March 2019
March in the Field
Martin County Area Birding
Saturday, March 2, 8am-4pm
 
This is an all-day carpool trip to birding locations in Martin County, including Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Dupuis Management Area. Meet at 8am at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, at the parking area near the entrance station. Bring lunch.
 
Wakodahatchee Wetlands Bird Walk 
& post-walk Picnic
with #PhoebesBirding
Saturday, March 9, 7-10am

The Phoebes (an all-female birding group) will lead a bird walk at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach.  Meet at 7am at Wakodahatchee Wetlands (13026 Jog Road, 1.5 miles north of Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach). T he walk is open to female birders of any experience level. For those without binoculars, Leica Store Miami will provide optics on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring  water, snacks, sunscreen and insect repellent. No fee. No pre-registration required. 

After the walk, join The Phoebes for a late-morning picnic in the park just outside Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446). Bring your favorite picnic bites to share.

Click HERE for more information.

 Everglades National Park Birding
Saturday, March 9, 7:30am-5pm
 
John Boyd will lead this all-day carpool trip. Meet in the parking lot of the Coe Visitor Center at Everglades National Park at 7:30am. There is an entrance fee to the park. Bring lunch. No pre-registration required.
 
Southern Palm Beach Birding
Saturday, March 16, 7:30am-3pm
 
Nancy Freedman will lead this all-day carpool trip. Meet at 7:30am at Wakodahatchee Wetlands (13026 Jog Road, 1.5 miles north of Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach) No fee. Bring lunch. No pre-registration required.
 
South Broward Birding
Saturday, March 23, 8am-4pm
 
John Hutchison will lead this all-day carpool trip to birding locations in southern Broward County. Meet at 8am at Markham Park’s Meadow Nature Trail. From I-75, exit at Royal Palm Parkway (Exit 15). Drive west 0.5 miles to Weston Road. Turn right and drive west 2.8 miles to the park entrance. From I-595, exit at 136 Street (Exit 1A) and drive west 2.0 miles on SR84 (I-595 service road) to the park entrance. Turn left after the entrance station (fee) to reach the nature trail parking area, opposite the dog park. Bring lunch. No pre-registration required.
Take Action
Make Everglades Restoration a Florida priority
Register today for Everglades Action Day in Tallahassee
April 8-9
Join the Everglades Coalition for its 7 th Annual Everglades Action Day. Visit our state's Capitol and educate elected leaders on the dire need for Everglades Restoration. Materials and advocacy training will be provided. Free bus transportation and scholarships are available. 

Click HERE to register. 
Featured Events
HOUSE & GARDEN TOURS
Saturday, March 2

The Villagers Garden Tour, 10am-3pm
The Villagers 2019 Annual Garden Tour,  “A Kaleidoscope of Gardens,”  will showcase some of the area’s most beautiful private yards, with destinations in Kendall, Pinecrest and Coral Gables. 

Participants drive their own vehicles between the properties.  Attendees can also enjoy complimentary confections and the group's signature boutique featuring a variety of unique garden-related gifts for sale at Pinecrest Gardens. Carpooling and flat, comfortable walking shoes are encouraged. Please note that the venues cannot accommodate wheelchairs, walkers or strollers, and smoking and commercial photography is not permitted.

Please note:  The Villagers is a TAS community partner engaged with helping fund restoration of the Historic Doc Thomas House. Supporting its Annual Garden Tour enables The Villagers to continue its philanthropic restoration efforts.

Tickets, $30 in advance; $35 day-of based on availability . Contact a Villagers member or  Click Here  for more information.
Doc Thomas House Guided Tours @TAS, 1 & 3pm
Visit the historic Doc Thomas House for a captivating, 45-minute guided tour led by a Tropical Audubon Society docent. Learn about the Birds' benefactor Arden Hayes “Doc” Thomas and Robert Fitch Smith, the architect Thomas commissioned to design the house. Tour the distinctive, wood-and-limestone structure with its many ornamental and built-in features. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, named a Florida Heritage Site and designated a Dade County landmark, the charming 1932 cottage is an architectural gem. Gain insights into local South Miami and Audubon history, too. Tours include a stroll through our Steinberg Nature Center pollinator gardens and nature trails, weather-permitting.
 
