All,
This is a reminder for the upcoming KOS Spring Meeting at KY Dam Village
State Resort Park on the 28th -30th of this month.
There are a couple of cabins available at the park as well as rooms at some
of the local hotels/motels that are just a couple of miles away. The
itinerary is below.
Hope to see you there.
Ronan O’Carra
Lexington
Kentucky Ornithological Society
Spring 2023 Meeting
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
April 28 – 30, 2023
Registration: $10.00 ($3.00 for students)
All times are Central Daylight Time
LBL = Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Friday, April 28
2:00 p.m. Field Trips departing from front of park lodge
• Kentucky & Barkley Dams (Nancy Braun & Donna Stricklin)
• LBL Scenic Loop (Steve & Meg Brown)
6:00 p.m.Meeting Registration (Park Lodge)
7:00 p.m. Evening Meeting (Park Lodge)
• Donna Stricklin & James Wheat – Welcome & Introduction
• Steve Kistler – Bird Quiz
• Macey Weaver (Kingsolver Grant Recipient) – ABA Camp Colorado
• Joyce Bender (Anne Stamm Grant Recipient) – Josephine Sculpture Park
• Saturday field trip details will be announced at the conclusion of the
meeting
8:30 p.m. Nightjar/Owl Trip departing from front of park lodge
• LBL Paradise Cemetery Area (Jeremy Teague)
Saturday, April 29
7:30 a.m. Field Trips departing from front of park lodge
• State Park Area & Kentucky/Barkley Dams – Half Day (Jeremy Teague)
• LBL Scenic Loop – Half Day (Donna Stricklin & Beverly Carrico)
• Clarks River Refuge EERA – Half Day (Hap Chambers & Josh Powell)
• Leader’s Choice; TBD Depending on Conditions (Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr.)
1:30 p.m. Field Trips departing from front of park lodge
• LBL Honker Lake Dam/Trail Bird & WildflowerWalk (Steve & Janet Kistler)
• LBL Nature Station & Hematite Lake Area (James Wheat)
• Digiscoping Workshop (Stephen Tyson)
7:00 p.m. Evening Meeting (Park Lodge)
• James Wheat – Welcome & Field Trip Bird Tally
• Keynote Speaker: Michael Johnson
• Sunday field trip details will be announced at the conclusion of the
meeting
Sunday, April 30
8:00 a.m. Field Trips departing from front of park lodge
• LBL Scenic Loop (Win Ahrens)
• Mantle Rock Nature Preserve (Jeff Sole)
Keynote Speaker Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson, Refuge Manager of Clarks River and Green River National
Wildlife Refuges, is a 30-year veteran with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
He has always been known as someone to step-up and help accomplish the
mission of the Service. In addition to land management, Johnson assumed
collateral duty as a Wildlife Officer for more than 20 years. In this role
he helped to protect wildlife and habitat and made refuges safe places for
staff and visitors.
Michael was recognized as the 2022 Paul Kroegel National Wildlife Refuge
Manager of the Year. The Paul Kroegel award recognizes outstanding
accomplishments in the protection and management of the National Wildlife
Refuge System. The award is given in honor of Paul Kroegel, the manager of
the first national wildlife refuge, and is presented by the National
Wildlife Refuge Association.
Originally from Arkansas, where his career began, Johnson and His wife,
Michelle, have also lived in Georgia before his job finally brought them to
Kentucky 18 years ago. Since then, Johnson has managed the Clarks River
National Wildlife Refuge, located in Marshall, McCracken, and Graves
Counties. The refuge currently covers just over 9,000 acres. Under his
management, the refuge has flourished with public education and recreation
opportunities, research projects for college and university students, as
well as restoration of rare habitat found on the refuge. In addition,
Johnson helped to establish the Riverlands Alliance, a group consisting of
20 partners working together to sustain the quality of resources, outdoor
recreation, and rural aspects of the area.
In November of 2019, Johnson helped establish Kentucky’s second National
Wildlife Refuge in Henderson County. The Green River National Wildlife
Refuge was the 568th unit in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Thanks to
Johnson’s exceptional efforts and communication with the community, there
were no negative comments received from the public about the establishment
of this refuge during the planning phase. This fact is truly a testament to
Johnson’s servant-hearted approach in land management.
