April/May 2008 Brown Pelican Sarasota Audubon Society

8/9/2019 April/May 2008 Brown Pelican Sarasota Audubon Society

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State of the Society

It’s time again in the year to recap where SAS is and whereit is going.

At this point—mid-year—we can recount some exciting accomplishments. We have conducted 4 sets of birding classes (for SAS, USF and Pieran Spring Academy)introducing more than 80 beginners to the joy of birding. We introduced more than 160 folks to the Celery Fields onthe “second Saturday” walks. We led more than 15 day trips with 300+ members and non-members, including a fab day of birding to Station 5 in Clewiston. And we took 14 folkson a 5-day puffin trip to Maine and 28 on a 2-nighter to

Winter Park. We’ve been busy.

As part of the restoration project in North Lido BeachPark, we planted 7 mulberry trees, funded from our raffles. Thanks to all who bought a ticket at a monthly meeting. Wehope to see fruitful results within a few years.

Another project we repeated this year, with the help of Sarasota Bay Buddies and SAS volunteers, was to help ridPinecraft Park of exotic air potatoes. On three otheroccasions we supervised groups from Brookside MiddleSchool, Girls, Inc. and First Baptist Church of Sarasota asthey too helped in Pinecraft. Again, out of monthly raffles,

we contributed 50% of the cost of the park sign, complete with our logo. Check it out.

We gave presentations to area groups and schools; guidedout of town birders; and continued monitoring our beaches

to help protect shorebirds—all yielding dollars tostrengthen SAS.

We did many things that did not yield any dollars but were vitally important. Such as helping high schoolers on theCarefree Learner in Roberts Bay, cleaning up PalmerBoulevard, being your voice on conservation issues,interacting with local officials and environmental groups, watering those mulberry trees and helping Sarasota County to better manage our wildlife environment.

Our monthly programs, newsletter, website and electronicbird alerts all served to educate you—the membership. And

we were glad to do it.

Finances. Some of you wonder why we started an annualappeal 3 years ago, thinking that “we have enough—wedon’t need more.” It’s true that we received an unexpectedbequest of over $100,000 in 1999. The board at that time voted to set up an endowment fund—with restrictions onusing the money. The most we can take each year is limited(between $5,000 and $7,000), so “we don’t have enough”for annual operating costs without fundraising programsand events. The board works very hard, struggling to comeup with enough money to cover costs. We’ve managed todo it so far. Here are some salient facts:

1) In spite of the fact that we carry and service 1,000members, we only received $1,360 from National Audubon

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BROWN PELICAN

SARASOTA

AUDUBON

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PHONE:

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WEBSITE:

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November 11, 2007 Volume VII

in 2008. Put another way, NAS gets between $25,000 and$35,000 on our behalf and gave us $1,360 of it! AlthoughNAS has never been generous, we can compare currentfigures to $3,469 in 1992 and $3,113 in 1997, so we arelooking at a 57%-62% drop! In order to continue servicesto our members, we came up with a local membership feeof a modest $20 a year. (Many other chapters do the same.)From the 200 folks who are kind enough to join at thatlevel, we get about $4,000 a year. I encourage all of you tojoin both SAS and NAS. That way you are supporting both

local and national initiatives while supporting our basicprograms.

2) We were fortunate last year and this to have contracted with the County to monitor Turtle Beach during itsrenourishment phase. That has yielded about $5,000 inprofit over the 2 years, but that project is now ending.

3) Other ways of coming up with funds to cover operating costs are day, overnight and overseas trips, sales of HotSpots, birding classes, raffles and sale items at our monthly meetings—that’s it.

