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Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Brian Kusher
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Help Hummingbirds survive post - Hurricane Irma
Ruby-throated hummingbirds winter in South Florida, mostly in open habitat or dry tropical scrub. These little snowbirds typically arrive in September seeking flowers from which to drink nectar. Due to Hurricane Irma, there is now a nectar shortage. You can help these tiny precious pollinators by setting up and
properly maintaining
hummingbird feeders in your yard or on your patio. (
It is imperative to keep the feeder clean.
) These amazing creatures require mucho energy to beat their wings more than 50 times per second. Some Ruby-throats may even travel from Canada to Costa Rica. Let's be as hospitable as possible between now and April when they will again migrate northward.
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DIY Hummingbird Nectar Feeder
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Kendale Parks Birdwalk
Saturday, October 7, 7:30am
Join
Carlos Sanchez
or a bird walk at Kendale Lakes Park and other West Kendall-area migrant traps. Kendale Lakes Park is on SW 82 St. (Kendale Lakes Blvd) between SW 142 and SW 145 avenues. Meet at 7:30am at the parking area adjacent to the tennis courts; entrance is on SW 145 Ave. No fee. Return at 11am.
Corkscrew Swamp / Ft. Myers Beach Birding
Saturday, October 14, 7am
Brian Rapoza
will lead an all day carpool trip to Collier and Lee Counties. Meet at 7am at the Government Road/Snake Road service station (Exit 49 on I-75) in Broward County. There is an admission fee for Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (discount for Audubon members) and a fee for beach parking. Bring lunch and beach footwear. Walkie-talkies are recommended.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Bird Walk
Sunday, October 15, 7:15am
Robin Diaz
Robin Diaz will lead birders through Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne. Participants will meet promptly by 7:15am at the exit gate of the park; carpooling is encouraged. The gate will close at 7:20am. We will assemble at No Name Harbor (from the entrance station, make your first right and drive west to the parking area), where park fees will be collected. The walk will begin at 7:30am, returning at approximately 11am. Costs include the park entrance fee and the Rickenbacker Causeway toll.
A.D. Barnes Park Bird Walk
Saturday, October 28, 7:30am
Bill Boeringer
Bill Boeringer will lead birders through A.D. Barnes Park. Enter on SW 72nd Ave. just north of Bird Rd. (SW 40th St.), turn left at the T intersection and park in spaces on either side of the road. Meet at 7:30am, returning at approximately 11am. No fee.
Bird Walk with Noah Strycker @ Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Sunday, October 29, 8am
(scroll down for book signing and more)
J
oin "Birding without Borders" proponent
Noah Strycker
,
Leica Store Miami and TAS for a morning bird walk at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Test out the latest Leica Sport Optics while learning birding tips from the pros.
Click to RSVP
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Hope for Florida Forever!
To help secure its FUNDING, tell Tallahassee what's at stake
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In 2014, voters overwhelmingly passed the Water & Land Legacy Amendment, which provides land conservation funding. Yet the Florida Legislature has failed to provide adequate resources to conservation programs, such as Florida Forever, and has instead de-funded conservation for the next fiscal year.
In Miami-Dade County, only one approved Florida Forever project is on the books. Called the "Dade Archipelago," it consists of multiple parcels of pristine Pine Rockland and Rockland Hammock. Only 307 of the original 889 acres remain to be purchased.
Recently, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection recommended that $50M be set aside for the Florida Forever project list. On October 2, Florida Senator Bill Bradley introduced a bill seeking to dedicate a minimum of $100M for Florida Forever, linking the Legacy Florida bill that dedicated funding for the Everglades.
To make Florida Forever a reality, we urgently need you make our Miami-Dade Delegation aware of the importance of these conservation land buys, especially the Dade Archipelago properties.
If you would like to join TAS Conservation Director Erin Clancy and other concerned citizens who will be visiting the local offices of our state senators and representatives, contact
Erin Clancy.
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ACT NOW!
