[wisb] Honey Creek Birdathon/Bandathon
- From: "Carl Schwartz" <cschwartz3@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:22:34 -0500
Trail improvement: Another good reason to take part in WSO's 27th Honey
Creek Birdathon/Bandathon
And a reminder there's still time to make a pledge
Well, if the good Lord is willing and Honey Creek don't rise, the walk up
the valley for this year's WSO Birdathon/Bandathon should be just a mite
easier.
Construction is complete on 150 feet of new boardwalk and repairs to older
sections in the first quarter-mile of the trail up the Honey Creek valley in
the Baraboo Hills. That's in plenty of time for this year's 27th annual
fundraiser and all-around-general-good-time-in-the-great-outdoors May 21-22.
The project not only should make trail use easier, but it will protect
sensitive off-trail vegetation from the trampling that occurs as folks
struggle to find safe and dry footing.
For any of you who have hiked ALL THE WAY up the valley, there still will be
four or five stream crossings to make, so good boots and sturdy footwear are
still suggested, and a hiking stick or pole can prove useful.
For WSO members and birdathon donors, the event is a chance to see your
donations at work. Birdathon funds pay for mending fences after the spring
floods and for other upkeep on the 264 acres that WSO owns and protects, as
well as for property taxes on the Cox Nature Center, part of WSO's effort to
be a good neighbor in Sauk County. WSO's Honey Creek Committee currently is
working to rehabilitate the trail and control the spread of invasive plants
like garlic mustard.
Last year saw the Birdathon set new records for both the number of species
and for the total dollars raised. But WSO birders will have their work cut
out for them this year, given that the early convention schedule (May 12-15
in La Crosse) moves the birdathon back a week and some migrants will already
have moved through.
Supporters of last year's annual fundraiser held on society property in the
Baraboo Hills donated $7,071, some $1,300 more than the record set the
previous year. Since many donors pledge a specified amount per species seen
or heard, fundraising efforts were helped by the record 100 species tallied.
(This is a great place to go birding!)
For 2011, WSO again is offering some special prizes to encourage both new
and increased donations. We also plan a drawing open to everyone who
pledges. Birders are readers so our prizes include:
"Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Wisconsin"
" Wisconsin's Favorite Bird Haunts"
o "A Parrot Without a Name"
o "Pete Dunne on Bird Watching"
o Jimmy Carter's "An Outdoor Journal"
o "Field Notes from a Catastrophe -- Man, Nature and Climate Change"
As much as WSO needs your pledges, it also seeks your presence. This special
place and its special birds really have to be experienced firsthand. And
the more eyes and ears on hand, the more species we are likely to encounter.
There are at least three ways to participate again this year:
1. Join the "counting crew" at Honey Creek by 8 a.m. on Sunday May 22 and
help tally the number of species identified on the property that day. Bring
footwear that can ford the rushing waters of Honey Creek, a hiking stick if
you'd like, and some lunch to enjoy after the hike up the valley. Overnight
camping facilities (a lovely lawn, running water and privies) are available,
and the nature center building will be open. Motels are also nearby.
2. Take part in the Saturday-Sunday bandathon, run again this year by Anna
Pidgeon, an assistant professor at UW-Madison who studies bird habitats and
ecology. She needs experienced "bird extractors" and also welcomes
interested observers; e-mail her at apidgeon@ wisc.edu or call her at
608-262-5628.
3. And make a pledge or donation to WSO. You can pledge an amount per
species seen/heard or per species banded or both. (The 26-year average is 85
species seen and 25 banded.) Or you can pledge a flat amount. You will
receive a detailed summary of the results.
The greenest way to give is to simply e-mail your pledge to
cschwartz3@xxxxxxxxx, or you can mail it c/o Carl Schwartz, 7239 N. Barnett
Lane, Fox Point, WI 53217. For more information, call 414-446-9501.
Carl Schwartz
Birdathon Coordinator and Vice President, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology
414-416-3272
cschwartz3@xxxxxxxxx
Milwaukee County
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