DAS Annual Meeting
Dayton Audubon's 2005 Annual Meeting will take place on June 15 at Wegerzyn Garden Center, 1301 East Siebenthaler Avenue from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.. This will be a casual, pleasant evening, and a good opportunity to meet other members and to hear from Officers and Directors about what has happened with DAS in the past year and what is expected in the future. We will also elect Officers and Directors for the coming year.
Elections
The Nominating Committee has recommended the following candidates:
President: Dick Balk
1st Vice President: Merle Carr
2nd Vice President: Barbara Keegan
Treasurer: Todd Jergens
Recording Secretary: Betty Leve
Corresponding Secretary: Linda Sharp
Directors - term expires 2008:
Mike Coogan
Lee Hall
Sue Tackett
Director - term expires 2006:
Mike Boyd
Other nominations will be presented by the committee at the meeting, and nominations from the floor will also be accepted.
We meet in the lower level at Wegerzyn - entry is via the ramp to the west of the main entrance. Parking is free. Please join us!
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Audubon Leadership Workshop at Hog Island Camp
August 14-20, 2005
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Hog Island, ME - The inaugural "Audubon Leadership Workshop" at the Hog Island Audubon Camp from August 14-20, 2005 still has openings for participants. Designed especially for active Chapter leaders, to build and deepen your expertise and ability to enhance Audubon's effectiveness at all levels, workshop sessions will be led by top-level State and National Audubon program staff and thoroughly experienced Chapter staff and volunteers. Participants will enjoy a combination of daily workshops, special presentations, and lively discussions, as well as the traditional Maine field trips, serenity, and fine food that are hallmarks of the Hog Island Camp.
Daily sessions will include an in-depth focus on key Audubon conservation programs including IBAs, Audubon at Home, Centers and Education and citizen science, as well as State-Chapter partnership opportunities, fundraising, leadership development and training.
Due to the popularity of the Workshop, an additional number of special National scholarships of $200 per person have been added for registrants with a matching scholarship from her/his local Chapter. (A $250 tuition reduction by Maine Audubon is already included in the price to all workshop registrants.)
* Dates: August 14-20, 2005
* Session fee:
- Per participant without National/Chapter scholarship aid: $700
- Per participant with National Scholarship and Matching Chapter Scholarship: $300
To register, call Maine Audubon's registrar, Linda Ledoux, toll free at 888/325-5261 x215. For more information on Audubon Camps and Workshops, visit the web site: http://www.audubon.org/educate/cw/index.php.
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New Record of Endangered Dragonfly Discovered By Audubon Ohio Staff Member
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On May 15th, while exploring parts of the Crown City Wildlife Area and Wayne National Forest, Audubon Ohio staff member Casey Tucker accidentally discovered a previously undocumented population of a state endangered dragonfly species. The dragonfly, known as the Blue Corporal (Ladona deplanata), is characterized by two brown streaks at the base of each wing, and two blue-white stripes on the thorax. These blue-white stripes are where the species derives its common name because they resemble the two stripes that typically are indicative of the rank of corporal in various military branches.
The Blue Corporal has only previously been recorded in Butler, Warren, Vinton, Athens, and Hocking counties. Tucker's discovery is a new record of the species in Lawrence County and may be the most southern record of this species in Ohio. The species ranges south to Florida, west to Texas and Kansas, and north to Connecticut.
Tucker, a member of the Ohio Odonata Society, was familiar with the species in Butler county where he studied Blue Corporals with Dr. Jan Trybula, an Odonate expert now at SUNY Potsdam. As a result, he recognized the Lawrence County individuals quickly and alerted several members of the Ohio Odonata Society, who confirmed his identification of the species and its listing as a new county record for the state.
Blue Corporals typically are found in spring and early summer around sand-bottomed lakes or ponds. It is related to another state endangered species, the Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia) which has been recorded from a handful of counties in the northern part of Ohio.
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State Senator Tim Grendell Introduces New Bill to Privatize Lake Erie Shore
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Just when you thought it was safe to go back down to the beach, State Sen. Tim Grendell (Chesterland) has introduced a new bill, S.B. 127, that would forfeit Ohio's public trust on the Lake Erie shore in favor of nearby private landowners.
Under state and federal law, Ohio has always held the waters of Lake Erie within its boundaries, and the lands underneath them up to the ordinary high water mark, in trust for its citizens. Because the Lake is usually at a level below the ordinary high water level, there are exposed sections of beach between that level and the water's edge that are open to the public. These areas can be used to stroll, fish, watch birds, beach kayaks, or just enjoy a beautiful sunset.
In the last General Assembly, Grendell, then a State Representative, introduced a bill, H.B. 218, to have Ohio give control over the beach below the ordinary high water mark to adjoining landowners, so that they could exclude other citizens from the beach. The bill passed the House, but died in Senate Committee after Audubon Ohio and other groups exposed the numerous flaws in the legislation during testimony before the Senate Environment Committee.
Shortly after the bill died, a group of lakefront landowners files suits in the Lake County Court of Common Pleas, seeking a determination that they owned the land to, and in some instances beyond, the water's edge, and could exclude the public from it. Those suits have since been consolidated and removed to federal court in Cleveland, where they are now pending.
Grendell, an attorney, was apparently not willing to wait for the courts to resolve the legal issues raised in the suits. Rather, on April 18 he introduced his new bill. The bill not only contains language that could allow lakefront owners to keep the public off the Lake Erie shore, but also contains an open-ended expansion of the owners' so-called "littoral rights," which previously were limited to a right to build a wharf out into the Lake so they could get a boat into the Lake.
In light of the pendency of litigation to resolve the question of the extent of the state's public trust rights, its is not clear whether the General Assembly will allow Grendell's bill to move forward.
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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 back 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
[Top Page] [The
Yellow Warbler] [Schedule of Events] [Field Trips] [Rare Bird Alert]
[Hotlines] [Favorite
Birding Sites] [Organization] [Dayton Bird List] [Scholarships
and Grants] [Audubon Adventures] [Links] [Join Audubon] [The Butterfly Page]
E-Mail Dayton Audubon(audubon@dayton.net)
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