The Leaflet, July / August 2000
- Off the Beaten Path by Jess Gwinn
- 2000 Birdathon Highlights by Don Whitehead
- SAS Calendar for July / August 2000
- Concerned About the Effects of Genetically Engineered Foods?
- Thanks to Birdathon Contributors
- Thanks to Silent Auction Donors
- Organic T-shirts and Totes Now Available!
- The Fourth Annual Monroe County 4th of July Butterfly Count by Sandy Belth
Off the Beaten Path
This notice is early, but mark your calendars for Saturday, September 30th. This is the date scheduled for our annual meeting. Once again we will be holding the meeting in the afternoon at the Riddle Point shelter house on Lake Lemon. At the annual meeting you will have a chance to bid farewell to the departing board members as well as greet the new contingent. Amazingly for a group of people committed to protecting birds, wildlife and the environment in general, we seem to attract a surprising number of culinary artists. Luckily we frequently provide outlets for these people to express themselves. The annual meeting is another such venue. The social program at the meeting will again revolve around a potluck dinner. If any of you have not attended one of the Sassafras potlucks in the past, you might as well begin now by attending this one. Just bring a covered dish to share. Then sit back to enjoy the feast. Sassafras will provide tableware and some beverages.
For those of you of a guilty persuasion (about the generous dining of course, what else?), plan on making a day out of the annual meeting by helping Sassafras with the annual lakeshore cleanup in the morning before the meeting. Sassafras has contracted with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to annually clean up a two mile stretch of Lake Monroe shoreline. Our section of shoreline is on the east side of the North Fork refuge. Come and share in the camaraderie of fellow Sassafras Auduboners and work up an appetite for the afternoon potluck.
The Annual Monroe County Birdathon: Another Wonderful Day of Birding by Don Whitehead
This year's Birdathon, sponsored by Monroe County Parks and Recreation, was held on Saturday, May 6. Sassafras Audubon once again participated by entering a number of teams and, following our now well-established tradition, used the event as fund raiser for the chapter. The Birdathon is set up as a competition to see which team can see (and/or hear) the greatest number of species in a 24-hour period. Birdathons are traditionally held in May during the height of spring migration to provide an opportunity to record high species counts.
Last year Sassafras Audubon began using a new approach-instead of entering just one team, we attempted to draw in as many birders as possible and have many teams in the field. We also enlarged the Birdathon concept by permitting teams to cover interesting areas in other counties in the state (the Monroe County Birdathon limits counts to birds seen within the county). We hoped that this concept would draw broad participation, make the birding more exciting, sharpen the competition, and ultimately raise more money. The Birdathon has become an important fund-raiser for the chapter. Money raised from Birdathon pledges has helped fund important research on long-distance migrant songbirds and this year will also help build the chapter's endowment.
This year a total of seven teams comprised of 27 individuals participated in the Birdathon. The teams were "The Wild Birders" led by Ross Brittain, "Flycatchers I" led by Jim Brown, "Flycatchers II" led by Jerry Downs, "The Mudhens" led by Cathy Meyer, "The Prothonotary Wanderers" led by Jim and Susan Hengeveld, "The Fish and Wildlife Partners" led by Gary Langell, and "Team Harmony" led by Scott Evans. Collectively the seven teams recorded 158 species (156 for Monroe County), a very good count considering that May 6 is very early in the spring migration period. The Prothonotary Wanderers won the overall competition by recording 142 species. Fish and Wildlife was second with 122, Mudhens third with 117, and Flycatchers I fourth with 115.
The birding highlights included Greater Scaup, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-rumped Sandpiper, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, and Philadelphia Vireo. Other good birds included Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, Common Tern, Great Egret, Sora, Semipalmated Plover, Dunlin, Ruffed Grouse, Osprey, Bald eagle, Least Flycatcher, "Traill's" Flycatcher (as it was not singing, it was impossible to tell whether it was an Alder or a Willow), Gray-cheeked Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, most of the common migrant and resident warblers, Bobolink, Pine Siskin, Blue Grosbeak, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Henslow's Sparrow.
