May-June 2003 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society
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Transcript of May-June 2003 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society
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Big Bluestem FlyerBig Bluestem Flyer
Volume 38, Number 5 May/June 2003
Programs
May 15
Lynn e B rook es & Derr i ck Gr imm er
Mono Lake: Crea tion, Salva tion and the
Eternal Struggle, or, Lessons in Preservation
Activism.Unique Mono Lake on th e east side of the Sierra s
supports m illions of wat er critt ers an d migrat ing
birds. Seeing dan ger of being drain ed like Owens
Lake, California , activitist s organized an d forced a
compr omise. This pr esent at ion include video,
poster s, maps an d han d -out s describing th is rare
ecosystem, th e th reat s t o it, an d th e effective
organ izing t ha t is sa ving it from desert ificat ion.
The present ers ar e BBS members wh o visited
Mono Lake in 2001, ta lked with a ctivist associat ion
members, an d brought back a video an d oth er
mat erials to share with BBAS.
Field Trips
May
10 Bird-a-thon. J oin Audubon's all-day birding
an d fun dra ising event. Prizes will be awa rded.
Cont act Kar l J ungbluth for m ore informa tion (515-
432-5057).
16-18F YI. Iowa Ornithologists Union SpringMeetingin Water loo.
24 Colo Ponds. Meet at the cannon at t he
form er St ory Count y Cour th ouse in Nevada a t 8:00.
Trip Lea der : Hank Zaletel (515-382-5427).
June
7Annual Birders Brunch at Ledges Stat e
Pa rk (Boone Co.). Meet in th e upper Ledges at 8:00
am . Well bird as we hike down th e hill and h ave
brunch in t he lower Ledges. Please bring a fooditem to share.
Page 2 Officers and CommitteesPresidents Column
Page 3 Oak Forest FeedersKarls BackyardMeetz Prairie Winds
Page 4 Field trip reportsNorthern VisitorYoung Naturalists Camp
In This Issue
Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society
Page 5 Jim Dinsmores Olav Smedal AwardPage 6 Iowa Prairie Conference
New MembersBirdathon Reminder
Page 7 Bird Survey at Chichaqua BottomsMembership FormCoupons
Page 8 Halletts Quarry Photo Exhibit
Unless otherwise indicated, regular field trips leave
p r o m p t l y at 8:00 a m from the public parking lot west
of (behind) the Ames Wild Birds U nlimit ed (WBU),
located sout h of the ra ilroad tr acks at 213 Duff Ave. Trip
destinations are su bject t o change based on recent r ar e
bird sightings an d th e desires of the par ticipants.
Contact J eff Nichols for m ore inform at ion a t
515-795-4176 or [email protected]
Program m eetings are held monthly, September -May on
the th ird Thursda y of the month at 7:30 pm , Room
2226 Ve te r ina ry M edic ine B u i ld in g , Iow a S ta t e
U nive r s i ty , Am es , Iow a .
If you would like to meet and dine with th e speaker and
the BBAS Board before t he m onthly meeting, please
contact John Snyder to confirm space and location at
515-232-8824 or [email protected]
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2 Big Bluestem Flyer May/June 2003
Preside nts Colum nOften someone will ask me a particular detail about
birds. You know, questions like, Why dont the gold-
finches ea t from th eir feeder? or Where do bluebirds
go in th e winter ? When I explain I a m r eally not sure,
th ey comment, But I thought you are in Audubon?
That gives me the opportunity to explain Audubon is a
whole lot m ore th an birds. Just tak e a look at our mis-
sion statement on this page. Its focus is birds and also
includes words such a s n atu ral ecosystems, conserva -
tion, educational activities, broader un dersta nding an d
a deeper app reciation. These ar e words we can a ll su p-
port.
It is th e mission t hat ultimately drives the Big Blue-
stem Board. This is why we plan field trips ta king us
to places like Holst Stat e Forest t o search skies,
grasses, and br anches for finches a nd spa rrows in
J anu ary. And why we ventu re to Dunbar Slough in
Greene Count y to observe waterfowl and t heir ha bitat.
