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The Limpkin Times
Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:
Protection of the environment through education,
appreciation and conservation.
December 2018
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President's Message
I just want to say thank you. The generosity over the past month from you all has simply floored me. We've received donations that have helped us expand environmental education opportunities such as helping to fund field trips to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, provide binoculars to young people for our upcoming youth Christmas bird count, and to more significantly enhance Lake Elberta Park for both birds and people. Many of you have given time to pull out nasty invasives, lead or participate in field trips, help get the word out about events, and join our partner organizations with on-the-ground conservation projects. This is what it's all about, and it's an honor to be involved with an organization full of such solid people. Again, thank you.
-Peter Kleinhenz
President, Apalachee Audubon
In This Issue:
Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve Management Plan Public Meeting
Orange Audubon Society's overnight Panhandle Trip
Earth Science OPEN HOUSE at the Florida Geological Survey
Apalachee Audubon and Big Bend Sierra Club Social
Youth Christmas Bird Count
Donations Needed
Conservation Leadership Course Held at Tall Timbers
Other Events
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Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park
Saturday, December 15, 2018
8:00 am to noon
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We’ll park at the Gate A parking area off Miller Landing Rd. We’ll be walking the west side of the park, which can be very productive in winter, with a high species count possible and lots of potential for interesting winter birds, especially in this irruption year.
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Tallahassee, an Urban Oasis
with Andy Wraithmell, Wildlife Photographer/Videographer, FWC
Thursday, January 17, 2019
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
King Life Science Building
319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee (see map below)
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The habitats in and around the state capital have long been an oasis for neotropical birds. Our parks, gardens and green spaces provide critical habitat for these migratory birds to eat, drink, sleep and raise their young. Andy will talk about the incredible journeys these birds make to reach our city and the actions you can take to help conserve them for future generations.
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Living with Wildlife
with Sandy Beck, Education Director, St. Francis Wildlife Association
Thursday, February 21, 2019
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
King Life Science Building
319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee (see map below)
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Live, non-releasable, native raptors, reptiles and mammals will help Sandy Beck, share their stories, the unique adaptations that enable their species to survive, challenges they face, and specific actions we can take to help them. Also, learn about opportunities to get involved with St. Francis Wildlife.
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Orange Audubon Society's Overnight Panhandle Trip
Thursday, December 6 - Sunday, December 9, 2018
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Note: This trip is a fund-raiser toward Orange Audubon Society's nature center fund.
Orange Audubon Society’s (OAS) annual overnight Panhandle trip on December 6–9, 2018 is a definite GO. In Hurricane Michael’s wake Seacrest Wolf Preserve and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge closed briefly, but they have since reopened.
Join us Thursday December 6th for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with magnificent North American wolves at Seacrest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation of wolves through education.
Then on Friday December 7th enjoy guided birding with Jim Cox in the Red Hills Region of Florida and Georgia, where fire ecology is a key to healthy longleaf pine and wiregrass communities supporting 64 threatened and endangered plant and animal species. On Saturday December 8th we'll bird St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, home to 250 bird species and a prime wintering ground for migrants, with Jeff O’Connell; and on Sunday December 9th on our way back to Orlando area we'll stop at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, and search for the small, illusive herds of wild horses and bison along with some of the 300 bird species recorded.
Seacrest-only participants meet Thursday for lunch and a private afternoon tour. We suggest that weekenders meet Wednesday at Tall Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee.
The weekend field trip fee is $100 for OAS members/$115 for nonmembers and includes local guides, 4 lunches, a grill night dinner, and admission to Seacrest.
Birding-only participant fees are $65/$80 with 3 lunches and a grill dinner and Seacrest-only participant fees, including lunch, are $45/$55.
Lodging is first come, first served at Tall Timbers’ Walter Lodge with 8 private bedrooms (double occupancy; twin beds), 5 shared bathrooms, and a large open living, dining and kitchen area), priority given to weekend participants. If we fill the lodge each night, the discounted rate is $37.50/night plus tax per room. Rustic camping on the grounds at the lodge is available free.
Reserve promptly to enjoy 3–4 nights under ancient longleaf pines or book a hotel of your choice. The I-10 area at Thomasville Road is recommended for weekenders. Seacrest-only participants may prefer lodging in Chipley or Bonifay.
For registration, lodging and other details contact Teresa Williams, Treasurer/Trip Organizer at
[email protected]
or (407) 644-0796.
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Earth Science OPEN HOUSE at the Florida Geological Survey
Saturday, December 8, 2018
10 am - 3 pm - Open to Public
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The Florida Geological Survey (FGS) has rescheduled its
annual Open House
for Saturday, December 8, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. (EDT) at 3000 Commonwealth Boulevard in Tallahassee. Earth Science Week (October 14-20, previously postponed at FGS due to Hurricane Michael) is a national event sponsored by the American Geosciences Institute. Earth Science Week “encourages people everywhere to explore the natural world and learn about the geosciences and explore the ways that geoscience illuminates natural change processes."
This year’s theme is EARTH as INSPIRATION, which "will emphasize artistic expression as a unique, powerful opportunity for geoscience education and understanding in the 21st century." Encourage young geoscientists (grades 6-9) to enter the
Writing Contest or Art Contest
to win a prize that rocks!
For more information, email
[email protected]
for field trip reservations or Open House/Contest questions.
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Apalachee Audubon and Big Bend Sierra Club Social
Thursday, December 13, 2018
6 pm - 8 pm
Grasslands Brewing Company
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The social is December 13 and is for all Apalachee Audubon members and all Big Bend Sierra Club members. There will be pizza available for free from Gaines Street Pies and both Jeremy Matlow and Rick Minor have been invited to attend. No need to RSVP, just show up.
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Youth Christmas Bird Counts
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For the first time ever, Apalachee Audubon is organizing a youth Christmas Bird Count! Up to five teams of young birders, their families, and at least one Apalachee Audubon volunteer will fan out from
Lake Elberta Park on December 16
to find as many birds as possible over the span of a couple hours. Birders will explore Lake Elberta itself, Tallahassee Junction, Lake Henrietta, and communities on the South Side to document as many birds as possible.If you are interested in volunteering as a group leader, please email
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
. For more information,
click here
.
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We would like to present prizes to Youth Christmas Bird Count groups for highest species count, most interesting species, and most ground covered. Currently, one of our interns is offering a free tennis lesson and Peter is offering a field trip to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. We would like to offer a pair of binoculars to each participant of the teams with the highest species count. To accomplish this, we will need donations of either binoculars or funds to purchase some. Quality binoculars can be purchased for as little as $50. If you are interested in helping with this, please send an email to
[email protected].
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Conservation Leadership Course Held at Tall Timbers
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Apalachee Audubon is committed to fostering new conservation leaders in Tallahassee. As a result, Apalachee Audubon partnered with Tall Timbers Research Station to offer the first-ever conservation leadership course on November 10. From 10:00-2:00, students from FAMU and FSU learned about how to be effective conservationists as well as learning tips about how to get jobs in the conservation field. Apalachee Audubon board members, Peter Kleinhenz and David Arnold, joined Jim Cox, head of bird research at Tall Timbers, and Liz Sparks, recreational planner with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to work with the students. Jim treated us to a tour of Tall Timbers, and we even got to try our hand at banding Bachman's sparrows. We hope to offer this once a semester, so that we can attract more young people to conservation opportunities here in the Panhandle.
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Mission San Luis Winter Solstice Festival, Tallahassee, December 15, 2018
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