Winter 2008 - Creamer`s Field

Friends of Creamer’s Field
Winter 2008 Newsletter
Field Notes
P.O. Box 81065
Fairbanks, AK 99708 907-452-5162
[email protected]
www.creamersfield.org
Winter Is Full of Activity at Creamer’s Field
By Melissa Sikes
Inside this issue
Barn & Trail Update ............ 2
Events at Creamer’s............ 3
Membership Form .............. 7
Membership Picnic ............. 4
Nutty Chatter ...................... 5
Preschool Nature Program... 3
Quilt Raffle Winner ............. 3
Recent Events .................... 7
Snow .................................. 4
Thank You .......................... 6
Our Mission
Friends of Creamer’s Field
is a community based, nonprofit organization dedicated
to providing educational,
historical, and interpretive
programs throughout the year
at Creamer’s Field Migratory
Waterfowl Refuge.
S
now is falling and accumulating, the leaves
are long gone, and many
animals are in their winter states, be it like the
ground hog hibernating
in the hillside next to the
bunkhouse or like the
fairy shrimp overwintering as an egg in the bottom of the seasonal pond
waiting for warm weather and water to
wake it up. But human activity doesn’t
slow down much at Creamer’s Field. Besides all the folks skiing in the fields this
time of year, many also enjoy the cold
weather walking the trails.
We are busy getting ready for winter
programs such as Thanksgiving for the
Birds on November 29th where you can
join us to make bird feeders out of recycled
materials. We are also preparing the tree
for the holiday season with bright new
energy efficient lights. Come join us on
December 6th for the second annual Green
Holiday Sale and later in the evening back
at Creamer’s for the lighting of the spruce
tree followed by singing carols and enjoying hot chocolate and cookies.
Stop in at the Farmhouse Holiday Open House on Saturdays during
December to make holiday ornaments out
of natural materials. On December 20th,
we’ll take a walk on the trails to enjoy
winter’s beauty. On January 17th you can
join us and learn how to track animals in
the snow. On February 14th, we’ll clear the
pond for some Valentine Day skating.
We hope you will join us for some of
our exciting winter programs or at least
come for a walk to enjoy the snow.
Winter is a magical and busy time at Creamer’s
Field. Stop by and enjoy the many activities.
Green Holiday Sale
Saturday, December 6th
10:30 am to 5:30 pm at ABO
riends of Creamer’s Field will team
up with the Alaska Bird Observatory,
Arctic Audubon Society, Northern Alaska
Environmental Center, Wildlife and Wood
and Calypso Farm for the 2nd Annual Green
Holiday Sale! This was a popular event last
year and a great way to do holiday shopping while supporting local environmental
organizations!
The sale will take place at the Alaska Bird
Observatory at 418 Wedgewood Drive on
Saturday, December 6th, 10:30 am–5:30 pm.
Unique nature-themed gifts as well as gift
memberships will be available for purchase,
and you can also find out more about the
participating organizations while you enjoy
hot drinks and snacks. All sales benefit the
participating organizations, and families are
welcome. Members of Friends of Creamer’s
Field receive a discount at the Friends table.
After the Green Holiday Sale ends, go
across the fields or down College Road to the
Creamer’s Field Farmhouse Visitor Center
for caroling and the annual tree lighting.
F
Page Major Milestones at Creamer’s Field for Barns & Trails
By Alexis Runstadler, Development Director
T
here is exciting news regarding the location of
the new Alaska Department of
Fish and Game (ADFG) storage
facility. As many of you know
from my previous updates,
the Friends of Creamer’s Field
Historic Buildings Committee
has been working with ADFG
Administration to secure a suitable location for the new
state-funded storage facility. The main goal of Friends of
Creamer’s Field during meetings with ADFG was to ensure
that the new storage facility was not constructed anywhere
on current Refuge field acreage or allowed to remain in
place in and around the historic buildings.
Recently ADFG Commissioner Denby Lloyd gave his
approval for the new storage facility to be constructed
on a piece of unused Refuge land between the west field
and the Fairgrounds. This location was the top choice of
state owned land by the Historic Buildings Committee
because it is not field
acreage and its use for
Friends of Creamer’s Field
a storage facility is in
Board Members
line with the Refuge
Management Plan.
