April 2006 Shorelines Newsletter Choctawhatchee Audubon Society

8/9/2019 April 2006 Shorelines Newsletter Choctawhatchee Audubon Society

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CAS monthly meetings are heldthe First Thursday of eachmonth at 6:30 PM at OWCNiceville Learning ResourcesCenter (LRC), Room 131. Nonmembers are welcome.

April 6: FWC fisheries andwildlife biologist Bradley Smithwill present results from 2005survey of rooftop nestingseabirds in NW Florida with aspecial focus on Okaloosa andWalton counties.

May 4: Bird Buddy LennyFennimore will give us aphotographic slide presentationabout Eglins Burrowing Owlsand update us on the researchbeing conducted by USF. Signup for a field trip to follow afterthe nesting season

Fieldtrips

April 1: Bird Walk in BluewaterBay area and Lake Pippin. Meetat 7:30am at BWB Winn Dixie.Phil and Carole Goodyear, 897-2666

April 10-23: Spring BirdBanding, Ft. Morgan AL. CarPools can be arranged. BobPenhollow, 729-2602

Apr i l 21 -23: Alabam aOrnithological Society SpringMeeting. Car Pools can bearranged. Bob Penhollow, 729-2602

May 6: Bird Walk to ShoalSanctuary Mossy Head with Bob& Chris Larsen. Meet at 7:30a.m. at Nicevilles Turkey Creek.Bob Penhollow, 729-2602

May 13: North American SpringMigration Count. CoordinatorDonald M. Ware. Call JeanWilliams, 897-5473 to volunteer.

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

NABA Choctaw Plant Sale 2

Disabled birder fieldtrips 2

Charlie Parkel Memorial 2

Audubon Eventures 2

Carl Hiaasens Hoot 3

CAS T-Shirt Sale 3

Finding Horseshoe Crabs 3

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

A P R I L 2 0 0 6

T h e N e w s l e t t e r o f t h e C h o c t a w h a t c h e e A u d u b o n S o c i e t y

V O L U M E X X X V , N U M B E R 3

CAS is dedicated to the protection of bird and wildlife habitat, environmental education, and a greater appreciation of Northwest Floridas natural beauty.

A P R I L 22 EARTH DAY B E A C H C L E A N U P

Earth Day Beach CleanupApril 22, 2006 8:00AM-11:00AM

"Free to volunteers while supplies last: T-shirt, Soda, Snacks. Volunteers: Pleasewear closed shoes, gloves, cap and sun-screen. Citizen Okaloosa EnvironmentalCouncil members organize a spring andfall beach cleanup each year. The Councilalso maintains an Adopt-A-County Roadand Adopt-A-Dune litter control program.

Since 1994, Council volunteers donate theirtime and efforts to Okaloosa Aqualab inmonthly sampling of the water quality at 22-sites along Choctawhatchee Bay, with analy-sis by FDEP. A volunteer Okaloosa OffshoreRed Tide water monitoring program tests off-shore Gulf waters at the request and directionof the Florida Marine Research Institute. TheCouncil's Coastal Cleanup efforts are spon-sored by the Tourist Development Council andOkaloosa County Commission.

Join us at the following beach cleanup locations:1. Okaloosa Island - Beasley Park (Hwy 98 East of Brooks Bridge)2. Beach Walk East of Surfdweller (Santa Rosa Blvd.)3. Henderson Beach State Park (Hwy 98 East of Destin)4. Rocky Bayou State Park (Hwy 20 W of Bluewater Bay)5. Destin Harbor: Call Mark Walker Phone: (850) 650-3271

Event: Wakulla Wildlife Festival - Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park

Event Description: A fun filled day of activities, tours and displays devoted to Florida's native wild-life and their habitats. Tours also offered to other wildlife areas April 20-22. This is a county widefestival with multiple organizations participating.Event Time: Saturday, April 20, 21, 22, 9 am to 4 pmContact Info: (850)224-5950 http://www.wakullawildlifefestival.org/

FOS Spring 2006 Meeting in TallahasseeReserve your rooms

now by calling850-386-7500 and tell the lodgeyou are with FOS.