As the weather was reasonably cooperative and the birding quite good, it was a wonderful day for everyone. Following our recently established "custom," the tally was held on Sunday at a potluck hosted by Henry Wahl. Great food and excellent results. Pledges for the Birdathon are still coming in. It is not too late to participate. Pledges have ranged from five cents per species to a dollar per species. Some pledges are flat donations. If you would like to contribute to worthy environmental causes, make out a check to Sassafras Audubon and send it to Susan Hengeveld. We need help from all of you! Many thanks to those who have already pledged. Hope to see all of you on a team next year. The more the merrier--and the more birds we record, the more money we raise.
SAS Calendar for July / August 2000
All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.
Saturday, July 8, 2000 "4th Annual Monroe / Brown Butterfly Count"
As part of the North American Butterfly Association'sč 4th of July Butterfly Counts, we will again be conducting the Monroe /Brown Butterfly count. The Counts are organized much the same way as the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Counts in that a 15 mile diameter circle is described. Butterfly teams cover different parts of the circle in search of as many different species of butterflies as they can find during the course of the day. The count circle includes all of the Stillwater Marsh, and Northfork areas, Yellowwood State Forest, some of Brown County State Park and much of the Hoosier National Forest, including all of the Deam Wilderness and the Allens Creek Peninsula. If you would like to learn about butterflies and help with our count, please call Jeff or Sandy Belth, 825-8353 or e-mail Belthbirds@aol.com. We will arrange meeting times and places. Come for all or part of the day.
Wednesday, July 26, 2000 July Program: Shorebird Identification with Jim & Susan Hengeveld
Come to the Monroe County Public Library, Meeting Room 1C, at 7:00 pm to learn about identifying shorebirds with biologists and board members Jim and Susan Hengeveld. Follow-up outing to be held in August.
Saturday August 19, 2000 "Local Shorebirds Outing"
Jim and Susan Hengeveld will lead this follow-up outing to their July program. Meet at 8:00 a.m. (to beat the heat) at the NW corner of the Eastland Plaza parking area behind Ellis Floral on East 3rd Street. For more information, contact Jim Hengeveld, 988-1671 or jhengeve@indiana.edu.
Saturday, September 23, 2000 "Fall Feeder Cleaning Fundraiser"
Though right now it's the middle of summer, fall will soon be around the corner and feeding will kick into high gear. Plan on starting the season with a clean feeder. Watch for more information in the next Leaflet! To volunteer call Ross Brittain at 333-2121.
Saturday, September 30, 2000 "North Fork Wildlife Refuge Cleanup"
Our second cleanup of this stretch of Lake Monroe shoreline will begin at 9:00 a.m., and will probably last until 1:00 p.m. Come dressed in work clothes, boots, and gloves. Trash bags will be provided by DNR, and we will provide some snacks and drinks. Persons wanting to carpool should meet at 8:30 a.m. at the NW corner of the Eastland Plaza parking area behind Ellis Floral on East 3rd Street. To volunteer contact Ang Jordan at 333-1168 or aejordan@indiana.edu.
Saturday, September 30, 2000 "Sassafras Audubon Society Annual Meeting and Potluck"
Like last year, we will hold our post-cleanup potluck at the Riddle Point Beach shelter at Lake Lemon. Bring a potluck dish and beverage to the annual meeting; Sassafras will provide the tableware and beverages. Join in welcoming new board members and thanking those who are outgoing. Best of all, eat and socialize with other Audubon members. For more information or directions, call Jess Gwinn, 876-8623.
Concerned about the effects of genetically engineered foods?
If so, consider attending the Center for Sustainable Living«s upcoming meeting to learn more and help organize awareness about these issues in the state of Indiana.
- When: Tuesday, July 11, 2000 at 7:00 p.m.
- Where: Monroe County Public Library
For more information contact Good Foods Group at (812) 332-8796, or by e-mail at goodfood@bloomington.in.us.