County Commission Committee Consider 836 Expansion
Again
Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 1:30pm
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Thanks to your previous calls, collective actions and the resolve of several county commissioners, on June 13 the Miami-Dade County Commission Government Operations Committee voted down a resolution to extend SR-836 beyond the Urban Development Boundary (UDB).
But our victory was short-lived.
NOW, after waiting the requisite 3 months, the issue is again on the agenda.
Committee Chair Commissioner Moss has sponsored resolution 2D-172095, which paves the way for an extension of SR-836 beyond the UDB, albeit couched in concessions intended to allay concerns voiced by the environmental community. Tell the commissioners on the Operations Committee — in no uncertain terms — to respect the UDB and OPPOSE this latest attempt by MDX to build a road outside this important boundary (and ever closer to Everglades National Park).
Constructing highways in Open Space won't solve our urban traffic problems; rather, doing so increases traffic in a phenomenon called "induced traffic."
Mark your calendar and please attend the Tuesday, October 10 Government Operations Committee meeting at 1:30pm to voice your opposition.
COMMISSION CHAMBERS
Stephen P. Clark Government Center
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Call Commissioners asking them to Hold the Line!
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Go Solar!
Join a Solar Co-op Information Session Near You
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Live in Miami-Dade and want to go solar? Residents have come together to form a neighborhood-centric Miami-Dade Solar Co-op, with the help of FL SUN, to make 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 hood to learn more about how the Southern Miami-Dade Solar Co-op is streamlining the process of going solar and earning a discount through bulk purchase power.
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Participate in Miami-Dade County's Comprehensive Development Plan
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Please take the EAR2018
survey
part of the seven-year review of Miami-Dade County's Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP). The survey
is
an interactive tool that allows you to prioritize the goals that Miami-Dade County takes into consideration when planning for our future. Choose among; Climate Change, Housing, Historic and Environmental Preservation, Transit, and Economic Development, to name a few. Your input is needed to help shape our future!
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"One Amazing Day" debuts
TONIGHT
!
Thursday, October 5, at Sunset Place (one block west of TAS)
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An astonishing journey that reveals the awesome power of the natural world opens in the U.S. this month. Narrated by the Oscar-winning American movie icon Robert Redford,
BBC
Earth's "One Amazing Day" tells the story of life on our planet during a single 24-hour period.
For Movie times, Google: "Movie times 33143" through the weekend.
TAS members enjoy limited free parking through the 55th avenue gate.
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FLORIDA IS ... [Nature]
TONIGHT
!
Inaugural Exhibit Opening @ Pinecrest Gardens
Thursday, October 5, 6:30-9pm
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Artist Xavier Cortada's residency at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation's Artist Residency in Captiva has inspired the inaugural “Florida is Nature” exhibit at Pinecrest Gardens. It is the first in a series that asks Floridians to define their state by its natural environment, not by the man-made edifices and encroachments that displace nature. Presented by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the International SeaKeepers Society, Cortada's exhibit will hang in the Hibiscus Gallery through November 19.
Additionally, you can catch these other "FLORIDA IS ... " events this month at Pinecrest Gardens:
Art-Science Talk: FLORIDA IS ... Hurricanes”
Monday, October 16, 10:30-11:30am
“FLORIDA IS … Conservation Talk
"
Thursday, October 19, 6:30-9pm
Hurricanes, Climate Change & The Everglades
Friday, October 20, 7-9pm
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Doc Thomas House Docent-guided Tours @ TAS
Y'all Come! Saturday, October 7, 1 & 3pm
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Visit the historic Doc Thomas House for a captivating guided tour led by a Tropical Audubon Society docent. Learn about the Birds' benefactor Arden Hayes Thomas, the renowned architect he commissioned and the home's distinctive architectural features, while getting a taste of local and Audubon history, too. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, named a Florida Heritage Site and designated a Dade County landmark, the charming 1932 cottage has much to say for itself! Tours include a stroll through our Steinberg Nature Center property
weather-permitting.
The house will be open from 12:30pm-4pm on the first Saturday of each month, October-December, with guided tours at 1pm and 3pm.
