Join us on Wednesday, March 20th as we welcome Stephen Bybee to talk about his work in Columbia’s Kiwanis Park. Stephen serves as the Project Director for Missouri Conserva&on Corps, a local nonpro’t dedicated to engaging the community on invasive species, na&ve plants, and climate resilience. Since 2021, Missouri Conserva&on Corps has organized more than 45

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Note from the President

Fri. Mar. 1, 2024

I would like everyone to know that we have a Nominating Committee that is taking nominations for: President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer and Director. These are the positions that will be expiring on May 31st. Bill Mees and Lisa Schenker comprise the committee and they have a slate of candidates: President (2 yr. term): Lottie Bushmann

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The new pit latrine at Wild Haven is almost complete! Nature Areas Committee Members David Neely and Bill Mees have been hard at work getting this structure ready for use. We’ll have an update when it is completed, but meanwhile, know that the construction is very solid, and a lot of work has gone into

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Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting February 21, 2024  Meeting conducted at Boone Electric Cooperative Present: Eric Wood, Lori Turner, Louise Flenner, Shelby Thomas, Eric Seaman Greg Leonard, Jim Gast, Bill Mees Time called to order: 6:00 pm  Previous minutes: Jim corrected last month’s minutes to reflect that the meeting started at 6:03, not

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Early spring is the time to enjoy the fascinating twilight mating displays of the American Woodcock (a.k.a Timberdoodle). Wookcocks have arrived in the region, and the weather forecast for Saturday is too good to pass up. Perhaps some theater-goers will need some fresh air by Saturday evening? This year’s trek will be at Forum Nature

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Note from the President

Thu. Feb. 1, 2024

Our January Membership meeting was on the 17th. We had 15 members attend the presentation put on by local Biologist, Ben West, who works for USGS here in Columbia. His research focuses on the effects of oil spills on migratory birds and he gave a great presentation on which birds were most affected by the

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Mark Glenshaw is widely known for his work on owls in Forest Park in St. Louis. He will be speaking at the February membership meeting Feb. 21, 7pm at Boone Electric Cooperative (1413 Rangeline) in the Amp Room. See the full lising in the Events calendar. Do you ever see or hear an owl in

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Field Trip News & Notes

Thu. Feb. 1, 2024

Updates from the field trip co-coordinators: Seeking a ride-share coordinator It’s come to our attention that evening field trips and meetings may pose a barrier for those uncomfortable with driving at night. With board approval, we’re looking to set up a way for people in this situation to arrange a ride to field trips or

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The Missouri River Bird Observatory (https://mrbo.org) (MRBO) Winter Learning Series Webinars continue with topics of conservation concern in Missouri. Join MRBO for the webinars every Monday in February at 6:30 p.m. CST. February 5 – Rare Insects of Missouri and Their Conservation with Steve Buback, Missouri Department of Conservation Insects are the most diverse and

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Dick Luecke served as a Board Member on CAS between 1977-1980, and served as President in 1976-1977. He was remembered by longtime CAS members as being “a kind man and a good birder.” The following is the obituary that ran in the Missourian in January.   Richard H. Luecke, age 93 of Columbia, Missouri, passed

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In 2004, CAS was a founding member of the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative, an organization dedicated to all wild bird conservation. As a step-down organization from the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, MoBCI plays an important role in habitat improvement in Missouri, as well as larger role working to protect birds throughout their life cycle.

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CAS is an affiliate organization with the Conservation Federation of Missouri and also with the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative. CAS pledged a 200$ to MoBCI who offered a challenge grant to other MoBCI affiliates to serve as an official sponsor of the Grasslands Summit. MoBCI, with the help of CAS, will be listed as a

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Inspired by the excellent program on Slow Birding by Bridget Butler that CAS hosted back in January 2023, we’re planning to have a slow birding field trip. The goal here will be to sit quietly, either on your own or as part of a small group, and watch what comes to you. Relax a little,

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Join us for Mark Glenshaw’s presentation on how to find owls in your yard.   Do you ever see or hear an owl in your neighborhood and want to experience more of these beautiful birds?  Well, award-winning naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw aka “The Owl Man” is here to help.  Mark has studied Great Horned Owls

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Join us for the Membership Meeting and program by Stephen Bybee about all of the ecosystem restoration efforts that are ongoing at Kiwanis Park.