The Donation Appeal was launched 3 years ago NOTFOR OPERATING EXPENSES BUT FOR OUR FUTURE PLANS. As you know, we will probably betaking leaseship of an acre at the Celery Fields in order tohave a place to call home. First of all, we will be planting abutterfly garden, as well as trees and bushes to attract birds.If we do nothing more with the land, we will still have toprovide some sort of irrigation system, toilets and also beable to maintain the site in good order. We are thinking of amodest building in the future: a place where we can providemore educational programs for kids and a starting point for walks in the Celery Fields. The building will be paid in largepart by grants, in-kind services and corporate donations.

Even if we get the building entirely funded, it will takemoney to maintain. Just think of your own home:electricity, telephone, water, repairs, etc. . . . you get the idea.

Many of you have designated your donations for specificpurposes: Celery Fields, Education, Endowment. Many others have indicated that the funds can be used for generaluse. As of this date, over the three appeals, you havedonated over $41,000—incredible! As a result, we haveaccumulated over $19,000 for the Celery Fields and $8,900for Education. We gave Crowley $5,000 last year, and

pledged $5,000 for Save Our Seabirds. We spent $3,450 lasyear on scholarships and expect to spend a similar amounthis year. And, we only had to use $182.36 of these funds tocover a small deficit for year ended 5/06. For year ended5/07 we had a profit of $2,483 so we divided it up betweenthe Education and Celery Fields funds.

Expenditures from the annual appeals are investments inthe environment and in our future. For those of you whohave donated funds, many, many thanks. If you have no

sent in a donation, please take the time to do so now. Wehave received donations ranging from $5 to $3,000—anyamount is welcome.

Signing up for one of our trips, forking over $2 for a daytrip, buying a raffle ticket for $1, or buying a set of notecards (so generously produced and donated by one of ouboard members), helps us do the things that we believe ineducation, conservation and advocacy. With your help, SAS will grow and continue to be a highly-effectienvironmental organization within our community.

The board of SAS is extremely proud of

accomplishments over this past year. With youencouragement and support we can keep on keeping on!

Jeanne Dubi, March 2008

~CELERY FIELDS CLEAN UP~

Celery Fields Clean Up, March 18 Thanks to thfollowing for helping at the Celery Fields Clean Up. We goabout 140lbs of garbage, a discarded tire, a 4-feet length oboard and 2 metal rods: Bob and Mary Zimmer, Karen

Jensen, Ken Pearlman, Mark Leggett, Wanda StricklanNaish McHugh, Kathy Stokes, Penney Rist, John HegenerBarb LeSueur, Joanna Bear and Jeanne Dubi. Because whad over 12 folks (actually we had 13) we were able to hithe entire 2-mile length. It looks great.

On another note: The move to increase the speed throughthe Celery Fields from 40 to 45 mph was rejected by the Traffic Advisory Council. Their recommendation goes tthe Board of County Commissioners for final approval, solet’s hope it sticks.



November 11, 2007 Volume VII

Next Celery Fields Clean Up Day – Tuesday, April 22.Lend a hand at helping to keep Palmer Blvd free of trash.Meet at the gazebo (Palmer & Raymond) at 8a.m. It justtakes an hour or so with a good crew.

~APRIL/MAY CALENDAR~

Tuesday, April 8 Emerson Point This wonderful park has woodlands, shoreline, and mangroves. Depart McDonald’sat 7:30 a.m. Optional lunch at Crab Trap II restaurant.Leaders: John Ginaven, 798-9829, and Stuart Hills,922-5261.

Saturday, April 12 Celery Fields Explore birdlife with adifferent leader on the second Saturday of each month.Meet at the gazebo (Palmer & Raymond) at 8 a.m.Coordinator: Mark Leggett, 925-7220

Tuesday, April 15 FT Desoto leader Edith Miller(364-3637) will help us find migrants at this wonderfulbirding spot. Leave the first rest area just after the

tollbooths on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (I-275) at 8 a.m.BRING LUNCH

Sunday, April 20 Earth Day at Oscar Scherer Thisannual event draws huge crowds. Check out plants andcritters. Fun for kids. Visit us at the SAS booth.

