Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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Conococheague Audubon

Outreach

Opportunity, often NOT on our published calendar of activities, to connect with the public.

May 2023 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation, How to Get Involved, Monthly Message, Outreach

Spring has certainly sprung! Early blooms abound, birds are coming through, and some are staking out territory claims. It’s a great time to get out and appreciate all that nature offers. 

Thursday, May 4 is “Bird Day” and we are celebrating! Sponsored by the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center, come to 15 South Main Street Chambersburg, PA 17201 for a noontime Lunch & Learn. The Bird Day Lunch & Learn begins at noon and is offered at no charge. Lunch menu: Variety of wraps, soup, fruit, and cookie with lemonade, iced tea, and water. Please Reserve a Spot at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunch-learn-may-4-is-bird-day-tickets-624012296577 Activities will continue Friday, May 5 from 5 PM-8PM (no registration required).

If you participate in any of our activities, please sign and submit a waiver form, available on this site under Activities. Please mail the completed form to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222 or bring it to a meeting or field trip. 

We held annual elections at our April meeting. Incoming Board of Director members are Jim Hook, Linda Kaiser, and Cindy Thrasher (intern). They assume their new roles at the May meeting. Debby Hook will be our new Recording Secretary and John Greer will take on Conservation Chair responsibilities. Other officers, directors, and committee chairs remain the same. We thank outgoing leaders Ron George, Jim Hardy, Eric Martin, and Rhetta Martin and look forward to their continuing support in different areas. 

We also passed a few changes to our By-Laws related to when local-only members renew their memberships, all officers may be re-elected for multiple two-year terms, and language clarifying that officers and directors are immune from personal liability for actions taken on behalf of CAS.  

Conococheague Audubon is a presence in the community at many events, with most volunteers at special events organized by Education – Outreach Chair, Terri Kochert. Your help would be most appreciated. Here are upcoming opportunities: 

  • Monitor Bluebird Trail boxes. Contact Dorian/Lynn Runt, adamsmail@centurylink.net or 717-352-4995. 
  • Clean up and help maintain the native plants garden at Norlo Park. Contact Josh Donaldson, jd425@embarqmail.com or 717-264-6920. 
  • Bird Day events being planned by the Franklin County Visitors Bureau for 4 and 5 May. See above for details about 4 May event. The May 5 activities will happen as part of Chambersburg’s monthly First Friday, 5 PM – 8 PM. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692. 
  • Monitor birds on Michaux State Forest, Contact John or Sue Greer, jngreer@aol.com or 443-255-8871 
  • Beginning Birders’ Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 3 at Caledonia. Volunteers needed! Final planning session will occur at 6:15 PM prior to our May 8 regular meeting at St Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church. Contact Dave Cooney Jr. at (717) 264-2116 or slant1cm@yahoo.com, or Janet Tice at (717) 372-0379 or jwtice1@comcast.net.  
  • Appalachian Trail Festival on Saturday, June 10 from 10 AM- 4 PM at Red Run Park in Waynesboro (12143 Buchanan Trail East). Contact Debby Hook at 717-372-0228 or debbyk@pa.net.  
  • Coming on some Saturdays (probably 4th Saturday, June – September) this summer: display table at Chambersburg Farmers’ Market. Details TBD. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692. 

May is full of CAS activities. Please call the field trip leader in advance and be at the meeting place a few minutes early. It’s a good idea to double-check the details about a trip on our website’s calendar. 

May 4, Thursday, FIELD TRIP.  6:30 AM Fort McCord area for SPRING ARRIVALS/MIGRANTS.  Meet at North Pointe Center, US 11 north of Chambersburg.  Some walking.  Bring lunch and binoculars.  Bill Oyler,717-360-5191. 

May 5, Friday, FIELD TRIP. 6:00 PM Lehman property for Spring Migrants. Meet at 750 Tallow Hill Road, Chambersburg, to walk around a pond, meadows and woods.  Larry Lehman, 717-263-7203. 

May 6, Saturday, FIELD TRIP. 7:00 AM Horse Valley for SPRING MIGRANTS.  Meet at North Pointe Center, US 11 north of Chambersburg.  Bring lunch and binoculars.  Valerie Barnes, 717-352-4397or Donna Hocker, 717-491-2171.

