S crub J ay Marion County Audubon Society Inc. Newsletter October 2007 CONTENTS Good News Page 2 Ospreys Page 3 Raptors Page 3 Field Trips Page 4 Water Pages 5 & 6 Board Names Page 6 Join Us Page 7 Memorial Page 8 Our Birds Need Your Help On a recent trip through Kentucky I came across the Audubon State Park in Henderson. Besides having a large number of competing choirs of chirping and tweeting birds, the Park houses the James Audubon Museum in a building that was once Audubon’s home in Henderson. Wandering through the Museum, I was reminded of the most recent book on Audubon by Richard Rhodes, where Audubon talks of the Passenger Pigeon and the immense flocks that covered the sky. He describes people indiscriminately shooting the pigeons for food and sport, over and over until the Passenger Pigeon was extinct. Today most of us are acutely aware of our environment and the multi- tude of problems we face. We have had some successes, such as the high profile revival of eagle populations. However, there are many more bird species that are dwindling. The National Audubon Society reports that since 1967 there has been a 70 percent decline in common bird popula- tions. What can you do to help reverse this steep decline? Lend your voice and letters to those causes both in Marion County and nationally that seek to preserve and save our farmlands, grasslands, wetlands and for- ests. Without the right type of habitat, bird species cannot survive. Massive sprawling subdivisions throughout Florida and elsewhere are major deterrents to a healthy bird population. The successful preserva- tion of the Avatar property (both wetlands & forest) is an example of what people can accomplish when a common, loud and persistent voice is raised. So get involved! You can also help by participating in our Christmas bird counts, tena- tively scheduled for the first week in January, 2008. You can make your backyard more friendly to birds through a simple backyard conservation program. Ask us for information & assistance at the next Audubon meeting. As always, keep your feeders full of good quality seeds from USA farms. Bob Stenstream, co-president IN MEMORY OF . . . It is with great sadness that we inform you that Barbara Stenstream passed away on May 21, 2007. Barbara often welcomed guests at our program meetings, served as the treasurer for several years and was seen working faithfully at Audubon events. She will be missed by all of us. Barbara loved wildlife, be it a homeless peacock, an injured baby mourning dove or animals at the local Humane Society. If you would like to give a gift honoring Barbara’s life, please send your designated check to: Marion County Audubon Society, P.O. Box 5616, Ocala, Fl. 34478. Your memorial donation will be grouped and given either to the Humane Society of Marion County or the University of Florida Veterinary School Scholarship Fund. Thank you, Jeanne Konicki Marion County Audubon Society,Inc. P.O. Box 5616 Ocala, FL 34478 Non-Profit Org. U.S.Postage Paid Ocala, FL Permit No. 255
Transcript
Scrub JayMarion County Audubon Society Inc. Newsletter
October 2007
CONTENTS
Good News Page 2 Ospreys Page 3
Raptors Page 3
Field Trips Page 4
Water Pages 5 & 6
Board Names Page 6
Join Us Page 7
Memorial Page 8
Our Birds Need Your Help On a recent trip through Kentucky I came across the Audubon State Park in Henderson. Besides having a large number of competing choirs of chirping and tweeting birds, the Park houses the James Audubon Museum in a building that was once Audubon’s home in Henderson. Wandering through the Museum, I was reminded of the most recent book on Audubon by Richard Rhodes, where Audubon talks of the Passenger Pigeon and the immense flocks that covered the sky. He describes people indiscriminately shooting the pigeons for food and sport, over and over until the Passenger Pigeon was extinct. Today most of us are acutely aware of our environment and the multi-tude of problems we face. We have had some successes, such as the high profile revival of eagle populations. However, there are many more bird species that are dwindling. The National Audubon Society reports that since 1967 there has been a 70 percent decline in common bird popula-tions. What can you do to help reverse this steep decline? Lend your voice and letters to those causes both in Marion County and nationally that seek to preserve and save our farmlands, grasslands, wetlands and for-ests. Without the right type of habitat, bird species cannot survive. Massive sprawling subdivisions throughout Florida and elsewhere are major deterrents to a healthy bird population. The successful preserva-tion of the Avatar property (both wetlands & forest) is an example of what people can accomplish when a common, loud and persistent voice is raised. So get involved! You can also help by participating in our Christmas bird counts, tena-tively scheduled for the first week in January, 2008. You can make your backyard more friendly to birds through a simple backyard conservation program. Ask us for information & assistance at the next Audubon meeting. As always, keep your feeders full of good quality seeds from USA farms. Bob Stenstream, co-president
