Weminuche Audubon Society

May Chapter Meeting
2021-05-19 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Online Presentation
Learning to identify birds by their songs and calls will be the topic of the next Weminuche Audubon Chapter meeting, on Wednesday, May 19 at 6:30 PM. Keith Bruno, Audubon Rockies Community Naturalist and Weminuche Board Member, will lead us in this exercise of seeing with our ears. With mating season and the arrival of our summer birds, the air is filled with birdsong. Some birds we haven’t heard for several months.
Distinguishing a bird by its unique sound is a fun challenge. Bruno will provide tips for picking apart the song we hear and aligning it with the bird singing it. Learn about the technology available to teach yourself this skill.
Chapter members are getting ready to begin our third season of surveying bird populations in areas of the San Juan National Forest. This citizen science project is designed to study the effects of different fire prevention practices employed by the USFS on bird populations. A link to reports and youtube videos on our study may be found under the Projects tab, Bird Community Monitoring, on our website, www.weminucheaudubon.org. Identifying birds by their songs is an important skill in recording birds that are difficult to see hidden in the canopy or the brush in the forest, and will add to your enjoyment of the birds at your home. All interested parties are invited to join us at our meeting on Zoom. Use the following link to join the meeting.Time: May 19, 2021 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/96682817997?pwd=[REDACTED] ID: 966 8281 7997Passcode: [REDACTED] tap mobile+12532158782,,96682817997#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Tacoma)+13462487799,,96682817997#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Houston)Dial by your location +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)Meeting ID: 966 8281 7997Passcode: [REDACTED] your local number: https://zoom.us/u/afn5Dln1

Bird Monitoring Project Orientation
2021-05-15 09:30 - 12:00
The trees are marked, the birds are out and we’re ready to begin the 3rd season of our citizen science survey on Jackson Mtn, Fawn Gulch and Turkey Springs. If you’re new to the project or want to refresh your skills, join us this Saturday, May 15 to head out into the forest and learn the protocols of the study. Meet at the Junction Restaurant Parking lot at 9:30 AM. Bring binoculars, water and a snack. There’s still time to add your name to our list of participants. Email us weminuche.audubon@gmail.com for information

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory Virtual Bird Bash
2021-05-15 08:00 - 2021-05-16 16:00 | Online Presentation
Visit the Texas Gulf Coast for this free virtual event. https://www.gcbo.org/connect/virtualbirdbash/ for information.

Global Big Day/Migratory Bird Day
2021-05-08 08:00 - 11:00 | Navajo State Park, Highway 151, Arboles, CO
Join us to celebrate these events. Meet at the Watchable Wildlife Area on Highway 151, shortly before the entrance to Navajo State Park. We will see what we can find and enter our count on http://ebird.org to take part in this tabulation of spring birds. You may also count birds wherever you are and enter your survey to take part in this annual bird count.

Native Plant Outreach Workshop
2021-05-06 12:00 - 13:30, 2021-05-04 12:00 - 13:30, 2021-05-01 09:00 - 10:30, 2021-04-29 12:00 - 13:30, 2021-04-24 09:00 - 10:30, 2021-04-22 12:00 - 13:30, 2021-03-20 09:00 - 10:30 | Online Presentation
This spring, Audubon Rockies and researchers at Colorado State University are collaborating to offer an exciting new series of Habitat Hero workshops focused on native plant outreach. Attendees will learn how to get involved and grow their skills and confidence, not just in planting native plants themselves, but also in encouraging others to plant native plants. Participants will also receive several different $10 coupons for themselves and friends to get a discount on native plants at participating nurseries. Gardeners of all skill levels are all welcome.
This workshop is part of a series of identical sessions. Participants only need to attend one. You can view the other workshop dates here.
Cost: free
Register here

Birding by Ear with Audubon Rockies Keith Bruno
2021-04-29 18:00 - 19:30 | Online Presentation
Bird song can seem complicated. It is, after all, another language! However, with some close examination, one can quickly come to recognize several vocalizations and thus the presence of a bird species. In this free webinar, we’ll not only listen to soundbite recordings, but also look at visual representations of songs and calls, allowing for various means of understanding. Spring is an active time for birdsong, complete with songs aimed specifically at finding suitable mates. Let us help you de-code some of the magic! This event is designed for beginner-intermediate birders to open up the birding experience by analyzing songs and calls of familiar regional Rocky Mountain bird species.
Register

