Director's Message
Amy Weeks
Valentine's Day may be a few days away, but we try to show our love of birds every day. And, we know you love them, too!
We know this because our Bird of the Week and free birding field trips are more popular than ever before. BCH stewards continue creating more sustainable wildlife habitats around the region, with 142 acres already certified. Volunteers continue to dedicate their time and talent and have contributed more than 3,200 hours of service over the last fiscal year. A group of enthusiastic birders just returned from a birding trip to south Texas (stories and pictures to come in the March issue). Our hearts are overjoyed and filled with gratitude with this kind of engagement!
We continually strive to make it easier for you to connect with nature, after all, it is our mission- creating a community connection to nature through education and conservation. In this issue of Tale Feathers, you'll see some new opportunities to join others who share your interests in nature, birds and wildlife. We hope you will join us for one of the upcoming joint partner programs, maybe we'll see you on the trails during a bird walk, or perhaps you're ready to join the team and apply for one of our open positions?
If the unpredictable winter weather (is it going to feel like spring today or the arctic?) has you feeling a little hesitant to wander far, we'd like to encourage you to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. The Great Backyard Bird Count will take place over four days beginning February 17 and ending February 20, 2023. It's easy to participate and so important for helping scientists understand how our changing climate may be affecting birds.
If you are interested in participating, I encourage you to visit this link, which will detail what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. You can even sign up for a webinar with live Q&A from experts.
I hope you enjoy all that St. Louis Audubon Society is offering and the many ways we continue to positively impact our community.
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Ornithological Forecast, February 2023
Bill Rowe
We all know that winter is not done with us in February, although what this amounts to is variable from one year to the next. Any cold fronts may still bring us some cool (sorry) birds in the form of northern gulls, raptors like Rough-legged Hawks, possible irruptive passerines such as redpolls or Snow Buntings, or many other possibilities. But we also know that the signs of spring are beginning, in several ways: (1) Our local resident birds start practicing their singing, and it is normal to hear the songs of cardinals, titmice, House Finches, and many others around our neighborhoods, especially on sunny days. Out in farmland, you can hear the jingling song of Horned Larks on territories, and in all marshy or grassy areas, many male Red-winged Blackbirds will be similarly engaged. (2) Some raptors like Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls will be building or repairing nests and laying and incubating their eggs. (3) Especially from mid-February onward, waterfowl will be on the move. Overhead, skeins of Snow Geese will be heading north, almost always with some Ross’s Geese among them (grab your binoculars and check for small ones). Augmenting the ducks that spent the winter, more dabblers like Mallard, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, and Green-winged Teal will appear in shallow grassy marshes, and more divers like Canvasback and scaup on larger lakes and rivers.
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The River des Peres Watershed Coalition (RdPWC) recognized Dan Pearson and the Bring Conservation Home program for efforts that help to improve the River des Peres watershed. Dan received the 2022 Steve Nagle Watershed Hero award on February 8th at the RdPWC Annual Meeting.
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YOU ARE INVITED...
JOINT PROGRAM WITH WGNSS
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Ed Spevak, Ph.D.
Curator of Invertebrates, Saint Louis Zoo
Director, Center for Native Pollinator Conservation
Dr. Ed Spevak has dedicated the last 43 years of his career to the conservation of invertebrates and vertebrates, working in zoos and aquariums as a zoo curator and small population biologist. Ed is the Curator of Invertebrates at the Saint Louis Zoo and is Director of Saint Louis Zoo’s WildCare Institute Center for Native Pollinator Conservation (CNPC). Ed and the Saint Louis Zoo helped to establish the IUCN SSC Bumble Bee Specialist Group (now the Wild Bee Specialist Group). Ed and the Zoo also helped establish the Honey Bee Health Coalition, Farmers for Monarchs and Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative. Ed is also a member of the Science Advisory Council of Field to Market looking at biodiversity issues in the sustainable agriculture chain. Ed, through the CNPC, has developed a program called Native Foods, Native Peoples, Native Pollinators focused on food security, food sovereignty and pollinator conservation with Native American Reservations and Communities.
