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The Limpkin Times
Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:
Protection of the environment through education,
appreciation and conservation.
September 2018
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President's Message
Last weekend, I was standing along the Pine Mountain Trail in central Georgia with my girlfriend, scanning tree tops for birds. A Red-eyed Vireo was proving to be elusive in sight, though not sound. A Northern Parula flew down to take a look at some "pishing" humans. Brown-headed Nuthatches were scampering around on nearby (and massive) longleaf pines. In that moment, I was reminded of why all the hard work we do as a chapter is worth it.
We are now in full swing as a chapter. Programs and field trips have started, our first bird walk was held at Lake Elberta, and our bird club at Pineview Elementary begins meeting next week. All of this at the same time that fall migrants are beginning to pass through our area. Everyone and everything is busy, it seems. I hope that each of you reading this can find opportunities to unwind out in nature, in the midst of the birds and cooler weather. However, I'd also ask each of you to consider ways that you could get involved with the chapter, whether that is attending a field trip or program, helping to teach children about birds, or volunteering at an event. As anyone who has watched birds long enough knows, there is strength in numbers.
-Peter Kleinhenz
President, Apalachee Audubon
In This Issue:
Call for Sponsors for Our Interns to Attend Audubon Assembly in October
Meet Our Interns
Pineview Elementary School
Facebook Group for Teen Birders
Volunteers Needed!
Hannah and Erik Go Birding Podcasts
Wakulla Springs Swift Night Out
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Saturday, September 15
7:45 am
Western Lake Jackson
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Meet at 7:45am at Faulk Dr. Landing, where we’ll be targeting Alder Flycatcher and other migrants. Afterwards, we’ll head to Fred George Basin Greenway, with the possibility of stopping at other sites around Lack Jackson afterwards, time permitting.
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Saturday, October 6
7:45 am
J.R. Alford Greenway and Lake Lafayette Heritage Trail
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Meet at the parking area at the end of Pedrick Rd at 7:45am. Expect to walk 2+ miles.
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Saturday, October 27
7:15 am
St. Marks NWR
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Late October is a good time to find vagrants on the refuge, plus a few lingering migrants and returning sparrows and waterfowl. Meet at the Munson Hill Off-Road Bike Trailhead on Woodville Hwy (just south of Capital Circle) at 7:15am, and we'll carpool down.
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Tallahassee's Trees and the Urban Forest Master Plan
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Mindy Mohrman, Urban Forester, Tallahassee, Leon County, Urban Planning
Thursday, September 20, 2018
7:00 PM 8:30 PM
King Life Science Building (see map below)
The City of Tallahassee is developing an Urban Forest Master Plan to enable us to sustain and improve our urban forest as the city grows. As part of this project, a detailed urban tree canopy analysis was completed. This information will be used to outline actionable steps to improve the health and quality of our urban forest.
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The Importance of Volunteers
to the St Mark's National Wildlife Refuge
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Scott Davis, Refuge Biologist, St Marks
Thursday, October 18, 2018
7:00 PM 9:30 PM
King Life Science Building (see map below)
Come enjoy a great talk about the power that local volunteers provide to help St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge achieve many significant conservation goals.
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Call for Sponsors for Our Interns
to Attend the Audubon Assembly in October
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Recently, Apalachee Audubon received a grant to enhance habitat at Lake Elberta and connect the local community with nature there. As part of this grant, we received funds to hire four interns that will help plan, promote, and run events held at Lake Elberta throughout the year. It is the hope of Apalachee Audubon that these interns will be given opportunities that will enable them to get increasingly-competitive jobs in the conservation field and become leaders at the same time. Our interns, two from FAMU and two from FSU, have the opportunity to attend the Audubon Assembly in West Palm Beach in late October. Florida Audubon is generously sponsoring a number of young people to attend, but is limited on the funds that they can provide. If you would like to help develop new conservation leaders out of young people in our community, consider sponsoring an intern to attend. If you are interested, please email Peter Kleinhenz at
[email protected].
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Meet Our Interns for Lake Elberta Events
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My name is Niles Morrow and I’m a Senior Environmental Studies/Minor Fine Arts major at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University from Kissimmee FL. During my free time I enjoy reading Marine biology articles, exercising, and drawing. I desire to become a marine biologist and research on whales to help protect and conserve them in the wild. My goals are to earn a Doctorate Degree in marine biology and work in a marine laboratory or a Marine Sanctuary. In my career I desire to inspire people about the mysteries of whales and to make a difference in protecting them because whales are very important to the oceans. In addition, I would like to assist in wildlife conservation to ensure security and justice to all of wildlife. I’ve always been passionate about wildlife and I hope to inspire change in society to make people conserve and maintain wildlife gratefully.