Admission by Donation
CLICK HERE
to invite Friends on Facebook & spread the word
REMEMBER: follow us on
Twitter
, to tag us on Historic Facts and on
Instagram
, to share your photos in a post or story!
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Love the Everglades Symposium: Citizen Empowerment
October 7, 8 & 15
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The 4th Annual "Love the Everglades" Symposium will amplify Citizen Empowerment in a community outreach event to bolster public recognition about Everglades issues and the champions who are addressing them. This forum highlights the positive efforts and challenges of political leaders, sovereign and municipal land use, community and grassroots actions, artistic expression and personal inspiration.
The event is FREE and open to the public! Table space is available via registration. FREE LUNCH is included in the registration! Sign up TODAY!
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Florida Trail Association (FTA)
Meeting & Potluck Dinner
Tuesday, October 10th 7-9 pm
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Kick off the season with a potluck dinner and FTA’s first meeting of the season. Big Cypress Chapter schedule of upcoming events will be proposed (suggestions welcome) and David Denham will discuss the Florida Trail's missing links and road connections.
Mostly vegan potluck- bring something delicious! Kindly refrain from using disposable items to make, cary or serve your contribution.
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Conservation Salon @ TAS
Seven50: Smart Growth for South Florida
Thursday, October 12, 7pm
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Seven50 (“seven counties, 50 years”) is a blueprint for growing a more prosperous, more desirable Southeast Florida over the next five decades and beyond. Developed in 2014 in a unique collaboration of public, private and civic stakeholders, the plan maps out a strategy for the best-possible quality-of-life scenario for the more than six million residents of Broward, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.
Whether Southeast Florida is affected by growth adversely or positively over the next 50 years will depend largely on a proactive citizenry. Join Seven50 Project Director Jason King, of the South Miami-based urban planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners, to visualize how growth management policies will impact our future.
Now more than ever we need smart urban planning.
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SoMi ArtWalk Season Inaugural @ TAS
"Road Tripping" Opening Reception
Friday, October 13, 6-8pm
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Our historic Doc Thomas House's period parlor is transformed into a vibrant art gallery as Nature Photographer Lainie Hope Solomon presents her exhibit titled "Road Tripping!" The show conveys her intuitive knack for composition, color and creativity.
The native South Floridian received her first camera when she was 16, pursued a career in education and a second in the hospitality industry. But she never stopped snapping pictures; in the intervening years she has elevated her former hobby to an expressive craft.
Lainie's work celebrates the beauty of where we live and the back roads she has traveled. "Get Your Art On" and follow her unique journey.
The opening night reception also features our donation Bird Bar.
Bonus:
Park for free on our Steinberg Nature Center grounds via the 55th Avenue entry gate and use TAS as your ArtWalk home base for a gallery-hopping stroll into town.
Thirty percent of the proceeds from the sale of all art benefit Tropical Audubon Society.
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Working Forests Day @ Porter Russell Pine Rockland
Saturday, October 14, 8:30-11:30am
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As part of the "Working Forests Week" celebration, you're invited to interact with Senior Forester Mark Torok from the Florida Forest Service at our Porter Russell Pineland Preserve, a 7-acre parcel located in South Miami-Dade. Forester Torok will guide our post-Hurricane Irma restoration of the Pine Rockland by helping identify the native understory plants that will now benefit from more sunlight and the invasives in need of removal.
To assure survival of our region's threatened pine rockland habitat you can volunteer to plant pine seedlings, learn about the diverse native plants specific to this habitat and gain insights into how a thriving healthy forest "works" for us.
Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes; bring sunscreen and a refillable water bottle. Water will be provided.
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Share and connect around our "living in Greater Miami" experiences. Add your voice to a countywide conversation about who we are as a community, where we’re going and what we can do to get there. Light bites and refreshments will be provided.
We’d love to hear your Miami story – hope you can make it!