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Note from the President

Mon. Jan. 1, 2024

Happy New Year! I hope you are able to get out and do some first of the year birding today. We want to first thank you all for your generous donations to CoMoGives this year! We reached and even exceeded our goal of $10,000, ending the campaign with $10,470.00 all with loving donations from our

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The 2023 Columbia Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday December 16. Early birders faced light rain, but temperatures were mild and we persevered to generate a species list of 99 species. This list exceeded totals of 86 and 88 for the previous ‘covid years’ and was the highest tally since 102 species were seen

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The Effects of Oil Spills on Birds Parts of talk: • Two major oil spills that affected birds (Exxon-Valdez and Deepwater Horizon) • What kinds of birds are affected by oil spills? • How does oil affect birds? • Who is involved after an oil spill occurs and how do they help birds? • Initial

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When last we spoke (December 1st CHAT), we were waiting for the final step before the CANS prescribed burn, waiting for the weather conditions to coincide with the carefully designed “Burn Plan.” John Timmermann’s call came late afternoon December 13th: “Tomorrow is looking good for a burn.” The following morning, Bill Mees and John Besser

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By Ben West, USGS The Effects of Oil Spills on Birds Parts of talk: • Two major oil spills that affected birds (Exxon-Valdez and Deepwater Horizon) • What kinds of birds are affected by oil spills? • How does oil affect birds? • Who is involved after an oil spill occurs and how do they

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Note from the President

Fri. Dec. 1, 2023

Last year at this time, I wrote about a Columbia resident that had 2 Rufous Hummingbirds at their feeder. As far as I know, that didn’t happen again this year. But, we do have a Limpkin, and as of November 29th it’s still present at Twin Lakes Recreation Area off of off Chapel Hill! It

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The weather is colder. Grasses, wildflowers and forbs are turning brown and drying out. A small dusting of the “white stuff” confirms it. It might be time to conduct a prescribed fire. That is the future for the prairie at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary. Columbia Audubon Society has contracted with John Timmermann who specializes in

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CoMoGives Underway!

Fri. Dec. 1, 2023

CoMoGives officially began on Giving Tuesday – November 28th and runs through December 31st. We are excited to be part of this annual online fundraising drive once again that helps local nonprofits raise money to help our community. In 2022, 117 donors contributed over $11,000 to CAS through CoMoGives. Our goal during this year’s campaign

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CBC (Christmas Bird Count) and Chili Potluck, Saturday, Dec. 16th. Bird Count With all our section leaders in place for this year, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a go! Thankfully, birding is a safe, outdoor activity and we have plenty of birders in Columbia that plan to do just that. We will send out

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Columbia Audubon Society is excited to announce our participation in the 2023 CoMoGives fundraising campaign for the 9th year running! This annual online fundraising drive for Mid-Missouri nonprofit organizations begins on the National Day of Giving – Tuesday, November 28th and runs through December 31st. 174 nonprofits are participating in CoMoGives this year and we

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Join CAS as we explore Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area, ~30 miles northwest of Columbia at the intersection of Boone, Randolph, and Howard Counties. This 3575 acre landscape includes a mix of forests, fields of restored native grasses, and a lake, providing a variety of habitats for interesting birds. In spite of this diversity of excellent

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Watch and listen for birds while hiking the Spring Brook trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. The trail passes through forested areas in the bottomlands of Little Bonne Femme Creek as well as surrounding uplands. The three mile loop trail has one unbridged stream crossing, but if the region is lucky enough to get

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Note from the President

Wed. Nov. 1, 2023

We had our first meeting at our new location on October 19th. I received some feedback from those who could attend. Sounds like we need to invest in a microphone and some speakers. I’ll be working on that so that we have it set up for November’s meeting which is on THURSDAY the 16th. You’ve

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CAS November meeting November 16, 7pm Boone Electric Community Bldg – Amp Room 1413 Rangeline St. TRAIL AND TRAP CAMERAS. Presented by Bill Palmer. Bill will explain how he uses remote cameras to capture otherwise impossible to get photographs of birds including hawks, eagles and warblers as well as mammals such as deer, coyotes, and

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The Columbia Audubon Society is accepting applications from mid-Missouri educators to attend a week long summer ecology or ornithology workshop at the National Audubon Society Camp on Hog Island in Maine. Scholarship recipients must be a teacher or nature educator working in Audrain, Boone, Cooper, Howard, Monroe, or Randolph counties. Each award covers tuition, room,

