http://mo.audubon.org “Connecting People with Nature” Summer 2008 A U D U B O N M I S S O U R I ���

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C H A P T E R H I G H L I G H T S C H A P T E R H I G H L I G H T S C H A P T E R H I G H L I G H T S C H A P T E R H I G H L I G H T S

Greater Ozarks Audubon Society

Led by Greater Ozarks Audubon in

collaboration with Audubon Missouri and the

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)

Wildlife Division staff at Drury Mincy

Conservation Area, volunteers from Greater

Ozarks Audubon, MSU, and Springfield

Plateau Master Naturalists have implemented

a long term monitoring protocol to assess

avian response to the White River Glades and

Woodlands IBA restoration efforts.

www.greaterozarksaudubon.org

Columbia Audubon Society

The chapter has joined forces with the

Boone's Lick Missouri Master Naturalists on

a joint project which involves building a

chimney swift tower at Wild Haven, a

property which they own. Also, a member

has spear-headed the effort to add data to the

CACHE (Conservation Area Checklist

Program) Database by leading weekly field

trips to various conservation areas around the

state. www.columbia-audubon.missouri.org

River Bluffs Audubon Society

Along with other Audubon Missouri

chapters, members of the River Bluffs

Audubon Society chapter have been working

for several months to raise funds for

International Bird Conservation in

Honduras. This project, which is being

coordinated by Brad Jacobs from the Missouri

Department of Conservation, seeks to raise

funds for land purchase and habitat

management near the Pico Bonito National

Park. The chapter hosted a visitor from

Honduras in March and later some members

traveled to Honduras. Visit this chapter’s

website at http://rbas.missouri.org.

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Important Bird Areas (IBA)

A udubon Missouri has

emerged from a lengthy IBA

planning process of which 47 IBAs were

identified across the state. Being

centrally located among continental

biomes and their transitional zones,

Missouri contains a wide variety of avian

species from western and northern

prairies and wetlands, eastern forests,

and southern swamps. IBA’s intersect

with these important areas where birds

live and breed, and Audubon initiates

conservation actions to protect them.

Given the sheer scope of the habitat identified, approximately 11% of our land mass,

Audubon Missouri lacks the capacity to implement actions in every IBA. To address this

gap, we are working closely with partners such as Audubon Missouri Chapters, the Missouri

Bird Conservation Initiative (MoBCI) and through the Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy,

with initial emphasis on those critical IBAs that overlap with state Conservation

Opportunity Areas. As a result, Audubon Missouri has initiated planning in four IBA

projects across the state targeting: Grasslands (Cole Camp Prairies IBA in Cole Camp (MO))

and the Greater Prairie Chicken, Henslow’s Sparrows, and Bobolink, and common species

in decline like Grasshopper Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks; woodlands, forest and

savanna (White River Glades and Woodlands IBA in Springfield (MO)) and threatened

bird species like Bachman’s Sparrow and Painted Buntings, and Swainson’s Warblers;

wetlands (Iatan/ Weston Missouri River Corridor IBA Kansas City (MO)), and Great Rivers

Confluence IBA St. Louis (MO) targeting Swainson’s Warbler, American Bittern, King

Rail, Common Tern, and many other shorebirds and waterfowl.

We will also take a number of implementation steps that cut across all of our IBA

landscapes, creating an improved context for conservation of birds and their habitats in

Missouri. Hiring an IBA Coordinator is a critical step in advancing the IBA program for

Missouri. We are currently leveraging multiple grant opportunities with the goal of hiring

this critical staff in order to engage our IBA program statewide. We need your help. If you

would like to learn more about Missouri’s IBA program, or to become involved, please

contact Tony Robyn, Audubon Missouri Executive Director, at missouri@audubon.org.

SUMMER 2008

[ The Quarterly Newsletter of the Missouri State Office of the National Audubon Society ]

http://mo.audubon.org “Connecting People with Nature” Summer 2008 A U D U B O N M I S S O U R I ���

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W hen I think about what the future

holds for my three-year-old

daughter, I often consider what messages I am

sending her that might shape what kind of

conservation-minded individual she will

become. Growing up in rural Minnesota, I

took for granted the streams, woods, and worn

paths I explored, but it wasn’t blind luck I am

where I am now. My father took us fishing,

camping, hiking—all of these experiences are

deeply embedded in who I am, and have

become. As parents, my wife and I are always

exploring nature centers, zoos, and natural

areas with our daughter—I often fear she

might develop an aversion to these places,

given the constant exposure and other

competing pressures on her time and attention.

We’re all constantly bombarded by a variety of

competing messages and interests. As

individuals, we must ferret out the facts and

learn for ourselves what the real issues are,

what the possible answers are, and then live

with the decisions.