Saturday field trips anda special eveningbanquet presentationby Dr. David W.Johnston and provides aunique look at thehistory of ornithology in

Florida. Space at the

banquet is limited, so signup now to reserve your

spot.

Local organizers Jim Cox([email protected]) and Sally

Jue

([email protected]).

The Spring meeting of the

Florida Ornithological Society

will be held at

Tall Timbers Research Station

and co-hosted by the

Apalachee Audubon Society

April 21 - April 23.A special rate of $89.00 pernight, until April 7th isoffered at Cabot Lodge.
http://www.floridastateparks.org/coldcalendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=ViewEventDetails&EventID=962http://www.wakullawildlifefestival.org/http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/bios/JohnstonDavid.htmhttp://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/bios/JohnstonDavid.htmhttp://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/bios/JohnstonDavid.htmhttp://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/bios/JohnstonDavid.htmmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.fosbirds.org/http://www.fosbirds.org/http://www.talltimbers.org/http://www.talltimbers.org/http://www.apalachee.org/http://www.apalachee.org/http://www.cabotlodgethomasvilleroad.com/http://www.cabotlodgethomasvilleroad.com/http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/bios/JohnstonDavid.htmhttp://www.cabotlodgethomasvilleroad.com/http://www.apalachee.org/http://www.talltimbers.org/http://www.fosbirds.org/http://www.floridastateparks.org/coldcalendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=ViewEventDetails&EventID=962mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wakullawildlifefestival.org/


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N O R T H A M E R I C A N B U T T E R F L Y A S S O C I A T I O N S C H O C T A W P L A N T S A L E

Rick Cech is a highlyr e s p e c t e d a u t h o r ,n a t u r a l i s t , a n dphotographer. He hasco -authored severa l

t i t l e s o f n o t e : T h eN a t i o n a l A u d u b o nSociety Regional Guide to Florida (1998), TheSibley Guide to Bird Lifeand Behavior (2001),and National AudubonSociety Interactive CD-ROM Guide to NorthAmerican Birds (1996).

H e w r o t e " ADistributional Checklist

of the Butterflies andSkippers of the New YorkCity Area" (1993) and his

p h o t o s h a v e b e e nfeatured in a variety ofbooks, magazines andexhibits. He has been afrequent contributor of

articles and photographs to American Butterflies,a n d e d i t e d " T h eAnglewing," an earlyNABA publication. Cechwill be available for booksigning throughout themorning.

Local gardening authorand columnist, MarieHarrison, will also be onhand to sign copies of

her brand new book,"Groundcovers for theSouth."

There will be a raffle forp r i z e s i n c l u d i n g a"Ready-to-Plant ButterflyGarden," books and

other unique butterflyitems. All proceeds of the sale and raffle willbenefit NABA Choctaw.NABA is a non-profito r g a n i z a t i o n that encourages thee n j o y m e n t a n dc o n s e r v a t i o n o f b u t t e r f l i e s t h r o u g heducation. For moreinformat ion contact

MaryAnn at 729-2893or [email protected].

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AUDUBON EVENTURES

VOLUME XXXV, NUMBER 3

The Choctaw Chapter of the North Amer icanButterfly Association ispleased to announce itsAnnual Butterfly Seminar

and Plant Sale. NABA will join the Niceville PublicLibrary in bringing guestauthor, Rick Cech, topresent his new book"Butterflies of the EastCoast; An Observer'sGuide".

The event will take placeon April 15 2006 at theNicevi l le CommunityCenter on Partin Drive in

Niceville. The plant salewill begin at 8:00am withquality plants providedby N ice v i l l e G arde nCenter.

A l l p l a n t s w i l l b ebutterfly attractors thatg r o w w e l l i n l o c a lgardens. At 9:30 plantsales will be suspendedfor the author's photo

presentation and willresume at 10:30 untilnoon.