Monday, April 28 SRQ Triple Loop Join Rick Greenspun and Jeanne Dubi in search of migrants at ourlocal hot spots. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of Phillippi Estate Park, west side of U.S. 41 at ConstitutionBlvd.

Saturday, May 3 Butterfly Walk Join butterfly enthusiastsStu Hills and Jeanne Dubi on a walk to locate and ID localbutterflies. Location to be determined. Meet atMcDonald’s (Bee Ridge/Cattlemen) at 10 a.m. contact: Jeanne Dubi, 355-1705

~TRIP REPORTS~

Red Bug Slough, March 4 Over 20 birders met at theslough today for a fun morning of birding and hiking. The

highlight of the day was the 2 pairs of nesting RedShouldered Hawks. Ken Pearlman, Trip Leader

Celery Fields, March 8 - 12 hardy souls turned out inalmost gale force winds, which made it feel a lot colder than60 degrees. I was glad of my Canadian fur-lined windbreaker. Just before we started, we were treated to thespectacle of a Peregrine Falcon, seemingly enjoying itselfby making passes at various Turkey Vultures that werebattling the winds. We then headed to the rail ponds and were treated to looks of a Virginia Rail. ! As we looked upto the skys we saw an immature Bald Eagle, flying low which put up hundreds of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks A total of 4 immatures and 1 adult Bald Eagle masteredthe winds with ease. We ended the day with 45 species. Naish McHugh, Trip Leader

Winter Park, March 12th thru the 14th! ! ! ! Perfec weather was in store for 28 birders heading for the smaltown of Winter Park, north of Orlando.!! Thursday a.m. i

was Carolyn Primus who spotted our outstanding femal Yellow-headed Blackbird in a park across from the hotel This proved to be a life bird for many on the trip.! Otherspecies listed include one Swallow-tailed Kite, Orange-crowned Warbler, Summer Tanager, Tufted Titmouse, anda pair of "show off" Pileated Woodpeckers. ! Our 70thspotting was a American White Pelican seen from the buson our way home.Special tours included the Morse Museum to see anextensive collection of Tiffany glass, then off to the Audubon Birds of Prey center where we met the weknown eagles "Paige" and "Trouble". ! Watch for them inand around the state where they are used for teaching. ! You

can v i s i t the Eag l e camera ( cam) a t www.audubonofflorida.org to watch nestlings.

Day three took us to the beautiful Leu Gardens.! Here wefound acres of trees, plants and flowers!! with lots of placeto rest and take in the view.! Brown thrashers seemed to becalling in surround sound. Thanks to Jeanne and Karen for their expert planningHope to see you on another trip.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! Pat Delp, Tour Participant

Potter Park and Stoneybrook Trail, March 20 - PotterPark behind the YMCA off Central Sarasota Parkway hasg r e a t paved trails w i t h trees, Saw P a l m e t t o sa n d C a b b a g eP a l m s . We venturedoff the trail into the w o o d s k n e w there was agrove of dead trees We were f i n d a P i l e a t e d Woodpecker nest. We found instead R

Monday April 14. Sarasota Audubon Societymonthly meeting at 7 p.m. SARASOTA BUTTERFLIES - Beverly Bowen and Stu Hills

of the Sarasota Butterfly Club will show usslides of nature’s most beautiful creatures.General Elections- officers are elected for thecoming year.Monday May 12. - NESTING SHOREBIRDS WITH TED MASE - Great photos andinformation about the endangered and



ellied Woodpeckers and 1 Red-shouldered Hawk. We thenwent over to Stoneybrook Nature Trail, walked the trail andoardwalk, where we spotted a Green Heron preening and aandhill Crane on her nest.

