[chapter-communicator] Audubon Newswire: Volume 4, Number 6
- From: "TENNEFOSS, Lynn" <ltennefoss@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
- Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:09:39 -0500
You can also view Newswire online at
<http://www.audubon.org/newswire/Newswire_V4N6.html>
Audubon Newswire - "News on Audubon Happenings"
Volume 4, Number 6
Friday, March 17, 2006
We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.
-- William Hazlitt
PLEASE NOTE: For future issues of Newswire, please send your news and updates
to Sally Montgomery at smontgomery@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:smontgomery@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
In this Issue:
-- Audubon Announces Record-Breaking Great Backyard Bird Count Results
-- Audubon Joins With Other Conservationists to Sue Federal Government and Save
Songbird Rapidly Disappearing from Eastern Forests
-- Audubon Arkansas Receives Grant for a Sustainable Ecotourism Initiative in
Arkansas' Delta
-- Construction Begins For The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
-- 4th Annual FeatherFest To Take Place March 30 - April 2, 2006
Announcements:
-- Proceedings from Partners In Flight's Third International Conference "Bird
Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas" Now Available
Online
-- Audubon Leadership Workshop at Hog Island Camp: August 13-19, 2006
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Audubon Announces Record-Breaking Great Backyard Bird Count Results
New York, NY, March 17, 2006 - The ninth annual Great Backyard Bird Count,
which took place February 17-20, set new records as participation soared across
the United States and Canada. From backyards to wildlife refuges, bird watchers
tallied a record-breaking 623 bird species and 7.5 million individual birds
during the four-day event, coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and
National Audubon Society. Participants sent in more than 60,000 checklists,
providing a wealth of information unmatched in previous years.
Complete tallies and maps are available at the Great Backyard Bird Count web
site www.birdsource.org/gbbc <http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc>, along with
photos and narratives about other birds - including species in southern states
hit by hurricanes, the stunning invasion of Snowy Owls in the Pacific
Northwest, migratory pathways of Sandhill Cranes, regional rarities such as a
Black-throated Blue Warbler in Connecticut, and continued drops in counts of
American Crows, which have been plagued by West Nile virus.
The web site also announces winners of this year's contests for localities with
the highest participation, and features some of the more than 3,000 bird photos
sent in for the photo contest.
To read the press release in its entirety, go to
<http://www.audubon.org/news/press_releases/index.html>.
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Audubon Joins with Other Conservationists to Sue Federal Government and Save
Songbird Rapidly Disappearing from Eastern Forests
Asheville, NC, March 17, 2005 - Five conservation groups representing almost
one million members filed suit on February 28 against Interior Secretary Gale
Norton and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for ignoring their petition to
add the Cerulean Warbler to the nation's list of threatened species. The
groups filed their petition more than five years ago, and repeatedly have
sought to compel the agency to follow the legal requirements for responding to
such citizen petitions. In the intervening years, the rate of the bird's
decline appears to have quickened, and threats to the bird's survival have
worsened.
National Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Southern Appalachian
Biodiversity Project, Western North Carolina Alliance and Heartwood filed suit
in District Court in Washington D.C. They are among the 28 conservation groups
from across the East that petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in
2000 to list the bird as threatened and designate critical habitat for its
long-term survival.
The Cerulean Warbler population has dropped almost 82% throughout its U.S.
range over the last 40 years, making it the fastest declining warbler in the
country. In the U.S., the worst of the Cerulean's decline has been in the core
of its range - 80% in the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, Kentucky and West
Virginia, and 65% in the Ohio Hills in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The Cerulean would be the first warbler listed as threatened under the Act.
Three other species of warbler found in the U.S. on the list - Bachman's,
Kirtland's, and Golden-cheeked - are endangered.
To read the press release in its entirety, go to
<http://audubon.org/news/press_releases/Cerulean_Warbler_03_03_06.html>.
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Audubon Arkansas Receives Grant for a Sustainable Ecotourism Initiative in
Arkansas' Delta
Little Rock, AR, March 17, 2006 - Audubon Arkansas is receiving a $100,000
grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for a Sustainable
Ecotourism Initiative in Arkansas' Delta based on the new birding economy the
rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has created.
Audubon Arkansas and NFWF are partnering to target sustainable ecotourism in
the conservation area for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker through education and
specialized training in communities located within "The Corridor of Hope," the
area near The Big Woods where recovery efforts are under way. The two-phase
project begins with a series of ecotourism presentations including
regionally-recognized experts and panel sessions with state, federal and
nonprofit organizations offering services and resources to individuals and
business owners located within the Corridor of Hope, or Eastern Delta
communities surrounding the recovery effort; a web site promoting ecotourism in
the area; birding seminars and training in nature-based ventures in cooperation
with the local community college; and a printed resource guide for the region.
Phase Two of the project includes a comprehensive, day long seminar for private
land owners interested in adding or developing an ecotourism business, as well
as publishing the project report to serve as a model for other communities
addressing ecotourism in conjunction with a species in recovery or approaching
endangered status.
