Weminuche Audubon members participate in a number of projects whose aim is to promote the conservation and appreciation of birds and wildlife habitat.  Our April 15th meeting will highlight two of these citizen science projects where we focus our efforts in spring and early summer. We invite you to get outdoors and have some fun with us. 

 Beginning in mid May we will be starting our mornings in the National Forest where we document the types and numbers of birds in designated plots that have undergone different types of treatments for fire prevention.  It is a study whose aim is to answer the question of how bird populations respond to these management practices.  Detailed reports on this Bird Community Monitoring effort  may be found under the Projects tab on our website. This year will mark the eighth season of this study primarily conducted on Jackson Mtn and Fawn Gulch.  Find out at our meeting what we have learned and how you can join a team for this fun study with a time commitment of only three morning hours once per week for six weeks.  There is no better way to start your day than listening to birdsong while you watch for birds. 

 Our second spring project asks volunteers to relax by a river and record nesting activities of the amazing American dipper. We have been observing nests on the San Juan river in town, the West Fork and East Fork stretches, the lower Blanco river and the Piedra river to document nesting success.  This year we plan to add observations related to water quality and food availability to further the understanding of how these birds react to environmental stressors like last fall’s flood.  No special birding skills are required to participate in this study.                                                                                      If gardening interests you, we can always use help in maintaining our native plant garden in Centennial Park.  You can learn naturalist skills and join the enthusiastic guides of Pagosa Wetland Partners in conducting summer tours of the Riverwalk Wetlands area. Come fall there are opportunities to volunteer in outdoor education for area youth.  Email us at weminuche.audubon@gmail.com for more information on any of these opportunities.                                                                                                          The public is invited to join us at the Methodist Church on Lewis St on Wednesday, April 15.  We will meet at 6 PM to socialize with appetizers and snacks before the meeting starts at 6:30. Please enter through the side door off the parking lot or let us know to open the main door for handicap entrance.  In appreciation for our meeting space, we welcome donations of non-perishable food for the church food bank. For those unable to attend in person, use the following link to join on Zoom

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89179057921?pwd=1L9JMhjzadZRxvk3JJUbd3bkF3TQLY.1

Meeting ID: 891 7905 7921
Passcode: 735580

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