IN MEMORY OF . . . It is with great sadness that we inform you that Barbara Stenstream passed away on May 21, 2007. Barbara often welcomed guests at our program meetings, served as the treasurer for several years and was seen working faithfully at Audubon events. She will be missed by all of us. Barbara loved wildlife, be it a homeless peacock, an injured baby mourning dove or animals at the local Humane Society. If you would like to give a gift honoring Barbara’s life, please send your designated check to: Marion County Audubon Society, P.O. Box 5616, Ocala, Fl. 34478. Your memorial donation will be grouped and given either to the Humane Society of Marion County or the University of Florida Veterinary School Scholarship Fund. Thank you, Jeanne Konicki
Marion County Audubon Society,Inc.P.O. Box 5616Ocala, FL 34478
Non-Profit Org.U.S.Postage
PaidOcala, FL
Permit No. 255
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Did you know the Great Florida Birding Trailhas 445 sites and free trail guides? Learn more at:www.floridabirdingtrail.com
What’s the Good News? Six thousand (6,000) acres near Dunnellon are now being considered for preservation. The property formerly known as “Cold Springs” is now part of the South Goethe addition. This land was put on the “A” list by the acquisition and restoration committee as an addition to the Goethe State Forest. This property is known also as Cool Springs now and you may see this name referenced as well. Just like the Avatar purchase of 4,500 acres near Ocala, this property is a vested subdivision. Fortunately, the owners have agreed to let the state make an offer to buy it. There is probably no more beautiful land than this to be found in Florida. This land is comprised mostly of sandhill community with important recharge to Rainbow Springs. Six lakes along with hills seventy feet high make this a spectacular site. Rainbow River Conservation Inc. submitted the application to the State. Marion County Audubon strongly supports their efforts to save this outstanding project and we hope you will too. Keep up on this issue as your help may be needed to keep it moving on the path towards purchase. Guy Marwick, co-president
Great Opportunity! Marion County Audubon Society, Inc.offers a local chapter membership optionto those who wish to be involved in Marion County’s environmental issues and activities. Local Audubon membership includesa monthly (during the winter) issue of TheScrub Jay, Marion Audubon’s newsletter. The newsletter has information on meetings, programs, activities, issues foryour involvement and guided field tripsto identify native birds, flora and fauna. Dues are only $10 annually Three easy ways to join:1. Go online and sign up at: www.marioncountyaudubon.com2. Print the online form and mail it to us
Date__________
Name__________________________Address________________________City________________Zip_________Phone___________Fax____________E mail_________________________$10 membership paid by____cash ___check ____new ___renewalPrior Audubon chapter elsewhere?_____yes____noAre you willing to serve an active role?_____YES ____no
3. Use the form above, and mail it to: Marion County Audubon Society, Inc. P.O. Box 5616 Ocala, Fl 34478
Come Join Us!
Right here . . .in Marion County we have 4 Great Florida Birding Trail sites - Salt Springs in Ocala National Forest, Sportsman’s Cove in Mc-Intosh, Silver River State Park and Ocklawaha Prairie Restoration Area. Visit them all!
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Officers/Board 2007-2008 Marion County Audubon Society, Inc.Co-PresidentsRobert Stenstream & Guy MarwickSecretaryRosalie CoynerAsst. Sec. & Volunteer CoordinatorDeborah ApplingTreasurerLarry SuttonCommunications Chair & PublicityLucy Tobias (352) 816-1251Communications TeamSandra Fernandez, Teresa DarnellJane Pope (E-mail distribution)Earth Day CoordinatorVince DrudingEducationRon Broman & Jim BucknerNewsletter & MailingsBetty Olson
Marion County Audubon Society Programs for October and November 2007
All programs are held on Tuesday evenings starting at 7 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Parish Hall, 503 SEBroadway,Ocala.
Everyone is invited. All guests are welcome. Light refreshments are served.Come to a program - it is a good way to learn whatMarion County Audubon is doing. You will find free handouts about ways to help wildlife plus local issues. Every meeting has enrollment forms to joinAudubon.
Tuesday, October 16 at 7 p.m. - “Ospreys of Pelican Island: An Exploration into the Life of the Fish Hawk, the Florida Audubon Osprey Program” with Bob Montanaro. Follow the life of a pair of ospreys during their 2006 nesting attempt in the nation’s first wildlife refuge.
Important notice of change of location for Tuesday, Nov. 20 Raptor ProgramMcIntosh Civic Center at Van Ness Park is reserved for the Audubon Nov. 20th Program!From Ocala drive North on Hwy. 441 to McIntosh. Turn East on Avenue G or Avenue F and go two blocks. Refreshments will be provided by the Seedlings. The program is “Raptors” with Dr. Dawn Miller DVM. Get up close to some large talon-ted birds of prey. Learn of their trials to survive in a world of pesticides. For car pooling, call Erika at (352) 546-5718.