Kathryn Young, Trip Leader

SARASOTA AUDUBON GIVES BACK

This year our Audubon chapter gave $206 to OperationMigration, the Whooping Crane organization that leads theCranes from Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka National WildlifeRefuge here in Florida. They travel a 1,250 mile journey andou can track their progress each year by going to the

www.operationmigration.org .Our Audubon also gave $200.00 to Friends of Oscar SchererPark. This wonderful park is one of the best places to seeFlorida Scrub Jays, a threatened species found only inFlorida.

MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCMENT

Please check the expiration date on your address label. If he date has expired, this will be the last Brown Pelican

Newsletter you will receive. If you feel the date is incorrectr has expired - please email [email protected] or call met 355-4073 and we will address it. Thanks,

Lynn Jakubowicz, Membership Chair

DUCK STAMPS

ince 1934, revenue from stamp sales has totaled over $700

million and has secured almost 6 million acres of highriority habitat. If you appreciate habitat protection, thank hose who have purchased Duck Stamps. It's very important

that thee v e rincreasing numberso f b i r d e r sand otherr e f u g eu s e r s who are

n o thunters, step up to the plate and also purchase stamps.Bonus - a $15 Duck Stamp gives you free entry to allNational Wildlife Refuges. Proudly display the stamp YOU

urchase to demonstrate you are doing your part for wetlandnd grassland habitat, and bird conservation.

To order write to::Federal Duck Stamp OfficeU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service849 C St., NW, Suite 2058

Washington, D.C. 20204.

You are also able to buy them at most post offices, K-Marts, Wal*Marts, and sporting goods stores around the country. To find out the location selling the stamp nearest to you, callthe Federal Duck Stamp Office at 888-534-0400, or visit www.fw.gov/duckstamps. (Note - they also are offering e-stamps this year.)

PINECRAFT FESTIVAL

The 3rd Annual Pinecraft Festival was a huge success, withmore than 80 people lending a hand. The largest group wasfrom Sarasota Bay Buddies, an organization based inManatee County. In addition to exotic plants we destroyedmore than 450 lbs of potatoes fewer than in previous years,so that’s a good sign. We also gave out a dozen or so prizesto kids in different age groups. Thanks to the following fordonating time and prizes: Carolyn Primus, Susie Bowie, SaraKing, Susan Stam, Edith Miller, Penney Rist, Veronica Tarnowski, Ken Pearlman, Sheila & Naish McHugh, RuthEllen Peipert, Bobbie Goodin, Stu Hills, Jean & JimEdmundson, Karen Jensen, Carole Breedlove, Wild BirdCenter, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and Jeanne Dubi.Many thanks to Barbara Singer and Mike Dubi fororganizing the event and judging the potatoes.

VOLUNTEER NEEDED

! Audubon of Florida holds regional conservation committee

meetings once a quarter. We are in the Gulf Coast zone. JulieByrne was a regular representative at these meetings and Ihave been to several of them. The Conservation Chair fromthe chapters usually attends, indeed it is designed to addressconservation issues in our sector (roughly SWFMDboundaries). When Julie was a member of the AoF board wehad strong links to the state organization. I would hate for usto be out of the loop on some of the critical things for which they represent all Audubons in the state.If anyone is interested, I will send details of times andlocations. I know it is an almost all-day affair and is being held north of Tampa this time.

Our very own Sarah King, Edith Millerand Barbara Singer.



CONDOLENCES. Long-time member Ish Cabe,passed away in early March. He attended most meetings and was a regular on field trips. Condolences to his family.

MEMBER PROFILE: Jean & JimEdmundson

Jean and Jim Edmundson have been members of SAS since1986. Throughout the years, they’ve been extremely active,assuming many duties when called upon. Jean started as thebirder; Jim got into photography as a way of enjoying thefield trips. Now they are both avid members and regulars atmonthly meetings. They formed life-long friendships withother members and still keep in touch with those who havemoved away or no longer come to meetings. Here are someof the things they have done to help SAS grow.

