The officers and directors of the Dayton Audubon Society wish everyone a joyful holiday season and a happy and prosperous new year.
Christmas Bird Count
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On Christmas Day in 1900, 27 New England conservationists organized a bird count to protest a traditional, organized hunting competition known as the "holiday side hunt." Instead of shooting birds, they would simply observe and count them, and record what they saw and heard. The Christmas Bird Count tradition spread across the country, and now every holiday season thousands of participants take to the fields and woods to record the wintering bird species. The data collected over the years has provided useful and interesting information on early winter distribution patterns of many bird species (as well as occasional fluctuations), and serves as a valid indicator of the overall health of the environment.
The 82nd Dayton Audubon Christmas Bird Count, which has been affiliated with the National Audubon Christmas count since 1923, will take place on Saturday, December 31, 2005 (please note: Saturday, not Sunday). Local participants, in 12 teams, will attempt to identify and count all of the birds in 12 areas (see below) located within a 15-mile diameter area centered at the intersection of Needmore Road and Webster Street.
Everyone is welcome to participate, so find the team below that you would like to join. Feeder watchers can also participate if the feeder is within the count area, and if the results are reported at or before the compilation meeting.
The results of the count will be tabulated at our Compilation Meeting on Tuesday, January 3, at 7:15 p.m., at Aullwood Audubon Center, 1000 Aullwood Road. Even if you cannot participate in the count itself, you are invited to attend the Compilation Meeting. Light refreshments will be served, and many interesting sightings and amusing tales will be told.
Grab your binoculars, dress warmly, and come out for the fun. We always have a great time no matter what the weather. If you have any questions, please contact Dick Balk at 886-0092.
Christmas Bird Count Areas and Leaders
Aullwood Audubon
Center and Farm, Dayton
Airport
Ray Corder 833-4177
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Carriage Hill MetroPark
Mike Coogan 438-5688
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Charleston Falls Reserve
Bruce Boedeker 667-7269
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Cricket Holler
Jim Williams 342-9472
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Downtown Parks, Leland
Center, Boonshoft
Museum, Miami River
North, Wolf Creek
Dick Balk 886-0092
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Eastwood Lake, Huffman
Reservoir, Mad River
Dave Nolin 432-0266
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Englewood MetroPark
Betty Berry 836-3022
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Hills and Dales Park, Old
River, Carillon Park,
Calvary Cemetery, Miami
River South
Daryl Michael 687-1480
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Taylorsville MetroPark
Tom Hissong 890-7360
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Woodland Cemetery
Jim and Annette Arnold
862-4437
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Wright State University,
Hilltop Gravel Pit
Mike Triplett 767-4341
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Wright-Patterson AFB
Charlotte Mathena 433-2167
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Georgia On My Mind
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Our January 18, 2006 DAS meeting will feature our peripatetic birders Dr. John Shrader and Karen Shrader. They will describe and show slides from their recent journey through the Republic of Georgia, including birding in the Caucasus Mountains.
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Beyond the House Sparrow
North America's Splendid Sparrows
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On February 15, 2006, Naturalist Kristen Marks of Centerville-Washington Township Parks will help prepare us for another year of good birding with a program to help identify, by both sight and sound, the many species of sparrows found in our area and beyond. If you've ever been frustrated by these LBJs, this is the program for you.
Both of the above programs will take place at Wegerzyn Garden Center, 1301 East Siebenthaler Avenue from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Our meetings are held in the main auditorium; you can enter through the front doors and take the elevator or stairs. Everyone is encouraged to attend and bring their friends. Refreshments will be served, and parking is free. Please join us! Hang this article on your 'fridge so you won't forget!
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Calendar
Wednesday, December 14, 7:30 p.m.
DAS Board of Directors Meeting
Harrigan Auto Center Reserve, 475 Congress Park Dr.
Sunday, December 31, 2005
81st DAS Christmas Bird Count
Please see the article above.
Tuesday, January 3, 7:15 p.m.
Christmas Count Compilation Meeting
Aullwood Audubon Center. Please see above.
Tuesday, January 10, 7:30 p.m.
DAS Board of Directors Meeting
Harrigan Auto Center Reserve, 475 Congress Park Dr.
Wednesday, January 18, 7:00 p.m.
DAS Program: "Georgia on My Mind"
Wegerzyn Garden Center, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave. Please see the article above.
Tuesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
DAS Board of Directors Meeting
Harrigan Auto Center Reserve, 475 Congress Park Dr.