Of cour se we have our a nnu al Christm as Bird Count
and t he Birdathon to add fun a nd enjoyment.Education is part of the mission, and Big Bluestem
has brought Aud ubon Adventures to thousa nds of ele-
ment ary stu dents in t he central Iowa region. We hope
to spark an inter est in our n atu ral ecosystems in the
next genera tion. In recent years we h ave funded schol-
ars hips for 5t h and 6t h graders to attend the Young
Nat ura lists Camp a t th e Y-Camp northwest of Boone.
And we will do it a gain th is year. I ha ve to ment ion we
are enlightened and ent erta ined by the Bird of the
Month Program an d to all of the great speakers pr e-
senting educationa l programs plan ned September
thr ough May each year.
Big Bluestem is involved with conservation issuessuch as Harrier Marsh expansion, Colo Ponds, Keller-
ton pr airie chicken re-intr oduction, Mortensen Moun ds
and m any other conservation and pr eservation pr o-
jects over t he year s.
If you would like t o help to provide leadersh ip in Big
Bluestem, continue work on its m ission, and a re int er-
ested in joining th e boar d, please contact m e. I encour -
age your active participation, and Big Bluestem needs
your commitment.
I want t o especially tha nk Kar l and Carm en
J ungbluth, an d Mar y Doud a nd J eff Nichols for
holding a Rumm age Sale for t he Birds. Carmen a nd
J eff came u p with th is idea a nd with t heir relativelyimpromptu plan , they ha d a very successful event,
ra ising over $600 for Big Bluestem . Than ks goes to
Linda Thomas who pr ovided advertising and to Ida
J ohnson, Wolf Oesterreich, a nd Matt Wetrich who
helped sta ff th e sale. Tha nks t o all who provided sa le
items an d to all of the bargain hu nter s who made wise
purchases.
John Pohlman
Big Bluestem Audubon SocietyOfficers and Committees
OfficersPresident: John Pohlman 232-6816 [email protected]: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected]: [vacant]Treasurer: Donna Flanagan 268-0458 [email protected]
Board Members
Bruce Ehresman 296 -2995 [email protected]: Nichols [email protected] Jackson 515-964-0140 [email protected] Oesterreich 515-232-3285 (h) [email protected] Wetrich 956-4299 [email protected]
Committee ChairsArchivist: Hank Zaletel 382-427 [email protected] Co-chairs: Karl and Carmen Jungbluth, 432-5057weatherbird.opencominc.comConservation Chair: Bruce Ehresman 296 [email protected] Chair: Ida Johnson 233-4831 iwindj@aoLcomField Trip Chair: Jeff [email protected] Chair: Al Johnson 233-4831 awindj@aol. com
Program Chair: John Snyder 232-8824 [email protected] Chair: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected] & Electronic Media Co-Chairs: David Edwards [email protected] and Joyce Bahrenfus 275-3263 [email protected]
BBAS Web Site:http://www.wyalusing.org/BBAS.htmIowa Bird Sightings Hotline 319-338-9881Wildlife Care Clinic 515-294-4900
The mission of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society to
enjoy the observation and study of birds and natural
ecosystem s, cont ribu te to th eir conservation an d
restoration, engage in educational activities to benefit
humanity, and gain a broader understanding and deeper
appreciation of the world we live in.
N othing w holly adm irable everhappens in this coun try
except the m igration or birds.
Broo ks Atkinson
Steven DAma to
Northe rn Shove ler
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May/June 2003 Big Bluestem Flyer 3
Karls BackyardNorth edge of Ledges SP Boone Coun ty
Its that time of year when every new bud and leaf is
beau tiful, with a pr omise of blossoms to come. The plum
tr ees ar e flowering, which seems a couple of weeks ear ly
based upon m y 9 year s of experien ce in Boone county.
A variety of sparr ows are a ppearing in the yar d. After
six inches of wet snow on April 7t h, sixteen F ox Sparr ows
joined the J un cos. They stayed for several days. Icleared a few patches of snow and scattered some seed.
Carmen saw over a h undred Red-wing Blackbirds, some
grackles and cowbirds, plus a Rusty Blackbird all
crammed in a few square feet!