Field Trips for Disabled Birders in Maine the Physical LimitationsTrack, will offer three such

trips. Two of these tripswill focus on land birds.The disabled birders will

join the rest of the ABAgroup for the third trip,

which will be a boat trip.

For detailedinformation about this

June 19-25, 2006,convention, please

visit the websitewww.americanbirding.org

or Darlene Smyth [email protected]

The American BirdingAssociation has becomeaware of the need formodified field tr ipsdesigned for birders withlimited mobility or limitedendurance. Therefore,for the first time ever, the2006 convention inBangor, Maine, through

Discover the sights and sounds of nature at night with AUDUBON EVEN-TURES.Nonies Ark Animal Encounters will be guiding FREE Night Walksfor Choctawhatchee Audubon Society on the FIRST FRIDAY of the month.Excluding December, January, June and July. Programs will last approxi-mately 1 hour. All are invited but the focus will be on ages 4 to 10. We will

explore for elusive creatures such as fox, owls, frogs and even bats! CallNonie for Times and Locations at 862-9588 or send her anemail.

April 7th: Grace Brown Nature Trail, Hurlburt Soundside 6:30pmMay 5th: Topsail State Park, Santa Rosa Beach 7:00pmAugust 4th: Fred Gannon State Park, Niceville 7:00pmSeptember 1st: Glenwood Park, Cinco Bayou, FWB 6:30pmOctober 6th: Time and Location to be announcedNovember 3rd: Time and Location to be announced

Charlie Parkel Memorial

We are extremely thankful forthe donations we have gottento date. CAS has set a goal of$1500 and these funds will bematched by The Friends ofthe Emerald Coast State

Parks! We will continue toaccept donations for theCharlie Parkel Memorial up toand through May, 2006.

The memorial committeefeels that we will be able tohave a very nice memorialplaced at Rocky Bayou StatePark. In consideration and tobe decided by the committeeare: A gazebo with birding

information available, aplaque with Charlie's imageon it, and the history of whathe did for the park. A benchplaced at the gazebo andpossibly another at his fa-

vorite site along the trail.

We will announce after Mayexactly what the memorialis, when it will be finishedand plan a dedication cere-mony.

Thanks to Pat Baker,Robin Stiles, Lenny Feni-more, Carole Goodyear, andBob Penhollow.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.americanbirding.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/www.noniesark.comhttp://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/www.noniesark.commailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/www.noniesark.commailto:[email protected]://www.americanbirding.org/mailto:[email protected]


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Shorel ines Page 3

Carl Hiaasen's book HOOT soars to

theatres May 5th

B I O L O G I S T S N E E D H E L P F R O M P U B L I C T O F I N D H O R S E S H O E C R A B S

Adapted from Carl Hiaasen'sNe w b e r r y A w ar d w in n in g children's novel of the samename, "Hoot" tells the story of a

young Montana boy named RoyEberhardt who moves with hisfamily to Florida where heu n c o v e r s a p l o t t osystematically destroy a localpopulation of endangeredowls. The mystery he uncoversnot only involves the owls, butalso includes an assortment ofother unusual creatures and

group of eccentric adults.

The mystery/adventure startswhen Roy is riding on the bus tomiddle school and a bully startspicking on him. As Roy's face issmashed against the window by

the bigger, older kid, he spotsan unusual sight. A small boy,about his own age, is running

towards the next bus stop butcontinues running past it. Evenmore unusual is that the boy isnot wearing shoes and his feet

are filthy.

Roy makes it his mission to findout who this unusual boy is. Helearns that the boy's name isMullet Fingers, a wild, runawayboy who lives in the woods andis friends with the animals, and

that Mullet is himself on a more

serious mission. Mullet's quest

is to save some adorable littleowls that make their homes inunderground burrows. The owlsare in danger of losing their

homes as land developers areintent on building a pancakerestaurant right on the spot

where the owls live.