Amal Ajmi
Construction will
Cyndie Beale, Vice President
hopefully begin in
Bob Craig
2009 and once comRoxie Creamer, President
pleted, ADFG will rePat DeRuyter, Secretary
move their equipment
Ray Hadley, Treasurer
and storage from the
Donna Krier
barns, creamery, and
Gail Mayo
yard behind the barns,
Herb Melchior
paving the way for
Friends of Creamer’s
Joy Morrison
Field to open these
Jon Runstadler
areas to the public. In
E. Tom Robinson
anticipation, Friends
Non-Voting Members
of Creamer’s Field will
be starting a capital
Alexis Runstadler,
campaign in 2009 to
Development Director
raise funds for any
Melissa Sikes,
repair or reconstruc Program Director
tion work needed on
Cathie Harms (ADFG)
the buildings before
Mark D. Ross (ADFG)
the public can access
This issue of Field Notes was
them safely.
produced by Mary Zalar.
As a first step, we
have hired the local
Tax ID# 92-0137107
firm Design Alaska
with a portion of our ConocoPhillips grant earmarked for
the barns. They will perform a complete code review of the
three barns and the creamery so that we can gain a clearer
picture of the status of these buildings that will guide us
in our planning and fundraising efforts.
In the meantime, the Historic Buildings Committee will
continue to work with ADFG on the storage facility location and construction plans. Once a few more details are
ironed out, ADFG will hold a community meeting to discuss
the project and hear public comments and concerns. We
will keep you informed as to when this meeting will occur.
If you would like more information before the community
meeting or if you would like to become involved in this
exciting project now, call me at 452-5162.
Dale Summerlin, Vice President of ConocoPhillips and
Alexis Runstadler, Development Director of Friends of
Creamer’s Field cut the ribbon made of natural materials to
officially reopen the Boreal Forest Trail. Photo by Melissa Sikes
Boreal Forest Trail Reopening
O
n the lovely afternoon of Thursday, September 4th,
Friends of Creamer’s Field, the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game, and ConocoPhillips hosted the Boreal
Forest Trail Grand Reopening and Ice Cream Social at
Creamer’s Field. Over 230 people attended to celebrate
the completion of the Boreal Forest Trail reconstruction
and enhancement. Representatives from all three organizations were on hand to mark their partnership and the
successful completion of this important community project
which was made possible by a generous grant from ConocoPhillips. After the official ribbon cutting ceremony,
attendees enjoyed guided trail walks led by Melissa Sikes
and Mark Ross, copies of the new Boreal Forest Trail guide,
and Hot Licks ice cream sundaes.
Page ✁
Upcoming Events at
Creamer’s Field
All events are located at Creamer’s Field
Migratory Waterfowl Refuge unless otherwise
noted. Call 452-5162 for more information.
Thanksgiving for the Birds, November 29th, Noon–4:00 pm
Take part in our annual Thanksgiving for the Birds family fun
event! We will make bird feeders out of recycled materials and
learn about winter birds in Fairbanks.
Creamer’s Field Tree Lighting and Caroling
December 6th, 6:00–8:00 pm
Come to the Farmhouse Visitor Center for our annual tree lighting
and caroling followed by hot drinks and cookies. This year, the
white spruce in front of the Farmhouse will be decorated with
new energy saving LED lights.
Holiday Open House at the Farmhouse Visitor Center
December 6th, 13th, and 20th, Noon–4:00 pm
Bring the family to make holiday ornaments and crafts using
natural materials. Browse our great selection of gifts in the
Creamer’s Field Gift Shop.
Winter Solstice Walk, December 20th, 1–3:00 pm Celebrate the joys of winter with a walk on the Refuge trails on
the shortest day of the year. Join us after the walk for cookies
and hot drinks! Meet at the Farmhouse Visitor Center.
Winter Nature Walk & Track Casting Program
Saturday, January 17th, 1–4:00pm
We’ll be exploring the refuge and learning about animal tracks
and signs and then making plaster casts of animal tracks at the
Farmhouse Visitor Center. Families are welcome. Walk begins
at 1:30 pm.
