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CAS monthly meetings are heldthe first Thursday of each month(August to May) at 6:30 PM atOWC Nicev i l le Learn ingResources Center (LRC), Room131. Non members are welcome.

Fieldtrips & More:

July 29: Alligators, Topsail HillPreserve State Park Once theywere hunted, then they wereprotected, now they are farmed.Come and learn the facts andhistory of the American Alligator.Park at the Day-Use area off

Hwy 30A. Take a short walk tothe clubhouse with park staff .Program starts at 10:15am

August 3rd: Show and TellWildlife Adventures (at Augustmeeting) Audubon members JVOand Sharon Weaver will presenta slide show of their wildlifephotos. The Weavers arerelatively new to birding, but it didnot take them long to becomedevoted observers of ourfeathered friends. They havetraveled extensively in Florida inthe past year and have somegreat pictures and some great

stories to share.A u g u s t 4 t h : A u d u b o nEventuresFred Gannon StatePark 7:30. Programs last aboutan hour. Children 4-10 willexplore for elusive creatures likefox, owls, frogs and even bats!

Eglin Debris SurveyJuly 29th,August 26th. To volunteer for theNational Debris MonitoringProgram call or email EricaSchnarr at 850-883-1177Erica.schnarr@eglin.af.mil

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

Happenings in Conservation 2

Babcock Ranch Property 2

Environmental Bills in Congress 2

What you can do to help 3

Volunteer Opportunities 3

Report Banded Birds 3

Why Save Endangered Species 3

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

AUGUST 2 006

The Newsletter of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society

VOLUME XXXV, NUMBER 5

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

PARKEL MEMORIAL FUND EXCEEDS GOALChoctawhatchee Audubon Society has surpassed its original goal of $1500 for the Charlie ParkelMemorial Fund. Individual donations alone total $1665. The CAS Board voted to add $335 ofchapter funds to bring the total CAS contribution to the maximum $2000 that will be matched by

Friends of the Emerald Coast State Parks. Thus the grand total in the fund is $4000.

Charlies memorial will be an educational kiosk in Rocky Bayou State Park, where he conducted a3-year bird survey that has resulted in the first bird list for the park. We are still in the preliminary

design stage of the project, but much work has been accomplished.

A big thank-you goes to everyone who contributed. If anyone still wants to give to the Memorial

Fund, donations can still be accepted and will be put to good use.

Pat Baker, Co-Chair, Memorial Committee

Gertrude Oakman has left us aage 94, but I am sure she stienjoys watching the birds somewhere. She was the only membeof the current ChoctawhatcheAudubon Society that was therwhen I joined in 1983. For manyears she was our source of birrecords in North Walton Countyand I learned a lot from her. Shtaught me the call of the AcadiaFlycatcher as we listened by roadside stream. She reported tme an Eastern Phoebe at a bridgon FL 2 during and CAS field trifor the Florida Breeding Bird

Atlas Project. I found the nesunder the bridge, the first recorof Phoebe nesting in Florida. was used two years, and the taken to the Florida State Mseum by request. As age crept uon Gertrude she became a spottefor me on various bird counts, anlater chose half-day work. I thinshe also held the Hospitality Chalonger than I have been Bir

Count Coordinator.

Her obituary says; "A memoria

service will be held at the Unitaian Universalist Fellowship in Va

paraiso [1295 N. Bayshore Driveat 5 PM, Sunday, August 13... In

lieu of Flowers, the family sug

gests a gift to a charity of choic

or the UU Fellowship..." If CAS iamong your favorite charities, yomay send a donation in her memory to P.O. Box 1014, Ft. WaltonBeach, FL 32549. - Donal

Ware

Spring Migration Count Results (2006)Twenty-nine people participatedin our 15th Spring North Ameri-can Migration Count on May13th, 10 in Okaloosa County and19 in Walton County. This yearon the count day I was exploring

the Islands of the Pacific Thea- ter on the Pacific Princess, a trip that only takes place onceevery other year. Three otherleaders could not participate forvarious reasons, but our birdersgathered useful data and had agood excuse to go birding. They

counted 3211 birds of 103 spe-cies in Okaloosa County and4034 birds of 125 species inWalton County, 140 species

total. Mary Theberge organizedfive other parties to count inspecific parts of the DefuniakSprings area, and they produced95 species. I was told theweather was good, and peopleenjoyed communing with nature.Lenny Fenimore surveyed theFWB North area that I normallydo, and that gave him an oppor-

tunity to count 10 Burrowing

Owls on Range 70.

