NCAS 2012-10 newsletter - North Cascades Audubon Society

www.northcascadesaudubon.org
October 2012
Volume 43, Issue 7
General Membership Meeting:
David Wallin on Mountain Goat
Populations
Although mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are
not globally threatened, mountain goat populations in
Washington have declined by approximately 70% since the
1950s, probably as a result of overhunting. Despite drastic
reductions in hunting pressure beginning in the early 1990s,
most populations in the state have not recovered and much
of the historic habitat within the state remains unoccupied.
For the past decade, David Wallin has been involved in efforts to conserve and restore mountain goat populations in
the Cascades. David will summarize the results of his work
and restoration efforts that will occur in the years to come.
In this issue...
Topic
Looking Forward at NCAS
Field Trips
Barn Owl Nest Box Program
Attention Former NCAS Officers
On Scudder Pond
Seeking Writers, Artists, Talkers
Birding to Save Salmon
Help Us With Our Website
Whatcom County Parks & Recreation
Page
2, 6
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
David Wallin has been a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Sciences at WWU since 1995. He
has conducted research on wildlife and forest management
issues in the Pacific Northwest for the past 20 years.
Always on the 4th Tuesday of the month:
October 23rd, 7pm at the B’ham Public Library in
the lecture room - free & open to the public!
Female ring-necked duck, photo by Blake Shaw
Upcoming Events
October 1: NCAS Board Meeting
Held at the Cordata Coop, Local Roots Room, 7pm. Open to the public! (Please let Paul Woodcock, president,
know you’re coming. See page 2 for contact details.)
October 23: General Membership Meeting (with presenter David Wallin)
FREE and open to the public. Held at the Bellingham Public Library lecture room (downstairs).
December 11: Annual Holiday Potluck
Mark your calendar! More details to come in the next newsletter issue.
page 2
The Avalanche
October 2012
Mission Statement
The purpose of this society is to promote the study and conservation of birds and other wildlife, their habitat, and
the environment; to increase public appreciation of the values of wildlife, plants, and the natural environment; and
to stimulate action to protect and preserve them for the future.
Avalanche Staff
Designer/editor: Kelley Palmer-McCarty
Writer/editor: Lynne Givler
If you are interested in contributing, the
deadline for the Nov/Dec 2012 issue is...
October 20.
[email protected]
Send materials to Kelley Palmer-McCarty at:
NCAS Board Members
Officers
President
Vice Pres.
Secretary
Treasurer
Paul Woodcock
open
Judy Krieger
Pam Borso
Board Members
Education
Field Trips
Membership
Publicity
Newsletter
Conservation
Rae Edwards
Ken Salzman
756-0347
Carol Roberts
305-0899
Jessica Shaw
(618) 910-8471
Kelley Palmer-McCarty 466-8601
Steve Irving
384-1618
380-3356
733-0086
Associated Persons
Scudder Pond Joe Meche
Website
Ham Hayes
319-1936
Scholarship Don Burgess
Mailing
Alan and Susan Rhodes
Looking Forward at NCAS
Paul Woodcock, President
I have been lucky enough to have served as president
of North Cascades Audubon Society in three different
decades. The first time was in the mid-1970s, the second
in the mid-2000s and my third time around began a few
months ago. Obviously a lot has changed during that span
of over thirty years. Our world and our community grew
in population and our chapter grew older along with us,
its members. The “graying” of NCAS is quite noticeable
to anyone who can look back into our past and then look
out over our mostly-gray heads at one of our meetings or
activities these days.
In the past a greater diversity of age groups was represented on our board, in our membership and at Audubon
activities. Before I offend all of you wonderful members
who are my own age, I must be clear that I value all of us for
our experience and long-accumulated knowledge. NCAS
has always been an excellent organization. But comfortable
as it might be, we are negligent in our mission if we settle
for being a group that is only welcoming to aging birders,
wonderful as we all might be. So where are all the youthful
Auduboners? Well, I am happy to report that a few of them
have volunteered to become members of the NCAS Board
of Directors.
