Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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Conococheague Audubon

Author: Valerie Barnes

April 2022 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Conservation, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged

Hello Fellow Nature Lovers, 

Spring has sprung! My daffodils are in bloom. Crocuses and forsythia are blooming too! Hyacinthe are peeking through. There’s been much more ant and bug activity. And bird activity too! The American Kestrels are searching for nesting spots and also the Eastern Bluebirds. 

I trust you all received my unique email on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 recounting to you about the tremendous opportunity to participate in the Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) capital campaign to purchase and set aside land in Guatemala for reforestation purposes preserving our wintering birds and the area’s 15 endemic species. You may donate until July 1, 2022. Let’s make it a challenge to see how many acres we can set aside for our feathered friends and other wildlife there. You may wish to entertain an RMD contribution too

Announcements:     

  • April 11, Monday MEETING, 7:00 PM. Importance of Healthy Wetlands by Eileen Shader, Penn State. Arranged by Terri Kochert. Annual business meeting and elections. All chapter members welcome. 
  • April 14, Thursday FILM, 7:30 PM. In Search of the Jaguar. (National Geographic)  Narrated by Glenn Close, an amazing story of a boy with a speech impediment that led him to a life-long passion for jaguars and their preservation. Door prizes.  
  • April 16, Saturday WORK DAY, 9:30 AM Work at NORLO PARK native garden. Bring garden tools and gloves. Josh Donaldson, 717-264-6920. 
  • April 23, Saturday FIELD TRIP, 8:00 AM. C&O Canal. BIRDING and HISTORY. Walk along the canal. Bring binoculars and lunch. Meet at Big Slackwater Boat Ramp parking lot, Sharpsburg, MD. Jim Hardy, 717-404-8989. 
  • April 30, Saturday WORK DAY, 9:30 AM. Work at NORLO PARK native garden. Bring garden tools and gloves. Josh Donaldson, 717-264-6920. 
  • May 16 – May 18, Monday – Wednesday, FIELD TRIP. Magee Marsh, Ohio Field Trip. Please note the date change from the current Activities List. It is now scheduled for Monday May 16 through Wednesday May 18, 2022. Since you are responsible for your own hotel expenses, please contact Bob and Terri Kochert for the hotel name and location. Please email us at bobterri81@comcast.net or call 717-263-3692 before April 4 if interested in attending.  

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful reminds us to remove litter from any public shared place, including the state’s 80 Important Bird Areas that encompass more than 2 million acres of public and private lands. Though you could have registered in January, now you may begin April 1-April 30. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful partners with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) and Penn DOT to supply free trash bags, gloves and safety vests to registered participants as supplies last. Join thousands of Pennsylvanians for Pick UP Pennsylvania and help “make a difference” to keep Pennsylvania’s Important Bird Areas clean for our feathered friends. 

If any of you are interested in volunteering for the Penn National Bluebird Trail, please contact Lynn and Dorian Runt at therunts@centurylink.net or call (717-352-4995).  

We are busy planning an events outreach at the Conococheague Institute on May 28, 2022. We need an E-Z up, or mobile/portable awning. Does anyone own one that we could borrow for the event? Does anyone have one they would like to donate to CAS for other such Educational Outreaches? Let me know by responding to ConAudubon@outlook.com with the subject:  Awning. Thank you in advance.  

I wish you all a wonderful Spring and blessed Easter. I hope to see many of you either in person or via Zoom on April 11, 2022 at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

Terri Kochert 

Guatemala Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) Capital Campaign

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation

Dear Fellow Nature Lovers,

Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) in central Guatemala has launched a capital campaign to purchase 390 acres on which the center is built.  They intend to establish a wildlife sanctuary with Guatemala’s National Council for Protected Areas and restore the habitat for species of special conservation concern. We have an opportunity to contribute to the capital campaign and invite you to make a donation. We will bundle the donations and forward them to CCFC. If our total contribution reaches $1,000, that will enable CCFC to purchase and reforest one acre. A couple who are members of the Conococheague Audubon Society has offered to match up to $1,000 of your contributions. So, if we collectively donate $1,000, it will become $2,000, thanks to these generous donors.

Through education, reforestation, sustainable development, leadership scholarships, and ecological improvements to agriculture, CCFC focuses on alleviating poverty and protecting forests in the highlands of Guatemala. As stated on their website, “CCFC believes that holistic human / community development through education and capacity building is the key to conservation and development in Guatemala’s central highlands. Education, especially for young women, is key to building peace in this region.”

