October 2008 Redpoll Newsletter Arctic Audubon Society

8/8/2019 October 2008 Redpoll Newsletter Arctic Audubon Society

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Arctic Audubon Society presents…

HowISpentMySummerVacation

7:00pm,Monday,October13,2008 NoelWienLibraryAuditorium

Our speaker or the October Audubon program is… YOU!Come trade tales o your summer adventures with el-

low Audubon members and nature enthusiasts. Whether yoursummer vacation was spent in your backyard or in some ar-

ung corner o the state, we want to hear about it! As always,rereshments will be served. I you wish to participate, pleasekeep the ollowing in mind:

1. ry to limit yoursel to 10 slides or photos. Pick “the best o the best” to share witheveryone.

2. Keep your stories to 10 minutes or less. We want to give as many people as possiblea chance to share.

3. Old-ashioned slides or new-angled digital photos are ne. Audubon will providea digital and a slide projector, as well as a laptop.

4. I you plan on sharing digital photos, bring them on a CD or memory stick so wecan load them onto one laptop. Please arrive 15 minutes early to load photos. You

may also submit digital photos ahead o time via email to [email protected]. Email submissions should be sent no later than Sunday, October 12th.

Photos: Above, Lauren Attanas gets iendly with a Snow Goose on the Ikpikpuk Rier Delta; below lef, BrookGamble, Dae Shaw, and Becky Baird raf the Nenana Rier; and below right, Ken Whitten photographed a moose

amily in Denali Park.

The Fairbanks Area Hiking & Birding Guide is sold in Fairbanks for $12 at the Alaska Bird Observatory Education Center, Beaver Sports,Friends of Creamer’s Field Farmhouse Visitor Center, Geophyiscal Institute Map Ofce, and Gulliver’s Books. Maps can be ordered via

email at [email protected].

E-Delivery of Arctic Audubon’s newsletter, The Redpoll, is now anoption. Contact the newsletter editor at [email protected] to receive

your newsletter via email instead of by postal delivery.

The Redpoll NewsletteroftheArcticAudubonSociety,Fairbanks,Alaska

Vol.31IssueNo.1 October2008

Mission of Arctic Audubon:

Earth has unparalleled natural

diversity, productivity, and

beauty, and provides for

life. Recognizing the full value of nature, we work to

protect Alaskan ecosystems

by encouraging research,

education, and management

that will contribute to

appreciation and good

stewardship of this natural

heritage. We also strive to

conduct our own lives in

harmony with nature.

The Arctic Audubon Society

publishes The Redpoll for its

members monthly fall through

spring. National Audubon

Society (NAS) dues are $35;

new members are $20. NAS

membership includes local

chapter dues. Chapter only

membership is $10 and

includes the newsletter.

Inside…

ABO Rafe ......................... 2

Alaska IBA Map .................. 3

Birdathon Report ............... 2

Calendar ........................... 4

Membership Form ............. 4

Tangle Lakes Update ......... 3

Wilderness Week ............... 2



Page 2 The Redpoll October 2008

FarthestNorthBirdathonbySherryLewis

he 2008 Farthest North Birdathon took placeMay 10-June 15. Tirteen teams braved rain,

snow, mosquitoes, piles o junk ood, and ras o scaup to raise over $10,000 to support bird research,

education, and conservation in Fairbanks. Tank you to all who participated and sponsored teams!Arctic Audubon’s Birdathon team—Te Ruby-

Crowned Bikers—included Frank Keim, Stan Justice, Henrietta Rexroad, and Sherry Lewis. Westarted our Birdathon day at Creamer’s Field an-ticipating a busy birding day. We checked out thebird banding area, and then stopped at Kessel Pond,

where we were excited by a Stilt Sandpiper. Wecontinued to the Alaska Bird Observatory to checkout the Great Horned Owl nest and saw three uy

white young, but no adults. Biking down CollegeRoad, we stopped at a little pond. As we were trying to gure out the shorebirds, an immature Goshawkswooped in missing the ducks. As it was settling intoa tree, a Sharp-Shinned Hawk ew by.

We pedaled over to the Georgeson Botani-cal Gardens and were surprised to nd a coupleo Whimbrels in the experimental arm elds. Bo-hemian Waxwings were gorging on last summer’schokecherries. We continued birding while cruising along Sheep Creek Road to the peat ponds. Tere we

saw a number o ducks, swallows, and Red-WingedBlackbirds. A delicious aernoon meal, cooked by

Jen Keim, was thoroughly enjoyed at the end o our trek. We ended up spotting 63 species and hada successul, gas ree Birdathon!