Not exactly sure how he willaccomplish it, Roy decides to

team up with Mullet to save thelittle owls. They also join forcesw i t h M u l l e t ' s p r o t e c t i v es t e p s i s t e r , B e a t r i c eLeep. Together the threemiddle-schoolers take on thegreedy land developers, corruptpolit ic ians, clueless cops,eccentric adults, and evensome o ther creatures , topreserve the local population of

the birds.

Soon some odd things starthappening at the constructionsite like the porta-pottiessuddenly being inhabited byalligators and other apparentpractical jokes. The local policeand the construction crew areembarrassed at not only thepranks, but a lso at the i r

inability to find the pranksters.

Packed with surprising plot twists, quirky characters, andoffbeat humor, "Hoot" is a

classic story that's fun for all

ages.

New Line Cinema and WaldenMedia have partnered in them o v i e ' s p r o d u c t i o n a n ddistribution. "Hoot" is alsoproduced by Jimmy Buffett, whoplays Mr. Ryan, the MarineScience Teacher, who will alsob e w r i t i n g t h e f i l m ' smusic. Shot in Florida during

the summer of 2005, "Hoot"should be on the big screen onMay 5, 2006.

Nonie Maines

f o l l o w i n g o p t i o n s .Biologists also want toknow how many horseshoecrabs observers count andwhether the horseshoecrabs are spawning.Horseshoe crab researchbenef i t s humans i n a

several ways. For instance,research on the compoundeyes of horseshoe crabsled to better understandingo f t h e h u m a n v i s u a lsystem, and horseshoecrab blood is useful in thebiomedical industry. Aspecial substance in theirb l o o d i sa component in testing forbacterial contamination in

St. Petersburg-Biologists atthe Florida Fish and WildlifeC o n s e r v a t i o nCommission's (FWC) Fishand Wi ld l i f e ResearchInstitute need a little helpfrom the public in identifyinghorseshoe crab spawning

beaches throughout thestate.The bes t t i m e t o f i ndspawning horseshoe crabsis around a high tide, rightbefore or just after a fullmoon. The next full moonwill be Tuesday, March 14.Sharp-eyed beachgoers canreport the time, date andlocation of horseshoe crabsightings through one of the

h u m a n b l o o d a n dcommerc ia l d rugs . I naddition, manufacturersuse the mater i a l t ha tmakes up the horseshoecrab's shell (chitin) to makec o n t a c t l e n s e s , s k i ncreams and hair sprays.

M a n y c i t i z e n s h a v er e s p o n d e d t o t h ehorseshoe crab nestingb e a c h s u r v e ysince it began in 2003.Biologists regularly updatethe survey results.

Follow the link below for info:

http://www.walden.com/html

/pub/hoot/hoot_NWF.jsp

* Fill out an online survey at

http://research.myfwc.com/horseshoe_crab* E-mail information to [email protected]* or Call toll-free 1-866-252-9326

ChoctawhatcheeAudubon SocietyT-Shirts

The painting of local wildlife

for our new t-shirts was doneby Judy Maines, Nonie'smother-in-law. The naturalcolor preshrunk 100% cottonshirts are printed with thepainting on the front and ourlogo on the back. They arebeautiful. They are only 10dollars for sizes S, M, L, andXL; 11dollars for XXL. KarenNewhouse has them and willbring them to the meetingsbut you contact Karen orTeresa Dennis to buy one

before the meeting.

VisitHorseshoe Crab Research

to see how many reportshave come from individualcounties.
http://www.walden.com/html/pub/hoot/hoot_NWF.jsphttp://www.walden.com/html/pub/hoot/hoot_NWF.jsphttp://www.walden.com/html/pub/hoot/hoot_NWF.jsphttp://research.myfwc.com/horseshoe_crabhttp://research.myfwc.com/horseshoe_crabmailto:[email protected]://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=20822http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=20822mailto:[email protected]://research.myfwc.com/horseshoe_crabhttp://www.walden.com/html/pub/hoot/hoot_NWF.jsp


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The Great Backyard Bird Count Breaks Records!To observe species lists, please go to www.birdsource.org/gbbc/, 'Explore the Results'.