Many thanks to the participatingarea leaders; Brett Williams,Lenny Fenimore, Bob Penhollow,and Virginia Spisak for OkaloosaCounty and Pat Baker, Bob Reid,Mary Theberge, Thelma Phillips,and Carole Goodyear for Walton

County.

Although the second Saturday inMay is the tail end of the springmigration for the Gulf Coast, we

documented 39 non-breedingspecies: 137 Brown Pelicans, 1Double-crested Cormorant, 1Red-breasted Merganser, 1Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Merlin, 2Sora, 1 Sandhill Crane, 1 Black-bellied Plover, 1 Wilsons Plover,2 Semipalmated Plovers, 1Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Lesser

Yellowlegs, 21 Spotted Sandpi-pers, 3 Ruddy Turnstones, 214Sanderlings, 554 SemipalmatedSandpipers, 47 Western Sandpi-pers, 150 Least Sandpipers, 18

Stilt Sandpipers, 1 Short-billedDowitcher, 261 Laughing Gulls,2 Royal Terns, 1 Forsters Tern,5 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 26Tree Swallows, 3 House Wrens,1 Swainsons Thrush, 45 CedarWaxwings, 2 Yellow Warblers, 3

Yellow-rumped Warblers, 1 Mag-nolia Warbler, 1 Worm-eatingWarbler, 1 Ovenbird, 3 ChippingSparrows, 1 White-throatedSparrow, 1 Bobolink, 35 RustyBlackbirds, 4 Northern Orioles,

and 5 American Goldfinch.

The most numerous species thisyear were 759 Cattle Egrets,554 Semipalmated Sandpipers,370 Northern Mockingbirds, and341 Mourning Doves. I thank all

that participated and hope thatyou will mark your calendar nowfor the fall migration count on

September 16th.

Donald M. Ware, Bird Count

Coordinator

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Page 2 VOLUME XXXV, NUMBER 5

July 20, 2006, Babcock Ranch, Charlotte County, FLState conservation leaders acknowledged today that they are relieved to learn that the Sierra Club hasdropped its challenge to the Babcock Ranchplan. The challenge to changes in the CharlotteCounty land use plan threatened to derail a long-standing effort to preserve in state ownership up to

74,000 acres of the 91,000-acre Babcock Ranch.

The conservation plan was approved by the Cabinetand the Florida Legislature and was set to close be-fore Sierras petition was filed, challenging theamount of development that could take place on a

small part of the ranch.

This is the largest single purchase of conservationlands in the States history and our organizationshave worked for years to accomplish it, said DavidAnderson, Executive Director of Audubon of Florida.We are pleased that the final obstacle to preserving the vast majority of the ranch has now been re-

moved.

The land use plan changes entitling about 19,000units on 17,000 acres will remain unchanged; how-ever some adjustments to the way the property isdeveloped will take place. There will be no change to the size of the preservation area or the developedarea, nor to the number of units in the proposed

development.

Four state conservation groups intervened in thelitigation to support the land purchase and develop-ment plan. 1000 Friends of Florida, the EvergladesFoundation, the Florida Wildlife Federation and Audu-bon of Florida took the position that preservation of the ranch was paramount and that litigation could

scuttle the protection plan.

We are greatly relieved that the challenge to savingthe ranch has been dropped. We can now proceed toclosing, safe in the knowledge that 80% of Bab-cock Ranch will be preserved, said Thom Rumber-

ger, attorney for the Everglades Foundation.

Federal funding for important USArmy Corps of Engineers Ever-glades restoration efforts hasbeen seriously cut from the SenateEnergy and Water Appropriationsbill currently making its waythrough Congress.

While the House of Representa-tives approved the Presidentsrequest of $165.352 million for FY2007, the Senate AppropriationsCommittees version of the billcontains only $101.289 mil-lion. This amounts to a huge cutfor funding of Everglades restora-tion projects that are already be-hind schedule.

Your help is needed to call upon

members of the Florida Congres-sional Delegation to support theEverglades restoration fundinglevels provided by the House En-ergy and Water Subcommittee andthe full House Appropriations Com-mittee. The cuts made by the Sen-ate Appropriations Committee arenot justified and, if enacted, will dogreat damage to Everglades resto-

ration.