We can already feel the influx of new energy and ideas
and we are already experiencing the results in this newsletter and in plans for other initiatives aimed at reaching out
to youth, families and other community organizations. Our
aim is not necessarily to create a new vision for NCAS but
a larger and more inclusive one. We hope to add beginning
birding classes and naturalist activities for children to our
already existing programs. The board is actively working
to rebuild and revitalize the NCAS website, an important
continued on page 6...
page 3
The Avalanche
October 2012
October Field Trips
Fall is here and birds have already been on the move for a couple of months. Gulls are migrating as are vireos and
warblers and, while early fall is not the most productive time to bird, it can be exciting since migration often brings
unexpected oddities.
Please join us on one of this month’s trips. NCAS field trips are open to members and non-members alike and are
FREE of charge. If you are a beginner these trips give you a chance to learn more and meet others who are avid birders.
If you are an advanced birder your expertise and experience is welcome.
Saturday, October 6, Semiahmoo Spit
Time: 9 AM at Semiahmoo Park buildings; ~3 hours
Field Trip Leader: Phil Calise
No Registration Required
This monthly trip co-sponsored by NCAS and Whatcom County Parks & Recreation always has a lot to offer
and October is a great time for shorebirds, seabirds and
raptors. Last month’s trip produced a whimbrel, a flock of
western sandpipers, a semi-palmated plover and a California gull.
Sunday, October 14, Whatcom Creek Walk
Time: 10 AM in front of City Hall; ~2 hours
Field Trip Leader: Joe Meche
Trip Limit: 12
To register contact Joe Meche, 360-739-5383 or
[email protected]
This regular trip is an easy walk along the riparian corridor of Whatcom Creek in downtown Bellingham. As the
seasons change so do the birds and exciting surprises are
not unheard of along this part of the creek.
Saturday, October 20, Woodstock Farm
Time: 8:30 AM; ~4 hours
Field Trip Leaders: Ken Salzman & Paul Woodcock
Trip Limit: 12
To register contact Ken Salzman at 360-756-0347 or
[email protected]
Enjoy one of Whatcom County’s premier urban parks
offering great views of Chuckanut Bay and a variety of
habitats. Common loons, vireos, warblers and woodpeckers are common at this site but much more will probably
show up.
Saturday, November 3, Semiahmoo Spit
Time: 9 AM at Semiahmoo Park buildings; ~3 hours
Field Trip Leader: Paul Woodcock
No Registration Required
This monthly trip gets better as winter approaches and
the number of both birds and species increases.
Join us for some great birding and lots of fun!
HELP WANTED
Field trip leaders are needed!!
Fresh seed - Healthy birds - Happy people
Tue-Fri. 10-5:30
Sat. 10-4
705 Kentucky St.
Bellingham
360-734-0969
WildBirdChalet.com
The following prerequisites are desired:
1. A love of and enthusiasm for birding
2. A reasonable knowledge of and skill related to identification of birds in our area
3. A willingness to share your knowledge and skill related
to birding
If you would like to volunteer to become a trip leader
please contact Ken Salzman, 360-756-0347
or [email protected]
page 4
October 2012
The Avalanche
Barn Owl Nest Box Program
starlings out.
In 2001 three bird enthusiasts, Tricia Otto, Veronica
Wisniewski, and Scott Delbecq, started a county-wide nest
box program for barn owls. In the ensuing years we have
seen a great deal, learned a lot, and participated in supporting the reproduction of our local owls. We saw that
old barns, former habitat for owls, were collapsing and new
pole buildings had no place for wildlife. Even renovated
barns often excluded birds. We built and erected large plywood boxes inside old barns, on the outside of any large
structure, and on poles – and they all work equally well.