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The following is Bill Mees’ address at the dedication of the Council House at the Boone Count Nature School. The creation of the Council House was made possible by a generous donation from CAS. Several CAS members attended the dedication: Dave and Nancy Bedan, Lisa schenker, Lottie Bushmann and her husband, Jean Leonatti, June and

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New Benches at CANS

Wed. Nov. 1, 2023

Students from Fairview Elementary School visit Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary on occasion. Students often run to secure a seat on single benches scattered along the trails. This year, Ilia Dimov, working to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, has helped alleviate the scramble for seats. Ilia, with the help of scouts from Troop 708, has

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Honeybees Pollinate and….

Wed. Nov. 1, 2023

A previous issue of the CHAT presented the new trail-side interpretive pollinator sign. The first photos on the sign depict the European Honeybee as well as a typical white box bee hive. The honey bee was included for several reasons. Did you know, it is not a native insect. Early European colonists introduced the honeybee

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CBC (Christmas Bird Count) and Chili Potluck, Saturday, Dec. 16th. Bird Count With all our section leaders in place for this year, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a go! Thankfully, birding is a safe, outdoor activity and we have plenty of birders in Columbia that plan to do just that. We will send out

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First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

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First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

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First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

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First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

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First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

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Join us for an afternoon walk to Woodpecker Hollow, a property owned by the Greenbelt Land Trust. It is open to the public and was formerly owned by long-time CAS members Bill and Glynnis Elder and the Nature Conservancy.  The Columbia Missouri Trail Association (COMOTA) created a trail network that is accessed by using the

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Celebrate the New Year with the Columbia Audubon Society by joining an afternoon birding hike at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park on January 1st, 2024. We’ll walk the Grassland Trail from 2:30–4:30 p.m., exploring the mixed grassland, shrub, and forest-edge habitats to look for sparrows, raptors, and any other fauna or flora of interest. This trip

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This trip has been rescheduled from a winter-weather postponement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join us for a winter bird hike at Three Creeks Conservation Area. We’ll hike a three-mile loop along scenic Turkey Creek, where rugged topography and bluffs give the impression of being in the deeper Ozarks. Forest, riparian, and field habitats provide opportunities for a diversity

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Note from the President

Sun. Oct. 1, 2023

With our new season we are pleased to announce all of our accomplishments for the fiscal year of 2022 to 2023. We hope to see you at our October meeting with Edge Wade presenting on her beginning at birding and at some of our fieldtrips! Check the Events listing for all the great events we

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Time really does fly. It was the fall of 2012 that Columbia Audubon Society sponsored the first field trip to Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary for second grade students. Since then, the field trip has grown each year until every Columbia Public Schools’ elementary school now participates. For those of you contemplating the numbers, that translates

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The Columbia Audubon Society, a founding member of the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative, will be donating 100$ after a CAS Board approval as a sponsorship match to MoBCI for the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s upcoming Grasslands Summit. CFM is partnering with MDC and NRCS to bring you the Missouri Grasslands Summit, a three day event

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October Workdays at CANS Prairie We need volunteers on two workdays in Early October to help prepare for a prescribed burn on the CANS prairie: Saturday October 7 — Seed Collection. We will collect native grass seed from the established prairie planting. This seed will be used to over- seed portions of the existing prairie

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CAS Board Meeting Minutes for Sept 26, 2023 Attending: Lori Turner, Judy Lincoln Eric Seamon, Lottie Bushmann, Lisa Schenker, Shelby Thomas, Greg Leonard, Eric Wood, John Besser, Bill Mees, Allison Vaughn, Jim Gast, Reed Gerdes Meeting called to order 6:03pm April minutes were approved after a spelling correction of MoBCI. Jim Gast moved, Eric Wood

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Saturday October 14 – Rake Firelines. We have established firelines with a weed-whacker and brush cutter, but to keep fire from escaping outside the planned burn area, we need to remove flammable debris from the firelines, using rakes or leaf blowers. This work will require moderate physical labor on level and sloping ground.

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Seed Collection. We will collect native grass seed from the established prairie planting. This seed will be used to over- seed portions of the existing prairie that have been invaded by no-native Kentucky bluegrass. The planned burn will produce a good soil surface for introducing seed from desirable prairie grasses into areas currently dominated by

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