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Carolyn Back graduated with her B.S. in Environment and Society from Florida State University in December 2016 and is now a second-year graduate student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at FSU. She has experience with community outreach through conducting neighborhood surveys and working as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Carolyn is passionate about environmental justice and advocating for equitable and sustainable practices in her community. She is very excited to work on the Lake Elberta Park project because she believes all neighborhoods and people in Tallahassee deserve access to beautiful public parks and nature. She hopes this project will promote awareness for wildlife conservation and the importance of biodiversity.
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My name is Harbria Gardner I am a native of Tallahassee, Florida. I am a third year Environmental Science major at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. I am excited about being an Apalachee Audubon Society intern this year. I want to help educate people in my community about the importance of protecting the environment around us.
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Pineview Elementary School
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For our second year, we will be working with students at Pineview Elementary School to teach them about birds in their local area. We will be visiting the school every other week on Tuesdays, from 4:30-5:30. We would love help if you are interested in joining us. No experience is necessary. These kids do not have the opportunities many of us had to explore the outdoors and vacation to exotic places, so this is a really important program to connect them with nature. Please email Peter Kleinhenz at
[email protected]
if you're interested in joining the team!
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Learn to Landscape Your Yard for Native Plants
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LEARN HOW TO TRANSFORM OR IMPROVE YOUR YARD WITH NATIVE PLANTS. Attract butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Provide a home for birds or learn which plants make a good rain garden or wildflower meadow.
WHAT: WORKSHOP: Learn to Landscape Your Yard with Native Plants
WHEN: Saturday, September 8, 2018
TIME: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM EDT
WHERE: Wakulla Environmental Institute, 170 Preservation Way, Crawfordville, FL 32327 (Google it or email us for directions: [email protected])
Admission $15, which includes a free native plant
Q&As: LEARN HOW TO TRANSFORM OR IMPROVE YOUR YARD WITH NATIVE PLANTS
Plenty of parking right at the institute
Workshop participants receive a free native plant
What's the refund policy? Refunds available up to 7 days prior to the event.
What can I bring to the workshop? We will provide: Water, light snacks, pencils and paper and graph paper for your unique landscape design. Lunch will be on your own after the workshop.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Please bring your printed ticket if you register online, or be prepared to show your IRQ code at the door. If you register by email notification, bring your $15 and pay at the door when you sign in.
Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?
Your ticket is transferrable. Please notify us before 6 p.m. September 7 ([email protected])if you are transferring your ticket so we may have an identification tag for your replacement.
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Facebook Group for Teen Birders
Hello fellow Audubon Society!
My name is Cody Nash, and I am a part of the Francis M. Weston Audubon Society based in Pensacola, Florida. We have recently established a Facebook group for our younger members to interact with fellow teens who have an interest in birds and birding. This group is administered by long-time FM Weston members and myself in order to ensure a safe, fun, and educational environment for our teen birders.
We would like to expand this group, and are extending invitations to other Audubon Society chapters for your teenage members. Joining the group requires that they answer a few simple questions, and we ensure that everyone joining is of appropriate age. Rest assured that rude, inappropriate, and offensive comments will not be tolerated in this group.
If you would like to open this invitation to teen members or the parents of teens in your Society, they can find us on Facebook at “Teen Birders Group sponsored by FM Weston Audubon Society”, which of course is associated with the group “Francis M. Weston Audubon Society”. Please let me know if you have any questions! We hope to see some new members from your society chapter soon.
Thank you for your time,
Cody Nash
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Volunteers Needed
Going into this next program year, Apalachee Audubon has some needs.
Jeff O'Connell is our new field trip leader. But we could always use additional trip leaders. If you would like to help others discover the birds of this area, this is your chance!
We will have a number of opportunities to work events, help teach students, and enhance local habitat. There's always more we can do. We just need the people to do it.
Please email our new volunteer coordinator, Kathleen Carr, at
[email protected]
if you're interested in any of these opportunities. With over 1,000 members, we would love to see more people get directly involved with what our chapter is doing.
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Hannah and Erik Go Birding - Podcasts
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Hannah and Erik are firm believers that it is never too late to start birding. They work to inspire others to take on the hobby, explore the great outdoors, breathe fresh air, and enjoy watching these fascinating creatures of flight. Hannah and Erik have traveled the world in search of birds and have started a podcast to share their adventures with others, in hopes that they can encourage others to get out and explore. In their podcast,
Hannah and Erik Go Birding,
they discuss the successes and failures from their recent birding adventures, share related news and anything else that comes to mind. Listen in to learn from their mistakes and find your next birding spot.
Their most recent adventure includes a trip to Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center (Georgia), Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge (Alabama), and Providence Canyon State Park (Georgia) on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, and anywhere else you hear podcasts.
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