Proceeds rom Te Farthest North Birdathonsupport education, research and conservation

programs or the Arctic Audubon Society and theAlaska Bird Observatory. Next year please consider

joining or supporting a Birdathon team.

Alaska Bird Observatory Rafe!AnoriginalhandcraftedtablebyJohnWright

andNancyHausleJohnson

Ticketsare$5eachor5for$20andareavailableatABO.DrawingisDecember19th.

Forinformationcall(907)451-7159

AlaskaWildernessWeekReportByFrankKeim

“Politics, as usual,” one Democratic legislative aide saidto us, as we were quizzing her about the energy bills

that would be introduced later in the week. Te week, youask?

Alaska Wilderness Week—ve days when volunteer ac-tivists rom all over the United States come to Washington,D.C. to deend the Arctic National Wildlie Reuge, es-hekpuk Lake in northern Alaska, and much o the AmericanOuter Continental Shel rom a big push by irresponsible oilcompanies and many o their allies in Congress to open new

places to drilling. Almost 150 participants rom all walkso lie, including many Native Americans rom northernAlaska and northern Canada, came to the nation’s capitalSeptember 6–10, to politely express their outrage againstthe mistaken notion that more drilling or oil and gas is the

only way or America to solve the problem o high gas andheating oil costs.

As an Alaskan, I accompanied volunteers rom Maine,North Carolina, and New York to their meetings with legis-lative sta o their states’ Congressional delegation. ogether

with participants rom other states, we joined a rally on theCapitol lawn against “Big Oil” to counter a “drilling push”

press conerence by some industry advocates. We also enjoyed a reception hosted by the Canadian Embassy to thankAmericans helping to preserve the habitat o the PorcupineCaribou herd, which spends about hal the year in north-

west Canada. During our last night in D.C. we attended aCongressional reception, which gave us the opportunity toapplaud some o Congress’s environmental leaders and tomeet their sta.

Everyone we met with thought there were other morecreative solutions to this problem, including conservation,efciency and alternative technologies, such as wind, solar,tidal, river and geothermal power, as well as many others.

Unortunately these aides also elt that probably nothing at all would get done by Congress this session. “We’ll belucky to get a Continuing Resolution to und the govern-

ment through this November passed,” they complained.“But the Arctic Reuge will probably be sae, at least or this

year.”We were heartened by this sentiment, but we weren’t

about to sit back on our haunches and wait and see. Not bya long shot. We vowed to continue ghting this battle when

we got home. Letters, emails, phone calls, axes, editorialsand letters to the editor are important tools we can all useto try to keep these special American lands and waters saerom the clutches o big oil.



October 2008 The Redpoll Page

TangleLakesUpdateReprintedwithpermissionfromInterior Trails Quarterly

Monitoring Mining Activity in Tangle LakesPeople concerned about potential aects o

mining in the angle Lakes region have been

trying to monitor exploration activities thissummer.Pure Nickel, Inc., received a state permit to

do exploratory drilling in the area this summer,according to an email put out by Ruth McHenryo the Copper Country Alliance. One clustero drill sites is on the southwest slope o themountain just east o the lakes. Activity therecould be visible rom the lakes and the DenaliHighway. Another set o holes was to be drilledin the Eureka Creek and Fish Lake areas.

McHenry asked people to document whatthey see and hear and note how it aected theirexperience. She asked that a copy o the notesand any photos be sent to her at:Copper Country Alliance; HC 60 Box 306;Copper Center AK 99573 (907-822-3644).

Sustainable Foot Trail BuiltA large section o a new trail at the angle

Lakes Campground was built this summer underthe guidance o the BLM Glennallen Field O-ce. Te rst section o the sustainable oot trail

was built in June by members o an interagencytraining class with participants rom variousgovernment agencies. An SCA conservationcrew then continued construction throughoutthe month o July, despite extreme amounts o rain and even some snow.