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FULL-TIME POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: BCH OUTREACH SPECIALIST
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The full-time Outreach Specialist will conduct a wide range of community outreach efforts, especially landscape consultations, certification assessments, volunteer training and mentoring, events and community presentations. This is a full-time position with a lot of schedule flexibility. Much of the work is done remotely with regular travel to different locations in the St. Louis Metro Area. This position is dependent on outside funding from sponsorships and grants.
This position is ideal for someone who has a passion for learning about and advocating for ecological landscaping and wildlife stewardship. The ideal candidate is dependable, adaptable, open-minded and detail-oriented with strong problem solving & interpersonal skills. St. Louis Audubon Society seeks to build a diverse, welcoming and equitable working environment and encourages candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. Candidates who may not meet all of the qualifications listed but are excited about being involved with this work are encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline: February 26th, 2023
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The Creley Memorial Conservation Grant Opens February 15 - Apply Soon!
The St. Louis Audubon Society has worked to positively impact birds and their habitats for over 100 years. The establishment of the Cathleen Creley Memorial Conservation Grant was made possible by a generous gift of the Creley family and is used to annually award grants that support bird conservation and education projects throughout the St. Louis region.
These grants have allowed SLAS to financially support organizations and projects that further bird conservation and education, strengthen current collaborations, and establish new partnerships that magnify our influence on bird conservation in St. Louis.
The total amount available for the 2023 grant cycle is estimated to be $6300. One or more grants will be awarded depending on the income of the fund for a given fiscal year, the quality of the grant proposals received, and the results of the grant evaluation system.
Review and download the 2023 grant application here.
Completed grant applications should be submitted no later than 5pm on Friday, March 31st, 2023.
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Joint Program with the Sierra Club
March 2023
Day and time coming soon!
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Speaker: Tara Morton, Community Engagement Coordinator at Tower Grove Park
Presentation Title: Revived Water: Tower Grove Park’s East Stream Project
Presentation Description: The East Stream, which has been named Nee Kee Nee (revived water) by the present-day Osage Nation, was daylighted in 2022, having previously been covered in the 1910s. The stream recovery project features several large-scale raingardens (stormwater BMPs) that slow, filter, and treat rainwater and allow for deep soil infiltration. The project also honors the ancestral Osage people who inhabited the land prior to European settlement, with their story told throughout the stream including an Osage village reproduction. Learn about this massive restoration project from Park staff at this engaging discussion.
Speaker Bio: As the Community Engagement Coordinator of Tower Grove Park, Tara Morton oversees education programming and interpretation, including the docent program, volunteer program, and community events, festivals, and workshops. She joined the TGP team in 2022 with a decade of experience in programming for local nonprofits and parks and is a proud resident of Tower Grove South neighborhood. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture and is an active volunteer and Board Member with the Missouri Master Naturalists: Great Rivers Chapter.
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Join others who share your interests in nature, birds and wildlife!
February 21 - Joint Meeting with WGNSS
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Photo Credit: Marian Brinkman |
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JOIN OUR TEAM - VOLUNTEER BOARD TREASURER NEEDED |
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St. Louis Audubon Society’s current Treasurer will be stepping down on or before the close of the Society’s fiscal year, April 30, 2023. As a result, we are seeking a volunteer to take on this key role within the St. Louis Audubon organization. This position, defined as officer and Board Member, will have a two-year term with one successive term possible.
St. Louis Audubon Society is a Missouri non-profit corporation that is exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). Our books are currently kept on a cash basis.
The Treasurer is a volunteer position that brings with it membership on the Board of Directors. The Treasurer’s primary jobs are to maintain a high-level view of our finances; collaborate with the bookkeeper as needed; report to the Board every two months on how we are doing vis-à-vis the budget and our goals; lead a team in preparing the next year’s budget; and sit on our investment committee.
If you are interested, please email Amy with your interest and relevant experience. We look forward to you joining our team!
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ST. LOUIS AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD MEETINGS
Next meeting: Tuesday, February 14
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Please Note: Board meetings will be held by Zoom and will not meet in person until further notice. If you have an interest in joining our volunteer Board, please contact one of the officers or staff members. |
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Officers & Staff
Bill Rowe, President
Jean Favara, VP Conservation
Stephanie Schroeder, VP Education
Gail Saxton, Secretary
Amy Weeks, Executive Director
(314) 687-3942
Dan Pearson, Director, BCH
(314) 718-3967
dan@stlouisaudubon.org
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