Upcoming Events
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Sat, Apr 15, 9am
Swannanoa Valley Birdwalk
Tue, Apr 18, 7pm
EMAS program:
Saving the Red Wolf with Christian Hunt
Tue, May 2, 7pm
EMAS Board Meeting
Sat,
May 6
, 8am
Sat, May 13, 8am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
Tue, May 16 7pm
EMAS Birdathon Program: Nicaragua: Birds, Coffee and People by John Gerwin
Sat, May 20, 8am
Swannanoa Valley Birdwalk
Sat, Jun 3, 8am
Beaver lake Birdwalk
Tue, Jun 6, 7pm
EMAS Board Meeting
Sat, Jun 10, 8am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
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Special Events
Sierra Club Program Wednesday, May 3, 7pm "Flowers, Trees, and Mountains of our Appalachian Spring" with Scott Dean, naturalist and photographer.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1 Edwin Pl
Free & open to the public
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For the latest schedule and any changes:
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It's EMAS Birdathon
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| Golden-Winged Warbler by Alan Lenk |
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time! In early May, teams of Elisha Mitchell Audubon birders compete in a friendly Birdathon, identifying as many species of birds as they can in one 24-hour period. The goal is not only to spot the most birds but to raise money for bird conservation. The Peregrine team ruled in 2016 with a count of 130 species and a total of $6,321 was raised by all three teams. Since 2010, our chapter Birdathons have raised over $34,000 for bird conservation!
This is Elisha Mitchell Audubon's major fund-raiser and we hope to meet our target goal of $6,000. This year we will award a $1,000 scholarship to a UNCAsheville Environmental Science student. The remaining donations will support an
American Bird Conservancy project in Nicaragua aimed at increasing highland forest connectivity and creating shade-grown coffee systems for the benefit of Golden-winged Warblers, Wood Thrush, and other neotropical migratory birds. The Golden-winged Warbler is of particular concern as it has suffered one of the steepest population declines of any songbird species in the past 45 years and is being considered for listing as an endangered species. As Golden-wings nest in the mountains of NC, we local birders take their welfare to heart.
If you'd like to contribute to the Birdathon,
please click here for a donation form. We are most grateful for the generosity of our members in helping us in this cause. Thank you all very much for your support.
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"Saving the Red Wolf"
EMAS Program, Apr 18,
7 p.m.
Reuter Center, UNCA
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Join EMAS for a  presentation by Christian Hunt on the plight of the remaining wild Red wolves in North Carolina. Red Wolves, one of the world's most endangered canids, once lived upon the plains of Texas, in the swamps of Florida, and even up into New England's vast forests. As settlers spread across the continent, Red Wolves suffered, and were nearly pushed into extinction. Red Wolves were added to the Endangered Species list in 1967 and conservation efforts began. A handful of survivors were gathered from Louisiana and grown into the population we have today. Reintroduced in 1987 to NC's Alligator River NWR, their recovery was a first-of-its-kind accomplishment. With over 150 Red Wolves, the program became the inspiration and model for the reintroduction of Gray Wolves into Yellowstone National Park. Since then, due to program conflicts, the Red Wolf population has collapsed, and no more than forty-five remain. This past September, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing most of the last wolves to zoos, and shrinking their current wild territory by almost ninety percent-- a proposal that could erase thirty years of conservation success.
Come learn about  the Red Wolf and its' current threats with Christian Hunt, Southeast Program Associate for Defenders of Wildlife. A North Carolina native, Christian graduated from the Charlotte School of Law in 2015, where he studied environmental law, with a particular emphasis on climate change and the law, the Endangered Species Act, and habitat connectivity. He is responsible for the Defenders' Red Wolf campaign efforts.
All EMAS programs are free and open to the public.
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Bird Notes by Rick Pyeritz
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"The sedge is withered from the lake, and no birds sing."
---John Keats from
La Belle Dame Sans Merci
"Over increasingly large areas of the United States, spring comes unheralded by the return of the birds, and the early mornings are strangely silent where once they were filled with the beauty of bird song."
--- Rachel Carson, marine biologist and conservationist whose book,
Silent Spring, is credited with advancing the global environmental movement.
April 22, 1970-What  happened, almost 50 years ago, to bring 20 million Americans together to protest the deterioration of the environment, and will bring together 1 billion people worldwide on April 22, 2020 for the largest secular observance in the world? Click on the link to find out more about the history of this day devoted to the health of our environment.
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EMAS Chapter Business
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The EMAS board of directors will hold elections for officers and at-large board members at the June board meeting. The nominating committee is seeking candidates for the board. We are looking for a new Treasurer so that our current dedicated treasurer, Doug Williams, can finally retire! Duties require a familiarity with basic financial recordkeeping, using Excel or other mode, attendance at most board meetings (1
st
Tuesday of the month) and creating Treasurer reports. Please contact Doug Williams for more information ([email protected]). If you're interested in joining the board, please contact Tom Tribble at
[email protected].
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Ed Hauser, A Thanks & Remembrance
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It is with great sadness that our board reports the passing of Dr. Ed Hauser on February 20. Ed was a member of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Board of Directors from 1993 through 2015. He served as Wetlands Coordinator for 22 years for the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, and designed the ecofilter wetland system in the sanctuary. Over the years, Ed presented 12 EMAS programs on a wide array of environmental topics, reflecting his interests, concerns and knowledge.
Ed was a college professor, environmental consultant, and committed volunteer. We will remember Ed for his service, his dedication and his passionate concern for the earth!
Please
follow this link
to read more about a man who will be truly missed by many people and organizations.
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Spring Warblers at
Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary
Text and Photos by Jay Wherley
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Over thirty species of warblers have been reported during the Spring at BLBS. Among the most widespread are American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat.
The bright orange-and  -black adult male American Redstart is a showstopper. Look for it flitting about as it dives after a flying insect. Note the bristles, similar to a flycatcher's, around the bill. Locations to find Redstarts at BLBS include the tall trees near the ecofilter pond, and the center wooded area.
 Common Yellowthroats forage low in grass and shrubs. Look for the black-masked male in the meadow and along the boardwalk edges.
Listen for Louisiana  Waterthrush singing "sweet sweet sweet" followed by a rapid jumble. Look for this ground forager along the stream banks by the "people tree" and across from the North overlook.
Notable March sightings at Beaver Lake include a Vesper Sparrow by Aaron Steed on the 27th.
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