Annual Winter Field Party, Saturday, February 14th, Noon–4pm
Join us for an afternoon of free winter fun out in the field. Snowshoes from Beaver Sports will be on hand for folks to try. The
waterfowl pond closest to the Farmhouse will be cleared off for
an afternoon of skating fun. Bring your skates and skis! Hot
drinks will be available and the Farmhouse Visitor Center will
be open to warm up after skating. Families welcome.
Visitor Center Winter Hours
The Visitor Center and Gift Shop located in the historic
Creamer’s Farmhouse is open on Saturdays from Noon until 4
pm. Come on in after a walk or ski to warm up with a hot drink.
The entryway to the Farmhouse is always open and is one place
to go for information on upcoming programs, trail guides, and
trail condition information. The trails are always open!
If you are interested in volunteering in the Farmhouse Visitor
Center, please call the office at 452-5162. Training sessions will
be offered every month throughout the winter.
P
Preschool Nature
Discovery Program
reschoolers are invited to a nature discovery
program on the second Tuesday of every
month from 1–2:30 pm at the Creamer’s Field
Farmhouse Visitor Center. Each month features
a specific theme with storytime, crafts, and a
brief walk on the Refuge. The cost is $3 per
child, and reservations are required as there is
a maximum of 20 children per class. Please call
452-5162 for reservations. Creamer’s Field intern
Shannon Pearce will be organizing and leading
this program.
Dates & Themes:
December 9
January 13
February 10
March 10
April 7
May 12
June 9
July 14
August 11
Whose Footprint is That?
Winter Survival
Snug in the Snow
Bunnies
Seeds & Seedlings
Ponds
Summer Solstice
Flowers in the Garden
Life in a Field
Quilt Raffle Winner
T
he drawing for this
year’s quilt raffle was
held on Sunday, August 24th
at the end of the Sandhill
Crane Festival. Jane Levay
of Fairbanks won “Pirouette 1,” the beautiful
quilt created and donated by Karin Franzen.
Congratulations Jane and thank you to Karin
and all of the ticket holders. The annual quilt
raffle is one of Friends of Creamer’s Field’s most
successful fundraisers.
W
Our Craft Bins are Full!
e no longer need donations of milk jugs,
containers, and paper tubes – our boxes
of craft materials in the basement are overflowing! Thanks again for helping us restock our supplies. If you haven’t yet heard, the Fairbanks
Wal-Mart is accepting paper, plastic pop bottles
and plastic milk jugs, cardboard, and aluminum
cans for recycling. The bins for these items are
just inside the front entrance doors.
Page Snow at Creamer’s Field
by Melissa Sikes
C
Mark Ross, Educator for the Alaska Department of Fish
and Game, congratulates Pat Degen and Betty Carlson
on their volunteer of the year award. Photo by Melissa Sikes
T
Membership Picnic
his year’s membership picnic immediately followed
the Boreal Forest Trail Reopening and Ice Cream
Social on September 4th. Members who attended this
annual event enjoyed good food and good company under a tent in the picnic area. After a very short business
meeting in which all of the current Board members
were ratified by a vote of the membership, the 2008
program and Visitor Center volunteers were thanked
by Melissa and Alexis. The evening concluded with the
presentation of this year’s Gail Mayo Volunteer of the
Year Award. Co-winners for 2008 are Betty Carlson and
Pat Degen. Both of these ladies are long-time volunteers for Friends of Creamer’s Field programs and in
the Visitor Center. Our deepest thanks and congratulations to both Betty and Pat. The Gail Mayo Volunteer
of the Year Award is presented each year to one or two
volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution of time and energy to Friends of Creamer’s Field.
The lovely plaque listing the winners hangs in the back
room of the Farmhouse Visitor Center.
F
Suggestions Please!
or the last few years, the Annual Membership
Picnic has been held at the end of the summer,
sometime after Crane Festival. Because attendance
the past three years has been very low (about 10%),
the Friends of Creamer’s Field Board of Directors
will be considering a change of date and venue for
this event in an effort to increase attendance. If you
have any suggestions or ideas on this issue, please
contact a Board member or the office at 452-5162.
reamer’s Field received its first dusting of snow on September 28th this year, a bit earlier than average (October
10th), but some welcomed it just the same. Mark Ross got in
his first ski of the season that day. As of October 28th, we have
around 9-10 inches covering the fields, and the skijoring trails
have been groomed. Many folks and dogs have been out enjoying this white gift. But what do we really know about the snow
that covers Creamer’s for almost half of the year?