Nobel Prize Summit/ Our Planet, Our Future
2021-04-26 - 2021-04-28 | Online Presentation
Join us for Our Planet, Our Future on April 26-28, 2021 – a virtual event presented by the Nobel Foundation, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research/Stockholm Resilience Centre to engage in an optimistic exploration of the best version of our collective future. The first Nobel Prize Summit will convene talks from Nobel laureates and conversations among experts from the science, policy, arts, and youth activist communities.
Additional speakers have been added to a line-up that will explore three key areas critical to the future of humanity:
Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
Reducing Inequality
Technologies with the Power to Transform the Way We Live and Work

From Dr. Anthony Fauci to former Vice President Al Gore, from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to youth activist Xiye Bastida, to a special presentation of The Oedipus Project featuring performances by Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Jeffrey Wright, this free, online summit will serve as a global platform for the exchange of ideas and the source of change-making approaches that will engage, entertain, motivate and embolden.
Our virtual auditorium is large but space is limited. Please RSVP for this unique mix of science, discussion, music, theater, and action.

Reserve your virtual seat today

Visit our website nobelprize.org/our-planet-our-future to view the full line-up and current agenda, learn more about the Nobel Prize Summit, and to register for the virtual event.

Earth Day Celebration
2021-04-24 11:00 - 14:00 | Riverwalk
Join us in celebrating the Earth with this free Family Friendly event. Tour booths of local organizations while strolling the Riverwalk from Town Hall to Centennial Park. We will be mindful of Covid precautions and masks are required. Stop by the Weminuche/Rockies booth near our native plant garden and get some wildflower seed mix and the latest copy of Migration Adventures.

April Chapter Meeting
2021-04-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Online Presentation
In April we will be discussing our Bird Community Monitoring Project as we get ready for the third season of this study. Join us on Zoom to learn about the importance of this fun citizen science project.
Controlled burns, thinning of tree stands and removal of the brush layer are some of the methods employed by the USFS to protect our forests and our homes from the devastation of wildfire. Changes that people make to the forest structure affect the plants and animals that are adapted to live in these ecosystems, leading members of the local Audubon chapter to wonder how bird populations responded to these manipulations.
Under the direction of chapter vice-president, Herb Grover, Weminuche Audubon designed a citizen science project in 2019. This project addresses the question; “What are the effects, if any, that forest thinning treatments or prescribed fire have on bird community composition and structure?” With input from our partners in the project, The San Juan Forest Health Partnership, Mountain Studies Institute, and the United States Forest Service, 3 similar areas of Ponderosa Pine forest were chosen as survey plots. The differences between them were in the type of fire prevention treatment which had been employed. The plot on Turkey Springs has been subjected to controlled burns, the one on Fawn Gulch to mastication of the brush layer and the one on Jackson Mountain to no treatment in recent time.
Volunteer participants in the study went out in teams to survey pre-assigned points and count all the birds identified by sight or sound in 6 minutes at each point. 2020 was the second year of our study and we all had fun learning from each other and becoming better at bird identification.
Grover will talk about the findings of the first 2 seasons of our study. He has been a professor of biology, ecology and environmental science classes for over 2 decades and continues to teach online classes for Wayland Baptist University. A man of many talents, he has produced videos explaining the project which may be viewed on youtube by searching Grover Bird Community Monitoring. He has also written two reports which may be read on our website under the Projects tab, Bird Community Monitoring. The chapter is indebted to him for the time and energy that he has put into this project.
We are seeking volunteers for the 2021 season which extends from late May into early July. For a time commitment of only 15 hours or less, you can advance the goals of this study and join our dedicated group of participants. You need not be an expert birder. What better way is there to spend your time than out in the woods listening to birdsong. To add your name to our volunteer list or for more information, email us at weminuche.audubon@gmail.com.
Following is the link to join the meeting:
Topic: April Chapter Meeting
Time: Apr 21, 2021 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98066384634?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 980 6638 4634
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,98066384634#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,98066384634#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Houston)
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 980 6638 4634
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/afCGhcIms

