The Leaflet, July / August 2002
- Off the Beaten Path by Bob Kissel
- Lobbying For Our Forests by Jess Gwinn
- Silent Auction and Raffle Wrap-Up
- SAS Calendar for July / August 2002
- Wanted: Sponsors For Audubon Adventures For Kids
- Five Grouse Tour by Bob Kissel
- It's In the Books: Monroe County Birdathon 2002 by Cathy Meyer
Off the Beaten Path
In late May Bloomington city council President Chris Gaal approached SAS' board with an extraordinary opportunity - to join the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) as a scholarshipped voting member. The BEDC is a non-profit public/private partnership established in 1985 and has the current mission of "stimulating quality economic development to improve the quality of life." The BEDC has directed its efforts recently towards high tech, tourism, partnering with local government and IU, providing seed and venture capitol funds and attracting new, non-retail business.
However the BEDC has been criticized as not representing the broader Bloomington and Monroe County community. Although the BEDC requires $5000 to join as a voting member, the city and county councils subsidize the BEDC with almost $130,000 each year. Critics have charged that the BEDC represents a small sector of development and real estate concerns but not small business, regular citizens or non-profit agencies. Under the leadership of Mr. Gaal, the Bloomington city council has urged the BEDC to expand its membership to include labor, non-profit and environmental concerns in such important economic discussion.
SAS' board listened intently to Chris' presentation on how a SAS membership might play a role in the economic development discussion of the BEDC. He advocated for SAS to be a voice for maintaining and enhancing the quality of our environment as development inevitably proceeds. In addition Chris posited that our environment is a viable and valuable source of "economic capitol" for attracting people to visit, live, and grow businesses.
After initial e-mail discussion your board made the decision that we "should" accept this opportunity but also felt strongly that an actual board meeting was essential as to the "how and can we" make this offer work, given the present SAS all-volunteer structure. Board members felt SAS might have an opportunity to pull together and broaden the discussion of often polarized issues and "players" in the environmental and business/development communities. We discussed at length that SAS' BEDC membership might well become a lightning rod for many environmental groups and issues. We also realize that SAS' involvement could be used as "spin" to legitimize less than environmentally desirable decisions.
With these reservations and concerns your Board believes this opportunity has sufficient merit for SAS to move forward in an effort to broaden the range of perspective within the BEDC. We plan to monitor closely what if any role SAS might play in this critical community discussion. As one board member summarized her concerns "you don't have to be in love to dance." I would welcome your comments and concerns about this challenge facing Sassafras Audubon Society.
Lobbying For Our Forests
From June 2 to 6 I wore the hat of lobbyist in Washington, D.C. Myself, Joshua Martin, Jana Johnston, Bridget Lee (all from Bloomington) and Andrew Laird from Michigan drove to D.C. for a week of lobbying on behalf of our national forests. The week was coordinated by the American Lands Alliance with attendees representing many groups from around the country. Sunday the 2nd was spent training to be an effective lobbyist and reviewing the core issues we would cover throughout the week. We also received folders of fact sheets to leave behind with all of the congressional offices we visited. There also was a scorecard with information on the environmental voting records of all representatives and senators. From Monday to Thursday we then visited offices from congressional districts from throughout the Midwest but mainly Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.
The foremost issue was the Roadless Area Conservation Rule which is being dismantled by the Bush administration. To counter the administration, a bill has been crafted called the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act. This bill takes the original Roadless Area Rule and codifies it for hopeful passage as a law. On Wednesday we attended a press conference for the release of this bill. The two primary sponsors, Jay Inslee of Washington, and Sherwood Boehlert of New York, as well as several other representatives were present and spoke about the new bill. At the release there were 174 cosponsors of the bill, but only two from Indiana, Baron Hill and Julia Carson. There will be a companion bill in the Senate released soon.
Other forest issues covered were Off Road Vehicle enforcement, fire budgeting and management, stewardship contracting and the National Forest Protection and Restoration Act (HR 1494). HR 1494 would essentially end logging on our national forests and divert a portion of the logging budget towards true forest restoration and worker retraining. As the logging program on our national forests is a consistent money loser, HR 1494 will actually save money by not subsiding the liquidation of our national forest assets (trees!!!).
While in D.C. I also visited the policy office of National Audubon Society. Kristen Berry at this office helped set up some appointments for me with my congressman and senators. One thing we learned during our many office visits was that many of these folks knew very little about these issues and heard very little from their constituents. An occasional letter, phone call, FAX or e-mail can make quite a difference. If any of you ever plan on visiting D.C., I strongly recommend that you contact your representatives and schedule meetings with them while in our nation's capital. The visits usually only last a half hour but can make a world of difference for our environment.
