At our July 16 meeting, Patti Spindler will introduce us to the diversity of macroinvertebrate life that exists in our rivers, streams, wetlands, ponds and lakes. Included are the insect forms found floating on the surface, hiding under rocks or living on the bottom that fish and many birds rely on for food. We think that you will be amazed to discover how alive our waters are.

This is a topic of special interest to our members who have been documenting the nesting success of American dippers for the past 5 years.  These amazing songbirds dive in the river, swim, and walk along the bottom to forage for insects that live in healthy fast moving water.  Our volunteer educators who assist with fall environmental education classes at Four Mile ranch wade in the creek with elementary students to see what is living there.  We welcome this opportunity to increase our knowledge of aquatic life.

Patti is a Pagosa resident and Audubon member who is a retired aquatic ecologist from Arizona. She now works as a consultant for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, where she worked on water quality standards, stream and lake monitoring, and macroinvertebrate bioassessments for the past 30 years. She will present some fun facts about aquatic insects and what bioassessments can tell us about the health of our rivers! 

The public is invited to join us for our meeting on Wednesday, July 16, at the Community United Methodist Church on Lewis St.  We will gather at 6 PM for socializing  and the meeting will start at 6:30.  Please enter through the side door off the parking lot or let us know to open the main door for handicap entry.  In appreciation for our meeting space, we welcome donations of non-perishable food for the church food bank.  If you are unable to join us in person, use the following link to join on Zoom at 6:30.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85427553781?pwd=q5FyR7tG76NxIwN80PPP4lRcbU1cyw.1

Meeting ID: 854 2755 3781
Passcode: 297730
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Meeting ID: 854 2755 3781
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