Save the dates: First Saturdays of the month through June 2019.
Times: 1pm & 3pm Tours / House and Grounds Open 12:30-4pm.
 
Admission FREE: Donations Welcomed
 
Tropical Audubon Society: 5530 Sunset Dr., Miami, FL, 33143
Buzz by BEE-cause FLEA @TAS
Presented by Slow Food Miami
Saturday, March 16, 10am-4pm
Shop Tropical Audubon Society’s 3 rd Annual  BEE-cause Flea and help support the pollinators who feed our planet. Browse among a thoughtfully curated selection of art, birdhouses, books, collectibles, greeting cards, honey, organic fruit and vegetables, jewelry, native pollinator plants and tag-sale items. Pollinator purveyors will include artisan makers, beekeepers, fair trade collaborators and farmers.  BEE-cause Flea takes place at the conservation organization’s Steinberg Nature Center campus, a 2.2 acre urban oasis whose near-native habitats provide food and shelter for precious pollinators, including birds, bees, butterflies, bats and beetles. 



BEE-cause Flea  is presented by Slow Food Miami and takes place on our Steinberg Nature Center campus, a 2.2 acre urban oasis whose near-native habitats provide food and shelter for precious pollinators, including birds, bees, butterflies, bats and beetles. Net proceeds will support onsite Steinberg Nature Center Pollinator Habitat Initiatives.

Attend a FreeBEE Workshop!

·       iNaturalist Pollinator Walk
·       Beekeeping with Keez Beez
·       Honey, Kiss Me with Reeny’s Butterflies, Blooms & Bees
·       Honey Tasting with Keez Beez
·       Healing Honey & Ayurveda by Hridayam Ayurveda
·       Kids Crafts & Pollinator Games presented by Create Miami & Tropical Audubon Society 
 
BEE-cause Flea MISSION: Raise community awareness of, and on-site support for, increasingly threatened South Florida pollinators.
 
Presenting Sponsor:  Slow Food Miami    |   Legacy Sponsor:  Whole Foods Market
 
Pollinator Partners:  Community Newspapers, edible South Florida, First National Bank of South Miami,   inybn.com ,  Riviera Presbyterian Church

Click HERE to invite your PEEPS on Facebook!

Event Location:  @TropicalAudubon, 5530 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143
 
Ride:  Bike to TAS or take Metrorail. We are a 10-minute walk east from South Miami Metrorail Station!
 
Drive:  Complimentary parking at First National Bank of South Miami & Riviera Presbyterian Church. Nearby metered, valet & garage options. Plus limited onsite parking via our 55th Avenue auto gate. 
Attend the Audubon Ambassador Program @TAS
Become a more powerful advocate for the environment!
Our 2019 Audubon Ambassador Program debuts this month! Earn your Wings — the Audubon Ambassador Program is open to anyone 18 years and older who is curious to learn more about the environment. 

Everglades Restoration Session & Field Trip
Saturday, March 23, 9:30am-4pm
 
Our inaugural 2019 March session spotlights the Everglades, South Florida's most iconic and valuable ecosystem. In the morning, hear about Everglades habitat and on-going restoration efforts from Audubon Florida's Northern Everglades Policy Analyst Doug Gaston along with a representative from the National Parks Service. Gain advocacy skills, learn how to participate in Everglades Action Day next month and be tutored on how to best communicate your Everglades Restoration concerns to our elected leaders. Dive deep into the River of Grass and its wildlife inhabitants on an afternoon walkabout in Everglades National Park led by an experienced environmentalist.
 
Click HERE  for a flyer
Click HERE to RSVP

The Audubon Ambassador Program  is a series of workshops and field trips designed to make you a more engaged, educated and effective advocate conservationist. Learn from leaders in their fields and become a strong advocate for the water we drink, the air we breathe and the habitat that nurtures, shelters and sustains our region’s birds and other wildlife. You’ll come away knowing more about South Florida ecosystems, environmental challenges, sea level rise and hurricane resilience issues — and, most important, practice making a difference. Talks on issues will be followed by advocacy exercises. Field trips bring each month’s classroom discussions to life.
 