An immat ur e White-th roated Spar row and a Ha rr iss
Sparr ow spent th e winter n ear our yard. Ive seen a few
more Ha rr iss lat ely, an d today a couple of classic White-
thr oated Sparrows appeared with t heir black and white
striped crown. Around dinn er time tonight, they were
joined by two Field Sparrows, a couple of Lincolns
Sparr ows, a Song Sparr ow, Chipping Spar rows and a
couple d ozen J un cos.
House Spar rows, Bluebirds a nd several Tree Swallowsall want to claim th e Bluebird box across th e road. Id
welcome two of th e th ree. The Tree Swa llows soared
an d flew and vocalized all day Sun day.Karl Jungbluth
Meetz Prairie WindsNortheast of Am es a few m iles
A flint a nd st eel strike, an d th e help of two dozen
hands, so began the process of spring renewal. We had a
Big Smoke this past Saturday, finally firing the prairie
after nu merous weath er related delays. A str ong east
wind and relative humidity around 22% proved to be fa-
vora ble. Volun teer s with backpa ck spra yers followed
oth ers laying down a fire-line with d rip t orches backedby three t rucks with water tanks a nd pumps run ning.
J oe Kooikers sons st ood by with water hoses an d flap-
pers in th eir ha nds.
A slow back bu rn allows for more cont rol an d pr ovides
an ever widening safety zone star ved of highly volat ile
fuel. As the flames increased and began crawling across
the ground, signs th at a nimal life still inhabited th e area
becam e increasingly evident. Sa fety is t he pr imary rea-
son for our bur n t echnique but also allows for critt er es-
cape routes. Birds easily escape, usually flushing as the
flames crept t owards a fence line or open a rea. Mam mals
either ru n a head of the flames or hide in their bur rows.
On one occasion, a cottonta il rabbit r aced out ah ead ofthe flames, circled around us a nd h eaded back into the
blacked prairie just behind the fire line, stopping near
some burning branches that had fallen along the fence.
Steve Lekwa came close to having an intimate conver-
sation with a Stripped Skun k tha t ran toward Steve.
And David Villar, while using the drip torch, hesitated
momentar ily as a group of five hen pheasa nts burst
forth less that three feet from where he stood.
The wind occasionally shifted during t his bur n a nd
tried to get a way from u s into adjacent fields more tha n
once, but overall it was a good burn .
We hardly had dr opped our gear and met for r efresh -
ment when Hank Zaletel briefly left the group to checkour tr ee row for our Fox and H ar ris Spar rows. Linda Z.
also pointed out a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.
Within ten m inut es a Red-Tailed Hawk perched on a
wooden fence post, male Red -Winged Blackbir ds wer e
staking out th eir territory, Kildeer were run ning
thr ough the ashes and a Greater Yellow-Legs flushed
near a pair of Canada Geese walking along the pothole
shoreline. Missing was the small flock of Snow Geese (a Rosss
among them) visiting until late that morning. They seemed totake their cue that it was time to head further north and beyondthe midwest prairie blooms.
Mike & Linda Meetz
Oak Forest FeedersMany of the transients common to this time of year
and some summer residents ha ve arr ived in th ese
middle weeks of April. A small group of th ree t o seven
Fox Sparr ows were working everyday an d all day for a
week, scra tching u p every bit of debris from th e side
yard. Most Dar k-eyed J uncos moved on at t he sam e time
as t he Fox Spar rows in th e midst of th e days of hot s outh
winds.
The usu al th ree of four Worle Creek Tur key Vultur es
ar e back, Wood Ducks ar e scout ing nest h oles, and a
Great Blue Heron seems int erested in t he valley. Today
a pa ir of Great Egrets h ave been quietly watching thewat er, a first for our yard list. Fr om th e side woods
come s ounds of woodpeckers qu ietly excava ting t his
years n est holes.