We’ve learned about the best areas of the county for
barn owls. Barn owls are not territorial so some barns in
good locations have two boxes. We avoid wooded areas to
try to decrease predation by the owl’s greatest predator –
the great horned owl. We have lost two boxes in barn fires
and two boxes of fledglings from rat poison – undoubtedly
the biggest threat to our local owls. We move boxes around
looking for best success and to avoid predators such as barn
cats and raccoons that could reach the box. Often we are
contacted by people with a barn owl roosting in a barn that
has no suitable nesting site. We put up a box and usually it
is an immediate success. Once a box is occupied, it tends
to stay occupied.
Tricia Otto
In the past 11 years we have recorded 173 successful
nestings in our boxes with two to four fledglings per nest.
We’ve also had two successful wood duck nests in our boxes
and in 2011 our first American kestrel. Currently we have
51 boxes in the county and we maintain them and clean
them out each year. A successful box will have four to six
inches of packed rodent fur and bones (reeking of ammonia) spread out over the bottom, which over a few seasons
would build up and make the boxes useless for the owls. In
the spring we monitor unoccupied boxes for starlings and
plug up the holes for a few months if needed to keep the
By next month we will begin our annual rounds and
will clean out, repair and move the boxes as required. By
all reports from the land owners it was a great season. We
have funded the program ourselves along with various volunteer box builders, and it has been incredibly rewarding.
We are always looking for new sites and new helpers. If
you’re interested in getting involved….
Contact Tricia at [email protected]
Attention Former NCAS Officers
and Board Members
Chapter Secretary, Judy Krieger, is searching for any
North Cascades Audubon documents from our chapter’s
42 year history. If you are a past officer or board member
of NCAS please check to see if you have any copies of old
chapter minutes, agendas, letters, publications, et cetera.
We would very much appreciate obtaining any documents
related to our chapter’s past. Judy has been communicating with the archivist at Western Washington University’s
Center for Pacific Northwest Studies and she is interested
in helping us preserve our history. Please check your closets, attic, or garage and email Judy at [email protected] or Paul at [email protected] if you have anything to contribute. We will
come and collect it if you wish.
Setting up one of the barn owl nest boxes
Thanks!
page 5
The Avalanche
On Scudder Pond
Joe Meche, Scudder Pond Steward
From the dynamic nesting activity of spring and early
summer to the almost eerie quiet of mid-September, Scudder Pond has run the gamut of motion and emotion in just
a few months. From the bundles of energy that were the
nesting bushtits to the wood ducks and red-winged blackbirds, the entire area was bustling with avian activity and
many young birds began their lives at the pond. In direct
contrast, my recent visits to Scudder have been punctuated
not by the sounds of nesting birds but the sound of my
hedge clippers as I try to keep our reader boards and the
commemorative plaque free of encroaching weeds. The water level is as low as I’ve seen it, but we know that rain will
return and the cycle will be complete for another year.
October 2012
responsibility of testing the crop on a regular basis.
On a related note, as a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the city’s Habitat Master Plan, I have
proposed the creation of a nesting box trail from Scudder
Pond to the downtown waterfront. I am in the process of
mapping and planning for the placement of habitat-specific
nesting boxes for the entire three-mile stretch of the creek.
I envision as many as 50 boxes being in place by the beginning of the spring nesting season. The project has been approved by the NCAS Board of Directors and I will eagerly
recruit volunteers to assist in placement and monitoring of
the boxes. Scudder Pond will be the starting point of this
trail, so Scudder Pond stewards will be logical participants;
although, anyone else who might be interested should feel
free to contact me for details.
E-mail me at [email protected] if you have questions or wish to discuss anything about Scudder Pond.
