The Leaflet, January/February 2001
- Off the Beaten Path by Jess Gwinn
- Spring Education / Conservation Fund Drive by Susan Hengeveld
- Upcoming Events for the Education / Conservation Fund Drive
- Donations Sought for Third Annual Silent Auction
- Last Year's Raffle Grand Prize Winner Describes Her Stay in Fort Myers Beach, Florida by Christy Burks
- SAS Calendar for January / February 2001
- Get Ready for Cornell Lab's Great Backyard Bird Count, February 16- 19
- Meet the Newest Additions to the SAS Board of Directors
Off the Beaten Path
After the decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court on January 12, we learned that George W. Bush will be our next president. That is, the son of former president George H.W. Bush, the same being the Vice President to Ronald Reagan. Can you see where I am going here? Regardless of your opinion on the merits and policies of the Reagan and Bush presidencies, their environmental legacies were atrocious. We are not talking about a mere ignoring of environmental issues. Disdain would have been far more preferable to the outright animosity and assault that was perpetrated. James Watt, Ann Gorsuch, Manuel Lujan, etc., ad nauseam. Federal agencies, and thus their constituencies, we the people, are still suffering from the legacies of these and many other appointees of this era.
Which brings us back to George W. Bush. He has already gone on record stating that he would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration and drilling (he must have some Texas oil buddies/campaign contributors to repay). The state of Texas, by the way, leads the country in toxic pollutants. Bush has openly criticized President Clinton's creation of several new National Monuments as federal land grabs. (The land already belongs to the federal government, George!) And this may just be the beginning of four years of attacks upon the environment.
I could be wrong. George W. Bush may go down as one of the greatest presidents. But then again, I think we would be better served to prepare ourselves for setbacks. Especially considering that the Republicans still control the US Congress. (No offense intended for those Republicans who understand what the root of "conservative" means.)
So roll up your sleeves and stretch out those activist muscles because you are going to need them for the next four years. If you are concerned about the environment and are willing to volunteer a few hours now and then, please contact me at 876-8623 or 876-7111 or jagmo@bluemarble.net to find out how you can become a member of our Conservation Committee. Let the battles begin.
Spring Education / Conservation Fund Drive
One of SAS's primary missions is to find ways to advance public understanding of the value and need for conservation of wildlife, wildlife habitat, our natural resources, and the relation of intelligent treatment and wise use of these resources to human progress. To augment this mission, SAS has embarked upon a fundraising effort to generate the capital necessary to start an endowment through the Bloomington/Monroe County Community Foundation. The ultimate purpose of this endowment will be to award annual grants that further the SAS mission. These grants will be awarded for projects that address any of three separate categories: education, research or conservation.
As part of our education mission, we anticipate using a chunk of the endowment money yearly for the continuing support of Audubon Adventures (AA), a program designed to bring nature into elementary school classrooms. Due to the growing use of AA kits by local teachers, SAS has had to dip into other budget categories in order to supply all of the requesting classrooms. As the popularity increases of AA increases, we want to ensure that we can continue to support every teacher that asks for help. We feel that to reach as many children as possible, we can not afford to turn anyone away!
On a different but similarly important level SAS has been supporting ongoing research in avian conservation, spearheaded by Don Whitehead at Indiana University. Due to Dr. Whitehead's retirement and the winding down of his research at IU, the SAS board has been looking for ways to continue supporting similar research projects in the future. We feel the endowment fund will allow us to continue to support many, perhaps smaller, projects that deal with local conservation issues.
SAS is heading in slightly new directions and as part of our spring fundraising efforts, we would like to invite all of you to a chili cook off in the beginning of April! We will have displays and short presentations aimed at educating our members about the targets of our fundraising efforts. In the March / April Leaflet, we will provide specifics on all of the events, but we want to give you a bit of advance notice so you can mark your calendars!
Upcoming Events for the Education / Conservation Fund Drive
(details to follow in the March / April Leaflet)
Saturday, April 7th (tentatively) (time & place to be announced): Chili Cook-Off
Come sample chilis prepared by SAS members - vote on your favorite(s). There will also be displays & short presentations on SAS fundraising efforts.
Saturday May 5th: Birdathon Potluck Dinner and Raffle
Sponsored by Monroe County Parks & Rec. Pledges from the Birdathon will be used to help capitalize the endowment. At the potluck dinner that follows the Birdathon, we will have our annual raffle drawing. Grand Prize - a one-week stay in a condominium in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. See story in this Leaflet by last year's winner!
