I don't mind writing the President's message for the quarterly Hoots - - I
just need to be reminded, it seems! so if we had our issues include the P
message, Guy's quarterly reports, which I think are invaluable, and then
our kudos, that would probably be fine for most issues. Then if we had a
special article, we could always include it. I love the t-shirt idea, and
would like to see the classes in January.
On Thu, Dec 2, 2021 at 6:12 PM Epic Nature Tours <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Hi everyone,
I don't know how much interest there is in the newsletter, but if people
want to keep it going I can help write some articles and put it together -
especially if it's a once or twice a year kind of thing. I've been writing
a lot of short articles for Valle Crucis Park and I can modify some of
those for HCAS. We could see if other local organizations like Native Plant
Society, the BRC, VCCP, Grandfather Mountain, etc... want to
contribute articles talking about what they're doing as a way to get
everyone more connected with each other.
Since the next CBC meeting is in the Outer Banks, if Steve can offer his
presentation in early January it would be a great refresher for those of us
attending the OBX meeting - there will be plenty of Gulls, Peeps, Scaups
and Dowitchers to ponder down there. My only concern would be COVID issues
- and if Steve is good with it and all of the participants are good with
it, I figure it's ok.
We can take the extra shirts down to the CBC meeting and add them to the
raffle they hold. It'll be good marketing for us.
Just my thoughts on things.
Pura Vida!
Paul
(931) 452-9254
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.EpicNatureTours.com
On Thu, Dec 2, 2021 at 4:02 PM Debbie shetterly <dshett37@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Hi there, Merry Christmas!!! We don't have a lot going on right now, so
I'm not anticipating a board meeting until after the first of the year.
However, Steve has sent an email which we need to address. Please read his
email below, and let me know your thoughts. Then we'll need to take a
vote if we're going to proceed with any of it. Thanks.
Debbie
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Steve Dowlan <owlhooter@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, Dec 2, 2021 at 2:44 PM
Subject: HCAS Newsletter, Bird ID class and tee shirts
To: dshett37@xxxxxxxxx <dshett37@xxxxxxxxx>
Hi Debbie,
I hope things are well with you and Jimmy through this very dry fall. A
little rain would be a good thing now, I think. I’m checking in regarding
the Hoots newsletter again. Pat offered to write an article about birding
travels for the next newsletter, and I asked her to hold off until I talked
about this with you. No one else has offered any material for Hoots in a
long time, other than Guy’s seasonal field report. I’m still willing to
compose a newsletter, but I do not have the interest or time to beat the
bushes for material. So it begs the question again…. Is it worthwhile
publishing this when (almost) no one demonstrates any interest in providing
material or reading it. I’m reluctant to put any work into something no one
uses or reads. Or, would it be better to produce and publish one annual or
two biannual newsletters with field notes and other news items? If so,
someone more involved in HCA activities needs to write and produce photos
to place in it.
I’m also doing the Carolina Bird Club newsletter, which is published six
times per year, and I have gone back to work part time for Allegheny
National Forest, which is likely to last at least through the next calendar
year, but possibly beyond that time frame. This limits my desire to be as
involved in HCAS activities as I was for a couple of years. The pandemic
has further triggered my loner tendencies as well, so my interest in
leading field trips has severely waned. I realized that, with limited time
to bird the area, I’d rather focus on the Atlas Project. It was fun to lead
trips for awhile, but I’m not really a very gregarious person by nature, so
birding in groups does not actually come easy for me, especially on a
weekly schedule. Paul has done an excellent job with the Valle Crucis bird
walks, from what I hear, and he is an easily gregarious person, as far as I
can tell… I hope he can maintain his part-time position with the park.
I have spent much of the last year creating an Advanced Bird ID course,
part of which I presented at Grandfather Mountain in the spring. I have
further modified it since then. It focuses on the following ID problems
specific to North Carolina:
Gulls
Peep sandpipers
Dowitchers
Scaup and diving ducks
I have put some thought into how to present it, and I would like to do it
at my house using a large television screen. I have the space to
accommodate 10 to 12 people in my sunroom, and with the TV screen, dim
lighting is not much of a need. This solves several problems… need for a
projector, need for a dark space, and need to reserve a place to present.
Because of the subject matter – species associated with aquatic habitats
– there is no real need (and no close-by place) for field birding for these
species groups as part of this syllabus. I intend to present this as my own
production, and I’d like to charge $15 to $20 for the presentation, which
would last about 3 hours. If HCAS is interested in partnering, I would kick
back a percentage of my fee/tuition to the club. In return, I’d ask that
HCAS help publicize it. I’m thinking of a separate session for the two
college bird clubs, if there is enough interest, so two sessions might
occur.
I want to keep most of the tuition because I have invested a lot of time
and effort into acquiring the photos to make this happen, and it has been a
long-term personal goal of mine to have a photo library that is sufficient
to pull off something like this. Please consult the HCAS Board and let me
know what they are thinking. If the Board is not inclined to partner, I
will forge ahead on my own.
Last, I have a small inventory of already printed HCAS shirts. I
encourage you to consider ways to distribute them, either as prizes or
donations to other organizations or to continue to sell what is left. I can
print more shirts, but I don’t have time to promote them. I have donated
almost everything I have received for the shirts up to this point.
Cheers!
Steve
*Steve Dowlan Linville Creek to*
*Brushy Fork to*
*Cove Creek to*
*the Watauga River to*
*the South Fork Holston River to*
*the Tennessee River to*
*the Ohio River to*
*the Mississippi River to*
*the Gulf of Mexico*