Wednesday, February 15, 7:00 p.m.
DAS Program: "Beyond the House Sparrow"
Wegerzyn Garden Center, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave. Please see the article above.
Saturday, February 25, 9:00 a.m.
Field Trip: 18th Annual Oxbow Miami River.
Our annual walk at this excellent area where the Great Miami River meets the Ohio, west of Cincinnati. Always well worth the hour drive down. If the river is up, many waterfowl species, migrating shorebirds, herons, and raptors can be expected. Take I-75 south to I-275 west. Exit at US 50 to Lawrenceburg just before the Ohio River bridge. Left at the traffic light on US 50 towards Lawrenceburg. Right just after parking for riverboat gambling (just before Ford dealership) on Rudolph Way, then about 1/3 mile to Gardens Alive; park east of the building. Please bring a lunch, and your scope if you have one. Leader: Jim Simpson (433-3649).
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Audubon Helps Kill Arctic Drilling -- Again
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Conservationists won a major victory during the second week in November when a provision authorizing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was stripped from the federal budget reconciliation bill. While negotiations on the bill continue, Audubon's DC Policy Office is confident that the drilling provision will not surface again during the current budget cycle for the Fiscal Year 2006 budget.
Drilling proponents have been trying for years to open the Refuge by inserting language in the so-called "budget reconciliation bill." Unlike other legislation, the budget bill is not subject to filibuster in the Senate, so it is much harder to stop anti-environmental measures when they are inserted in it. This year drilling proponents succeeded for the first time in getting drilling authorization language into both the House and Senate versions of the budget bill. The language came out, however, when moderate Republicans in the House threatened to withhold support for the budget bill so long as the drilling language remained in it.
No member of the House of Representatives from Ohio played a leadership role in getting the House to remove the drilling language from the budget bill. Ohio's hero in this battle is still our senior Senator, Mike DeWine. DeWine promised Audubon Ohio two years ago that he would vote against drilling in the ANWR no matter how it came to the floor, and he has been true to his word and unshakeable.
The arctic drilling issue never truly dies. In a few months Congress will begin work on the Fiscal Year 2007 federal budget, and we will be dealing with this issue all over again. For the moment, however, the Refuge is safe - thanks in part to the efforts of Audubon members all over Ohio in writing and calling their legislators to demand that the Refuge be protected. Great work, everyone!
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9th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count
Count for the Birds in America's Great Backyard, Feb 17-20, 2006
* No fee or registration required
* All ages and skill levels welcome
* Track results in real time online
* Count in your backyard, balcony, schoolyard, park, wildlife refuge
* Be a part of the network
Sponsored by National Audubon Society and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Join with thousand of others to find out how many birds are being seen in your area and across the continent this winter. By participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, you help document where birds are, and track changes in their numbers compared to previous years, helping scientists paint a picture of the state of birds this winter.
For more information, or to get started, go to http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
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Senators Propose Drilling in State Nature Preserves and Parks
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Ohio Senate Bill 193, introduced by Ohio State Senators Jeffry Armbruster (North Ridgeville), Gary Cates (West Chester), Larry Mumper (Marion), and Robert Spada (Parma Heights), would create a new Oil, Gas, and Timber Leasing Board that would have the exclusive authority to allow drilling for oil or gas, and/or harvesting of timber on a variety of public lands in Ohio. These lands may include nature preserves, state parks, state forests, and state historic or archeological sites. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources currently has the power to lease drilling rights and timber harvesting on state lands.
The bill would consider all state lands for proposed drilling, would limit appeals, and would require no specific review of environmental impacts or impacts to scenic or historical features. The bill's sponsors argue that we need the oil and gas for our energy future.
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Get Involved!
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Are you fond of birding-related activities? Are you interested in the environment? Do you wish the Dayton Audubon Society offered more for YOU? Well, we can use you!
DAS is always seeking new Officer and Director candidates. If you or someone you know is interested in helping to develop and lead your DAS, please contact President Dick Balk, or any of the officers or Board members listed on the Organization web page. A simple commitment of time, with a wealth of satisfaction!
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Audubon In The Classroom
| One of the best ways to further the environmental cause is through education, and one of the best environmental education tools is National Audubon's Audubon Adventures program. Audubon Adventures provides to participating classrooms four packets, each covering a different environmental/ecological topic, such as animal communication, wildflowers,and pond life. The packets contain instructional material, pictures, posters, and other items, including a teacher's guide, and are geared to the 4th or 5th grade level (although it has been used successfully in 6th grade classrooms as well). The materials are fun as well as educational, and participating teachers have been unanimously enthusiastic.