Spring, 2001: Third Annual Silent Auction
Our third annual auction will be held in conjunction with EarthFest 2001.
Spring, 2001: Birdathon 2001
Once again, SAS plans to field as many teams as possible for the Monroe County Parks & Rec spring Bird-a-thon. Consider joining a team this year and experiencing the thrill of seeing many of our local and migrant birds in one fun-filled crazy day of birding. Or, if birding from dawn-to-dusk doesn't appeal to you, you can help SAS by recruiting pledges and cheering on your favorite group of birders! Look for more details in the March / April Leaflet.
Donations Sought for Third Annual Silent Auction:
SAS is looking for items to include in the silent auction. All donations are tax-deductible. In the past we have had donations from local businesses and individuals ranging from services, such as haircuts or a dinner for two at a local restaurant, to merchandise / donated items such as homemade honey, bird prints, and hammocks. If you have any items you would like to donate, please contact auction coordinator Susan Hengeveld (988-1671 or email: shengeve@indiana.edu).
Last Year's Raffle Grand Prize Winner Describes Her Stay in Fort Myers Beach, Florida
My boyfriend Glenn, his little brother Luke, and I stayed in the grand prize condominium on Estero Beach, Fort Myers, this August. Glenn is a tour guide in Belize and he specializes in birds. I've become interested in birding in the last couple of years, so we spent much of our time observing the birds in the area. We had a really wonderful vacation. There is a lot to do in southwest Florida and we did not get to do all that we wanted to do, mostly because we had a real problem with getting up early on our vacation.
The condominium, the Estero Beach Club and Tennis Resort, provided by the Gwinns, is located right on the beach. There is a marshy area separated from the gulf by some vegetation. From the balcony, we saw Roseate Spoonbills, Spotted Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Brown Pelicans in the still water.
The first place we visited, recommended by Mrs. Gwinn, was the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Sanctuary, located on neighboring Sanibel Island. Before we even entered the museum, we were excited about the wildlife. We saw an alligator behind the museum and there was a Gray Kingbird perched on a power line. The museum is really interesting because it provides information on the history of the island and on its natural history. We were given a bird check list before we started the tour.
We drove through the park, but visitors can choose to drive, walk, or ride. The nice thing about the sanctuary is that visitors can stop at any point along the five-mile trail and stay as long as they want. There are gravel footpaths near a flowing stream, and a boardwalk through a mangrove forest. From a platform near the mangroves, we saw a Reddish Egret and a Tricolored Heron. For some time, we watched a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron catching crabs. We also saw a White Ibis hunting in the area. Glenn brought his scope, so we had a great view of some sandbars covered in birds. We saw Laughing Gulls, Green Herons, Anhingas, and Brown Pelicans. Luke stayed busy catching hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs along the shore. We saw some habituated raccoons on our drive through the sanctuary. There are platforms arranged specifically for alligator sightings, but unfortunately, we didn't see any more alligators. We found that it was very easy to spend half a day in the sanctuary.
Another day we went to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve on Estero Bay. It consists of a 1.2 mile boardwalk through cypress swamp. The landscape provides visitors with a good idea of what southwest Florida looked like before humans encroached upon the environment. Although we did not see much wildlife, the walk was really beautiful. As the trail came near the bay, we saw a few birds, among them the Brown-crested Flycatcher, the Yellow-throated Warbler, and a Northern Cardinal.
At the Everglades City Eden Jungle Boat Tour, we took a pontoon boat tour which focused on sighting alligators. We saw alligators, raccoons, and egrets. At one point, a Brown Pelican perched on the railing while the guide fed him fish. I was disappointed because we didn't see manatees, but the guide told us that manatee sightings are rare until December.
After the tour, we went to an alligator park. The alligators are raised on farms, and the ones at the park spend their whole lives there. They live to be around one hundred years old in captivity. I held three juvenile alligators from ages one to three. It was a lot more fun than I would have imagined it to be.
We spent the rest of our vacation eating at nice restaurants, swimming in the pool, walking on the beach, playing shuffleboard and miniature golf, and just relaxing. We had a wonderful vacation in Fort Myers. The beach is beautiful and there are many great attractions. We saw a lot of birds and spent some time in some really breath-taking, well-preserved places. I would recommend southwest Florida as a vacation spot.
Thanks again to the Gwinns for providing the condominium to the raffle - Christy Burks
SAS Calendar for January / February 2001
All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.