Seeking Writers,
Artists, and Talkers
White-crowned sparrow in late summer, photo by Joe Meche
The quiet at the pond comes as no real surprise since
late August and early September tend to be bird-quiet
across the board in most freshwater riparian habitats. Nesting birds, including neotropical migrants, have begun their
seasonal movements either to the south or to other local
gathering spots. While the avian activity has been slow to
non-existent, the late summer blackberry crop has been
wonderful. As Scudder Pond Steward, I took on the added
The Avalanche needs your help to stay fresh and interesting. If you have a newsworthy story, a pertinent topic, or
an intriguing image you’d like to share please don’t hesitate
to contact us. If you’re uncomfortable seeing your words in
print, we can work with you on editing your piece or could
interview you and put your words onto the page. For all
the artists, photographers and designers out there, keep in
mind that the printed newsletter will remain in black and
white, so any color images need to translate well into that
medium. Readers will be able to fully appreciate all of the
visuals by going to the on-line newsletter which will be in
color.
Contact Kelley to discuss the space available and the
publication deadlines so we can make sure your article or
image is printed in a timely manner. All contributors to the
newsletter will be credited, so don’t miss this chance to get
your work before the public eye! To start the ball rolling
and help make The Avalanche a success……
Contact Kelley Palmer-McCarty at:
[email protected]
page 6
The Avalanche
Birding to Save Salmon:
Whatcom Land Trust Seeks Volunteers
Natalie Whitman
October 2012
Looking Forward at NCAS,
continued from page 2
communication link with the community, particularly its
Whatcom Land Trust needs help conducting winter younger generations.
bird surveys on properties suitable for salmon. The Land
As the times have changed, so have the media being
Trust has conserved salmon habitat along all forks of the
Nooksack River, at the headwaters of the Samish River used. While I am still trying to be comfortable with e-mail
near Wickersham, and on California Creek in the Custer/ and the web, our youth have moved on to social media such
Blaine area. In conservation circles, salmon are considered as Facebook for the majority of their communication. Look
“umbrella species” because their habitat requirements are for us to be making efforts in that direction. An organizabroad and dynamic. Protecting salmon habitat protects tion that does not actively seek new, younger members is
features used by many other species, from caddisflies to quite possibly walking a path toward extinction. If we have
marbled murrelets. Grants have funded many of What- a message that our community and the world needs to hear
com Land Trust’s purchases and more grants are needed we need to do our best to be sure that does not happen.
to complete restoration projects. Information on resident
Our mission “to promote the study and conservation of
and migrant species is frequently requested by government
grant sources, philanthropic foundations and even private birds and other wildlife” is vitally important to our future.
donors. This winter there is a specific need for waterfowl Our children and youth need to hear this message now
counts. Are there any birders out there with good boots more than ever. If you have ideas that can help your NCAS
and a desire to help habitat conservation efforts? For more Board of Directors proceed with this effort or would like to
join us, please contact me at president@northcascadesauduinformation about where and when surveys are needed...
bon.org. Thanks for your continued support and hope to see
you in the field.
Contact Natalie at: [email protected]
Help Us With Our Website!
www.northcascadesaudubon.org
We are currently looking for volunteers interested in joining a committee dedicated to re-doing the current NCAS
website. Please contact Kelley (see below) if this appeals to
you. Experience with websites is NOT necessary!!
Kelley’s email: [email protected]
Whatcom County’s Favorite
Bookstore since 1980
1200 11th Street
in Bellingham’s Historic Fairhaven
Every time you
click through from
Audubon’s website
to Village Books’
website and buy
books, Audubon
gets 5.5%
of the purchase!
www.villagebooks.com
Building Community
One Book at a Time
9,//$*(
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671-2626 · 800-392-BOOK
Salmon spawning habitat on Innis Creek
page 7
The Avalanche
Whatcom County Parks &
Recreation and University Interns
Partner for Excursions and
Interpretive Activities
Erik Axelson
This past summer two college interns led outdoor excursions and reopened the Tennant Lake Interpretive Center. Interns Jordan Prescott from Western Washington
University and Laura Rich from Humboldt State University in California are both majoring in Recreation at their
respective schools. The County’s partnership with the two
universities provided real-world experience for the interns
and a dose of enthusiasm and ideas for Whatcom County
Parks.
