[chapter-communicator] Newswire, November 10, 2003
- From: "Lynn Tennefoss" <ltennefoss@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ltennefoss@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 19:56:21 -0500
Audubon Newswire
Volume 1, Number 7
November 10, 2003
In this issue:
-- Debs Park Audubon Center opens in East Los Angeles
-- Florida's Oklawaha Chapter and 8,500 students create "Lake County
Wetlands Day"
-- Audubon Magazine Earns Seven Folio Awards
-- Wyoming Chapters work with Audubon Wyoming to enhance state IBA
program
-- Cedar Wildfire burns through San Diego Audubon's Silverwood
Sanctuary
-- Ohio's Firelands Audubon Society Named "Watchdog of the Year"
-- Houston Audubon Society Makes Purchase of 650 Acres in Bolivar
Peninsula
-- Erie Islands Named Important Bird Areas for Purple Martins
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Debs Park Audubon Center Opens In East L.A.; The Second Urban Audubon
Center In America is Sustainably Designed, Functions Completely 'Off
The Grid'
Los Angeles, CA November 6, 2003 - Children and families throughout
East and Northeast Los Angeles were among the many who celebrated
today as the much-anticipated Audubon Center at Debs Park opened its
doors in the Highland Park/Montecito Heights community. The Audubon
Center at Debs Park will provide opportunities for residents of some
of L.A.'s most densely populated neighborhoods to learn about the
natural world through hands-on outdoor experiences in the park's 282
acres of urban wilderness. A model of sustainable design operating
entirely on solar power, the Center is the first building in Los
Angeles to fully function off both the electric and sewer grids.
The grand opening of the Audubon Center was marked by an All Species
Parade, which wound up the driveway to the Audubon Center. Nearly 100
students from local schools carried papier mâché masks and giant
puppets of the birds and bugs of Debs Park. Mayor Jim Hahn, City
Councilman Ed Reyes, National Audubon Society President John Flicker,
and representatives from the dozens of area businesses joined the
students and the organizations that helped bring the Audubon Center at
Debs Park to life.
"For nearly a century Audubon's mission has been to connect people
with nature," said Audubon President John Flicker. "In places like
Los Angeles, it can be challenging to make that connection. The
Audubon Center at Debs Park will help urban residents bridge that gap.
It is a place that will inspire a lifelong passion for conservation."
For the full story, visit www.audubon.org . To see what the LA Times
is saying about the center, visit
<http://www.latimes.com/services/site/premium/access-registered.interc
ept> .
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Florida's Oklawaha Audubon Chapter to Run Lake County Wetlands Day
with 8,500 Audubon Adventures Students on November 24th, 2003.
New York, New York, Friday, November 7, 2003 - On Monday November 24,
2003, the Oklawaha Audubon Society Chapter in Florida will sponsor and
conduct Lake County Wetlands Day. The program is the culmination of
the Chapter's yearlong effort to make wetlands education and
conservation a priority in their community.
Audubon Adventures has supplied the Chapter with support for teacher
and school outreach. On the 24, every third, fourth, and fifth grader
in Lake County's schools, almost 8,500 students, will be involved in
the event. The Audubon Adventures wetland educational unit "Wetlands:
Where Water Works" is being used as a teaching tool.
The event is the brainchild of Oklawaha Chapter Vice President Mary
Anderson. She is working to involve Chapters and communities
throughout her area in this wetlands appreciation and conservation
event, and is hoping to make this a statewide annual event. To see
the Orlando Sentinel's story on the expansion of this unique
initiative, visit
<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-lkleducation031103
03nov03,0,2734233.story> or call Ms. Anderson at 352-787-9320.
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Audubon Magazine Wins Seven Awards from Folio Magazine: Tops List of
Industry Recipients Honored For Excellence in Magazine Art & Design
and Editorial
New York, New York, Monday, November 10, 2003 - Last week, Audubon
magazine was honored with an amazing seven top magazine industry
awards. On Tuesday, October 28 at the New York City Hilton in midtown
Manhattan, the Audubon Art Depatment virtually swept the Folio
magazine's Ozzie Awards, one of the magazine's industry's most
prestigious honors. The evening's competition included National
Geographic Traveler, Time, Newsweek, and many other industry
standouts.
Audubon won six awards for design, including two Platinums for "best
of the best," three Gold, and one Silver. Singled out was the special
June issue on the centennial of national wildlife refuges for color
photography and feature design. Audubon's birding trails and forestry
issues also won top honors. In addition, Audubon's Important Bird
Areas issue received a Silver Eddie Award for Editorial Excellence for
its issue on IBAs.
"Year in and year out, Audubon's Design Director, Kevin Fisher, and
his art team, Kim Hubbard and Isabel DeSousa, have continued to put
out one the country's most beautiful magazines. Recognition of their
immense talent by magazine industry peers is especially gratifying,"
says David Seideman, Audubon's Editor-in-Chief. "In times like these,
a magazine like Audubon that opens new eyes to nature can do a great
deal to serve the conservation cause." For more on Audubon magazine,
go to www.audubon.org .
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Wyoming Chapters, State Office And Community Volunteers Work To
Monitor And Enhance IBAs Throughout The State
Casper, WY Thursday, November 6, 2003 - On October 22, 2003, Audubon
Wyoming held a volunteer appreciation event to thank the 60-plus
dedicated and committed volunteers who assisted with monitoring and
conservation for the IBA program.