Dayton Audubon annually sponsors Audubon Adventures for a number of area schools. If you know of a classroom that would like us to sponsor Audubon Adventures for them, or you would like to sponsor a class yourself, please contact Barbara Keegan at 435-0707. The cost for Audubon Adventures is $35 per classroom, and the packets are designed for a class of up to 30 students.
The kids need you! We can make a difference!
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DAS Scholarships Available
| The Dayton Audubon Society is deeply committed to education
and,in part, shows that commitment by offering scholarships annually to
individuals who can make a difference in our community. Perhaps you know
someone who might benefit from the DAS mission. Read on and, if you can,
help us find deserving scholars.
Charlie Breish Memorial Camp Scholarships
| Dayton Audubon offers financial assistance for teachers and other adults to attend National Audubon's summer ecology workshops in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, the woodland community of Connecticut, and the coast of Maine.
While the camps and workshops are open to everyone these days, they are still especially popular with teachers. If you know of a dynamic elementary or secondary teacher, let us know about them!
National Audubon also offers a summer camp in Maine to youngsters ages 10 through 14.
The Dively Scholarship
Since 1982, DAS has offered tuition help to college students
through the Dively Scholarship Program, originally endowed in memory of
DAS member Dick Dively. Though we cannot offer a lot of money, the Dively
Scholarship has helped both undergraduate and graduate students reach academic
goals in fields that further the cause of environmentalism and conservation.
Dively scholarship recipients are not restricted to scientific fields;
other connections, such as environmental law, are possible.
The Shawen Grant
The Bob Shawen Memorial Youth Ornithology Grant was established in
memory of long-time DAS activist Bob Shawen. The goal of the program is
to provide funds, materials, and/or speakers for elementary classrooms,
youth groups, or field experience settings to promote knowledge of birds,
their habits, and their habitats. |
What can you do?
| Help us find scholarship candidates. Talk to interested
people or people you think ought to be interested. Spread the word! To recommend
candidates, apply for scholarships, or receive further information, please
call DAS Projects/Memorials Chair Tom Schaefer at 937-276-2162, or e-mail
him at tschaefer@ameritech.net. You can also write to
Dayton Audubon Society
1375 East Siebenthaler Avenue
Dayton, Ohio 45414-5398
or e-mail us at
audubon@dayton.net
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Environmental Legacy
| A bequest of any size to Dayton Audubon can have
a lasting effect on ecological concerns and environmental education in the
Dayton area. We ask that you consider leaving a specific amount, a percentage
of your estate, or the remainder of your estate after other bequests, to
the Dayton Audubon Society.
For more specifics on this, or other information about
gift planning, please phone Tom Schaefer, 937-276-2162, or write to Dayton
Audubon Society, 1375 E. Siebenthaler Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45414-5398.
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Time and Talents
Dayton Audubon is an organization of volunteers committed to
education, the natural sciences, and an environmental ethic. Help and new
ideas from the ranks of the membership are needed in order for the organization
to reach its goals. If you would like to help in any of the following capacities,
please let us know. Your involvement will be welcome.
I would like to help with:
__ Birdathon
__ Conservation
__ Education
__ Field Trips
__ Membership
__ Programs
__ Publicity
__ Yellow Warbler
__ Other:
________________________
Send with your name and phone number to Dayton Audubon Society,
1375 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45414-5398. You can also
call DAS President Dick Balk at 937-886-0092, or e-mail us at
audubon@dayton.net.
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| As a member of the National Audubon Society, you are also a member
of the Dayton area chapter. There are no local dues, and you receive your
newsletter automatically. To find out more about the Dayton Audubon Society,
contact one of the officers whose numbers are listed in the Dayton Audubon
Society Organization webpage. Better yet, come to
a meeting or join us on a field trip!
The DAS meets at 7:00 p.m. at the Wegerzyn Center, 1301
East Siebenthaler Avenue, on the third Wednesday of every month from September
to June. See you there!
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Southwest Ohio Rare Bird Alert
937-640-BIRD (2473)
Includes updated information on DAS activities.
To report unusual sightings, call Betty Berry at 937-836-3022, or
Jim Arnold at 937-862-4437 |
Previous Yellow Warblers
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E-Mail Dayton Audubon(audubon@dayton.net)
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