Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis

In her program, natural history author Adele Porter draws from the common threads and life lessons of current and past champions of conservation to form a blueprint for involving children and grandchildren in birding and natural resource stewardship. She also has a new challenge for birders – if you’re a “lister,” bring your list along!

Ms Porter will be speaking on Tuesday, February 7 at our program meeting. The meeting is from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park. Click here to find out more about our proprams and for directions to Beth El.

Please note the date of this meeting was listed incorrectly in the newsletter as February 1 and the speaker was listed as Tom Will. Mr. Will has had to cancel.

There is no January program meeting.

Everyone is always welcome to attend any ACM Board meeting. The board meets the fourth Tuesday of the month (except June and July) at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis from 7 pm to 8:45 pm. The next meeting is Tuesday, February 28. We are currently looking for new board members. For more information, click here.

The Minneapolis Audubon Society (MAS) has a monthly afternnoon program on the second Friday of the month. The programs take place at the Byrant Square Neighborhood Center located at Byrant Av S & 31st Street S in Minneapolis, start at 1 pm and are free and open to everyone. The February 10 program features Dr. Scott Sharkey, nature photographer, presenting “Scenes from a Bloomington Marsh.” For more information about the MAS and its programs, click here.

The latest issue of the newsletter is now available online.  Follow this link to view it.

Please join us at Springbrook Nature Center for the annual Christmas bird count (CBC).  Interested folks meet there at 7:30.  Here is what the National Audubon Society says about the CBC:

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations – and to help guide conservation action.

From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition — and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.

Springbrook Nature Center is located at 100 85th Avenue NW in Fridley, adjacent to the Northtown Shopping Center.  For more information on the Center, or for directions, follow this link.

If you cannot go to this event, but are interested in participating in a CBC elsewhere, a list of the counts in Minnesota is available here.

We’ll be meeting in a new location for the program meetings this year: Beth El Synagogue, 5224 W. 26th St., St. Louis Park.  Meetings are from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m and are free & open to everyone. Tuesday, December 6 come hear Val Cunningham discuss the importance of “birdscaping” – planting native plants for the benefit of birds and other wildlife. Please join us for an interesting evening.  For directions to Beth El Synagogue, please click here.  For more information on the 2011 – 2012 speakers and programs, please check our Programs page.

We’re in need of leaders! You don’t have to be an experienced leader or an expert birder; you just need to be interested in sharing your enjoyment of birds with others. We’d like to offer walks in our membership area throughout the year and especially during fall and spring migration, but you can lead a walk(s) on a day & time that works for you. We’d also like to establish regular walks at Roberts Bird Sanctuary. Contact Susan Tertell at stertell@gmail.com if you’d like to lead a walk at Roberts or anywhere in our membership area.

The ACM is conducting a tree inventory at Roberts Bird Sanctuary using volunteers to gather the information required by i-Tree software. The inventory is being supervised by Philip Potyondy with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board’s Forestry Division. Inventory taking got off to a good start this fall; here is the Tree Inventory Interim Report. The work is on hiatus until Spring 2012. When it starts again, we’ll need volunteers. No knowledge of trees is necessary. Volunteers will receive on-site training and work in small groups with experienced volunteer leaders. Ideally, volunteers will be available for two or more 2-3 hour weekend or early evening shifts. High school students are welcome. Contact Jerry Bahls for more information at jobaud@comcast.com.

We’re pleased to announce the Minneapolis Audubon Society (MAS) page on the ACM website. The ACM and the MAS have common roots and both organizations offer monthly programs that are free and open to everyone. MAS program information has been listed in the ACM Kingfisher for a while now. We’ve decided to take advantage of the lack of space limitations online and provide more MAS program details and membership information on a dedicated MAS page. The page will be updated regularly so visit often! Click here to visit the MAS page or click on the link under “Pages.”