Action Needed to restore FederalFunding for Everglades Restoration

Florida's Coastal Ecology and Economy Threatened by Drilling Bill

Last month, public outcry and lack of congressional support thwarted an offshoredrilling amendment introduced by Rep. Peterson (R-PA). It also helped put manymembers of Congress on both sides of the aisle on the record against drilling off of oursensitive coast.

This month, the drilling issue is back and previous opponents of offshoredrilling are wavering. Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA) has introduced a bill thatwould repeal the existing moratorium that protects our coasts and leave Americans nomore than 100 miles of protection from offshore drilling, 50 of which would have to berequested and renewed by each state's legislature every five years. This dangerousplan jeopardizes the environment and economies of coastal states like Florida.

IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS

Audubon, as the Partner for BirdLife In-

ternational, is working to identify a net-work of sites that provide critical habitatfor birds. This effort known as the Impor- tant Bird Areas Program (IBA) recognizesthat habitat loss and fragmentation are themost serious threats facing populations of

birds across America and around theworld. By working through partnerships,

principally the North American Bird

Conservation Initiative, to identify those places that are critical to birds dur-ing some part of their life cycle (breeding,wintering, feeding migrating) we hope tominimize the effects that habitat loss, anddegradation have on bird populations.Unless we can slow the rapid destructionand degradation of habitat, populations ofmany birds may decline to dangerously lowlevels. The IBA program is a global effort to identify areas that are most importantfor maintaining bird populations, and focusconservation efforts at protecting thesesites. To find out more, go to Audubonsw e b s i t e o n t h e p r o g r a m :

http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/

Audubon Ensures Clean Water Flowsto Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands

Audubon of Florida and its partners helped ensurethat the restoration of Biscayne Bays Coastal Wet-lands delivers true ecological benefits. Last April,the South Florida Water Management District, aspart of its Acceler8 program, released plans for theBiscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) project,which revealed a proposal to re-hydrate critical

coastal wetlands with water polluted by a Miami-Dade County landfill. Audubon, Tropical AudubonSociety, and the Everglades Foundation quicklytook action to ensure the pump that moves dirtywater was moved far upstream, away from possiblecontamination.

During this weeks BBCW project meeting, we werepleased to see that the new proposal removes thewater quality issue by relocating the pump to thesite we proposed. Additionally, the project teamincorporated our recommendation to use a test siteto determine if treated re-use water can be used tore-hydrate wetlands. Although Biscayne Bay des-perately needs additional water, we must ensureonly beneficial water is delivered to the Bay.

Supreme Court Creates Confusion over Protection our Nations WatersA divided Supreme Court has created confusion for protections of more than 50percent of the nation's waters. The split decisions on the Clean Water Act thismonth make it much harder for agencies to justify how bodies of water qualify forprotection. Muddying the regulatory waters, as the court has done, almost alwaysworks in favor of polluters and will take years to sort out.

The ruling signals an environmentally unfriendly direction for the court under ChiefJustice John Roberts, and the decision endangers 30-year-old federal rules thatprotect half of the nat ion's streams and wetlands. The cases, Rapanos v. UnitedStates and Carabell v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, were heard earlier this year

by the Supreme Court. The court's ruling may place jurisdiction in the hands of thestates, at least over the short term, resulting in confusion and a patchwork of rulesthat would endanger environmental quality in downstream states.

Babcock Ranch Property

http://www.birdlife.net/http://www.birdlife.net/http://www.nabci.net/http://www.nabci.net/http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/http://www.nabci.net/http://www.nabci.net/http://www.nabci.net/http://www.nabci.net/http://www.birdlife.net/http://www.birdlife.net/http://www.birdlife.net/http://www.birdlife.net/