Silent Auction and Raffle Wrap-Up
After a week of slow but steady bidding at SAS' Silent Auction display at Bloomingfoods, the "price wars" heated up during the final afternoon at Karst Park on May 18th, despite cool temperatures and gusty winds. Interest was keen for the homemade Greene County "breakfast ensemble" (honey, jam, and syrup), the week's stay in the Florida condo, the ceramic cookie jar and the warbler field guide. During the same week, Ross and his Wild Birds Unlimited crew sold hundreds of Raffle tickets and many more chances were bought at our Earthfest booth at Karst. Congratulations to Patricia Hayden for winning the first raffle prize, a $150 gift certificate from Wild Birds.
When the Raffle and Silent Auction closed that brisk Saturday afternoon, SAS netted over $1100 for our conservation and education initiatives! SAS sincerely thanks our raffle and auction donors for their generous contributions: Athletics International, David Beery, Jeff Belth, Bloomingfoods, Bloomington Cooking School, Butler Winery, the Chili Woman, Jess Gwinn, Harley-Davidson of Bloomington, Leisha Hengeveld and the IU Fine Arts ceramicists, JL Waters, Limestone Grille, Cathy Meyer, Nature's Way, Oliver Winery, Opie Taylor's Restaurant, the Sollman's, Stewart's Hallmark, WFHB, Don Whitehead, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Worldwide Automotive.
And of course thanks to the SAS volunteers who pitched in and to everyone who bid in the auction or took a chance with a raffle ticket.
SAS Calendar for July / August 2002
All outings and programs are free and open to non-members.
Saturday, July 6, 2002 "Annual Butterfly Count"
An all-day event to catalog the number of individuals and species seen within a 15-mile diameter. Join us for all or part of the day as we try to improve on last year's tally of 49 species. Experience is not necessary; the more spotters the better! A great opportunity to get to know the best butterfly spots in the county. This annual count is the second largest butterfly count in the midwest. For further information about the count see the accompanying article. To be placed on a team, contact Sandy and Jeff Belth at 825-8353 or belthbirds@aol.com
Wednesday, July 31, 2002, 7:00 p.m. July Program: "Invasive Plants Are Here - What Should We Do Now?," a panel discussion
Plants catch rides with humans all over the planet. When conditions are right a few of these plants are able to become established and flourish to the point where they exclude native plants and wildlife. The two goals of this panel discussion are to increase understanding of the effects of invasive plants on local biodiversity and to reach consensus about what should be done to protect the integrity of local ecosystems. This program will begin at 7:00 p.m. on July 31 in the Auditorium of the Monroe County Public Library on Kirkwood. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. For more information please contact Steve Cotter at 349-3736.
Saturday, August 3, 2002 "Migrant Shorebirds"
This trip to local birding sites will focus primarily on migrant shorebirds. We will meet at 8:00 a.m. in the northeast corner of the K-Mart parking lot on east Third Street (next to Bloomingfoods). Contact leaders Jim and Susan Hengeveld for more information at 988-1616.
Saturday, August 24, 2002 "Dugger, Goose Pond, and Hawthorne Mine Trip"
Join Lee Sterrenburg for a half-day trip to see grassland species and early migrants in Western Indiana. Expect to see Blue Grosbeaks, numerous sparrows, raptors, early migrant shorebirds and waterfowl. Meet at the Bloomingfoods parking lot at 7:00 a.m.; return in early afternoon. Call Lee for details at 333-6268.
Saturday, September 7, 2002 "Butterfly Walk and Monarch Tagging Demonstration."
Sandy and Jeff Belth will lead a half-day butterfly walk at Flatwoods Park. We will concentrate on learning to identify the butterflies and skippers of late summer. Early September is usually the peak of the Monarch migration through Flatwoods Park. If we can locate a few this year, we will conduct a tagging demonstration. Tagging Monarchs helps scientists track their migratory patterns as they wing their way to Mexico. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the playground at Flatwoods Park. Follow State Road 46 about two miles west of the stop light in Ellettsville. Turn left onto Flatwoods Road. Go about one mile to the park entrance on the left. For further information contact Sandy and Jeff Belth at 825-8353 or belthbirds@aol.com.
Wanted: Sponsors For Audubon Adventures For Kids!
As members of SAS, we have the potential to instill in our youth concern for environmental quality. You can help reach that potential by sponsoring the Audubon Adventures program for elementary children in Bartholomew, Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, and Owen Counties.
Each Audubon Adventures kit includes a series of four newspapers
and a teacher's activity guide. The theme for the 2002-2003 school year is
North American Biomes: Wetlands, Temperate Deciduous Forests, Coastal Environments,
and Deserts.
The cost for one kit is $41. This comes to only about $1.45 per child for a
time-tested program. In the words of one student, "The stories helped
me think twice about all the animals in the world. Now that we have read those
papers, I think I am going to start helping the world to be a better place
for animals. Thank you very much."
Please help connect children to nature by sponsoring one or more classrooms. To be a sponsor, link to our mail-in form, print and fill it out, and return with your check by August 1.
Questions? Contact Kristina Lindborg at klindbor@indiana.edu or (812) 323-8233.