Jean: Board member, historian, hospitality, greeter, “generalfactotum” (stuffing envelopes, bundling and mailing TheBrown Pelican), membership chair then membershipbackup when SAS went “electronic”, nominating committee, Roberts Bay monitor. Whew! In addition, Jean went on almost every day and overnight trip, acting as back up leader when necessary. Currently, Jean manages themonthly pre-meeting dinner at Bennigan’s, where board andSAS members can meet the evening’s speaker and catch upon bird business. Jim: Led two or three day trips per year for many years;presented three slide show programs at monthly meetingsof their worldwide travels; took care of the slide projector —setting up and taking down at each meeting; and

cataloged and maintained our extensive slide collection,

making it easier for others to find just the right slide.

Between them they have been on several overseas trips withSAS or with SAS friends: Africa, Trinidad, Venezuela. They’ve also been regulars on many SAS overnight tripsaround Florida, with Jim always ready with the ice anddrinks.

Jim and Jean have been loyal supporters of SAS with cashdonations, prize donations, cookie donations, and of course

their own valuable time donations. Sarasota Audubon is

a better organization because of them.

REVISED COUNTY CHARTER

AMENDMENT TO PROTECT OUR RURAL

ENVIRONMENT

You may have signed one of the 12,500 SAS-endorsepetitions that were necessary to get a vote on an amendmento the Sarasota County Charter to require a voter referendumbefore extending the Urban Services Boundary (USB) into

our rural and environmentally sensitive eastern lands. Anextended USB would mean more housing east of I-75, withmore schools, fire stations, libraries, etc., not to mentiondestroying more of the natural environment of easternSarasota County. By the time you read this article, the CountyCommission hopefully will have endorsed and placed on aballot for May 6 a revised “consensus” amendment that wilmore effectively protect that land from urban sprawl than would the original amendment.

This revised amendment provides that there must be unanimous vote by the County Commission to extend theUSB and would include the USB for the first time in the

Charter (thereby requiring a majority vote by citizens toremove it). The revision would also require a unanimousCounty Commission vote to establish new overlay districtsoutside the USB or expand existing ones. (Overlay districtscould increase allowable density or intensity of development. These two provisions requiring unanimous votes closloopholes that could have rendered the original amendmentalmost meaningless if a County Commission wanted to evadeit.

Business and development organizations had threatened toput several hundred thousand dollars into defeating theoriginal amendment. Why then did they agree to the new“consensus”? Recent elections show they were likely to loseanyway. A citizen vote to expand the USB would add delayand uncertainty to their plans while a good proposal mightget unanimous County Commission approval. Avoiding anexpensive and bitter campaign would also help their imageand their future prospects in the community. Finally, Citizensfor Sensible Growth (which sponsored this and two earlierCharter amendments) agreed, as an organization, not to seekother land use amendments for the next six years if the“consensus” amendment passes. (Hey, gathering petitions ishard work.)

This “consensus” amendment could both help preserve oubirds and other wildlife while at the same time herald a newspirit of cooperation between local environmentalists anddevelopers. I hope you will consider casting your ballot forthis USB amendment—at early voting, by absentee ballot, orat the polls on May 6.

Wade MatthewsConservation Chair



NESTING SHOREBIRDS

SHOREBIRD NESTING SEASON is this time of year! Birds have been laying their eggs right on the beach for hundreds

of years. Their available nesting habitat is shrinking rapidly. If you see birds attackng your kite or maybe you as you walk along the beach, you are probably too close to a nesting area. Adult birds will try to protect their nests. Once they fly off their nest, eggs and chicks are vulnerable to sun and predators. Moving just a bit further away from nesting areas, protects thebirds and provides continued enjoyment for all! Some of our area beaches will put up ropes to indicate an area of the beachto stay away from because the birds have chosen this area to nest in. You may be able to see all the birds behind these ropessitting on nests. Last year they had roped off the north end of Longboat Key for the Black Skimmers and Least Terns.