Snow does not start out as what we see fall from the sky. It
is in fact precipitation of ice in a flake or cluster form. When
falling from the sky, it is in the form of six-sided ice crystals
formed when water droplets come in contact with tiny ice crystals or dust particles within the atmosphere at temperatures
well below freezing. Water droplets can exist at temperatures
as low as -40° F, but contact with the dust or ice crystals is
what causes flakes to form. The formation of these hexagonal
structures of ice takes place in uniformity. If an excess of
moisture is present in the atmosphere, the crystals change into
snow crystals.
The term snow is often used for both the white materials
falling out of the sky and that on the ground. However these
two forms are completely different. Once the snow hits bare or
snow-covered ground, it cannot keep its crystalline shape and
becomes granular. The warmth and pressure cause the crystals
to change. The crystal changes its shape into more of a rounded
form even if the temperature remains below freezing.
When snow falls on the ground, it tends to have different
temperatures with the snow closer to the ground being warmer
than the snow on the top. Place your hand on the snow, and
your hand will get cold. But, if you dig down into the snow, you
can build a cave that will enable you to stay comfortable for
an extended period. This is because snow is mostly air. (Fresh
powder is 93% air.) Air spaces between the crystals work the
same way as air spaces between fibers of wool or goose down,
preventing air movement and slowing heat loss. Thus, the
lighter and fluffier the snow, the better insulator it will be. Old,
hard snow has less air (60-70%) and feels colder if you build
a burrow in it or even stand on it. This is why our snow is a
great insulator—it tends to be lighter and fluffier due to the
fact that we don’t have melting and thawing creating denser
snow packs. It protects the vegetation and all sorts of animals
from the cold, even in our subarctic temperatures.
Regardless of how snow is formed or what state it is in, many
people and animals appreciate the snow at Creamer’s Field.
Be it for exercise in the winter or survival until temperatures
allow animals to wake up from their winter’s naps, the snow
is a big part of the beauty of our wonderful refuge. Come out
and enjoy the snow at Creamer’s Field.
Information from 1996 Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia
version 8.01, Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc., 1996
Kids Nutty Chatter
(please
Kids
Nutty Chatter
add the Bill Berry image of squirrels for this page)
. Berr
©W.D
y
Snowflakes
Snowflakes and snow crystals are made of ice, and pretty much nothing more. A snow crystal, as the
name implies, is a single crystal of ice. A snowflake is a more general term; it can mean an individual
snow crystal, or a few snow crystals stuck together, or large agglomerations of snow crystals that form
"puff-balls" that float down from the clouds.
Collecting Snowflakes
Black construction paper makes a good
collecting surface, since it's easier to see
the crystals against a dark background.
Collect a few flakes on the paper and then
use a magnifier to look close but you can
also see a lot with the naked eye.
Snowflake Fun
Cut out the snowflakes and paste on
the rectangles where indicated to make
finger puppets, adjust for size if
necessary. Use the finger puppets
when reading the poem to the right
Activity from bry-backmanor.org
Five Little Snowflakes
Five little snowflakes
Falling by my door
One blew away
And then there were four
Four little snowflakes
Falling down on me
One blew away,
Then there were three
Three little snowflakes
Falling down on you
One blew away
Then there were two
Two little snowflakes
Having lots of fun
One blew away,
Then there was one
One little snowflake
Sitting in the sun
It melted away
Page Page M
Thank You to Our Volunteers and Supporters
any thanks to our
hardworking volunteers and generous donors
that support the many
public programs and activities at Creamer’s Field.
• A big thank you to WalMart for donating $1,000
to Friends of Creamer’s
Field for the purchase of
new LED light strands
fo r t h e Fa r m h o u s e
spruce tree!
• Thank you to the Lathrop High School Class of
1968 for donating $500
to Friends of Creamer’s
Field.
• Thank you to Susan
Grace for donating a
book to our library.
• Thank you to Alaska
Tent and Tarp for the
donation of a tent for
our Boreal Forest Trail
Reopening and Membership Picnic.
• Thank you to Ann Peltier and ConocoPhillips
for handling the production and mailing of the
invitations to the Boreal
Forest Trail Reopening
and the donation to purchase the Hot Licks Ice
Cream for the event.