This past field season, Audubon Wyoming continued to expand both the
monitoring and conservation phases of its IBA program. Eight
monitoring programs were initiated on six IBAs around the state, and
each was conducted with the assistance of local community members and
Chapters. Partnerships between the state office, four Audubon
Chapters, and the community demonstrate how collaboration benefits
conservation. IBA monitoring has contributed to better management and
planning of the sites, increased conservation of key species and their
habitats, and has promoted a community-wide conservation effort.
The success of the Wyoming IBA program relies on local community
interest in and engagement at identified sites, particularly by
Audubon Chapter members. The program has prompted many to think about
long-term protection of habitats under both public and private
ownership, and Audubon Wyoming continues to receive nominations from
Chapters as well as concerned local citizens for new sites. The IBA
Technical Review Group, composed of Audubon Members with
ornithological expertise and agency professionals, will meet in
November to discuss nine new nominations. For more information on how
Audubon Wyoming's program works, please contact Alison Lyon at
<mailto:alyon@xxxxxxxxxxx> or visit
<http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/wy.html> .
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California Wildfire Burns Through San Diego Audubon's
Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary
San Diego, California Tuesday, November 4, 2003 - California's Cedar
wildfire, which raged out of control through the San Diego area,
burned this Sunday all of the Silverwood Wildlife Sanctuary, owned and
operated by San Diego Audubon Society. The Silverwood Sanctuary
extends over 728 acres and is the largest privately owned nature
refuge in San Diego County.
All three of the residences occupied by the Resident Manager and her
assistants were burned completely, but fortunately all Silverwood
personnel were either out of the region or safely evacuated from the
area. San Diego Audubon is assisting all three individuals both
financially and in replacing some of their lost personal items, and
will accept donations to assist them.
San Diego Audubon will monitor the post-fire ecology on the Sanctuary,
to see how various species of flora and fauna respond and recover. The
Sanctuary is closed to public visitation until further notice. For
further information contact Phil Pryde at 619-465-9492 or
619-594-5525, or Wayne Harmon at 858-488-2250.
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Firelands Audubon and Audubon Ohio Complete Successful Campaign to
Force Clean up; Chapter Named "Watchdog of the Year" by Ohio
Environmental Council
Columbus, Ohio, Monday, November 3, 2003 - In a major victory for
Audubon Ohio and the Firelands Audubon Society, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers has ordered Barnes Nursery to restore Sheldon Marsh in the
Sandusky Bay shore area of Lake Erie. Three years ago, Barnes had
improperly constructed a lengthy dike and canal near the Marsh that
damaged the Marsh's ecosystem. On October 27 the Corps announced that
it was ordering Barnes to restore all damage done to the Marsh by the
end of 2004.
The Corps' order was the latest in a string of victories won by
Sandusky's Firelands Audubon Society and Audubon Ohio. The Firelands
chapter had previously won the denial of a permit to Barnes to
complete the dike and canal: this victory was recognized on November 1
when the chapter and its attorney, Audubon Ohio Board Member Pete
Precario, were awarded the Ohio Environmental Council's "Watchdog of
the Year Award" for their efforts.
Earlier in October, Audubon Ohio, through the Sustainable Ohio Action
Partnership, had organized a campaign to persuade hundreds of
activists to send faxes and e-mails to the Corps demanding a
restoration order. The Corps issued its order to Barnes shortly after
the campaign. For more, visit
<http://www.audubon.org/chapter/oh/oh/contactus.html> .
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Houston Audubon Society Makes Purchase of 650 Acres on Bolivar
Peninsula
Houston, Texas, Monday, November 3, 2003 - The Houston Audubon Society
has completed the purchase of a 650-acre wetland complex on the
Bolivar Peninsula known as the Horseshoe Marsh. Acquisition of this
land began two years ago and will increase Houston Audubon Society's
holdings in Bolivar to over 1,800 acres.
This complex, located near the Bolivar ferry landing adjacent to the
historic Bolivar lighthouse, includes salt marsh and wet coastal
prairie surrounding a shallow tidal lagoon. It is critical habitat
for large numbers of shorebirds, waders, and ducks including Roseate
Spoonbills, Oystercatchers, Long-billed Curlews, Seaside Sparrows and
Clapper Rails, among others. The North American Wetlands Council,
Houston Audubon Society members and birdwatchers from around the
country, provided funding for this project.
In addition to the value of this area as bird habitat, there is a
significant contribution to the local economy by the thousands of
birdwatchers from all over the world who visit the area each year.
The Horseshoe Marsh's productive wetlands also provide food for large
numbers of fish and other sea life which provide recreational
opportunities for fishermen who catch Redfish, Speckled Trout and
Flounder and for families who come to catch Blue Crabs.
Houston Audubon has been working to protect wetland habitat on the
Bolivar Peninsula since the early 1980's and acquired its first tract
in Port Bolivar in 1997. For contact information, visit
<http://www.audubon.org/chapter/tx/tx/houston.html> .
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Erie Islands Named Important Bird Area for Purple Martins
Erie, Pennsylvania, Monday, November 3, 2003 - Conservationists have
been keeping a secret in Presque Isle Bay - two islands that are a
refuge for as many as 100,000 purple martins that roost there each
year. To find out more about this IBA, visit the Burlington Times at
<http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-11032003-190179.html> .
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