Gulls, terns, and skimmers nest mostly in colonies, sometimes in very large ones. Within colonies, members of these speciesare highly territorial, even though a territory may be only a few square feet of beach.

Nesting Snowy Plovers can also be seen on Siesta Key Beach at this time.

Credit for Article to Adventure Florida Magazine -- Photo by Rick Greenspun

.

Photo credits -- Snowy Plover (page 2), Great Egret (page 3) and Black Skimmer (page 6) weretaken by Rick Greenspun. Birds in distress (page 7) from reusablebags.com

Photo of a Black Skimmer Resting on Siesta Beach

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS



PLASTIC BAGS

We have all seen plastic bags stuck in trees, shrubs, fences, and waterways. These bags are not only eyesores but major

contributors to climate change. Large amounts of carbon dioxide are released during the manufacture, transportation, anddisposal of plastic bags. Introduced 25 years ago, they are now being used at over 500 billion per year world wide and anestimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many bags. The toxic chemical ingredients needed to makeplastic produces pollution during the manufacturing process. Plastics comprise about 60 percent of the trash found onbeaches and about 90 percent of debris found floating in the water. Plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, asthey degrade they end up as tiny toxic bits in our water and soil, which eventually ends up in our food chain and our drinking water. Sea turtles, whales and birds die every year from eating or becoming entangled in discarded plastic bags. They chokeor block the intestines leading to an agonizing death. On land, cows, goats and other animals suffer a similar fate when theyaccidentally ingest plastic bags while foraging for food.

Recycling bags (paper and plastic) requires energy for the collection, hauling and processing. an estimated 8 billion pounds ofplastic bags, wraps and sacks enter the waste stream every year in the US alone, putting an unnecessary burden on ourdiminishing landfill space and causing air pollution if incinerated. How can we help to reduce this plastic bag footprint?

The answer is to stop using plastic bags and start using reusable bags -bring your own cloth bags everywhere you shop (notjust the grocery store). Making the change is not easy. When I commited to using cloth bags I would get into the grocerystore only to remember my cloth bags were still in the car at check out time. I would then make myself buy one new bag each time I forgot my bags. After a few of these episodes I had more than enough reusable bags for all my shopping needsand it helped me to remember them when doing my shopping the next time. I have read about other ways people use toremember their bags, voiding purchases if they forget their bags, stuffing only their pockets of what they can carry, running out to the car to get their bags when the cashier says “paper or plastic?”

Once you start using cloth bags you will find some pleasant surprises, such as they hold more and they are easier to carry.

Cloth bags are being offered free from the chamber of commerce on Siesta Key and for a nominal fee at most grocery stores.Look for them soon from Sarasota Audubon Society.

Kathryn Young, Editor

The following websites were used to write this article.

reusablebags.comgreenpeace.org/interntional/campaigns/oceans/ pollution/trash-vortex

audubon.org

noaa.gov (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration)



For Membership Information email,

[email protected]

OR LEAVE MESSAGE AT 364-9212

THEBROWNPELICAN

Published Monthly October through May by:

SARASOTA AUDUBON SOCIETY P.O. BOX 15423SARASOTA, FL 34277-1423

Gloria Albritton

Dr. Fanny Arguello

Larry Asarch

Armand Bonneau

William Brady John Burns

Chris Cantillo

Arthur Chovnick

Elizabeth Degtoff

Jerome Dimercurio

Carlo Dinapoli

Elizabeth Fallon

Frederick Farley

John Filchock

Philip Gaynes

Joe Guth

Jerry Henkel

Nora Hooper

Ken Jenkins

Bernard Kaufman

Michel Lehner

Margaret Lewis

Marlene Liberman

Patrick Moloney

John Mahon

Paige Mallory

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William Sondgerath

Barbara Stainbrook Cerise Terry

Lawrence Weiss

Jamie White

April/May 2008 Brown Pelican Sarasota Audubon Society

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