It is an exciting time to be involved in

conservation and nature education, with many

interests to consider and balance. There has

never been more at stake, or more opportunity

to become involved than right now. If it were

only as simple as our choices affecting our own

little sphere, it would be easy, but it isn’t. Our

decisions have a ripple effect, and they often

have a reverberating one, good or bad. I can

only hope my daughter will embrace these

experiences and call them her own like I did,

because it is her generation that will inherit the

pieces we protect, and the solutions we employ.

Along with our partners, Audubon has set

out on a path to protect some of Missouri's

most treasured places for birds and wildlife.

On one hand, we do this with community

educational programming through Audubon

centers, chapters, and advocacy. On the other

hand we employ conservation action at

Important Bird Areas and Centers through

partnerships and stewardship activities.

The Audubon Missouri newsletter is

intended to regularly highlight a variety of

issues, programs, and activities throughout the

state that you can connect to and become

involved, learn more, and take action. Each

quarter we will highlight our successes and

challenges in the hopes that your interest will

be piqued, you will become excited, and

perhaps support the work we do.

Tony W. Robyn, VP/Executive Director

Audubon Missouri

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I f you want to see some of your electricity come from clean, renewable energy sources, you have reason to celebrate: the effort in Missouri this November is well on its way. On May 4,

2008, approximately 170,000 signatures for the Clean Energy Initiative were submitted for verification to the office of Missouri Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan. This was the first step to putting a renewable energy standard in front of Missouri voters this fall. During April and May, hundreds of volunteers throughout the state circulated petition pages for the initiative. Their goal was to collect 150,000 signatures in six of Missouri's nine Congressional districts, and they greatly exceeded their goal. (For the initiative to be included on statewide ballots in November, it requires the signatures of at least 100,000 registered voters.) The Clean Energy Initiative would require investor-owned utilities to generate or purchase 15% of their electricity from clean energy sources, such as wind and solar power. Twenty-five other states have already enacted similar renewable energy standards to increase production of clean energy and promote energy independence. Polls show two-thirds of Missourians support this program. For more information, go to Missouri’s Clean Energy Initiative.

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NEW FACES:

Tony W. Robyn Audubon Missouri VP/ Executive Director

Tony holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Webster University. He also holds an Associate Degree in Natural Science.

Tony began his career at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, eventually becoming associate director of the Kansas City Zoo, and environmental director for the City of Kansas City, Missouri where he oversaw a series of environmental programs, nature centers and facilities. He joined Audubon in 2001 and successfully led the development of Wildcat Glades.

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Jill DeWitt, Community Outreach Policy Coordinator

Jill comes to Audubon Missouri from the National Audubon’s Washington DC Conservation Policy division and has a BS

in Biology from University of Missouri. Jill will work closely with state leaders and grassroots supporters to increase awareness and advance sound conservation and energy policies that reduce global warming pollution and increase renewable energy and conservation mindedness.

Marcia K. Foster, State Office Manager

Marcia Kay graduated from Missouri Southern State College with two A.S. degrees – one in General Business and one in Office Administration. She comes to Audubon with over 20 years’ experience in office administration and has participated in several area campaigns, including Big Brothers Big Sisters.

http://mo.audubon.org “Connecting People with Nature” Summer 2008 A U D U B O N M I S S O U R I ���

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T he Cole Camp / Hi Lonesome

Conservation Opportunity Area

(COA) team’s landowner workshop on Hi

Lonesome and Mora Conservation Areas on

June 14 garnered 30 participants representing

over 3,000 acres. The workshop specifically

focused on creating high quality prairie

chicken habitat at a landscape scale with a

strong emphasis on nesting cover, which is the

prairie chicken’s most limiting resource. Of the

165,000 acres in the Cole Camp / Hi Lonesome

COA, approximately 162,000 acres are in

private ownership. Clearly, the future of the

Greater Prairie-Chicken lies within the land

use decisions of private landowners. With 3,000

acres owned or managed by the team members,

there is hope that twice that many acres are

affected by this time next year by the

participants simply sharing information with

those who adjoin their land. The Hi Lonesome

Prairie Master Naturalists have been very

active, leading bird monitoring, participating in

toad and frog surveys, assisting with native

plantings and in the Mead’s Milkweed surveys.

Audubon Missouri, in partnership with the

Missouri Department of Conservation and the

City of Cole Camp, Missouri, has implemented

a landscape scale, community based project, in

one of the most important grassland IBAs in

the state for benefit of the Greater Prairie

Chicken and a suite of grassland dependent

species. Korey Wolfe, our Director of

Grasslands Restoration, has been working

closely with MDC and the newly formed Hi

Lonesome Master Naturalists to restore critical

grassland habitat. Part of this ongoing

approach is to maintain, expand, and restore

habitat, working closely with private

landowners on management techniques for

their property. In many cases, economic

benefits can be realized while conserving

habitat. This plan also includes the intention of

acquiring additional property to be

managed. While many purchase opportunities

exist, unfortunately funding does not. If you

would like to learn more about how you can

help, contact Korey Wolfe at 660-668-3810.