Water - continued from p. 5Demographics: School children are educated on water issues but 30-40 year olds have more pur-chasing & decision making power & are woefully unaware of water conservation needs.Professions: The Suwannee River Partnership plays an important role in educating agriculturalworkers on the importance of water quality practices and conservation.Effectiveness: It takes time to design, implement and evaluate programs to get people to do abetter job of conserving water. Good ideas may not yield the desired results. For example, a community project to replace old shower heads with new water-conserving models requiredparticipants to bring in their old shower heads. When tested for flow rate, many old shower headshad lower flows than the new ones because of mineral deposits that had clogged them.What you can do:* Use landscape practices that minimize fertilizer and water use, such as those suggested by theFlorida Yards and Neighborhoods program.* Encourage state agencies and legislators to give more protection to Florida springs.* Learn how decisions are made by your local water management district. Get involved early when you become aware of land use or growth and development decisions affecting groundwater.* Support farmers who participate in the Suwannee River Partnership by buying and promotingtheir products. See: www.srwmd.state.fl.us/features/suwannee+river+partnership/* Learn more about products that enhance groundwater recharge & reduce storm water runoff, such as pavement designed to let water percolate, rain barrels and micro-irrigation systems.The Water Celebration Planning Team invites you to visit the Web site: www.celebrate-water.com
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Need Love?Volunteer with AudubonContact VolunteerCo-ordinatorDeborah [email protected] We love volunteers.
Marion County Audubon Society Field Trips for October & November 2007
Saturday, Oct. 6 - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings HistoricState Park, 18700 S. CR325, Cross CreekTuesday, Oct. 23 - Sholom Park, 6840 SW 80th Ave.OcalaSaturday, Nov. 10 - Brick City Park & Quarry, 1212SE 22nd Rd., OcalaTuesday, Nov. 20 - Sawgrass Island Preserve, 107 NorthLake Avenue, TavaresAll field trips require reservations. Field trip fee $1 peradult. Children under 12 free. To know more about thelocation, accessibility, time, weather conditions andcarpooling options, call Carolyn at (352) 817-6715 or(352) 622-2850. Field Guides Prove Their Worth Outdoors The function of a field guide is to provide identificationand information about a particular subject, usually something to do with nature. If youplan to spend any time outdoors in Florida you need the National Audubon Society FieldGuide to Florida, edited by Peter Alden, et al. Because it is small enough to slip into the back pocket of your jeans, the text is limitedand the photographs are small. But for a little book, this one contains lots of information.Each part contains an introduction followed by clear photographs, with a description ofthe item as well as habitat where it may be found. The first part starts at the bottom with geology and goes all the way to the top - as-tronomy. The second section deals with plants and animals. The last part, my personal favorite, is entitled “Parks and Preserves” and tells you where you can go to enjoy the subjects of the first two parts. This section divides the state into four geographicalregions. Each has a map with natural areas marked, including location and contact infor-mation. There are no lack of places to go and view nature in Florida. There are three nationalforests, three national parks, two national seashores, several national wildlife refugesand many state and county parks, forests and recreation areas. The back of the book has an index and a map showing all of the counties in Florida. The inside front cover shows a map of major highways. The inside back cover has a map of natural features. This book is available through local book dealers and the Internet. . . . . By Carolyn Retey
Water . . . . By Judy Greenberg I am looking forward to sharing information and thoughts with you over the nextyear about conservation. My plan at this time is to focus on water conservation.This is a topic of critical concern and one that will impact our daily lives and the sustainability of our environment morethan any other single issue facing our county and state duringthe next 10 years. This past February, I participated in a two-day Water Celebration at Fanning Springs that was spearheaded by theFlorida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC). A LegislativeLuncheon the first day dealt with partnerships for springsprotection. At the table were state and local agencies includingthe Department of Health, Florida Department of CommunityAffairs, the Suwannee River Partnership and the St. John’sRiver Water Management District. Did we think one event could create the neededcollaboration? No, but it was a springboard for continued efforts. Faye Baird, hydrologist, prepared a report on water conservation as a result of the luncheon. Many of you know Faye from the Silver Springs Basin Working Group. You are invited to embrace the issue statement below and consider what you can do. If we can be in this together, our example of collaboration cannot be overlooked and change will happen.Issue: Better public understanding of water issues, resulting in progressive at-titudes about water conservation, are urgently needed. There is a critical need to initiate programs that do not merely educate, but also change behaviors. (Continued on p. 6)
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