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Shorel ines Page 3

Since life began on Earth, countless creatures have come and gone, rendered extinct by naturally changing physical

and biological conditions. Since extinction is part

of the natural order, and if many other species remain, some people ask: Why save endangered species? Why shouldwe spend money and effort to conserve them? How do we benefit?Congress answered these questions in the preamble to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, recognizing that endangered and threatened species of wildlife andplants are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people. In this statement, Congress summa-

rized convincing arguments made by scientists, conservationists, and others who are concerned by the disappearance of unique creatures. Congress furtherstated its intent that the Act should conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend. Although extinctions occur naturally,

scientific evidence strongly indicates that the current rate of extinction

is much higher than the natural or background rate of the past. The main force driving this higher rate of loss is habitat loss. Over-exploitation of wildlife for

commercial purposes, the introduction of harmful exotic (nonnative) organisms, environmental pollution, and the spread of diseases also pose serious threats to

our worlds biological heritage. Conservation actions carried out in the United States under the Endangered Species Act have been successful in preventingextinction for 99 percent of the species that are listed as endangered or threatened. However, species loss on a global scale continues to increase due to the

environmental effects of human activities. Biologists estimate that since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, more than 500 species, subspecies, andvarieties of our Nations plants and animals have become extinct. The situation in Earths most biologically rich ecosystems is even worse. Tropical rainforestsaround the world, which may contain up to one half of all livingspecies, are losing millions of acres every year. Uncounted species are lost as these habitats are

destroyed. In short, there is nothing natural about todays rate of extinction. For more interesting information, please go to http://www.fws.gov/endangered

Why Save

Endangered Species

How you can helpThe Choctawhatchee Audubon is in need of a Hospitality Chair:The role of the hospitality chair is to make participants feel welcome, have anenjoyable time, and leave the meeting wanting to come back again.

A well-organized hospitality chair has three areas of responsibility: to schedulerefreshments at chapter meetings, to greet and welcome new members into thefold, and care for display boards.

Duties Be sure committee members know exactly what their responsibilities are asgreeters. Coordinate with the program chair to plan refreshments for each meeting. Provide name tags at member meetings. Display chapter and Audubon materials to keep old and new members in-formed. Circulate a sign-up sheet early at each member meeting to identify names ofnewcomers. Acknowledge and thank all visitors and members at each meeting.

NeededLeaders for birdwalks: If you have a particular spot thatyou enjoy for birdwatching, why not share! Volunteer to lead abirdwalk for the Audubon and let others in on your fun!

Dear CAS Birders,

I stopped by Henderson Beach State Park on my way home from Alys Beach

on 6 July and spoke with the Manager, Ben Faure about the surveys that Robinspoke with us about earlier. I gathered his data from the computer and collected12 records while exploring the park. I started building the Field and Summarysheets with the Alys Beach species and added rows as necessary. This is easyto do at the insert tab of Excel.

You can add any records you may have gathered previously, or send them tome. I recommend you take a field sheet with you any time you go to HendersonBeach. If you plan to participate in the surveys there over the next four seasons,send Ben you name. He will prepare a Volunteer Pass for your front left wind-shield that you can pick up on first entry. I will distribute the Volunteer Applica-tion/Agreement and health sheet for insurance coverage at the Thursday meetingat Penhollows.

Don Ware, Bird Count Coordinator.

Help in conserving roosting habitat for the Purple Martin (Progne su-

bis), a familiar species that breeds in North America, migrates throughMexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and winters in South

America.

Prior to migration from North America, and during the wintering periodin South America, Purple Martins form large communal roosts where

they sleep at night. In North America, these roosts typically are associ-ated with larger water bodies. Reed beds or islands with low, thickbrush are commonly used. They provide sanctuary from predators anda micro-environment warmer and less windy than land roosts whichcan also form in clumps of trees in urban and suburban settings. Mar-

tins also roost on man-made structures, particularly bridges over water.

Regardless of their location or associated problems and/or opportuni-ties, martin roosts are critically important to the annual life cycle andecology of Purple Martins. The Purple Martin Conservation Association(PMCA) has developed Project MartinRoost to locate, protect and pro-

mote Purple Martin roosts in North and South America. Project Martin-Roost relies on volunteers to verify and report martin roosts via the

PMCA web site.

You can help promote Project MartinRoost by forwarding this messageto individuals and organizations that may know of martin roosts and bewilling to document them. Please forward the message to ornitholo-gists, bird clubs, nature societies and other conservation organizations

that you are acquainted with. Encourage them to visit the PMCA website (http://www.purplemartin.org/roost/) for details on how they canParticipate in Project MartinRoost. Thank you for your help with the

conservation of Purple Martins

Report Banded birdsPlease report

any sightings of banded RoseateSpoonbills to Audubon of Florida at

the: Tavernier Science Center, 115Indian Mound Trail, Tavernier, FL (305)

