The September 2022 Issue of the

Did you know that the Nisqually River, originating on the slopes of Mount Rainier and emptying into Puget Sound, is a national model for watershed preservation and protection? Climb aboard the virtual charter bus and join Jeff Antonelis-Lapp, Emeritus Faculty at The Evergreen State College, for A Virtual Field Trip in the Nisqually Watershed, an image-rich talk from Tahoma and Its People, his natural history of Mount Rainier National Park.

The trip begins with the original inhabitants, the Squalli-Absch, “The People of the River, the People of the Grass.” We then travel the length of the watershed from the Nisqually River’s origin at the terminus of the glacier to its runout into Puget Sound at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. The talk focuses on some of the watershed’s 78 river miles of natural history stories and some of its groundbreaking restoration projects (including the refuge’s dike removal in 2009).

After graduating from Huxley College (B.S. Environmental Education, 1978), Jeff Antonelis-Lapp worked two summers at Mount Rainier National Park, igniting a connection to the mountain that endures today. He has summited the mountain, hiked all of its mapped trails, and completed the 93-mile Wonderland Trail five times.

Meeting Location

We are planning on an in-person meeting at the church, and possibly a hybrid meeting so that you can also view using Zoom. Please check in later on our website as we finalize our plans.

Field Trips

by Heather Gibson

Fall Color and Fall Birds

by Steve Johnson

October 1 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Sign up early for this popular annual trip with Steve. Visit picturesque parks and beaches in King County and Pierce County during a great time of year to look for returning fall birds. We will travel to local parks and beaches along Puget Sound, searching for many species of sea birds and forest birds. This is a good time of year to encounter scenic views and fall color. Expect to walk short distances from the cars. People who wish to leave early may do so.

Bring: Lunch, beverages, and warm clothes. A scope is very welcome. Mask wearing is optional 

Meet: 8:00AM at the Redondo Heights Park and Ride- 27454 Pacific Hwy S, Federal Way, WA 98003

https://goo.gl/maps/3wr2t2fuB15e6S997



Contact Steve Johnson at 253-941-9852 or cell 253-766-9989 to be included 

2022 Flaming Geyser Bird Festival

by Jay Galvin

Rainier Audubon’s first annual bird festival at Flaming Geyser State Park on Saturday, June 25th was an overall success even in 95 degree heat! The covered shelter used turned out to be ample cover from the sun when needed.

The hourly guided bird walks led by Steve Johnson, Calen Randall, Cheryl White, Raphael Fennimore and Barbara Petersen were a big success. with at least 35 enthusiastic participants being led into the forest, along the Green River or next to the roadside marsh habitat.

Along with the bird walks were a children’s activity table manned by Chris Odell and Heather Gibson which kept the kids occupied making birds out of clothespins to painting birdhouses.

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Linda Carlson and Ken Schroeder

Come visit our Soos Creek Botanical Garden Fall Plant sale. We will have a nice selection of beautiful, healthy, plants propagated from the garden’s collections. Fall is an excellent time to plant, the fall rains will help plants establish and be ready to thrive come spring. Proceeds benefit our lovely garden.

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Forterra Saves Camp Kilworth!

FORTERRA & YMCA​

For over 80 years, Camp Kilworth stood atop a picturesque bluff, overlooking the Puget Sound and serving as a hub of Boy Scout activity in the region. Generations of youth from Federal Way, Tacoma, and beyond, learned outdoor and nature skills in the camp’s forest. As such, this 30-acre space found its hemlock forest, rich feeder bluffs, and tidal sand flats protected from the many decades of development surrounding it. For years, this natural space gave life skills, memories, and sanctuary to so many. In 2016, The Boy Scouts of America relinquished their rights from the camp, leaving its future in question. Since that time, community members, non-profits (including Rainier Audubon), the Puyallup Nation, and government agencies have all joined together, advocating for the preservation of the space. One such group emerged as a catalyst to bring all these voices together. The Kilworth Environmental Education Preserve (KEEP) 501c3 was created as a collaboration of the local community and built from shared concerns about the future of the space. After years of dedicated support, everyone’s efforts have proved successful. Camp Kilworth has been saved!