Thanks to Birdathon Contributors
Contributions are still coming in, but we would like to make an initial acknowledgement of those who donated to this year's Birdathon. This year the Raffle raised $411, and the Silent Auction generated $626 with additional money still outstanding at this writing. We received $1366.02 in pledges, though some of that money is still outstanding. That's a total of $2403.02. This year's proceeds will be split between research on neotropical migrants in the Hoosier National Forest, and establishing a fund for other local environmental grants and projects.
Major Donors
- George & Betsy Allan
- James Allan
- Jim & Maria Brown
- Sarah Elizabeth Frey
- Don & Betsy Whitehead
Donors
| David & Ingrid Beery Carolyn Begley & Jiri Dadok Margorie Belth Karen & Alan Blackledge Cary Boyce Andrew R. Durkin Susan & Jim Hengeveld Rhonda Hine |
Bill Holladay Terry Howe Larry & Beth McIntyre Clarke & Mary Miller Donna Ormiston Barbara J. Restle Dave Richardson Elizabeth Rosdeitcher |
Jordan Tillet Joan ten Hoor Robert Togasaki Joe van Riet Sherry Weber Nicole & Mark Welch Jana Wilson |
Thanks to Silent Auction Donors
We would like to extend thank yous to all the businesses and individuals who donated items to this year's silent auction and helped make it a big success.
A very special thanks goes to Bloomingfoods on East Third Street. They made space available at the store for us to display many of the auction items, and a lot of the bidding took place there during the week before the close of bidding at EarthFest.
Businesses and individuals donating items
| The stylists at Be Hair Now Bloomingfoods Borders Books and Music Cedar Bluff Gardens Grisanti's Casual Italian Restaurant Jess Gwinn IU Athletics Department |
IU Foundation IU Press The Herald Times The Limestone Grille Karen Luerssen, massage therapist Mays Greenhouse Opie Taylor's Restaurant |
Outdoor Outlet The estate of Delbert Rust Sassafras Audubon Society WFIU Don & Betsy Whitehead Wild Birds Unlimited |
SAS Organic T-Shirts and Tote Bags for Sale!
After much anticipation, we are now selling Sassafras Audubon t-shirts and tote bags. Both items are made from 100% ORGANIC COTTON. Money raised from the sale of the items will be used to fund a variety of SAS activities. The front of the t-shirt, which is available in short or long sleeve in M, L, or XL, has a 10.5 x 13.5 inch print of a Hooded Warbler singing from the branch of a young Sassafras tree. The original artwork was done specially for SAS by local artist and member Jeffrey Belth. The shirt also carries the new SAS logo designed by Jeff. The sturdy, flat-bottomed tote bags have a large version of the logo printed in green on both sides. If you would like to order any items, link to this form. Make check payable to Sassafras Audubon Society, and send to Susan Hengeveld/Treasurer, 6354 South Shore Dr, Unionville IN 47468.
The Fourth Annual Monroe County 4th of July Butterfly Count
The 4th of July Butterfly Counts were started 25 years ago by the Xerces Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of invertebrates. These counts are held from two-three weeks before the 4th of July to two weeks after the 4th. These counts determine the health and densities of butterfly populations across North America. Several years ago the North American Butterfly Association, (NABA), was formed to educate the public about the joys of non-consumptive, recreational butterflying including listing, gardening, observation, photography, rearing and conservation. NABA now administers the counts. NABA created a new regional office in Indianapolis this past year and there are four counts up in that area.
A Butterfly Count is conducted similarly to the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Counts. A 15 mile diameter circle is parceled out to field parties. Teams cover as much varied habitat as possible and count as many species as they can find during a several hour period. Jeff conducted one of these counts for 5 years at McCormick's Creek State Park in Owen County and has led teams for the past 11 years in a butterfly count held on The Edge of Appalachia Preserves in Adams County, Ohio. We have started a count circle in Monroe and Brown Counties. This will be our fourth year for the count and will be held on Saturday, July 8. Last year our count total was the highest in the state! Please join us. If you are interested in butterflies and want to learn more about them by participating in the count, please call Jeff and Sandy Belth, 825-8353.