May 8, Monday, MEETING. 7:00 PM Bird Banding by Paul Engman.  Program focus: Cape May Raptor Banding Project generally and the changes seen in the fall migration over 5 decades of banding. Available to view in-person at St. Luke Evangelical Church. Mr. Engman will present using film slides, so no Zoom.

May 13, Saturday, FIELD TRIP, NEW DATE. 6:30 AM Stillhouse Hollow, Heisey Road Orchard, and some local farms for SPRING MIGRANTS.  Leave from Keener’s home, 5207 Heisey Road.  Bring scopes, binoculars, and lunch.  Bob Keener, 717-532-9723 or 717-658-8765. 

May 13, Saturday, WORK DAY. 9:30 AM Work at NORLO PARK native garden.  Bring garden tools and gloves.  Josh Donaldson, 717-264-6920. 

May 15-17, Mon.-Wed., FIELD TRIP. Trip to Magee Marsh, Ohio, for WARBLER MIGRANTS.  Bring scopes, binoculars, and lunch.  Make own hotel arrangements. Bob and Terri Kochert, 717-263-3692. 

May 20, Saturday, FIELD TRIP.  5:00 PM Edenville area for WHIP-POOR-WILLS and BOBOLINKS.  Leave from Sunnyway Foods parking lot, 49 Warm Spring Road, Chambersburg.  Bring scopes and binoculars.  Eric and Rhetta Martin, 717-597-8675. 

June 3, Saturday, WORKSHOP. 7:45 AM Beginning Birders’ Workshop.  Meet at Visitors’ Center in Caledonia State Park, Fayetteville; park in first parking lot beyond Visitors’ Center.  Bring binoculars; a few pairs available for loan.  Pre-register with Dave Cooney, 717-264-2116 or Janet Tice, 717-372-0379, jwtice1@comcast.net. 

National Audubon invites us to learn more about the Canada (not Canadian) Goose. For instance, “goslings … can learn to swim within one day of being born.” 

Thank you for your continued support and interest, and good birding! 

April 2023 from the President

By casbirdsPosted on Posted in How to Get Involved, Monthly Message, Outreach, ZoomTagged

Our annual business meeting will take place at St Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church at 7 PM on Monday, April 10. First up will be The Birds and the Bees, presented by Tracy Snyder, Penn State Bee Monitoring program.

The rest of the meeting will involve elections for new directors, voting on proposed changes to our Constitution/By-Laws, and reports from officers and committees. For the elections and voting to be valid, we must have a quorum, so PLEASE VOTE! There are three ways you may vote: in person at the April 10 meeting, sending an email to mailto:ConAudubon@outlook.com, or by calling Valerie Barnes at 717-352-4397.

VOTING:

1.  Nominees for Director are Jim Hook, Linda Kaiser, and Cindy Thrasher. You may vote for all three or fewer. 

 Jim Hook: VOTE Yes or No

 Linda Kaiser: VOTE Yes or No

 Cindy Thrasher: VOTE Yes or No

2. Please see the file named ConstByLaws2023-03-13.pdf to review the proposed changes to our Constitution/By-Laws. Proposed changes are marked in red.

Article II: Most local-only members renew their membership in September, but some are on a different schedule. Insertion of “normally” in Section 6.b. acknowledges that.  VOTE on this proposed change: Yes or No

Article IV: Proposes that all officers (including President and Vice President) may be re-elected for multiple two-year terms. This gives us more flexibility going forward. VOTE on this proposed change: Yes or No

Article V: Adds language clarifying that officers and directors are immune from personal liability for actions taken on behalf of CAS. As mentioned last month, we have been reviewing our organization’s liability insurance coverage. These new clauses are proposed as a result of that review. We will be purchasing new liability insurance for officers and directors; these new clauses support the coverage provided by the insurance. VOTE on these proposed changes: Yes or No.

Officer and Committee Chairs: Please send a written report for this fiscal year to Valerie Barnes (barnesva4@comcast.net) and ConAudubon@outlook.com by April 3. Please report status, accomplishments, the number of people reached by your endeavors, expenditures, plans and requested funding for next year, and hours spent. Our current fiscal year runs from June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023. If you need to update your report after April 3 (perhaps because not everything is finished yet for the fiscal year), just send a revised file to Val and the CAS email address. During the meeting on April 10, we’ll ask you to present the highlights.