Several pair of European Starlings are sta rt ing to nest
in th eir usua l holes high up in the oak t rees. Does
anyone have an extendable pole, ideally at least 20 feet
long?Dave and Jeanne Edwards
Kirsten MunsonDowny Woodp ec ker
Pra irie Wind s Burn
Photo co urtesy ofMike M eetz
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May/June 20034 Big Bluestem Flyer
Field Trip Rep ort2 2 F e b r u a r y , La k e R e d R o c k . Despite a less tha n
favora ble forecast, thirt een part icipants arr ived at t he
parking lot behind Wild Birds Unlimited ready for a day
of Bald Eagle viewing. We made stops at the Lake Red
Rock visitors center a nd s everal locat ions south of th e
dam. We saw more than 40 eagles. Other interesting
finds included an a ccipiter an d several Amer ican Black
Ducks. We then drove into Pella to see presentations at
the Commun ity Cent er on the eagles as well as aprogram on owls. The presentations included live birds,
and both were quite interesting. After lun ch in Pella and
a stop at J aar smas Bakery, we star ted for h ome. A stop
at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge en route was enjoyed
by all, an d perm itted some of us t o satisfy our book -
buying needs before calling it a day.
Jeff Nichols
Newsletter Material DeadlinesThis is the las t n ewsletter for t his BBAS season. We will begin aga in in Septem ber. Becau se we wou ld like to
have the newsletter to each member before the first day of its coverage, the editor needs to have material at least
two weeks before tha t. Hen ce t h e n e x t d e a d l i n e , fo r t h e S e p t ./O c t . i s s u e , w i ll b e t h e f i ft e e n t h o f Au g u s t .
Young Naturalist Ca mp
for 5th and 6th grad e boys and girlsThe Des Moines YMCA is h olding a Youn g
Na tu ra list Cam p at th e YCamp west of Boone,
August 4-9, for boys and girls who are cur ren tly in
5th a nd 6th gra de. It is a week long worksh op
wher e youth meet with professiona ls in
environm enta l education an d conservat ion, along
with experiencing camp activities. Big Bluest em
is offering three $275 scholarships toward the
$325 cost of th e cam p. If you know of a 5t h or 6th
grader with a strong interest in nat ure, conta ct
Education Cha ir Ida J ohns on, 233-4831
[email protected] or Jeff Nichols 795-4176 jnichols1961@hotma il.com by May 30th .
Field Trip Report1 5 M a r c h , Ad a H a y d e n H e r i t a g e P a r k a n d L i t t le
Wal l Lak e. Plan A was to explore t he wa ter fowl
habitat of Greene Co, but after a short discussion, the
group decided to explore a rea s closer to home. We first
stopped at Ada Ha yden Park and found a few Hooded
Mergansers. At Little Wall Lake, we spent most of our
time exploring th e habitat around t he ma rgins of the
lake, as waterfowl in the open areas of the lake were
too far to see clearly. The tem peratu res were in the 70swith a nice south erly breeze, but t he lake was st ill
mostly frozen. Many geese an d ducks were migrating
overh ead, an d we ha d great looks at la rge flocks of
Greater White-fronted Geese and a few Snow Geese.
We finished t he da y with 31 species.
Jeff Nichols
Northern visitorIn late December , while looking th rough t he flock of
severa l hun dred Cana da Geese at Ada Hayden Herita ge
Pa rk , I saw one goose with an oran ge neck collar. The
goose was t oo far awa y to be able to read th e code of
letters and numbers on its collar. However, a few days
later on 1 J anu ary, I saw what was almost certa inly the
same bird at Mabaska P ond west of Ames and was able
to read th e code: T 35. I reported t his sighting to the US
Bird Banding Laborat ory (a website at h tt p://www.pwrc.
usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/recwobnd.h tm ma kes it easy todo so) and recent ly received some informa tion about t he
bird. The bird, a sm all Cana da Goose somet imes called
the Hut chins form, commonly migrat es th rough centr al
Iowa but seldom winters her e. The bird was ban ded on
West Baffin Island in n orth ern Can ada on 17 August,
1996. It was identified as an adult female and was one of
171 birds tha t were banded at th at time. I saw the bird
on 6 February and again on 11 March at Mabaska. I
was gone for about 10 days, and it was not th ere when I
retur ned on 24 March. I assume t hat it moved north
with the warm weath er we had in mid March. Wonder if
it will come back to centra l Iowa next fall?