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KEEP | Kilworth Environmental Education Preserve (kilworthpreserve.org)

The What and Why of a Land Acknowledgement – My personal understanding of a complex idea

by Nancy Streiffert

In the Summer 2021 issue of Audubon magazine, on page 58, an article with the statement:

“Wherever you are in the United States, you’re on Native land” caught my interest. The article explains the protocol for inter-tribal meetings: “Whenever we go to someone’s land, we recognize ourselves as visitors on their territory, exchange cultural practices, and welcome one another.” A land acknowledgement continues that tradition. The practice, spreading from Canada to the U.S., recognizes Indigenous people as the land’s ancestral caretakers and pays respect to modern native nations. (Please see the article for authors of these quotes.)

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Book Reviews by Nancy Streiffert

Owls of the Eastern Ice - A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl

by Jonathan C. Slaght

Did you ever wonder how a conservation plan for an endangered species comes to be? Jonathan Slaght of Minnesota became interested in the Blakiston’s fish owl when he saw his first one in 2000 while working in the Peace Corps. After completing a Master of Science project on the songbirds of the Primorye region of Russia (where North Korea, China and Russia meet “in a tangle of mountains and barbed wire”), he chose the fish owl for his PhD. Project.

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Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants 

by Douglas W. Tallamy

I read this book after a review of it on the Washington Native Plant Society listserve by Allyn Weaks. This review is partly his and partly mine. My first thought about writing this review was how to convince gardeners to purposely grow plants that would attract insects that eat them! I decided it was worth a try if it meant that the insect damage to the plants would be minimal since the insects would attract the birds that Audubon folks love!

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Audubon Council of Washington (ACOW)

September 30 – October 2



Bolstered by the achievement at the federal level, we are excited to continue our local work in Washington state. Our annual statewide chapter event, the Audubon Council of Washington (ACOW), is coming back this September 30 – October 2 for our first in-person statewide gathering since 2019.

Join us for an in-person weekend of community and conservation. We'll meet in the newly-renovated Dungeness River Nature Center in Sequim, a partnership between the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society. We'll cover shared conservation issues, education programs, upcoming legislative strategies, partnerships with Tribes, and a new migration mapping project from National Audubon. We can't wait to put our heads together to tackle some of the biggest conservation challenges in Washington. 

Learn more and join us.

-Deborah Jensen

Rainier Audubon Nature Journaler's Monthly Zoom Gathering

September 25

3 PM - 4:30 PM

Cindy Flanagan

Topic - Check the website

CONNECT TO NATURE AND TO OTHERS

Going Solar in Washington

Help birds by installing rooftop solar panels. It's never been so easy.

Every day, the sun channels energy onto your roof. Solar panels let you capture some of that energy and use it to power your home, business, or electric car while lowering your electricity bill. By switching to solar power, you’ll reduce the carbon pollution behind climate change that threatens many birds, like the Northern Pygmy-Owl above, and their habitats.

What’s the catch? Installing rooftop solar takes some research, planning, and upfront costs. Those costs vary by state, and different states have different funding opportunities. Keep in mind that you will probably recoup those upfront costs within a decade with the money saved on your electricity bill—and you'll continue to save more money later.

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Airport in Enumclaw!

Although the original legislative direction was for a new, large airport site, or expanding existing airport sites, analysis indicates that meeting all of the projected demand for air transportation will require a combination of both existing airports and a new airport due to the complex capacity challenges facing Washington State

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Recent Website Updates

by Dan Streiffert

In order to simplify the menus on the website, I have added a Blog Posts menu item on the right hand side of the Menus. This will contain links to all Archived Posts that will get updated automatically as new posts are added. This is where you can find past articles such as Seen and Heard, Meeting Recordings and More. 

You may search by Month, Category, or Tag.

Check it out at www.RainierAudubon.org

Happy anniversary to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a vital bird sanctuary in southeast Oregon!