Virtual Workshop on the Sagebrush Steppe for Educators
2021-04-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Online Presentation
Stretching across 13 western states and 2 Canadian provinces, the sagebrush steppe is North America’s largest ecosystem. Sadly, most Americans know little about this biologically rich landscape and the wonders found there.
This free virtual workshop is an opportunity for chapter leaders (classroom and informational educators) and community members who lead virtual or in-person outreach efforts to learn about lesson plans, resources, and activities that Audubon Rockies’ award-winning educators have created for the sagebrush ecosystem.
In this 2-hour webinar, learn how these free resources can be incorporated into classrooms, museums, field trips, camps, and more. During the workshop, we will work on developing individualized frameworks for engaging students in critical thinking about sagebrush ecosystems; provide dynamic tools and lesson plans for teachers; and build bridges between educators, scientists, and students.

Register Today

Birding 101 with Audubon Rockies
2021-04-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Online Presentation
People of all ages are welcome to join Community Science Coordinator Zach Hutchinson as he revisits his extremely popular introduction to birding, Birding 101. This free webinar focuses on the basics of bird identification, field guide selection and usage, and much more! Invite friends, family, students, teachers, and anyone else you know!
Register

April Board Meeting
2021-04-05 16:00 - 17:30 | Online Presentation
Our April board meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please email us at weminuche.audubon@gmail.com for the link to the meeting.

Volunteer Naturalist Training
2021-04-03 10:00 - 12:00
Weminuche Audubon and Pagosa Wetland Partners are conducting an exciting training program for people interested in conducting public tours of the Riverwalk wetlands areas.Training topics will include plants, animals, wetland ecology, human history and more. Learn how to educate people in appreciating these important ecosystems and becoming involved in their protection.
Attend the first organizational meeting and see if this opportunity is for you. Meet at the gazebo in Yamaguchi Park on S. 5th St. Mask required. Bring a chair.

Wings and Wetlands Festival
2021-03-24 15:00 - 2021-03-26 21:00 | Online Presentation
Visit Great Bend, KS (virtually) for their annual festival with an impressive line-up of speakers. Evening sessions. $20 registration gets you in. http://wingsandwetlands.com for information and to register.

The American Dipper Project
2021-03-20 10:00 - 14:00 | Riverwalk
Volunteers for this nesting survey of American Dippers will meet at 10AM at the amphitheater near the domes in Centennial Park. We will go over the protocols of the project and look for potential nest sites along the river in town. Bring a mask and binoculars and boots for muddy ground. This is a reschedule of the event postponed on 3/13 due to weather conditions.

March Chapter Meeting
2021-03-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Online Presentation
Please join us for our monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 17, at 6:30 PM. In March we welcome Douglas Purcell, district wildlife manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW is charged with managing 42 state parks, over 300 state wildlife areas, and all of the state’s wildlife. Purcell is a Colorado native and a resident of Pagosa Springs for 20 years who has worked for CPW for 29 years. With an education in biology, his love and appreciation of wildlife led him to a career in wildlife management.
Purcell’s presentation will cover a wide range of topics of interest to those who share his love of wildlife. For the bird lovers among us, he will talk about the forest accipiter species that live in our area, the northern goshawk, and Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks. We will also have an opportunity to learn about areas of concern in regional wildlife species, including elk, deer and mountain sheep populations.
If you have a wildlife question, Doug will field questions from the audience.
Use the following Zoom link to join the meeting
Topic: March WAS Meeting
Time: Mar 17, 2021 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/91991992825?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 919 9199 2825
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,91991992825#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,91991992825#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Tacoma)
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 919 9199 2825
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abzxBQ8ho8

The American Dipper Project
2021-03-13 10:00 - 14:00 | Riverwalk
Volunteers for this survey of American Dipper Nesting will meet on Saturday, March 13, at 10 AM at the amphitheater near the domes in Centennial Park. Please bring binoculars, and masks, and be prepared for less than perfect weather! If the weather prevents our meeting, we will postpone until Sunday.
Due to unfavorable predictions for this weekend, we have postponed this meeting until Saturday, March 20. Same time, same place.