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Rise Up Florida Environmental Committee Meeting @ TAS
Thursday, October 19, 6:30pm
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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 towards electing representatives who reflect our core values of equal rights and opportunity for all.
Mostly vegan potluck- bring something delicious! Kindly refrain from using disposable items to make, cary or serve your contribution.
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Audubon Florida Assembly
(early bird rate thru today!)
Water for Florida's Future
October 20 & 21, in St. Augustine
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Photo Credit Tom E. Smith
Join Audubon chapters from across the state for expert-led birding field trips, engaging sessions, conservation celebrations and more for the annual Audubon Assembly in St. Augustine.
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Hines / Kushlan Book signing
Books & Books Coral Gables
Sunday, October 22, 1-3pm
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Author, photographer and TAS Board member Kirsten Hines and
biologist, writer, and conservationist James A. Kushlan present their latest collaboration, "Images of Modern America: Biscayne National Park" at Books & Books Coral Gables.
TAS will co-host a history and photography walk led by Kirsten and James on the eve of the Miami Book Fair and host an Art Nite featuring the acclaimed Naturalist's work in December.
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Eco-Restoration Day @ TAS's Steinberg Nature Center
Saturday, October 21, 8:30-11:30am
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Photo Credit Tom E. Smith
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Now that you've tidied your own nest, please help us pick up sticks on Saturday morning. Irma left behind a giant "tossed salad" in her wake, and while we've taken a big bite, much remains on our proverbial plate.
Please BYO:
• Work Gloves
• Refillable Water Bottle
• Sunscreen
• Closed-toe shoes
We will provide:
• water
• bug spray
• parking
• A/C
• restroom
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Miami Pine Rocklands Coalition Meeting @ TAS
Thursday, October 26, 7-9pm
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Photo Credit: Al Sunshine
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Get pos t- Hurricane Irma damgage updates, as well as the latest developments surrounding Walmart/Coral Reef Commons Development plans to bulldoze and pave over imperiled habitat at the former University of Miami South Campus.
Learn about plans to Save the Pine Rocklands, and how you can participate by helping ramp-up "Save it, Don't Pave it" efforts all the way to Washington D.C.
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"World Big Year" Gallery Opening w/ Noah Strycker @ Leica Store Miami
Talk & "Birding without Borders" Book Signing
Saturday, October 28, 7-9pm
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Join Leica Store Miami and TAS for a pop-up gallery opening, captivating talk and book signing with Noah Strycker. In 2015, the self-proclaimed bird nerd and Oregonian became the first human to sight more than half of the planet’s bird species in a single, yearlong, round-the-world birding trip. Birding on seven continents and carrying only a backpack, Strycker enlisted the enthusiastic support of local birders to tick more than 6,000 species, including Adelie Penguins in Antarctica, a Harpy Eagle in Brazil, a Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Thailand, and a Green-breasted Pitta in Uganda. Anything could have happened, and a lot did, from being scourged by bloodsucking leeches, to enduring mudslides and torrential floods. He shared the adventure in real time on his daily blog (audubon.org/noah). To hear about his gripping, humorous and inspiring adventure in real time follow the link to RSVP. Limited seating will be available.
Attendees will be able to sample craft beers during the event courtesy of The Brooklyn Brewery.
Join Strycker the following morning for an 8am bird walk at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
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372 Miracle Mile
Coral Gables, FL 33134
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(our hero) Mark Howell of Cut Rite Tree Service
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… for riding to our rescue post-Hurricane Irma, kindly wielding his big-daddy chain saw on his only "day off" from the 24/7 insanity that is currently every arborist's life. One-thousand thanks for cutting up the big stuff and making our continuing cleanup possible, Mark!
When you are ready to clean-cut broken branches and properly reshape wind-damaged trees, Mark is an owner/operator who makes all the cuts, and also provides stump grinding and free mulch. Recycling chipping tree limbs saves disposal dollars, keeps precious organic material out of landfills, helps enrich soils and minimizes irrigation needs.
Supporting those vendors who support TAS is an easy way to contribute to our Mission. The birds will thank you!
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