Jim Dinsmore
Photo by Jon & Joyc e Bahrenfus
We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity
belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which
we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.
Aldo Leopold
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5May/June 2003 Big Bluestem Flyer
Olav Smedal Conservation AwardJ i m D in s m o r e has been named as t he 2002
recipient of Olav Smedal Conser vation Awar d. This
award is sponsored by the Ames Chapter of the Izaak
Walt on League of America. The selection of an
individual or group located in cent ra l Iowa is based on
recognition of his/her/th eir cont ribut ion t o the pu blic in
th e field of na tu ra l resour ce conser vation or other
outdoor pursu its reflecting the highest st anda rds of
ethics and sportsman ship.
Among his ma ny activities J im ha s served on boards
an d comm itt ees for pr ofessional societies (Iowa Ch apt er
of The Wildlife Society, American Ornithological
Society, Iowa Or nit hologists Un ion) as well as m an y
conser vation groups (faculty ad visor t o ISU Cha pter of
Ducks Un limited since 1987, Iowa Academ y of Science,
Iowa Audubon, The Natu re Conser vancy). J im also
served as editor of Iowa Bird Life for 10 yea rs an d
still serves as the field reports compiler. Also of note,
J im is always willing to serve as a presenter and sh are
his knowledge with var ious environmen tal and civic
groups. Birds and birding, mamma logy, and animalecology are just a few of his int erests he is willing to
shar e even th ough he is now in retirement.
J im ha s au thored an d co-auth ored 5 books:Iowa
Birds, the Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas, Birds in Iowa, the
Iowa W ildlife Viewin g Guide , and A Coun try S o Full of
Game.
J ims book, A Coun try S o Full of Gam e, has a rguably
contributed more to Iowans knowledge of Iowa wildlife
th an a ny oth er publicat ion. A product of years of
painsta king resear ch, h is book reveals the history of
wildlife species in Iowa, from th e abu nda nce our E ur o-
American ancestors experienced here in the 1830s
through the destruct ion an d carnage that ensued in thelast ha lf of th e 1800s resu lting in t he loss of ha bita t
and the impa cts on t he elk, deer, prairie chickens,
wolves, an d oth er an imal populations by the 1900s. It
is as readable as it is carefully documented, an
excellent exam ple of th e mer ger of academ ic resea rch
with good writing.
Humble, J im is good na tured a nd u nassum ing and
does not toot his own horn . He h as gone out of his
way man y times to help other s by providing th em with
information and ma terials (teaching aids). With h is
help an d access to the Un iversitys extensive anim al
ecology collections h e ha s pr ovided ma ter ials for m an y
local county conser vation events. He ha s providedsupport an d mat erials for the Iowa Depar tm ent of
Natural Resources Youth Hunter Education events
including the YHEC progra m. J im has been involved
and been most helpful in Story Count y Master
Conservat ion P rogram , the Beginning Birder programs
and t he SCC Owls program. He has a ppeared on WOIs
Talk of Iowa to discuss Birds and Birdwatching.
J im was an active part icipant in the Sa ve Halletts
Quar ry campa ign an d continues to act as a consultant to
th e Ames Pa rk a nd Recreation board on t his issue.
J im ha s touched many with h is knowledge.
The AwardThe selection committee for the Olav Smedal
Conservat ion Awar d is composed of mem bers of the Ames
Chapt er of the Izaa k Walton League an d Story Count y
Conserv at ion Boar d. The committ ee is especially
interested in recognizing those individuals or groups
whose chief mea ns of employment is work outside of th e
conser vation field. Considerat ion is given to the
individual(s) who gives un selfishly of their free t ime a nd
volunt ar y efforts . All qua lified nominees will be
consider ed. If you would like to submit a n ominat ion youcan do so by conta cting th e Story Coun ty Conser vat ion
Board McFarland Park offices or the Ames Chapter of the
Izaak Walton league, Box 148 Ames.