• Thank you to Becky and
Dan Mickles for donating their Fred Meyer
coupons to purchase
refreshments and craft
materials for the Creepy
Critters Program.
• A special thank you to
Don and Lorena Heckman from Texas who
extended their stay in
Fairbanks to work as our
August Refuge Hosts
after the unexpected
departure of our scheduled hosts.
• Thank you to Mary Zalar for producing the
Field Notes newsletter
again this year.
Sandhill
Crane Festival
Thank you to all
the wonderful
volunteers who
made this year’s Sandhill
Crane Festival an enjoyable
and successful event. Many
hands made this truly a
community effort.
Festival Presenters
John Acorn
Jeff Bourque
Sean Bourque
Randy Compton
Sue Guers
Mark Ross
Herb Melchior
John Wright
Festival Photographers
Bud Marschner
Herb Melchior
Ron Teel
Ken Whitten
Christy Yuncker
Silent Auction Donors
The following kind individuals donated items
to the Crane Festival Silent Auction that raised
over $500 for Friends of
Creamer’s Field:
Jan Cannon
Nansi Chandler-Norum
Jeffrey Joe
Ab Kuenzli
Gail Mayo
Jon & Alexis Runstadler
Jamie Smith
Ron Teel
Lucy Tyrrell
Ken Whitten
Carl Wolfe
Special Festival Donors
Thank you to these generous Crane Festival Donors:
ABR, Inc.
Alaska Bird Observatory
Alaska Distributors Co.
Alaska Feed Co.
Arctic Audubon Society
Bun on the Run
El Dorado Gold Mine &
Riverboat Discovery
Karin Franzen
Gulliver’s Books
Hot Licks Homemade
Ice Cream
North Star Golf Club
Dr. Phyllis Pendergrast
Curtis Thorgaard
Wedgewood Resort
The 2008 Tanana Valley
Sandhill Crane Festival
was supported in part by
a 2008 City of Fairbanks
Hotel-Motel Grant.
Crane Festival Volunteers
Nancy Bayer
Joyce Bateman
Deb Bennett
Tricia Blake
Laurie Boeck
Susan Campbell
Betty Carlson
Jim Chumbley
Adia Cotter
Roxie Creamer
Sarah DeGennaro
Pat DeRuyter
Laurel Devaney
Jim DeWitt
Nancy DeWitt
Keith Echelmeyer
Robin Eliot
Kylie Eliot
Susan Grace
Ray Hadley
Don Hampton
Shirley Harris
Erica Johnson
Frank Keim
Donna Krier
Sherry Lewis
Gail Mayo
Anna Maguire
Bud Marschner
Jamie Marschner
Ginger Meta
Carrie Dershin
Shannon Pearce
Joy Morrison
Patty Peirsol
Karin Robinett
E. Tom Robinson
Don Ross
Anne Ruggles
Jon Runstadler
Ethan Runstadler
Vreni Runstadler
Ken Russell
Brenda Sadler
Tami Seekins
Susan Sharbaugh
Amelia Sikes
Derek Sikes
Kaley Sikes
Nina Sikes
Ron Teel
Mary Teel
Karen Toland
Christine Villano
Katie Villano
Jim Villano
Cara Wardlaw-Bailey
Marilyn Whitehead
Ken Whitten
Mary Zalar
Creepy Critters Volunteers
T hank you to Joey
Slowik and Brandi Fleshman, spider researchers
at UAF, for sharing their
knowledge and to these
volunteers:
Pat Degen
Sarah DeGennaro
Quanna Hager
Shannon Pearce
Mark Ross
Kaley Sikes
Page Recent Programs at Creamer’s Field
T
he 11th annual Tanana
Valley Crane Festival
held August 22nd–24th was
a resounding success. Many
cranes, geese and ducks
graced the fields during the
festival. We even had a finale
event on Sunday when a
juvenile bald eagle scared up
the crowd of birds feeding
on the fields. John Acorn,
John Acorn shows a bug in a our very entertaining and
net.
Photo by Melissa Sikes
personable festival speaker,
dazzled visitors with his knowledge of both the avian and
insect fauna of Creamer’s during his walks and talks.