The ninth annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which took place February 1720, set new records as participation soared across the United States and Canada. From backyards to wildlife refuges, bird watchers tallieda record-breaking 623 bird species and 7.5 million individual birds during the four-day event, coordinated bythe Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Participants sent in more than 60,000 check-lists, providing a wealth of information unmatched in previous years.

Complete tallies are available at the Great Backyard Bird Count web site www.birdsource.org/gbbc, alongwith photos and narratives about other birds -including species in southern states hit by hurricanes, the stunning invasion of Snowy Owls in the Pacific Northwest, migratory pathways of Sandhill Cranes, regional rari

ties such as a Black-throated Blue Warbler in Connecticut, and continued drops in counts of American Crowwhich have been plagued by West Nile virus.

Chapter Representatives

President: Nonie [email protected]

Vice President: Thelma [email protected]

Treasurer: Karen [email protected]

Recording Secretary:Carole Goodyear.897.2666

[email protected]

Corresponding Secretary: Pat [email protected]

Bird Count Coordinator:Donald M. Ware.....862.6582

[email protected]

Conservation: Josh [email protected]

Education: Nonie [email protected]

Field trips Coordinator:Bob Penhollow....729.2602

Hospitality:Gertrude Oakman..314.0312

Membership: Theresa [email protected]

Publicity: Linda [email protected]

Programs: Thelma [email protected]

Shorelines Editor: Jean [email protected]

Choctawhatchee Audubon Society Membership

Name:_____________________________________ Address:_________________________________________

City:____________________________________________________ State:______ Zip:____________________

Phone: ___________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________________________

Introductory New Member- $20.00 Individual Member Renewal- $35.00

Introductory Student/Senior- $15.00 Renewal Student/Senior-$15.00

When you join you will be part of national, state, and local Audubon groups and will receive...

Audubon magazine

Florida Naturalist Magazine

Our local Shorelines newsletter

Inclusion in Audubon of Florida's advocacy network

Discounts at Audubon Sanctuaries and Nature Centers

Opportunities for Audubon Ecology Camps and specially priced travel adventures

To join, mail this form and a check, payable to National Audubon Society, to;

NAS Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 51005, Boulder, CO 80323-1005.

CAS ONLY memberships are available and include SHORELINES NEWSLETTER ONLY.

To join CAS ONLY mail this form and a check payable to CAS to; P.O. Box 1014 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549.

New Member Newsletter Only- $10.00 Renewal Member Newsletter Only- $10.00

Chapter Code: E-11 7XCH

Printed on Recycled Paper

2006 by Choctawhatchee Audubon Society. All rights reserved.

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. Postage PAID

Fort Walton Beach, FL

Permit No. 110

Were on the Web!CHOCTAWHATCHEEAUDUBON.ORG

A great big THANK YOU to all CAS sponsors last month!

General Fund Donors:

Charlie Parkel Memorial Fund:

Education Fund:

Donations are welcome, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Feel free to specify a particular fund/event that youd wish to sponsor.

Contact Theresa Dennis If youwould like to receive Shorelines

in color with links via e-mail. P.O. Box 1014

Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbchttp://www.birdsource.org/gbbchttp://www.birdsource.org/gbbchttp://www.birdsource.org/gbbcmailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6....862.9588mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6651.0508mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6..897.3745mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6.%E2%80%A6..%E2%80%A6678.2953mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6..%E2%80%A6....218.0573mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6.862.9588mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6..269.0665mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6..%E2%80%A6.%E2%80%A6651.0508mailto:[email protected]://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/http://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/http://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/http://www.choctawhatcheeaudubon.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6..%E2%80%A6.%E2%80%A6651.0508mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6..269.0665mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6.862.9588mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6..%E2%80%A6....218.0573mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6.%E2%80%A6..%E2%80%A6678.2953mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]%E2%80%A6..897.3745mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6651.0508mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6....862.9588http://www.birdsource.org/gbbchttp://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

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April 2006 Shorelines Newsletter Choctawhatchee Audubon Society