INDEX

• President's column: Birdathon
• Lost Tree withdraws settlement
• New Members

   Birdathon is Apalachee Audubon’s largest annual fundraising event and the world’s biggest birdwatching competition.  Last year National Audubon raised over one million dollars and the individual Audubon chapters, such as Apalachee, collectively raised much more.  This is the one and only time we ask you to help during each year, and it’s fun.

   Birdathon pledges are key to our local chapter’s mission of environmental conservation, education and advocacy.

   Last year we gave education kits to teachers to help fourth graders learn about birds and other wildlife.  With your pledges, we also bought native plants for San Luis Park to restore important bird habitat.  This year we are looking at Goose Pond and St. Marks Refuge as places where we can make a difference.

   Birdathon takes place from April 21 to April 29.  On one of those days our Birdathon teams will go to nearby woods and fields, ponds and rivers, and beaches and marshes on a fast-paced, sunrise-to-sunset quest to find as many bird species as possible in just one day.  That’s species, not total population, and last year the species counted by our folks was 176!

How Can You Participate?

   You can help in one of two ways.  The first is to make a pledge when you’re contacted by me or another one of our Birdathon team members.   Birdathon raises money through these pledges.  Many Birdathon supporters pledge a fixed amount per species, such as a dime, quarter, or a dollar and this is multiplied times the number of species identified.  Others prefer to donate a fixed amount, such as $15, $25, or more, rather than having their contribution be tied to the number of birds identified.

   The second way you can participate in the Birdathon is to be an individual or corporate sponsor, sign up your own pledges, and then join one of our Birdathon teams to get out there and find the birds.  Even if you can’t tell a goose from a grouse, we will teach you how to count birds and collect pledges from your supporters.  We can even assign an “expert” birder to your team.

   Anyway, if my nine-year-old grandson and I can do it, anybody can.  Let’s see...if I can get 12 friends to pledge 15 cents per species times 175, which works out to about $26 each, then that’s over $300.
   It may be the most fun you ever had saving the planet, or at least a little piece of it.  Or, if you prefer not to be contacted, but still want to help, just send us a check right now made out to Apalachee Audubon and marked “Birdathon”.

   So, dust off those binoculars (what “birders” call “binocs,” if you know what I mean) to help raise money to protect birds and their habitats right here in our community.  If you have any questions, call our hotline or contact me or Larry Thompson.  (All phone numbers are on  page 2.)

Jim Crews, President
 
 

Index

   Rather than suffer a certain loss, Linda Shelley, a Lost Tree Island Developers' lobbyist, asked the Governor and Cabinet to withdraw a controversial settlement from consideration last week.  Lost Tree's move happened after the "settlement" suffered a barrage of questions from Cabinet members, ranging from technical issues to more global inquiries which sounded a lot like "why are we here?"  As a result, Florida's unbridged Atlantic Coastal Islands, and Aquatic Preserves seem safe from a potentially bad decision -- at least for now!

   While the item was withdrawn, it is unclear whether and when Lost Tree might make another approach to the Cabinet.  As a result of the withdrawal of the item, the Attorney General's office will continue to pursue the state's position before the 4th District Court of Appeal.

   Thanks and congratulations should go to the Pelican Island Audubon Society chapter, which was largely responsible for organizing the local opposition to this bad settlement, alerting local elected officials, and assuring a strong turn out in Tallahassee.  Thanks should also be extended to the Cabinet members who expressed concerns about the proposed "settlement", particularly Secretary of State Katherine Harris, Attorney General Bob Butterworth, Governor Jeb Bush, Comptroller Bob Milligan, and Treasurer Tom Gallagher.

This is an excerpt from a report by Stuart Strahl, President of Audubon of Florida.  Visit our website or call us for the full text.
 
 

Index

By Harvey Goldman, Membership Chair
   We are growing!  Our membership is now 688.   If you have a friend who you think would be interested in becoming a member there are a number of ways you can introduce them to Audubon.  For example, you could share your newsletter with them, show them a copy of Audubon Magazine, or invite them to one of our programs or field trips.  But, if they have access to the Internet, perhaps the best way for them to learn about us is to visit our website at www.apalachee.org.   There they can find past newsletters, a schedule of events, and a lot of other information that may help them decide to join us.

The following is a list of the folks who have joined us in the last six months.  Welcome aboard!

Ms Betty Allen                          Robin and Greg McDonald
Mr. Robert Anderson                 Ms Mary E. McFaden
Ms Sherisa Anderson                 Ms Jeanne Menne
Mr. Tom Anderson                     Mr William H. Miller
Mr. Dan Barber                          Ms Lori Lee Millonzi
Ms Vicki Barnett                          Ms Laura Morse
Ms Judith Bechtold                        Mr. Morley Moynahan
Ms Nancy Benda                          Ms Nancy M. Myers
Mr. Frank Brown                          Mr. and Mrs. Ed Northcutt
Ms Margaret H. Buford                 Ms Joyce Oakes
Ms Mary Lou Burke                     Jackie Obenschain
Ms Patricia A Burke                     Ms Julie Anne OMalley
Ms Mia Burton                              Mr. John V. Owens
Ms Mary A. Caris                         Ms Sally C. Parker
Ms Susan Cartagine                         Ms Heidi Parmarter
Ms Muriel Cerkel                          Mr. Ben Patterson
Ms Caroline Cheek                         Mr. Murvin Pelto
Ms Margaret Cook                         Mr. William Perry
Kelly Crabbe                                  Mr. Jim Peters
Ms Barbara Crawford                     Mr. David K. Powelson
Ms Wanda Davis                              Dr. Lita M. Proctor
Mr. Alfred B. Devereaux Jr.              Dr. Pamela M. Radcliffe
M. J. Dibiase                                  Mr. Thom Rumberger
Mrs. Greta M. Donahue                  Jan Reeves
Ms Shirley Downs                          Ms April Renyolds
Ms Ginnene Elster                          Ms Edna Reynolds
Mr. George Filar                           Elston and Barbara Roady
Chris and Gina Fuller                    Ms Catherine F. Roblyer
Ms Ann W. Garriss                        J. Roddenberry
Mac Claflin Gates                        Ms Karen Saly
Ms Sara Golinveaux                   R. E. Scheer
Ms Orva Sue Graham                   P. Schuerman
Mr. James N. Guy                     Ms Veronica Sehrt
Mr. Dallas Hancock                   Ms Heather Shuke
Ms Elizabeth Hancock                 Mr. Billy Rob Signs
Devin Harden                             Mr. Jack Simpson
Sharman Herrin                           Mrs. Douglas A. Smith
Mr. Bill Hudgens                         Jean Smith
Ms Elizabeth S. Huffcut                 Ms Abigail Sorenson
Ms Lucy Hughes                           Ms. Ines A Bragado     Spence
Wallace and Wanda Hughes            Mr. William H. Stafford
Ben and Rebecca Robert John         Mr. John L. Swyers
Ms Janice Johnsen                            Mrs. Richard E. Wade
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Johnson         Mr. James G. Waltermyer
Ms Sara Jane Keister                       Ms Julie Jo Walters
Ms Jean B. Kestner                           Mr. Merlin D. Weed
Von A. Klink                                     Ms Claudia Werth
Ms Mary Alma Lang                          Ms Betty Wilkinson
Mr. Benny Lovel                                Mr. Robert E. Williams
Mary and Bob Macko                       Ms Shirley Wise
Mr. Matt Makousky                            Mrs. Phyllis Yambor
Ms Addie Belle May                           Major Vernon K. Yon
 

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