RSVP for these additional Session Dates:
 
April 27, 2019, 9:30 AM – 4 PM: Session 2 - Coastal Resilience
Coastal Resiliency | Sea-level Rise | Volunteer Planting of Coastal Sand Dunes
 
May 25, 2019, 9:30 AM – 4 PM; Session 3 - Pine Rocklands
Native Plants | Habitat Conservation | Doc Thomas House Tour
 
June 22, 2019, 9:30 AM - 4 PM; Session 4 - Biscayne Bay
Coral Reef Restoration | Water Quality | Seagrasses | Boat Tour on Biscayne Bay
 
August 24, 2019, 9:30 AM - 12 PM; Session 5 - Smart Growth
Urban Planning | Economic and Community Development | Bird-Friendly Buildings
 
September 28, 2019, 9:30 AM - 4 PM; Session 6 - Birding 101
Audubon Network | History of Birding | Basic Bird Identification | Bird Walk
 
October 26, 2019, 9:30 AM - 4 PM; Session 7 - Native Plants for Birds
Greening for Birds | Invasive Species | Eco-Restoration
 
November 23, 2019, 11:30 AM - 4 PM; Pinning Ceremony Picnic
Networking Lunch for Current & Past Audubon Ambassadors  | Highlights of the Year

 
FEES: $10 per session, or $60 for 7 sessions paid in advance (advance registration is required via Eventbrite. Modest handling fees will be added by Eventbrite). Pinning Ceremony Picnic free for program attendees.

The Audubon Ambassador Program was hatched by Tropical Audubon Society, and is underwritten by Audubon Florida, Everglades Foundation and National Audubon Society.
 
Ride: Bike to TAS or take the Metrorail. TAS is just a 10-minute walk east from the South Miami Metrorail Station.
 
Park: Limited on-site parking via our 55th Avenue auto gate. Nearby metered, valet and garage options.
Conservation Concert @TAS
10th Anniversary series featuring Been There, Done That
Saturday, March 30, 7pm
The night air will come alive with a tapestry of music as  Been There, Done That  returns to the Doc Thomas House stage for its annual March date with the Birds. 

Also on the playbill:  Taco Fresh Food Truck, and the donation Bird Bar featuring wines courtesy of Republic National Distributing Co. 
 
Picnic tables available on a first-come basis.
 
Gates open at 7pm; music begins at 7:30pm
CASH door: $10 donation p/p, children 12 and under FREE
 
Parking: Limited free parking via our 55th Avenue auto gate and along 56th Avenue; metered parking on Sunset Drive; various garage and valet parking options within 1-3 blocks; Metro-rail service to South Miami Station.
 
Proceeds benefit capital improvements to our historic Doc Thomas House headquarters and the Steinberg Nature Center grounds.

Click HERE to invite your PEEPS on Facebook!

Green Things to Do
Brown Pelican. Photo: Fred Borgianini/Audubon Photography Awards
It’s your chance to enter the Audubon Photography Awards, which showcase the best in Bird Photography. In addition to Professional, Amateur and Youth categories, Audubon has added a “Plants for Birds” category for shutterbugs 13 and older whose entry depicts both birdlife and North American flora (flowers, trees, bushes, grasses native to the United States or Canada).
 
Winning 2019 photos will be published in Audubon magazine and Nature’s Best Photography magazine, and displayed within the 2019 Nature’s Best Photography Exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in D.C.
 
 Entry details can be found at   audubonphotoawards.org.
Click here for contest rules.
Relax with Yoga Nidra under the Chickee @TAS
Thursdays, 7:30-8:30pm
Unwind under the Audubon Oaks. Join Hridayam Yoga instructor Carol Jamault for outdoor Yoga Nidra. These deeply relaxing and restorative classes take place under the TAS chickee hut for the joy of those who love to put their bare feet on the ground, listen to the sounds of Nature and enjoy the perfume of verdant woods in a tranquil urban oasis! Yoga Nidra is a great tool to manage stress, improve sleep quality and regenerate the nervous system. Classes include gentle asanas, pranayama and exercises for the joints.