Audubon Arkansas is working with state and federal agencies, institutions of
higher education, and national nonprofit organizations to identify resources
and schedule events. In order for ecotourism based on bird watching to be
embraced, it is critical that local communities see evidence that growth of
such an industry can bring prosperity to their towns. Such an understanding
and acceptance will lead to the voluntary protection of the wildlife found in
the Big Woods.
To learn more, contact: Suzanne Langley (slangley@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:slangley@xxxxxxxxxxx>) or Ellen Fennell (efennell@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:efennell@xxxxxxxxxxx>). For more information about Audubon Arkansas,
visit <http://www.ar.audubon.org/>.
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Construction Begins For The Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center
Joplin, MO, March 17, 2006 - On March 10, the Wildcat Glades Conservation &
Audubon Center held a ground breaking ceremony in Wildcat Park, located in
Joplin, MO, to commemorate the beginning of construction of the nature center.
To date the campaign has raised over $5 million toward the $5.5 million goal
According to the construction team, the building process should take twelve
months. Once completed, the Audubon Center will feature classrooms and a large
seminar hall for school and community use.
Also included will be interactive exhibits with a large collared lizard
terrarium and a spectacular aquarium that interprets our region's natural
features. Visitors will enjoy beautiful gardens and landscaping along with a
network of trails focused on connecting them to the beauty of the outdoors.
For information about the nature center, contact Robin McAlester at (417)
623-2211 or rmcalester@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rmcalester@xxxxxxxxxxx>, or go to
<http://wildcatglades.audubon.org/>.
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4th Annual FeatherFest To Take Place March 30 - April 2, 2006
Galveston, TX, March 17, 2006 -The 4th annual FeatherFest will take place on
Galveston Island, TX March 30 - April 2, 2006. The festival is sponsored by a
variety of local organizations including the Houston Audubon Society, and was
originally organized to promote an appreciation of the local natural resources
as a tourist asset. The festival offers an opportunity for the local nature
enthusiasts to show off their area to visitors.
There will be guided field trips to such world-famous birding locations as High
Island and Bolivar Flats, as well as to lesser known areas on Galveston Island
and the surrounding area. The spring is a wonderful time for shorebirds and
early trans-gulf migrants who land on the Upper Texas coast, making Galveston
one of the prime birding locations during spring migration.
In addition to birding, Galveston offers beaches, fishing, and a rich
historical setting of Victorian houses and early Texas buildings. The
Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council has taken advantage of some of
Galveston's historic settings for several evening receptions featuring food and
drink, music and the arts. The final evening includes a dinner overlooking the
harbor, with a keynote speech by Robert Thornton, longtime conservationist and
author of Chasing Neotropical Birds.
For more information go to www.galvestonfeatherfest.com
<http://www.galvestonfeatherfest.com>.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Proceedings from Partners In Flight's Third International Conference "Bird
Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas" Now Available
Online - The long-awaited proceedings from the Third International Partners in
Flight Conference "Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the
Americas," which took place in March of 2002, are now available online. The two
volumes of the Proceedings comprise nearly 1,300 pages covering a broad array
of topics relevant to all bird taxa.
To access the Proceedings and to read or download individual papers, including
those focused on Important Bird Areas, please visit:
<http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr191/Asilomar/>.
The website also has search functionality and an author index.
Note that those who attended the conference have been mailed a hard copy of the
Proceedings. For those who did not attend, but would like to order either a
hard copy of the Proceedings or a CD (no charge for either), please contact
Richard Schneider from Rocky Mountain Research Station at rschneider@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:rschneider@xxxxxxxxx>.
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Audubon Leadership Workshop at Hog Island Camp: August 13-19, 2005 - Maine
Audubon invites all Audubon leadership to attend the second annual "Audubon
Leadership Workshop" at the Hog Island Audubon Camp from August 13-19, 2006.
This session is designed especially for active Chapter leaders, to build and
deepen your expertise and ability to enhance Audubon's effectiveness at all
levels. Led by top-level State and National Audubon program staff and
thoroughly experienced Chapter staff and volunteers, participants will enjoy a
combination of daily workshops, special presentations, and lively discussions,
as well as the traditional Maine field trips, serenity and fine food that are
hallmarks of the Hog Island Camp. Daily sessions will include an in-depth focus
on key Audubon conservation programs including IBAs, Audubon at Home, education
and citizen science, as well as State-Chapter partnership opportunities,
fundraising, leadership development and training. Last year's participants
found the camp session provided great information, useful networking,
inspiration, and fun!
A special National scholarship of $200 per person is available to registrants
in the West and mid-West with a matching scholarship from her/his local
Chapter. (A $250 tuition reduction by Maine Audubon is already included in the
price to all workshop registrants.) Please see registration details below.
Dates: August 13-19, 2006
Session fee: Per participant without National/Chapter scholarship aid - $700
Session fee: Per participant with National Scholarship and Matching Chapter
Scholarship - $300 (Available to attendees from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming)
To register please call Maine Audubon's registrar, Linda Ledoux, toll free at
888/325-5261 x215.
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