new members. If youare interested in volunteering,call the Grays Harbor AudubonVoice Mail phone line at (800)303-8498.

Chehalis WatershedFestival October 13thsave the date!

On Saturday, October 13, thesecond Chehalis Watershed Fes-tival will take place in our own

back yard, at the Log Pavilionin Aberdeen, next to Top Foods.This all-day celebration willbe the final chapter in ChehalisWatershed Week, from October6 through the 13th, featuringlots of activities throughout theChehalis basin.

The festival will highlight thegreat things going on in the ba-sin to benefit fish, wildlife andhealthy streams. Activities forchildren and the whole family

will be featured, including a gi-ant salmon. GHAS, the ChehalisRiver Council and the ChehalisRiver Basin Land Trust will beamong the many groups with at-tractive booths.

GHAS members will lead two birding trips during WatershedWeek at the Grays HarborRefuge on Thursday, October11, from 4-6 p.m. and again onSaturday, October 13 (Festi-

val Day) at Grays Harbor Col-lege from 8-10 a.m. The formerwill feature shorebirds wendingtheir way southward and willcommence at the SandpiperTrailhead. Participants on theGHC trip will meet at the Bish-op Center and will likely see avariety of field and forest birdsin their winter plumage.Watch for the festival pamphlet

and more details on this secondcelebration of the wonderful

watershed we all call home. Lastyears and the very first Cheha-lis Watershed Festival was heldin Centralia at Riverside Park. Itwas deemed a great success andthe beginning of a long seriesof annual Watershed Festivals.The 2007 Festival will continuethis new tradition.

GH Alliance presentsforum November 14thNot just a pretty face - toxinsbeyond skin deepFeaturing author Stacy Malkan

from her new book Not Just a

Pretty Face: The Ugly Sideof the Beauty Industry. Ms.Malkan chronicles the story of breast cancer activists and en-vironmentalists who took onthe worlds largest cosmeticscompanies to demand safer,non-toxic products. This scath-ing investigation delves deeplyinto the problem of toxic chem-icals in everyday personal careproducts, and peels away less-than-lovely layers to expose an

industry in dire need of an ex-treme makeover.

The evening discussion willinclude a panel of experts ontoxins found in our homes andat work. the forum will be heldfrom 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Carpen-ters Hall, 316 East 1st Avenue,Aberdeen

Fall ACOW heads for therain shadow Oct 19 -21st

Hello from Sequim,We are busy organizing what

we hope will be a memorableACOW gathering October 19-21! We anticipate a sold outconference and thus encourageeveryone who is planning to at-tend to please send in their reg-istrations. Registration formscan be found at www.olym-picpeninsulaaudubon.org.

The Olympic Peninsula

Audubon Society (OPAS)Habitat Restoration and Posterproject is developing very welland we look forward to seeinga variety of ideas from otherchapters.

See you soon! Sue Chickman,Conference Chair


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Victory declared: MissionAccomplished!

This summer, GHAS ScotsBroom Committee declaredvictory over its green nemesison the Audubon property alongForrest Avenue in Westport. Forsix seasons this stalwart crew haswielded saws, pruners, hatchetsand, recently, a weed wrench inits assault on the hardy invasive.After each session of hacking

and yanking for two hours, ourweed warriors sat down for a picnic and relaxation. Finally,completing this years work,they looked around to find NO MORE SCOTS BROOMLEFT!

GHAS extends hearty con-gratulations and thanks to allcommittee members for their persistence and dedication toRenee Prine, Carol Sunde, Jan

McMillan, Ann Haarer, FranzSchneider, Barbara Fandrichand Jan Strong. Thanks to SteveHallstrom for the use of hispowerful weed wrench.

Announcing for Birders... The Grey Gull Motel in Ocean Shores offers a discount to birdersstaying with them and the discount is good year round. They alsowelcome birders to use their parking lot for Ocean Shores birdingevents.

The Grey Gull is a member of Grays Harbor Audubon and is lo-cated at 651 Ocean Shores Blvd. NW, Ocean Shores on the Wash-ington Coast.

Count birds this Thanks-giving

By Becky DurrI believe it was 1992 when I

read an article in The Sandpip-er about a new bird count fortwelve western states that would

take place on Thanksgiving Day.It sounded so easy because thecounter could decide where tocount birds, and it could evenbe from a window! The countercould even decide what time toconduct the count, which wouldlast only one hour. A checklistto be mailed in afterwards wasalso included in our newsletter.I have been participating in thiscount almost every year since

that first one, and I encourageyou to join in this year.We have some busy moments

during the day on Thanksgiv-ing, but we can usually set asideone hour for the count. I prefer being outside if possible, be-cause I see more that way, butlast year I remember sitting in-side the window at my sistershouse in Seattle because it wasstorming outside. The counterestablishes an imaginary 15 ft

diameter cylinder in an area at-tractive to birds (perhaps includ-ing feeders, water, or vegetationthat birds will use). We try tocount each individual bird thatcomes within the cylinder dur-ing the hour. I look forward tothis peaceful hour on Thanks-giving day, but for me another benefit of this count is receiv-ing a very interesting newslet-

ter from the coordinator of thecount. Dr. John Hewstons BirdAwareness Newsletter is pub-lished about three times annu-ally. Each year several issuesare devoted to detailed analysisof the count results.

Last February, a 12-page reportwas sent to the 390 counters.You can find out numbers ofspecies counted by state, trendsin bird populations, numbersof counts, comparisons withother years, and other facts. Ifyou like birds, you will alsofind other interesting articles inthe newsletter. Last year therewere 74 counts in 45 locationsin Washington. There were 49counts in Western Washington.

If you would like to be involvedin the Thanksgiving Bird Countwhich takes place this year on November 22, 2007, I suggestyou write to Dr. John Hewston.His address is Natural Resourc-es Building, Humboldt StateUniversity, Arcata, CA 95521.The phone number is (707) 826-3731 or 822-5288. There is nocost to participate. You willreceive instructions and a field

tally form with the next issue ofthe newsletter.


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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] Martin 612-0437 [email protected]

Jan 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, [email protected]

Vice 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, [email protected]

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


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MembershipMeetingFriendsLandingPearsallBuilding

2105Sumner,Aberdeen1:30-3:00pmOctober7,2007 News&Editorial sendmaterialsto

P.O.Box1044Westport,98595-1044

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CopydeadlineDecember3

InsidethisIssuePlovervolunteers1 PresidentsPerch2

Potluckphoto2Sustaininggarden3Membershipmeeting3Habitatacquired4Hummernotes4Nominating5Festivalneeds5WatershedFestival5Toxinsforum5FallACOW5T-daybirdcount6Victorydeclared6Board&Officers7MemberApplication8

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Sept-Oct 2007 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

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