Past recipients of the Olav Smedal Conservation
Award include:
America n Coot
Mike Meetz with material by Jim Pease
Kirsten M unson
1988 Dale Brentn all 1995 J im Pease
1989 Bill Horine 1996 George Pa tr ick
1990 Steve Lekwa 1997 Edwin Powell
1991 Na ncy Kur rle 1998 Mike Meetz
1992 Cele Burn ett 1999 Linda & Han k Zaletel
1993 Dave Van Waus 2000 Er v Klaas
1994 Robert Pinneke 2001 Cindy Hildebrand
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6 May/June 2003Big Bluestem Flyer
The 9th Iowa Prairie Conference
The Prac tic al Prairie
The Iowa Pr airie Conference, hosted by th e Iowa
Prairie Network, will be held the weekend of July 12t h a t
the Iowa Stat e Center Scheman Building on Iowa Stat e
Universit ys campu s in Ames. The event promis es
inform ation for beginners and experts a like with
speakers r anging from pr airie practitioners t o academic
researchers. An icebreaker picnic Friday evening allows
gather ing att endees to begin th e conference with a n
opportunity for networking. On Saturday, Dr. Ron
Pan zer, Northea stern Illinois University, and Dr . Jam es
Trager, Sha w Nat ure Reserve, Missouri Botan ical
Garden , will deliver t he k eynote a ddresses on pr airie
invertebrat es. Highlighted concur rent sessions include
prairie man agement, land protection, soils, fauna , and
the benefits of urban prairies. A panel discussion on
prescribed bu rn ing issues will also be convened. Field
trips will provide an opportunity to spend time with
pra irie experts in some of cent ra l Iowas finest pra irie
remna nts an d reconst ru ctions. Conference att endees willalso have the opportunity to browse various vendor,
organizational and educational displays. The day will
conclude with an evening ban quet , followed by mu sic
an d a n h istoric port ra yal of Iowa-born Aldo Leopold, on e
of th e na tions leading conservat ionist s of the last
century. Sunday morning activities, including field trips,
complete th e conference. Registr at ion form s will be
available May 1st . Register early to ensure the field trip
of your choice. For additional in form at ion an d
registration forms after May 1st, visit the Iowa P rairie
Network website at www.iowaprairienetwork.org or
cont act In ger La mb at 515-963-7681or 515 -240-4358.
Terri Abbett
Pat Alberts
Mark & Susan Ackelson
Raymond & Delilah Ahrens
Ron Andrews
Rich & D.K. Axtell
Becker
Lorraine BelluciMandy Brown
Mike Carlson
J erry & Susan Caswell
Ja ne Clark
Vernon Condon
Drew Ehresman
Gary Forster
J am es Miller & J ennifer
Fraterr igo
Peter F ritzell
J on & Dorothy Gu sta fson
Mari lyn Greene
Doug & Nina Har rMary Ja ne & Richar d
Hatcher
Jim & Pat Heukel
Heidi Hohman n
Laur en & Nan cy Housema n
Ginny J ackson
Mary Jane Johnson
Kevin Kan e
Fr itz & Victoria Keinert
Michael & Susan Keraus
Gerald Keys
Eliot La follete
Ed Engle & Julie Larson
Dean & Freida Lehman
Raveena Levis
Doroth y & Donald Lewis
Cheryl Macvey
Mary Jean Mathis
Bobetta & Mich ae l
MatthesSta n & Ma rlene Moffit
Woodrow & Betty Lou
Myers
Michael Myszewski
Ellen Nielsen
Neal & Ma rjorie O'Bri en
David O'Brien
Larry & Verona Par r
Scott & Peggy Peters on
Ann Reed
George Roling
Tom Rosbur g
Esther RossmanDuane & Marilyn San d
Bob & Jean Schau b
Pat Schlarbaum
Peggy Smith
Kay Snopek
Dan & Beth Solomon
Troy Thompson
Mimi Wagner
Linda & Doug Ward
Bob And Jan Williams
Trudy Yoder
New Memb ers
Now is the t ime to gear u p for Birda th on 2003! Ask
an y of our dozens of Birdat hon pa rt icipan ts, an d th eyll
tell you its just plain fun . We count bir ds to ra ise fun ds
forbirds. Birdathon enables our Audubon chapter to
support m any worthy pr ojects r elated t o birds, ha bitat
an d natu re education. Last year we ra ised over $5200.