We also had great presentations by Herb Melchior on
photography, Mark Ross on drawing cranes, Randy Compton and Jeff and Sean Bourque on birds of prey, and John
Wright and Sue Guers on research data from bird studies
on the refuge. John Wright also led a wonderful birding
hot spots tour on Saturday to look at cranes in other locations around Fairbanks. With varied and creative crafts,
entertaining crane callers, great music and food at the
brunch to great food at the Tex-Mex Dinner, and much
more, all who attended found something to do. Thanks to
all the wonderful volunteers whose dedication and energy
helped to make this event so successful.
The Annual Creepy Critters program on October 25th
provided visitors with a chance to talk to local spider experts, look at specimens of tarantulas and whip scorpions,
and learn more about our eight-legged residents. With different levels of crafts, spider snacks, and lots of information
about spiders, attendees had a wonderful afternoon dedicated to spider fun. We
would like to
give a special
thank you to
UAF spiderresearchers
Joey Slowik
and Brandi
Fleshman
for sharing
their knowlSarah Degennaro paints a spider face with
edge.
many eyes.
Photo by Melissa Sikes
Membership Response Form
Become a member of Friends of Creamer’s Field, make a donation, or renew your membership.
(Please check the renewal date in the corner of your mailing label.)
❒ New Member
❒ Renewal
❒ $20 Individual
❒ Donation $______
❒ $15 Students & Seniors
❒ $40 Family
❒ $75 Supporter
❒ $100 Contributor
❒ $250 Steward
❒ $500 Patron*
❒ $1000 Lifetime*
❒ Patron and Lifetime: please check here if you would like to receive a historic Randall Compton print of Creamer’s
Dairy signed by the Creamer family with your membership (valued at $150).
Payment:❒ Cash
❒ Check
❒ Credit card Visa or MasterCard (circle one)
Card Number__________________________________ Expiration Date_______
Signature_ ____________________________________ VCode*:_ ____________
*3 digit code on card back
Name_ __________________________________________________________
Address_ __________________________________________________________
City_ ___________________________ State__________ Zip___________
Phone_ __________________ Email_________________________________
❒
❒
❒
❒
Friends of Creamer’s Field
PO Box 81065
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
907-452-5162 (office)
907-459-7309 (Visitor’s Center)
email: [email protected]
website: www.creamersfield.org
This is a gift membership for the above name from __________________________________
I have a new mailing address, phone, or email.
I would like to receive my newsletter via email.
I would like to volunteer. Please contact me with information about upcoming volunteer orientation sessions.
Friends of Creamer’s Field is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.
utdoor Almanac
“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December
A magical thing, and sweet to remember....”
-Oliver Hereford
28 Oct 08: For the past week, a small flock of pine
grosbeaks has visited every morning. The song
alerts me to their presence; a rather soft, melodious, warbling song. This is a first for the Farmhouse bird feeder. Perhaps the grosbeaks are more
abundant this winter. MDR
Only two birds consistently sing all winter
in Alaska’s interior. We hear the calls of
many: croaking ravens, rattling woodpeckers,
screeching jays along with chickadees, redpolls and others, but the grosbeak is one that
sings a full melodious song.
About the size of a plump robin, the males
are rosy red. Their black wings have two
white bars. Females are gray with a wash of
mustard on the head and rump. Young males
are gray also but with russet head and rump.
Listening for Winter Song
Pine Grosbeak
(Pinicola enucleator)
A unique trait of the male grosbeak, which is rarely mentioned in
bird literature, is its tendency to sing
all through winter.
The name grosbeak refers to
the big bill. It’s designed like a
nutcracker for opening seeds.
Sunflower seeds are their preferred feeder fare. They will visit
a roomy, roofless feeder. Black
sunflower seeds provide the best
nutrition.
irds
for the -B4 p.m.
g
in
iv
g
s
k
n
Than
29, Noo
Nov.
Saturday, ake Bird Feeders
M
And the other winter singer? I’ll share more in the next installment.
Creamer’s Field Visitor Center
open Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
information: 459-7307 or 452-5162
Visit the farmhouse to view feeding birds;
R them on the indoor sound systems.
HEA

Friends of Creamer’s Field
P.O. Box 81065
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
www.creamersfield.org
Is it time to renew
your membership?