In 2018, seven CAS members, including my husband Bob and myself, joined a group from Virginia Society of Ornithology on a bird watching trip to CCFC. Rob and Tara Cahill, managers of CCFC, helped us to see 200 different bird species. We stayed at the CCFC facility and witnessed the impact it has on the local culture and economy. We birded with many of the center’s young students who are learning about birds and conservation. We also interacted with a group of 40 teachers participating in an in-service session.

CAS has remained connected with CCFC by annually donating money for one young woman to continue her education beyond sixth grade. Public education in Guatemala is provided for students through sixth grade, but older students must pay for their education, uniforms, and books.

The sanctuary CCFC plans to establish will protect not only 15 endemic bird species but also “our” wintering birds as well, such as Wood Thrush, Olive-sided Flycatcher (near threatened status), Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Cerulean Warbler (near threatened status), Blackburnian Warbler, Canada Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Dickcissel.

CCFC plans to reforest the land and manage the sanctuary in perpetuity. Reforested areas will provide habitat and food for the area’s unique wildlife, including 33 bat species that have been seen on CCFC land.

Community Cloud Forest Conservation is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, conservation and human development organization, incorporated in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and registered with the Internal Revenue Service of the United States as a 501(c)3 tax exempt entity. CCFC is governed by a volunteer board of directors.

The Conococheague Audubon Society Board of Directors endorses the CCFC efforts and authorized me to ask you to consider making a special donation to this project. You may write out a check to “Conococheague Audubon Society” and send it to:  Conococheague Audubon, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Please indicate “CCFC donation” in the memo area of your check. We will accept donations until July 1, 2022.

Thank you for caring for birds and conservation matters, both here in the U.S. and where our birds winter.

Terri Kochert

Annual Meeting and Elections

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Monthly Message

Conococheague Audubon’s annual business meeting will take place on April 11. The first order of business will be hearing a presentation from Eileen Shader about The Importance of a Healthy Watershed. Immediately following her presentation, we will hold elections. Here is the slate:

Conococheague Audubon Society Ballot 2022

  • President:   Valerie Barnes
  • Vice President:   Lisa Coombs
  • Recording Secretary:   Rhetta Martin
  • Corresponding Secretary:   Valerie Barnes
  • Treasurer:   Donna Hocker
  • Immediate Past President:   Terri Kochert
  • Directors: (vote for two directors)
    • Dave Ebbitt
    • Anne St. John

If you have already emailed your vote, thank you. If you haven’t, please Email ConAudubon@outlook.com. Put VOTE in the subject line and tell us whether you are voting for the entire slate or just selected nominees. Or, you may vote in person at the meeting, or call Terri Kochert, 717-263-3692 in advance. Nominees will also be accepted from the floor.

Following the election, chapter leaders will present their annual reports.

March 2022 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation, Monthly Message, Outreach, Zoom

Hello Fellow Nature Lovers,

There are many Conococheague Audubon events coming up in the near future. So, let’s get right to it.

March 5, Saturday  FIELD TRIP. 6:30 AM Middle Creek WMA, Lancaster County auto tour for WATERFOWL. Meet at the Park & Ride, Scotland, Exit 20, I-81 northbound. Bring scopes, binoculars, and lunch. Contact Eric and Rhetta Martin, 717–597-8675.

March 8, Tuesday  FIELD TRIP NEW DATE. This is a deviation from the Activities List. It’s supposed to rain Monday, March 7, in the afternoon, evening. On Tuesday, March 8, it’s to rain in the AM, but be cloudy in the afternoon. 5:45 PM Tentative outing for WOODCOCKS at Heisey Road orchard. Meet at the Park & Ride, Scotland, Exit 20, I-81 northbound. Bring flashlights. Contact Bob Kochert, 717-263-3692. 

March 14, Monday  MEETING/HYBRID. 7:00 PM Forest-Bird Restoration by Ron Rohrbaugh, Director, Conservation Science and Forest Programs, Audubon Mid-Atlantic . Arranged by Terri Kochert. The speaker will give the presentation from a remote location via Zoom. Come to St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church or view from home.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7211203928?pwd=RXNwMjZpQVNvSHJGRld3cWZFQjJiZz09

Meeting ID: 721 120 3928  Passcode: cardinal20

I am excited to report that we are resuming the showing of our FREE nature films, beginning 7:30 PM, Thursday, March 24, 2022 at Living Faith Chapel, 8770 Possum Hollow Road, Shippensburg, PA. Film is: Last Stand of the Great Bear. (National Geographic) Great Bear rainforest of British Columbia. Brown, black, “spirit” bears, wolves, and salmon fishing. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. There will be free door prizes too.