The intern-led weekly excursions included nature hikes,
boat rides, and even an end-of-the-season family campout
at Tennant Lake. The Tennant Lake Interpretive Center,
closed due to budget cuts several years ago, was re-opened
in July and August on afternoons Thursday through Sunday. Laura and Jordan alternated weekends staffing the
center and its exhibits, and giving guided tours of the Tennant Lake boardwalk and the nearby Hovander Homestead Park.
The weekly excursions and demonstrations took place
mostly on Wednesday afternoons. Some of the most popular events included a nature walk and ride on the ferry MV
Plover at Semiahmoo; a low-tide walk along the beach at
Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve; a botanical demonstration at Tennant Lake’s Fragrance Garden; and two different hikes at Canyon Lake Community Forest on the hottest day of the summer.
Audubon president Paul Woodcock and his fam-
Enjoying the view at Point Whitehorn
October 2012
ily joined the interns for two of the excursions, at Point
Whitehorn and Canyon Lake. Paul’s birding and nature
expertise was particularly appreciated by the hikers.
Whatcom County Parks partnered with the two universities this summer to test a new model of providing
popular excursions and interpretive programming without
additional costs to the County budget and taxpayers. The
County is grateful to the recreation programs at Western
and Humboldt State for their support of this initiative (especially to Western professors Keith Russell and Charlie
Sylvester). County Parks staffers Tom Chisholm and Erik
Axelson supervised the two interns and enjoyed the experience.
An excursion through the forest at Point Whitehorn
“I really got a lot out of this summer,” remarked Western intern Jordan Prescott. “In addition to leading trips
with lots of different people, I was able to work alongside
the County’s trails crew on projects at Silver Lake and the
Chuckanuts.” Fellow intern Laura Rich echoed Jordan’s
comments: “The whole summer was a great experience in
starting up a program basically from scratch. Each day at
the Interpretive Center had its own character, based on who
dropped in to visit, and we adjusted our guidance based on
that,” she said. “And the family campout on August 31September 1 was really special -- with a full (blue) moon,
night walk on the boardwalk, and expert guidance from
naturalist Holly Roger.”
Based on this summer’s experience, County Parks
hopes to expand and improve the partnerships next spring
and summer. In a time of austere budgets, such volunteer partnerships can complement the work of Whatcom
County Parks staff and encourage residents and visitors to
fully appreciate the County’s parks, trails and special places.
Partnering and cross-promoting activities with organizations like Audubon is something Whatcom County Parks
would like to ramp up in the coming year.
North Cascades Audubon Society
PO Box 5805
Bellingham, WA 98227-5805
Non-profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
BELLINGHAM, WA
PERMIT NO. 125
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
The Avalanche is the newsletter of the North Cascades Audubon Society, PO Box 5805, Bellingham, WA 98227. It is published 8 times
a year; subscriptions start at $20 per year. The editors welcome articles, artwork, photographs, and letters. Opinions expressed in this
newsletter are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this organization. Original material may be reprinted if
appropriate credit is given. The North Cascades Audubon Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
North Cascades
Audubon Society Membership
We hope you will support North Cascades Audubon by
joining the chapter locally. Your commitment to Audubon
is important to us. We will continue to provide you with
information regarding local chapter activities through our
website and all activities will remain FREE and open to
the public. If you are interested in receiving a paper copy
of the newsletter, you can join the local chapter for one
year at any of the levels to your right. The newsletter is
published monthly between September and May, including a double issue for November/December. All issues are
also available online. If you do not wish to receive a paper
copy, email [email protected].
Please check your mailing labels for accuracy,
including the expiration date. To make any necessary
changes, please send an email to
[email protected].
Join or Renew
Please make checks payable to North Cascades Audubon.
____ $20 Kestrel
____ $35 Merlin
____ $50 Prairie Falcon
____ $75 Peregrine Falcon
____ $100 Gyrfalcon
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