It’s spring and thoughts turn to our gardens and yards, in addition to migrating birds. To see stellar photographs showing birds on native plants from National Audubon Society visit: These 12 birds are thriving with native plants  And, from Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Landscaping for Birds: 7 Important Plant Group

National Audubon announced that they are keeping the name “Audubon”. See more details regarding the decision by visiting https://www.audubon.org/news/open-letter-ceo-audubons-name

We have many Upcoming Activities scheduled this spring. As always, please let the field trip leader know in advance that you plan to attend. And check the Calendar on this website for updates.

We have many Volunteer Opportunities coming up. Please help represent Conococheague Audubon at these community outreach events.

  • Monitor Bluebird Trail boxes. Contact Dorian/Lynn Runt, adamsmail@centurylink.net or 717-352-4995.
  • Clean up and help maintain the native plants garden at Norlo Park. Contact Josh Donaldson, jd425@embarqmail.com or 717-264-6920.
  • Be at our table during the Conococheague Institute’s  Get to Know Nature: Learning then Conserving event planned for Saturday, April 15, 2023 during some portion of the time span 10am to 4pm. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692.
  • We are looking for help at a new Bird Day event being planned by the Franklin County Visitors Bureau for 4 and 5 May. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692.
  • Monitor birds on Michaux State Forest, Contact John Greer, jngreer@aol.com or 443-255-8871 or Sue Greer, Sgreer412@gmail.com or 443-255-9559.
  • Plant trees at the new Furnace Run Park in Southampton Township ~April 14-16. Contact Ron George, writinron@comcast.net or 717-446-4183.
  • Beginning Birders’ Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 3 at Caledonia. Volunteers needed! Planning sessions will occur at 6:15 PM prior to our April 10 and May 8 regular meetings at St Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church. Contact Dave Cooney Jr. at (717) 264-2116 or slant1cm@yahoo.com, or Janet Tice at (717) 372-0379 or jwtice1@comcast.net.
  • Coming on 4th Saturdays this summer, June – September: display table at Chambersburg Farmers’ Market. Details TBD. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692.

We are planning next season’s activities on April 11. See the calendar event for Zoom information. If you have an idea for a program or a new field trip, please participate in the meeting. All field trip leaders should participate to set the date for your trip.

It’s not too late to sign up for the field trip to Magee Marsh in Ohio, May 15-17. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692

Good birding!

Valerie Barnes, President

February 2023 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation, How to Get Involved, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged

Winter is here, but I’m glad we haven’t had much snow to deal with (yet). Not many birds are coming to feeders at my house. Sometimes there’s a Sharp-shinned Hawk hanging around, but I can’t always attribute the paucity of birds to that.

Coming up soon: You can count birds anywhere for the Great Backyard Bird Count! The 26th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20, 2023. Please visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information. Anyone can count anywhere for as little as 15 minutes, or as long as you wish. Keep separate lists for each location on each day that you bird. Report results via eBird. The Great Backyard Bird Count is an inter-organizational effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada.

Volunteer opportunities:

  • Monitor Bluebird Trail boxes. Contact Dorian/Lynn Runt, adamsmail@centurylink.net or 717-352-4995.
  • Clean up and help maintain the native plants garden at Norlo Park. Contact Josh Donaldson, jd425@embarqmail.com or 717-264-6920.
  • We are looking for help at a new Bird Day event being planned by the Franklin County Visitors Bureau for 4 May. Contact Terri Kochert, bobterri81@comcast.net or 717-263-3692.
  • We need 2 new Directors to serve a 3-year term starting in May. Contact Ron George, Eric Martin, or Terri Kochert.
  • Plant trees at the new Furnace Run Park in Southampton Township ~April 14-16. 

Thanks to all who have made a donation to keep Conococheague Audubon alive. It’s never too late to mail a check to CAS at PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology (PSO) would be happy to have you as a member. They publish a periodic report about birds seen in the state, sponsor the PA Bird Atlas projects, hold meetings, and conduct field trips. To learn more about PSO, visit pabirds.org. To join, visit this link: Join PSO.

September 2022 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, How to Get Involved, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged ,

Dear Conococheague Auduboners and friends –

The days are still hot, but some nights are cooler. Fall must be coming! In my backyard I’ve recently seen a very young Northern Cardinal and several young Blue Jays. It seems late for both species to be fledging. More typical are the young American Goldfinch, one of the latest breeding birds in our area.