Monte Vista Crane Festival
2021-03-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Online Presentation
The festival is being presented online this year. You will see current videos of cranes on the refuge along with professional videos of people and cranes in the valley, featured speakers, and beautiful photos. Our main feature is a slide show by professional photographer Ed MacKarrow. Our keynote speaker is Sandra Knoll, and her talk is “Cranes of the World.” The entire presentation is about 2 hours long. Once you have a ticket, you can watch it with live chat on March 12, 7 pm MST, or from March 13-17, you can watch it all or portions at your leisure.
Visit http://mvcranefest.org to register. The refuge is open, so consider a drive to view these beautiful birds.

Pagosa Wetland Partners Meeting
2021-03-09 15:00 - 16:30 | Online Presentation
We have not met as a group since November. However, Barry and Randy have continued on quietly and have made seriously great progress on several key fronts over the winter. With spring nearly upon us, it is time to gather to hear all updates and discuss our plans as a group to proceed with alacrity and good cheer.

Agenda items:

Overall Update: Barry
Land Use Development Code (LUDC) rewrite update: Barry
Updating Wetlands Management Plan and water monitoring: Randy
Riverwalk public tours with Master Naturalist trained guides: Randy
Earth Day Discussion: All
Outreach: Barry and Deb
New Business: All
Housekeeping: Deb

Please join us to find out what this energetic group is all about. All interested parties are welcome to attend the meeting
For a link to the Zoom meeting email pagosawetlands@gmail.com

March Board Meeting
2021-03-01 16:00 - 17:30 | Online Presentation
You are welcome to join us for our monthly board meeting on Zoom. For a link to the meeting, email us weminuche.audubon@gmail.com

February Chapter Meeting
2021-02-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Online Presentation
Join us on Wednesday, February 17, at 6:30 PM for our monthly chapter meeting. The topic of our meeting this month will be The American Dipper Project. Who doesn’t love these incredible birds!
Our presenter for the evening will be Stephen Munroe, chapter member from Durango, who leads a study of the nesting success of these amazing birds on the Animas River. Monroe is a HydroEcologist who lives in Durango and has been studying springs, streams, and rivers in the Four Corners region for more than twenty five years.
The American Dipper Project began in 2016, due to the concerns of a group of birdwatchers in Durango about the potential impacts of the 2015 Gold King Mine spill in the Animas River on the American Dipper population. The project’s objective is to study the breeding success of American Dippers (Cinclus mexicanus) on the Animas River and other streams in southwestern Colorado. Each year from 2016 through 2020, citizen science volunteers have surveyed Dippers learning about nesting behavior and success, nest site fidelity, and the bird’s unique personalities. In June 2018, a catastrophic wildfire burned portions of the Animas watershed, and subsequent flooding introduced large volumes of sediment to the river, adding another negative impact to American Dipper’s habitat and food sources.
This year, with Munroe’s guidance, we hope to be able to extend these studies to the San Juan river and tributaries in the Pagosa area. Attend the meeting to find out the protocols of the survey and how to become involved.
Use the following link to join the meeting on Zoom
Topic: February Chapter Meeting
Time: Feb 17, 2021 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95903208813?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 959 0320 8813
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,95903208813#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,95903208813#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Houston)
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 959 0320 8813
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adMQjn9cNP

Birding for the GBBC
2021-02-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Riverwalk
Ben Bailey will lead us in tallying birds on the Riverwalk for the GBBC. Meet at the domes in Centennial Park at 10 AM. Please bring a mask and binoculars.

Great Backyard Birdcount
2021-02-12 - 2021-02-15
Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days we invite people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. This project is a joint effort between National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.
This year’s count takes place starting at midnight on February 12 and goes until midnight of February 15. Count birds for a minimum of 15 minutes in your yard or at your favorite location and enter your sightings on ebird.org. If you are new to ebird and/or the count, visit http://birdcount.org for more information.

Loaves and Fishes
2021-02-11 11:00 - 13:00 | Parrish Hall, Lewis St.
For several years, the Weminuche Chapter has been proud to take a turn in sponsoring this weekly, free community meal. This year, due to Covid restrictions, meals are being provided as carry-out only and we will miss the fun of serving patrons at the Parrish Hall. We will. however, provide the food for the meal. Thanks to Maureen Collins and Anne Stevens for doing the shopping for us.
