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