Hey folks,
Yes, those are all small parts of the Audubon MS Chapter retreat coming up this
weekend, sponsored and paid for by Audubon MS. If you have interest in
attending, PLEASE RSVP at this link Audubon MS Chapter Retreat
RSVP<https://www.cognitoforms.com/StrawberryPlainsAudubon/ChapterRetreatAudubonMSNov132019>.
We need a head count particularly to know how much food for Saturday night.
Even if you aren't an official Chapter Member, we value you input as a birder
and Audubon supporter, so feel free to reach out to me if you plan to attend.
If you are only available for one of the many activities, I'd recommend coming
for afternoon roundtable discussions and, more importantly, the evening dinner
and live presentation from Joanna Wu.
Below is the most updated itinerary.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Stay dry and stay warm,
Mitch
On behalf of Audubon Mississippi, Strawberry Plain Audubon Center (SPAC) is
hosting ALL Audubon Chapter Members and Associates (not just Chapter officers)
November 1st - 3rd, for our inaugural Audubon MS Chapter Retreat.
Please forward this event information to your Chapter members and associates,
as well as this RSVP form link:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/StrawberryPlainsAudubon/chapterretreataudubonmsnov132019<https://www.cognitoforms.com/StrawberryPlainsAudubon/chapterretreataudubonmsnov132019?fbclid=IwAR2Y8DlwI0cJQLMgFlQI0zoYacjuSZ6Vvkwr4bA01LjE1Xy-jay1QGYlga0>
It is our hope that this will mark the first of many, semi-annual Audubon MS
Chapter gatherings, with our intention of this initial assembly to: build a
foundation for how YOU, the Audubon Chapter members, would propose future
retreats to be structured; define how Centers, Chapters and the State Office
may align our conservation priorities; introduce new Audubon initiatives; and
create a statewide network of Audubon MS collaboration through the Audubon
Works portal.
This event, and future Chapter Retreats, are open to all Audubon MS Chapter
members, including our most recent Campus Chapters at Rust College, the
University of Mississippi, and Mississippi State Univ. We are currently
finalizing the itinerary (see DRAFT below) but have several opportunities in
place for great birding, discourse and conviviality. Please don't hesitate to
contact Mitch directly at mrrobinson@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:mrrobinson@xxxxxxxxxxx>
or 662-252-1155 for more information or if you have any questions.
Itinerary:
Friday evening (4-6 pm)
Join SPAC at the first public gathering for our Land & Community initiative.
Serving as a part of the Voices of Reconstruction symposium hosted by thirteen
Holly Springs community partners, this SPAC facilitated panel discussion will
feature experts in the fields of environmental history, agriculture and land
use history, as well as African American studies, discussing: the degradation
of land and habitats during and after the Reconstruction period; coinciding
shifts in land-use practices and land-ownership (or the lack thereof); and how
Jim Crow laws impacted African American farmers and sharecroppers, particularly
in their relationship to the land.
https://www.facebook.com/events/489209391935176/
Friday night (6:30 - 9:00 pm)
Meet-Greet Social and Gathering at Strawberry Plains
---------------------------------
Saturday morning
Birding at Strawberry Plains (7:00 am - 9 am)
Guided Tour & Wagon Wide at Strawberry Plains (9:30 am - 11:00 am)
Lunch & Exploration on your own (11:00 am - 1:00 pm)
Saturday afternoon (1:30 pm - 4:30 pm)
Group gatherings and breakout sessions at Strawberry Plains, discussing: the
intention of future Chapter Retreats; evaluation of current
partnership/alignments between Chapters/Centers and Citizen Science, as well as
future opportunities; building a framework for equitable conservation
communities in Mississippi; an overview of the Audubon PRO/Municipal Toolkit
and creating MS's "largest bird sanctuary"; and opportunities for Audubon
community science at local, statewide and regional scale.
Saturday night (6:00 pm - 9:00 pm)
Dinner and guest presentation by Joanna Wu, Avian Biologist for Important Bird
Areas at the National Audubon Society. She will be discussing the recent
Survival by Degrees Climate Report in light of conservation for endangered and
threatened species in MS, as well as community science with Climate Watch and
Important Bird Areas.
Saw-Whet Owl Banding (8:00 pm - 12:00 pm)
Join us for a night of Owl Banding! We'll spend the majority of the time
indoors with board games, puzzles, beverages, desserts and conviviality, with
intermittent checks of our two mist net locations every 45 minutes. This is an
amazing opportunity to experience SPAC and it's woodlands in the dark of night,
while also having the rare of chance of seeing a Saw-Whet Owl up-close.
-----------------------------------------------
Sunday morning (time TBD)
Birding at Strawberry Plains and nearby areas (SPAC Mitigation Property, Wall
Doxey State Park, Chewalla Lake, Duck Pond)
-
Mitchell Robinson
Conservation Education Manager
Pronouns: he, him, his
W: 662.252.1155
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
285 Plains Road
Holly Springs, MS
38635<https://maps.google.com/?q=285+Plains+Road,+Holly+Springs,+MS+38635&entry=gmail&source=g>
strawberry.audubon.org<http://strawberry.audubon.org/>