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Audubon Missouri works closely with Chapters and partners to manage, maintain, and promote

conservation actions in multiple communities.

Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center: Camp Wildcat, the first summer camp at the

Center, kicked off on June 17. Children ages 8 – 12 participated for an entire week of

learning about habitats and nature. They built shelters, explored caves, and made their own

fishing poles – which they used to catch sunfish in Silver Creek Pond! They participated in

nature crafts and nature journaling as well. Saturday, July 12, the center hosted its first

annual Shoal Creek Water Festival. For more information visit

www.wildcatglades.audubon.org.

St. Louis Audubon Center Project: This emerging nature center, tour boat, and trail system is a

flagship project of Audubon Missouri. This program will provide firsthand educational and

recreational opportunities at the confluence area of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

Business and campaign planning is underway with our newly hired Executive Director, Patty

Hagen, who came on board June 9. A major trail system will also connect with the Great

Rivers Birding trail network currently under development. To learn more, about the trail go

to www.greatriverbirding.org.

Burroughs Audubon Society coordinates activities at the chapter's Victor Shelford Sanctuary in

Fontana, KS, and helps maintain Shelford Sanctuary, with access through the Kansas City

Zoo. The chapter partners with Kansas City Wildlands, www.kcwildlands.org, in the

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Patty Hagen, Ph.D. Executive Director St. Louis Audubon Center Project

Patricia Hagen (Patty) has been hired as the new St. Louis Audubon Center Executive Director. Patty will lead the development of the nature center, tour boat facilities, and trails system at the Confluence area of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Once complete, this program will be located at the heart of one of the most important IBAs in Missouri and migratory flyways in North America. Patty received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri — Columbia, and received her Masters in Public Administration and Doctorate in Public Policy Analysis from Saint Louis University.

Science Highlight: Grassland Bird Recovery

(cont’d on page 4)

NEW FACES:

Korey Wolfe, Director of Grasslands Restoration

Korey earned his BS in Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri — Columbia

and worked as a Wildlife Specialist with USDA – APHIS before beginning his work with Audubon Missouri. He currently leads restoration efforts at our Cole Camp Prairies project.

Robin McAlester Executive Director Wildcat Glades

Robin graduated from MSSU with a BA in communications and

worked with the United Way of Southwest Missouri. Prior to joining Audubon Missouri, she organized marketing efforts for St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin. Before becoming executive director of Wildcat Glades, Robin was development director.

http://mo.audubon.org “Connecting People with Nature” Summer 2008 A U D U B O N M I S S O U R I ���

�PROJECT OFFICES:

Audubon Missouri Office Tony W. Robyn VP/State Executive Director 201 W. Riviera Dr., Ste. A Joplin, MO 64804 417-626-8842

Cole Camp Prairies Grassland Restoration Project Korey Wolfe, Director PO Box 36 401 W. Main Cole Camp, MO 65325 660-668-3810

St. Louis Audubon Center Project Patricia Hagen, Ph.D. Executive Director 3940 Connecticut Street St. Louis, MO 63116 314-223-1350

Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center Robin McAlester Executive Director 201 W. Riviera Dr., Ste. A Joplin, MO 64804 417-782-NATR

Missouri Policy Office Jill DeWitt, Community Outreach Policy Coordinator Kansas City, MO 64110 816-333-3293

Mississippi River Initiative Regional Office Roger Still, Vice President Mississippi River Program

2620 Forum Blvd., Ste C-1 Columbia, MO 65203 573-447-2249

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A udubon Missouri leaders, staff, and chapters actively participate in a number of key Missouri

and national issues. The need for healthy communities, ecological and human, is as important

as ever. Through advocacy, we continue efforts to increase awareness and advance sound

conservation and energy policies that improve air quality, increase renewable energy and conservation

mindedness, and maintain high quality habitat for both people and wildlife.

�� Audubon’s Global Warming Initiative: Audubon Missouri works closely with state leaders and

grassroots supporters to advocate for sustainable energy development and the reduction in

greenhouse gases. Join Audubon in calling upon Congress to sign on to the Principles for Global

Warming Legislation by visiting the Audubon website, or use this link to contact our legislators,

urging them to support strong global warming legislation. Tell me more.