By the beginning o August nearly 1,400 eeto new trail was built. An additional 600 eet o trail will be built in 2009 to complete the trailand tie into existing trail overlooking the lower

angle lakes and the Landmark Gap area. Veg-etation mat removed rom the trail construction process is being used within the angle LakesArchaeological District to rehabilitate illegalsections o ORV trail. BLM hopes these mats

will transplant successully and help to naturallyrevegetate illegal sections o trail, reducing theneed or physical barriers such as signs and gates,

which can be unsightly and costly.(Submitted by Cory Larson)

MapofAlaskaImportantBirdAreasByTaldiWalter,AudubonAlaska

Is it any surprise that Alaska has more globally signicant birdhabitats than any other state in the union? Over the last seven

years, Audubon Alaska has combed Alaska or areas essential tothe survival o bird populations. Tere are currently 145 sitesstatewide that are ofcially identied as Important Bird Areas(IBAs). Te majority o them are also recognized as globally orcontinentally signicant. In act, Alaska has almost hal o allglobally signicant IBAs identied in the United States.

Te number o globally signicant IBAs identied in Alaskashould come as no surprise when one considers the diversity andquality o habitat ound in this 365 million acre state. Alaska has

more than 47,000 miles o marine shoreline, 100,000 glaciers,more than 3 million lakes and rivers, and a diversity o habitatsthat range rom temperate rainorest to Arctic tundra. Alaska’sIBAs include coastal nesting grounds or about 90% o the world

population o Emperor Geese, staging areas or tens o thousandso Bar-tailed Godwits, the ice-bound, at-sea wintering area ormany o the world’s Spectacled Eiders, and nesting sites or a

variety o endemic species. With hopes o increasing awareness and understanding o

Alaska’s IBAs, Audubon Alaska recently released a poster-sizedmap that highlights the 145 identied sites, plus a handul o

potential sites that are likely to meet listing criteria in the nearuture. Not only is the IBA map inormative, but original artworkby David Allen Sibley makes it a striking piece. Sibley’s illustra-tions include the Spectacled Eider and Marbled Murrelet, bothspecies o global conservation concern. Audubon Alaska hopesto continue to add new IBAs to the list, but ocusing on protec-tion and management o existing IBAs is a priority or AudubonAlaska.

o get a copy o Alaska’s IBA map please visit the AudubonAlaska website, www.audubonalaska.org/BirdSci_IBAs.htmlor call the ofce (907) 276-7034.



ArcticAudubonSocietyPOBox82098Fairbanks,AK99708www.arcticaudubon.org

Nonprot Org.USPostage

PAIDPermitNo.181FairbanksAK

ArcticAudubonBoardofDirectorsemail address: [email protected]

President: Gail Mayo (479-2954)

Vice President: OpenSecretary: Kristi McLean (479-4874)reasurer: Janet Daley (457-1583)

Education: OpenConservation: Kristi McLean (479-4874)

Hospitality: Brook Gamble (456-3775)Programs: Lauren Attanas (474-9736)

Newsletter: Mary Zalar (479-4547)Membership: Mary Zalar (479-4547)

Field rips: om Green (452-6370)Birdathon: Sherry Lewis (479-0848)

Web Site: Jim DeWitt Alaska Audubon Board: Frank Keim (451-9308)

BirdingHotline (907)451-9213

UpdatedbyLaurelDevaney&KenRussell

Reportinterestingbirdsightings;learnwhatothershavespotted.

NationalAudubonSocietyNewMemberForm

q Introductory rate, $20

q

wo Year Membership, $30Membership includes both National Audubon and thelocal chapter, Arctic Audubon. You will receive NationalAudubon’s magazine, Audubon, and Arctic Audubon’snewsletter, Te Redpoll.

Name: _________________________________

Address: _______________________________

_______________________________________

City State Zip

q I would like to receive email announcements rom

Arctic Audubon Society. My email address is:________________________________

Amount enclosed: $______ (make check payable toNational Audubon Society)

Send to: Arctic Audubon Society A52PO Box 82098 7XCH

Fairbanks, AK 99708

qChapterOnlyMembership,$10For membership in Arctic Audubon only, check the boxand make check payable to Arctic Audubon Society.

UpcomingEvents—MarkYourCalendar

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Monday, 7 pm,

October 13th; Noel Wien Library Auditorium.

Creepy Critters Program, Saturday, October 25th,

Noon–4 pm, Creamer’s Field Farmhouse.

Arctic Audubon Board Meeting, October 28th

5:30 pm, Rm 300, Reichardt Bldg at UAF

Remember to VOTE on November 4th

NAEC Auction, Saturday, November 8th, at Wedge-

wood Resort. Tis year’s theme is “Celebrate Sustain-

ability.” Inormation at www.northern.org.Fairbanks FeederCount Dates:

November 5, December 13, March 7. Inormation at

www.alaskabird.org or 451-7159

Documents

October 2008 Redpoll Newsletter Arctic Audubon Society