Saturday, January 20, 2001 "Wintering Raptors"
A half-day trip to Goose Pond, Strip Mines near Pleasantville and the Dugger Wildlife Area to see over-wintering raptors such as Harriers and Rough-legged Hawks. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in the parking lot on the west side of Bloomingfoods on East Third Street. Call Don Whitehead at 339-1782 if you have questions.
Wednesday, January 31, 2001
"January Program: Rethinking California
Condor Releases"
Dr. Vicky Meretsky of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs will present "Rethinking California Condor Releases" at 7:00 p.m. in Room 1-C of the Monroe County Public Library. Learn about the last ditch efforts to save the California Condor from extinction.
Saturday, February 10, 2001 "A Night of Owling"
Spend two to three hours looking and listening for owls that inhabit Monroe County. Meet at 6:30 p.m. in the K-Mart East parking lot. Contact Jim or Susan Hengeveld at 988-1671 to confirm the time or if you have questions.
Saturday, February 24, 2001 "Eagles on Lake Monroe"
Take a three hour trip to see the Bald Eagles that call Lake Monroe home. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot on the west side of Bloomingfoods on East Third Street. Call Don Whitehead at 339-1782 if you have questions.
Get Ready for Cornell Lab's Great Backyard Bird Count, February 16 - 19
Have you marked your calendar for the fourth annual Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Great Backyard Bird Count? It will take place February 16 thru 19, 2001. Read all about it at http://birds.cornell.edu/newsreleases/gbbc2001_print.html.
If you'd like more ideas for ways you can help us spread the word about the count, visit http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/Further.HTM.
We're counting on you to count for the birds!
Meet the Newest Additions to the SAS Board of Directors
Elected at our Annual Meeting and Potluck in September, each board member has provided some information about his or her background and interests.
Fred Churchill
By trade I am an historian of biology with a research interest in the development of nineteenth and twentieth century embryology, genetics, and evolution. I continue to pursue my research and some classroom teaching in my retirement. By avocation I am a lifelong bird watcher and have participated irregularly on Bloomington Christmas Bird counts. I have on occasion followed at a respectful distance some of the professional research in ornithology pursued on campus. I am equally interested in the history of ornithology and recommend highly Paul Farber's The Emergence of Ornithology as a Scientific Discipline: 1760-1850 and Mark V. Barrow, Jr.'s A Passion for Birds: American Ornithology after Audubon. I also have an interest in environmental issues and forestry. I am on the board of directors of a registered family tree farm in Vermont, which is managed for the purpose of enhancing the habitat for wildlife. Over the years the abandoned hay fields have become forests, attracting moose, turkeys, and bears, and at the same time are selectively harvested to pay the taxes.
Rhonda Hine
I am really looking forward to working on the SAS Board. My interests lie in conservation of our bird environment as well as introducing new people to the world of birds. I am a relatively new birder myself, but very enthusiastic! I have participated in the last two May Birdathons and Christmas Bird Counts. These have been wonderful learning opportunities. I hope to help make a difference !
Bob Kissell
I have spent much of my life walking, running through, and poking around forests, meadows, and coastal areas. My general interest in things outdoor has been focused by three influences: involvement in my high school's 1970 Earth Day activities, stewardship of our rural properties in Monroe and now Greene counties, and my association with Sassafras and The Nature Conservancy since moving to Bloomington in 1986. More recently, I have noticed that as my interest in continuing to operate my business (psychologist) has waned, I am no longer satisfied with being a sometimes on but mostly off-again birdwatcher, SAS member, and conservationist. SAS as an organization and through its members offers an important array of specific outdoor activities as well as expertise in technical areas, education, and preservation of biodiversity.
Cathy Meyer
I grew up in the Dunes, often noted as the birthplace of ecology, and spent my youth exploring the woods and swamps nearby. I came to Bloomington to attend IU in 1972 and never left (one of those!). I completed an undergraduate degree in zoology and masters degrees in ecology and environmental science. I worked for several DNR divisions and the Hoosier National Forest before settling in at Monroe County Parks and Recreation about 10 years ago. As the naturalist, I plan school programs and field trips, public programs, special events such as EarthFest, and day camp. We sponsor the Monroe County Bird-A-Thon, Arbor Day, the Wildlfower Foray, and the Tree Stewards program. I am a member of many organizations and groups, including the Environmental Education Association of Indiana, Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society, The Nature Conservancy, Sycamore Land Trust, Indiana Academy of Science, Professional Ski Instructors of America, and more. For fun, I play soccer, garden, watch birds, read, and hike. I have a 16 year-old daughter.