�� Missouri Votes Conservation plays a key role in coordinating actions that lead to many of the

legislative and electoral successes of the past two years. To learn what your representatives and

senators are doing in regard to the environment, you can get Green Notes directly at

www.movotesconservation.org and click on “Stay Informed.” �� Missouri Conservation and Environmental Alliance. As a member of this alliance of major

Missouri conservation organizations, Audubon Missouri advocates for key state legislative issues

like water and air quality protection, renewable energy policy, and developing green building

incentives. For more information, contact Liz Forrestal at Missouri Votes Conservation:

lizforrestal@movotesconservation.org.

�� Mississippi River Initiative: Audubon is working with key partners in taking a basin-wide

approach to protecting the Mississippi River, balancing the river’s important economic and

environmental values. For more information, call the Audubon Regional Office at 573-447-2249. �� Take Action Website – You too can be involved in conservation policy issues by signing up at

National Audubon Society’s “Take Action” website at http://audubonaction.org/audubon/

home.html.��Lawmakers care about their constituents’ views. You can directly convey your

concerns about issues affecting birds, wildlife and their habitats with leaders in Washington, DC.�

restoration and maintenance of urban landscapes. To complement the migratory bird count in

May, Burroughs Audubon completed a summer bird census along the Blue River south of Red

Bridge Road in Kansas City. Chapter members monitor birds at Blue River Parkway and the

Missouri River, and plan to contribute to a cleanup on the Iatan/Missouri River Corridor IBA.

Columbia Audubon Society helps maintain conservation areas such as Wild Haven Nature Area,

Russell Nature Area, and Albert Children’s Wildlife Area. Wild Haven includes high-quality

natural habitats, including a small remnant prairie and sandstone glades, as well as a former

Christmas tree plantation and two small ponds. Some areas are being managed to restore

natural habitats, remove exotic plants, and establish habitat demonstration areas. In the Albert

Children’s Wildlife Area, the chapter manages the grassland by periodic prescribed burns. The

result is a landscape of prairie and wetlands that attract many species of wildlife that require

open habitats. Other habitats include vegetated mine spoils, riparian forest along Cedar Creek,

and several ponds.

Ozark Gateway Audubon Society is actively engaged in daily operations of Wildcat Glades

Conservation & Audubon Center by way of park cleanup, monitoring bird species, and

volunteerism for the center. Monthly community forums at the Center are hosted by the

chapter. For more information, go to www.wildcatglades.audubon.org.

(cont’d from page 3)

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T his year’s Keep an Eye on the Birds Birdathon 2008 was an overwhelming success! As we prepared, we thought it only fitting to visit the best habitats Missouri has to offer. The team spent 22 hours on the road birding and we

identified 159 species this year. Locations included the Fantastic Caverns area, Schell Osage Wildlife Area, Table Rock Lake, Lockwood Missouri area, Wah’Kon-ah Prairie, and Busiek State Park. It was in the Lockwood area we had our serendipitous sighting of a Virginia Rail. This bird is an uncommon migrant and rare resident—a real treat. We all agreed the bird of the day was the Piping Plover—endangered, not seen in large numbers; always a fantastic find. I want to thank Lisa Berger, Charley Burwick, and Andrew Forbes for their bird expertise and personal time in making the Birdathon a success. I also want to thank you for your part in supporting the work of Audubon Missouri. This year’s Birdathon not only raised awareness, but also raised $3,000 to continue our conservation and education efforts!

Charles Abele Lora Balmer Donna Bastel David & Nancy Bedan John Torrey Berger Lisa C. Berger Barbara Bryant Charles R. Burwick Don Carlson The Cohn Group, Inc. Jill DeWitt Mary Dueren Earth Share of Missouri Leo Eason Rebecca Erickson Edward Jones Corporation Susan L. Flader Liz Forrestal Jim Fossard George Garber Janice Gaston Mr. & Mrs. Gary Giessow Ruth Grant Cynthia Hobart Ward & Carol Klein William S. Knowles Ron Kucera

Susan R. Lammert Jean A. Leonatti McKnight Foundation Walter & Cynthia W. Metcalfe Michael Mickelson Jefferson L. Miller Virginia Miller Ellen S. Pace Todd & Betty Parnell Tony, Katie, and Clara Robyn Scott & Julie Schnuck Sue Schuble Howard Schwartz Roger & Cherise Still Georgia D. Vancleave Lucy Waletsky Kenneth A. Webb Clifford Willard Gaylord Charitable Foundation Edward Chase Garvin Foundation Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation Fischer Bauer Knirps Foundation Fox Family Foundation Jeanette K. Gamble Foundation Missouri Department of Conservation Wayne Goode Foundation

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Thank You To Our Contributors:

Without your annual support of our conservation and education activities, we could not do what we do!