Election News: The April election of CAS officers and directors will take place between March 14 and our April 11, 2022 meeting. I will be sending you the ballot via an extra email this month for the express purpose of voting for the listed nominees. Though voting will take place at the Annual Business meeting, April 11, 2022, CAS will also accept voting by proxy, by email, or other electronic means if you are not able to physically attend our meeting. Thus, you may vote early via email or by phone. We’ll appreciate receiving your vote as early as possible. There is a quota of votes needed to validate the election. Please vote immediately when you receive the ballot

Magee Marsh May Field Trip Date Change: Although May seems to be distant from today’s date, I need to bring another schedule change to your attention. In our CAS Activities List we have advertised a trip to Magee Marsh May 2-4. This will need to be changed. Though the Biggest Week in Birding WILL take place this year (after two years of cancellations due to Covid), it is scheduled for May 6-15, 2022. CAS has its final 2021-2022 season meeting on May 9, 2022. So, the CAS Magee Marsh trip will be scheduled for Monday, May 16-Wednesday May 18, 2022. More information about this trip will follow next month.

Calling All Photographers: If you enjoy taking photographs, please send your best bird photos to National Audubon for be selected for their best bird photos.

CAS needs your help: I am putting out a plea for anyone interested in helping for an Earth Day Outreach on Saturday, April 23, 2022 from 10 AM to 2 PM in downtown Chambersburg. Contact me as soon as you can to offer your assistance.

Everglades Info: With Dave Graff’s excellent Florida exposé of the beauty and fragility of the Everglades, I thought I would include a few articles from Audubon Florida about some of the Florida projects to revive the Everglades and the species found there.

“Wandering Spoonbills Tell Us What We Need to Protect the Everglades,” by Chad Witko. Jerry Lorenz of Audubon Florida tracked this species to shed light on how the iconic “River of Grass” is changing, for better or worse.

“12,000-acre Everglades Restoration Project Complete,” by Kelly Cox. The C-44 canal was first dredged in 1923 to divert flood water from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie estuary. It has taken decades and millions of dollars of funds to restore the C-44 area.

Good birding to you all as the weather breaks and Spring arrives!

Terri Kochert

February 2022 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Monthly Message, ZoomTagged

Dear Fellow Nature Lovers,

Though this is still late January, 2022, please receive this as my February letter. I hope you are all staying warm during these frigid temperatures.

I have many events to bring to your attention today. Here they are in order of importance.

  1. I am still in need of a Vice President. I may also add that May 1, 2022 is just around the corner. That’s the date CAS is to install a new president. Please submit your request to serve in this capacity to Terri Kochert at conaudubon@outlook.com. 
  2. Debby Hook has served as our chairperson for the Education: Outreach committee for many years now. Besides making presentations to the Master Gardeners, Kiwanis Club, Tuscarora Wildlife Education Project (TWEP), NETwork Ministries, and the North Square Farmers Market, Debby has made other presentations, too, in her past tenure as Education: Outreach Chair. Debby is stepping down as of May 1, 2022. She has personal obligations that no longer allow her the flexibility to serve in this capacity. Hence, CAS needs an Education: Outreach Chair. Please submit your request to serve in this capacity to Terri Kochert at conaudubon@outlook.com.
  3. From Swans to Songbirds: Winter is for Birding webinar sponsored by Audubon on Feb. 3, 2022. You’ll receive a confirmation and Zoom details within a few days of registration. Upon arrival at the Audubon Pennsylvania website, click the blue Details button to register for this event. 

Upcoming CAS events: 

  • Feb. 14, Monday ZOOM or HYBRID MEETING  7:00 PM Snowy Owl: A Visual Natural History

Presented by award-winning author and wildlife photographer, Paul Bannick of Seattle, WA. Arranged by Jessica Ferguson. [Terri will send out the Zoom invitation on Feb. 13, 2022. Or you may visit the calendar event on our this website for the Zoom invitation.] Mr. Bannick will not be present at St. Luke. Mr. Bannick will be Zooming his presentation from Seattle, WA. Those who wish to view the Zoom presentation at St. Luke are welcome to come to St. Luke.  

  • Feb. 18-20, Fri.-Sun. FIELD TRIP Blackwater NWR, Maryland, auto tour for WATERFOWL.

Leave from Martins’ home at 6:00 PM Friday. Bring scopes, binoculars, and lunch. Make your own motel arrangements. Eric and Rhetta Martin, 717-597-8675.

  • Great Backyard Bird Count: The 25th annual GBBC will be held Friday, Feb. 18-Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. As most of you know, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages and experience in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org.

Scientists at Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Birds Canada/Oiseaux Canada use the data gleaned from these annual counts to better understand population trends and highlight important locations for future conservation efforts. Every checklist you submit is appreciated greatly.

I hope to see many of you on our Zoom meeting from St. Luke on Feb. 14, 2022 to see the Snowy Owl presentation. Don’t miss it!

Terri Kochert

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