Utah Five Grouse Tour
To our great delight, each spring bird species reveal their unique breeding plumage, song, or display. Warblers combine subtle plumage and song intracies while raptors offer a striking aerial display. The grouse family has a most entertaining mix of plumage, display, and vocalizations. For example, male Sharp-tailed Grouse inflate their purple neck sac, hold their white tails up and their wings flat with the outer primary feathers down while rapidly stamping their feet, all to catch the eye of a passing female Sharp-tailed Grouse.
In mid-April I joined nine birders from across the country for the Five Day Five Grouse tour of Utah, under the direction of guide Mark Stackhouse (Westwings of Salt Lake City). With the potential to see five of six grouse species (all but Spruce), our group departed from Salt Lake City full of anticipation and ambition. Our first leg took us to the Southeast corner of Utah in the heart of red rock country to search for Gunnison Sage Grouse. With the sun barely up, we first heard the coffee percolator-like "popping" sound and then saw the chest sac-inflating, filoplume-flipping lek dance of this recently split species. We added Sharp-tailed Grouse at very close range at next day's dawn in the north hills bordering Idaho. Old World introduced species Chukar and Gray Partridge were spotted on Antelope Island and in White's Valley, respectively.
In between grouse sites we explored the incredibly diverse range of habitat in Utah. We searched pinyon-juniper woodlands, pine oak forests and cottonwood bottoms for Pinyon Jay, Grace's Warbler and Juniper Titmouse. We wandered the expanse of Great Salt Lake and Bear River Bird Refuge for American Avocet, Baird's Sandpiper, Sanderlings and literally tens of thousands of Eared Grebe. On the road northeast through the Bear River Range, we discovered American Dipper, Barrow's Goldeneye and Franklin's Gull in the mountain streams and ponds and on the glacial Bear Lake.
We spent our final two days in northeast Utah on the Deseret Ranch. In what would seem an apt metaphor for much of Utah, the 200,000 acres of Deseret Ranch are the largest privately held property in the state and have been owned by the Mormon Church for many decades. Elevations range from the dry sagebrush and grasslands at 6300 feet to over 8700 feet in the rugged mountainous western portion. Cattle and sheep graze the low grasslands while wildlife management for hunting, fishing and more recently bird watching is the primary activity and a source of ranch income ("make a profit while maintaining or enhancing the resource") in the more wild uplands. During our two days on the ranch we found Blue, Ruffed and Greater Sage Grouse as well as badger, mule deer, pronghorn and elk.
My final and perhaps most lasting impression of this Five Grouse tour and of Deseret Ranch, was during our last night. We were at almost 8000 feet under a crystal clear, half moon night. From a ridge several hundred feet above we heard the sonorous "hoot-hoot" of two Long-eared Owls, a species I recently had missed several times. After several minutes of recorded coaxing, the Owl swooped to a perch 30 feet away, staring at us with yellow eyes deeply set in its tawny-orange face. That was a most appreciated addition to my life list!
Westwings' Five Grouse tour was grueling yet gave our group the most satisfying opportunity to savor Utah's mix of mountains, Mormons, red rock desert and the dizzying array of avian, mammalian and floral beauty. And only once did our guide Mark have to admonish "no damn grousing" on this tour!
It's In the Books: Monroe County Birdathon 2002
There were six teams participating in the 12th Annual Monroe County Birdathon. Despite all the recent rain and the flooding of several top bird areas near Lake Monroe, the teams found a combined total of 161 species. Teams raised money through pledges for the Sassafras Audubon Society, Monroe County Parks and Recreation nature projects, and wildlife projects.
Birds are identified by sight or sound and 95% of the species must be identified by every member of the team, which must consist of 3-6 members. Many teams found birds not found by other teams. Highlights included several Bald Eagles, Black-crowned Night Heron, Snowy Egret, Virginia Rail and Sora, 10 species of shorebirds, Caspian, Common, and Forster's terns, both Black-billed and Yellow-billed cuckoo, five species of vireo, all six species of swallow known from the state, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh Wren, seven species of thrush, 29 species of warbler, including Orange-crowned Warbler, Summer and Scarlet tanagers, 12 species of sparrow, including Lincoln's and Harris' sparrows, and Pine Siskin.
The top team, The Prothonotary Wanderers, included Jim and Susan Hengeveld and SAS President Bob Kissel. They found 134 species within Monroe County during the 24 hour allowable time period. Wild Birds Unlimited of Bloomington provided gift certificates to the winning team and all participants received t-shirts.
The Monroe County Birdathon is held the first Saturday in May and anyone is invited to enter. Information is available from the sponsor, Monroe County Parks and Recreation at 349-2800.
Anyone who made pledges to SAS can send a check to the P.O. Box and mark it a Birdathon pledge. The funds will help support Audubon Adventures in classrooms, the Saw-whet Owl Banding Project and other chapter endeavors.