852- 5318

Sightings can also be reported online,as well as additional information on

this project at:

http://www.audubonofflorida.orgOther banded birds can be reported to

the USGS athttp://pwrc.usgs.gov or by

phone at 1-800-327-BAND (2263)

How long has it been since you have been to the beach? If you need a li ttlesand between your toes and some sun on your skin, this is the project foryou!Jackson Guard will be conducting monthly beach cleanups and we need your volun-teer assistance!Below are the details concerning the August beach clean up: Date: 04 August 2006

(Friday)Time: 0800 - 1200 Where: Eglin AFB public beach (East of Beasley Parkall the way to the jetties- meet in the gravel parking lot on the southwest side of theDestin pass bridge, near the jetties)Requirements:Closed-toe shoes (no flip-flops or sandals will be permitted)You can wear shortsYou must be able to participate for the entire cleanup timeframeYou must be in good enough physical condition to walk up to 3 miles in sand on thebeachItems to bring with you:

LunchWater bottle- we will provide refillsWork gloves, we will have some, but not enough for everyoneSunscreenHatChapstickBeach attire (reward yourself and take advantage of the beautiful beach after thecleanup is complete)If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Erica Schnarrerica.schnarr@eglin.af,mil

http://www.fws.gov/endangeredhttp://www.fws.gov/endangeredhttp://www.purplemartin.org/roost/http://www.audubonofflorida.org/http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/call800.htmhttp://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/call800.htmmailto:erica.schnarr@eglin.af,milmailto:erica.schnarr@eglin.af,milmailto:erica.schnarr@eglin.af,milhttp://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/call800.htmhttp://www.audubonofflorida.org/http://www.purplemartin.org/roost/http://www.fws.gov/endangered

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SAVE THE DATE!

Audubon Assembly 2006October 19-21

Chapter Representatives

President: Nonie Mainesnonie@noniesark.com....862.9588

Vice President: Thelma PhillipsTCMagures@aol.com651.0508

Treasurer: Karen Newhousenewhouse@earthlink.net..897.3745

Recording Secretary:Carole Goodyear.897.2666

carolegoodyear@msn.com

Corresponding Secretary: Pat Bakerflabirder@cox.net...678.2953

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

donware@earthlink.net

Conservation: Josh Barbeejosh@heyroy.com......218.0573

Education: Nonie Mainesnonie@noniesark.com.862.9588

Field trips Coordinator:Bob Penhollow....729.2602

Hospitality:(position open)

Membership: Theresa Dennis..tinkinneverland@yahoo.com

Publicity: Linda Daughertywbudestin@earthlink.net..269.0665

Programs: Thelma PhillipsTCMagures@aol.com...651.0508

Shorelines Editor: Jean WilliamsJawillia@aol.com.......897.2055

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

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: Paul Husted, Adriaan Vandevoorde, and Thelma Phillips

Donald Ware has contributed $100.00 in memory of Gertrude Oakman.

Donations are welcome, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Feel free tospecify 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

Printed on Recycled Paper

2006 by Choctawhatchee Audubon Society. All rights reserved.

Due to the cancellation last fall, we are gearing up for a great event this October! Plan on joiningus for a weekend of networking, education, advocacy and birding!

Location: Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Resort - Special rate: $89.99/night.Reserve rooms now at800-206-2724. Special Audubon rate good through September 27 only. Don't miss it! Plan to attendFloridas largest gathering of conservation-minded citizens. Details including Assembly registration informa-tion, programs, exhibits and field trips will appear in the summer Naturalist, and available online atwww.audubonofflorida.orgin July.

mailto:nonie@noniesark.commailto:TCMagures@aol.commailto:newhouse@earthlink.netmailto:carolegoodyear@msn.commailto:flabirder@cox.netmailto:donware@earthlink.netmailto:nonie@noniesark.commailto:tinkinneverland@yahoo.commailto:wbudestin@earthlink.netmailto:jawillia@aol.comhttp://www.audubonofflorida.org/http://www.audubonofflorida.org/http://www.audubonofflorida.org/mailto:jawillia@aol.commailto:wbudestin@earthlink.netmailto:tinkinneverland@yahoo.commailto:nonie@noniesark.commailto:donware@earthlink.netmailto:flabirder@cox.netmailto:carolegoodyear@msn.commailto:newhouse@earthlink.netmailto:TCMagures@aol.commailto:nonie@noniesark.com