Click Here  to register.

Eco-Restoration Day @TAS's Porter Russell Pine Rockland Preserve
Club, College, Corporate & Private Parties Only 
Second Saturday of each month, 8:30am-12pm
Eco-Restoration Days at this site are now reserved exclusively for service clubs, ecology classes, corporations and private work parties of 10 volunteers or more. Advanced reservations are required. RSVP to Events Director & Volunteer Coordinator Amy Creekmur at  [email protected].

Helping TAS steward our 8-acre Porter Russell Pine Rockland Preserve in South Miami-Dade County is ideal for community service credit and corporate team-building. This precious parcel is one of the few remaining tracts of globally imperiled Pine Rockland habitat remaining outside of Everglades National Park. Work-party details and requirements will be provided upon registration.

                     Volunteer | @tropicalaudubon
Florida Trail Association Meeting @TAS
Tuesday, March 12, 7-9pm
FTA's March meeting will feature a captivating talk by Central & South Florida Trail Program Manager Kelly Wiener, who manages the 600 miles of trail that runs between the southern terminus and Ocala National Forest.

Eco-Restoration Day @TAS's Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, March 16, 8:30-11:30am
Learn about indigenous plants and help TAS maintain the near-native landscape at our Steinberg Nature Center campus. We need you! Restoration Days are held on the 3rd Saturday of every month. We're flexible — show up between 8:30 and 11:30am — you will meet conservationists, birders, plant lovers and gardeners just like you lending a hand.

Please bring sunscreen and your refillable water bottle; wear closed-toe shoes. We will provide water.

Eco-restoration days take place on the third Saturday of every month. Groups welcome!


Volunteer   @tropicalaudubon    
Rise Up Florida Environmental Committee Meeting @TAS
Thursday, March 21, 6:30pm
Rise Up Florida! is a grassroots group of engaged citizens whose goals are to mobilize people, activate them to protect our community from unfair and unjust policies, and work toward electing representatives who reflect the core values of equal rights and opportunity for all.

Pot-luck — bring something delicious! Please be mindful and refrain from using disposable items to make, carry or serve your dish. No plastic bags, single-use plastic or styrofoam, please.

                                             
  Volunteer | @tropicalaudubon
Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition Meeting @TAS
Thursday, March 28, 7-9pm
Federally Endangered Pine Rockland Resident: Bartram's Hairstreak Butterfly
Photo: Al Sunshine
Get the latest information surrounding the Walmart/Coral Reef Commons Development plans now set in motion at the former University of Miami South Campus.

Learn about how to better protect the region’s remaining Pine Rocklands and how you can participate.

Go Solar!
Join a Solar Co-op Information Session Near You
Miami-Dade residents have come together to form a neighborhood-centric Miami-Dade Solar Co-op with the help of Solar United Neighbors of Florida. The co-op makes it easier to save money on the purchase of solar panels, while building a community of local solar supporters. Attend an information session in your neighborhood to learn more about how the Southern Miami-Dade Solar Co-op is streamlining the going solar process and is earning a discount through bulk purchase power.

The Birds Thank
The Birds thank Slow Food Miami for presenting this month’s BEE-cause Flea, and for helping seed and support our on-campus native pollinator gardens. Together with legacy sponsor Whole Foods Market, Slow Food Miami’s enduring support of our annual BEE-cause Flea has assured it blossoms and flourishes.

“Slow Food” is an idea, a way of living, a way of eating and a nonprofit, member-supported organization. It is part of a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members in more than 150 countries, which links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Slow Food Miami embraces local growers and artisan food makers who support good, clean and fair food.   To experience its good works first-hand, attend its “Snail of Approval” Tasting Party on Thursday, March 14, at the Palms Hotel & Spa. Known as Miami’s “Freshest Night Out,” proceeds from the 8 th  annual celebration will directly fund the organization’s signature Edible Garden Program, which funds organic gardens at local schools 'and our pollinator gardens!'

Click here for tickets.

Supporting those vendors who support TAS is an easy way to contribute to our Mission. The Birds will thank you!