Member donations are our main means of support. So, if you haven’t already, please make whatever contribution you can and mail it to Conococheague Audubon Society, P.O. Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. If you are a local-only member, this is also the standard time to renew your membership. Local-only membership costs $15 for the year; please consider making a donation as well.

We continue to hope one of you will volunteer to contact local media outlets as Publicity Chair. Please contact me (Valerie Barnes). If you are interested in joining Terri Kochert at our display table at the Chambersburg Farmers Market on September 24, please contact Terri.

Our activities begin this month:

  • Year-round , BIRD WALKS. SOAR (Studying Ornithology Around the Region) walks, 8:00 AM first and third Saturdays; various locations in Franklin County.  Larry and Sharon Williams, 717-655-7414; or The Institute, 717-762-0373, https://natureandcultureinstitute.org/events/. 
  • Sept. 10, 2022, Saturday, FIELD TRIP. 7:15 AM for FALL MIGRANTS.  Meet at 7:15 AM at the Park and Ride, Scotland Exit 20, I-81 northbound.  One mile walk in wet grass at Heisey Orchard.  Then by car on Michaux SF roads with additional walk(s) of up to half mile, with trip ending between 12 and 1 PM.  Bring binoculars and snack.  Bill Oyler, 717-360-5191, oylerbill@gmail.com.
  • Sept. 12, Monday, MEETING. 7:00 PM Weird and Wonderful Birds, Jeanne Verhulst.  A fun look at unusual birds.  Speaker via Zoom.  Arranged by Janet Tice.
  • Sept 20-22, Tues.-Thurs., FIELD TRIP. Trip to Cape May NJ for WARBLERS.  Options for migrating raptors and seabirds.  Bring scopes and binoculars.  Find and make your own motel and meal arrangements. Signup deadline is Sept. 16.  Sue Greer, 443-255-9559, sgreer412@gmail.com.

Check the calendar event on our website for updates.

The American Ornithological Society establishes the official common English names for bird species. AOS is trying to change harmful and exclusionary English bird names in a thoughtful and proactive way to address racial and cultural issues associated with some species’ names. Just for fun, the National Audubon Society is asking for suggestions about renaming several species currently tagged with someone’s last name. You can submit your ideas online. According to a recent email, NAS established a Board Task Force to “examine the name and the legacy of John James Audubon. This initiative is integral to the organization’s mission to root itself in equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging and the need to interrogate our present decisions through the prism of the Audubon that we would like to become in the future.”

If you would like to order a Conococheague Audubon T-shirt, please check out your options on the Chapter T-Shirt page of our website. Contact Donna Hocker, Treasurer, to place your order. We must order at least 12 at a time, any mix of sizes.

Enjoy the end of summer and early fall. Good birding!

  Valerie Barnes, President

August 2022 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, How to Get Involved, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged

Dear Conococheague Auduboners and Friends,

Shorebirds are starting to come through. If you are interested, some good places to visit are Antrim Commons, the Greencastle Reservoir, and local farm ponds. Songbirds won’t be far behind.

Our leaders have settled the upcoming season’s activities and will be mailing it to you soon. In the meantime, you may access the Activities List file here. We are starting to put the activities into the calendar on this site, so stay tuned. Our first meeting will be on September 12th and Bill Oyler will lead our first field trip on September 10th. We will meet again at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near the Scotland exit of I-81), 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202, with Zoom as an option for most meetings.  Two nature films will be shown at two locations in November and March: Chambersburg Area Middle School South and Living Faith Chapel. When you receive the annual mailing, check your address label to see when your membership expires.

We are still looking for someone to contact local media outlets with Publicity about our activities. Most of this happens through Facebook. If you are on Facebook, please step up. We need your help! There are also two Saturdays left when Terri Kochert will set up a display table at the Chambersburg Farmers Market (August 27 and September 24). Please contact Terri if you can join her between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Folks enjoy stopping by to talk about “their” birds.

This year, almost 2,500 photographers from across the United States and Canada submitted nearly 10,000 photographs and videos to Audubon’s 13th annual Audubon Photography Awards. Check out the winners!

Enjoy the rest of summer and good birding,

  Valerie Barnes, President

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