Ther es still plenty of time t o form a tea m, join a tea m,
ra ise some pledges or mak e a donation. Birdat hon
team s will be heading out on Ma y 10t h to see who can
coun t th e most species of birds in one day. The winnertak es home t he coveted Birdath on Traveling Trophy: a
Prothonotary Warbler carved and paint ed by J on &
J oyce Bah renfus.
New birder s are welcome, too. Our Birda th on
Coordina tors Karl & Car men J ungbluth will help you
join a team , and get you st art ed with pledge form s an d
other information. Full details about Birdat hon, plus a
pledge form, were included in the March/April
newslett er. We can a lso ema il copies of th e pledge
form.
If you cant do a Birdathon, were always looking for
more sponsors. Sponsor a friend who has a tea m, or
mak e a pledge to the chapt er. Ju st conta ct Kar l &Carmen at 515-432-5057 or send an email to
weat her bird@opencomin c.com.
Bi r d a t h o n i s M a y 1 0 t h
Do Somet hing For t he Birds!Enjoy spring, ta ke a look beyond your backyard, a nd pa rticipate in Birdat hon!
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IfyouhaveanXafteryournameonyourmailinglabel,thiswillbeyourlastissueoftheFlyerunlessyourenew.
Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePaid
PermitNo.131Ames,Iowa
BigBluestemFlyerDavidC.Edwards,EditorBigBluestemAudubonSociety2308StateAveAmes,IA50014
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Wewelcomenewmembers!
May/June 2003Vol 38 No. 5
HALLETT'S QUARRY PHOTO EXHIBIT
"WALK THRU" AND PROGRAM ON HALLETT'S QUARRYS u n d a y , Ma y , 18 , 2 00 3, 2 t o 4p m S t o r y C o u n t y C o n s e r v a t i o n C e n t e r , M c F a r l a n d P a r k
J oin Ames Photograph er J anet J epeway for a "Walk Thru " of her ph oto exhibit "Hallett 's Quar ry" on Su nda y,
May 18, 2003, 2 to 4pm at the Story County Conservation Center, McFarland Park, 56461 180th St., Ames, Iowa.
Janet will do a "Walk Thru" of her photo exhibit "Hallett's Quarry", which photo-documents the appearance of
th e quar ry in its first six mont hs of owner ship by th e City of Ames. She will relat e th e events lea ding to her
photographing th e quarr y, discuss th e individual photos an d what it was like to photograph th e quarr y in all types
of weath er, as well as show her favorite piece of equipmen t and sh ar e experiences such as t he "teen -age neckin g
party".
All photographs in the exhibit are for sale. Profits after expenses will be donated to the restoration of the quarry
as a park and as a backup water su pply for t he City of Ames. Prints pu rchased will be signed an d dat ed by the
photograp her . Fra ming is cour tesy of Walden P hoto. Refreshm ent s will be provided by Wheat sfield Grocery.
Sponsors of the exhibit a re: Out door Light ing Associat es In c, Access Direct a nd Royce J. Bitzer.
PROGRAM: Story Coun ty Conservat ion Par tner s a nd the Ames Herita ge Association will co-sponsor th e
aftern oon's progra m. Denn is Wendell, Collections Cur at or for the Ames H erita ge Association will present a
program on t he h istory of Hallett 's Quarr y entitled:
Hunting , Farming , Quarrying : 2000 Yea rs of Human Ac tivity at Hallett's Qua rry"Mr. Wendell will briefly discuss the evidence for prehistoric human activity in the area, then concentrate on the
Eur o-American settlement during t he m id-nineteent h centu ry, and the later gravel pit operat ion. Slides, art ifacts
and perh aps th e appeara nce of a mystery guest will supplement t he talk.
Conta cts: J anet J epeway, 233-6741Denn is Wendell, Collections Cur at or, Ames H erita ge Association, 233-1404
Story Count y Conser vation, Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, 232-2516.