Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

Note from the President

Hello, All, It has been a busy fall so far with lots of activities. Mostly it’s been an amazing fall migration and I hope you’ve been able to watch some of these traveling birds around your home—the hummers have really been amping up their eating around my feeder, with much less time spent defending. The

Go Birding at Alspaugh Park!

Below is an edited version of a Chat article submitted in 2024 by Edge Wade.  It is encouraging birders to begin the process of building the bird list for Alspaugh Park, a new Columbia park.  It’s easy to forget there are new destinations to explore and report.  Put this park on your list of hot

Eastern Bluebird Conservation in 2026

Prior to the 1700’s, old Native American fields were allowed to seed and likely provided bluebird habitat.  However, from the 1700’s through the early 1800’s frontier settlement, farming and timber harvest brought a loss of habitat creating a shortage of nesting sites.  Further, the introduction of the non-native House Sparrow and European Starling created an

Missouri Conservation Corps Fundraiser at Shakespeare’s Pizza

The Missouri Conservation Corps is teaming up with Shakespeare’s Pizza on Thursday October 8 for a fundraiser benefitting their program to help combat exotics and to assist in ecosystem restoration projects. The MCC is a great partner with CAS–we help one another on exotics removal (especially bush honeysuckle) and showing the public how exotic species

Thursday, October 8, 2026

Fundraiser at Shakespeare’s Pizza for Missouri Conservation Corps

All Day

Eat at Shakespeare’s to support MCC! All day and at all three Shakespeare’s Pizza locations (Downtown, West, and South). Mention this fundraiser or present the flyer when ordering, and Shakespeare’s will donate a portion of sales to MCC. The MCC has a great partnership with CAS, all collaborating for exotics removal throughout public lands in

Note from the Past President

Hi all, I hope this finds you well and ready for another year of great Columbia Audubon Events. Board members have been hard at work on planning meetings, field trips and other events celebrating birds and their habitats. I hope you’ll be able to join us at our Fall Potluck on Sunday, September 20 from 3-7pm

Volunteers Needed for Band With Nature

On October 19, 20, and 21 CAS will partner with Columbia Public Schools to put on the amazing Band With Nature program. We provide a “hands-on” experience at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary for every second grader in the district. That’s around 1400 children! Students are bussed to the park where they can picnic, hike, and

CAS Picnic and Bird Hike to kick off the season!

Fall Picnic and Bird Walk Sunday, September 20, 2026 Come one, come all! Please join us for the CAS Fall potluck. Bring your favorite dish to share and come ready to share a bird story or two. We love to hear about all the birds you’ve been seeing. We’ll have a bird walk prior to

A Thank You from our 2026 Hog Island Recipient

As I head back into the school year, I wanted to be sure to THANK each of you for your support of my trip to Hog Island, Maine. It is a truly special place. I so enjoyed meeting like minded people and teacher from across the country. The lessons that were shared, the stories that

Alspaugh Park

On Tuesday, July 14, Lottie Bushmann, Nancy Bedan, Vickie Park and Edge Wade joined Bruce Alspaugh for a guided walk in Alspaugh Park, located on Mexico Gravel Road a short distance east of US 63 off the Vandiver Drive exit.  John William Auspaugh, Bruce’s father, donated the land for the park with stipulations that its

Sunday, September 20, 2026

CAS Fall Picnic and Bird Hike

3:00pm-6:00pm

Come one, come all! Please join us for the CAS Fall potluck. Bring your favorite dish to share and come ready to share a bird story or two. We love to hear about all the birds you’ve been seeing. We’ll have a bird walk prior to the potluck. Meet at the pavilion at the Bonnie

Thursday, August 20-Friday August 21, 2026

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference

5pm-10pm Thursday, and 8am-3pm Friday

The Columbia Audubon Society is a founding member of the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative. Their annual conference will be held in Columbia at the Columbia Country Club. Registration is available for one or both days and covers meals. On Thursday night, there will be a buffet dinner and full cash bar and Friday, registration covers

August 4 Election: Amendment 1 to fund Missouri state parks and soil and water conservation

Columbia Audubon Society is informing membership of an important election on August 4, the renewal of the Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax is up for renewal. When it was last on the ballot 10 years ago, it overwhelmingly passed by 80% of the vote. Long gone are the days of state parks employees holding

Note from the President

Hello all! It’s that most wonderful time of the year…for birders! Spring migration! I hope that you’ve been able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and see a few of our friends passing by. There’s still time if you haven’t! I’ve enjoyed my tenure as president this past two years and looking back

Call for a Social Committee Chair!

If you’ve ever attended a CAS meeting, you know you’ll get a small bite to eat afterwards so you can connect with other members and guests. This doesn’t just happen organically. We plan out and invite members to serve as the snack provider for each meeting. We need an organizer for this important job! Usually

Annual Heron Rookery Fieldtrip

On March 15 Columbia Audubon Society conducted its annual field trip to see the Great Blue Heron rookery and accomplish some birding at Gans Creek Recreation Area (GCRA).  The rookery is located along Gans Creek in an undeveloped part of GCRA. I have been counting the number of returning herons every year since 2014, always

Calling All Photographers! Annual CentralMoGives Campaign

Even though summer has not yet arrived, it’s not too early to think about our 2026 CoMoGives campaign. I’m seeking photographs to accompany our various email blurbs and Facebook posts. If you’ve attended a CAS event and documented it with your camera, please consider sending your photos my way. Field trips, clean-ups, picnics… any and

April Draft Meeting Minutes

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday April 15, 2026 Boone County Electric Building Present:  Lottie Bushmann, Vickie Park, Allison Vaughn, Eric Seaman, Greg Leonard, Shelby Thomas, Bill Mees, Reed Gerdes, Eric Wood, Lori Turner, Emma Buckingham Meeting called to order:  6:01 Previous minutes:     Reed Gerdes moved to accept the March minutes as written.   

Note from the President

Hi all I hope you’ve been able to get outside and enjoy some of this spring weather that we’ve been experiencing. It has been a bit crazy with some wild temperature swings, but this week has felt more normal and there is even a promise of rain. Dark Sky week happens this month. Read Allison’s

International Dark Sky Week April 13-20

As many of you know from previous newsletters, CAS has partnered with DarkSky Missouri to seek Urban Night Sky Place designation for Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. The preapplication has been submitted (submitted Feb 26, 2026) but I have been (as my dad would say) birddogging this response if we need to proceed. This is

CANS-Missouri Conservation Corps Workday: Or Will Work for Pizza!

Here are some photos take by Stephen Bybee at the CANS work session (honeysuckle pull).  There were 26 participants who scattered across the hill sides to pull honeysuckle.  Conditions were perfect.  The temperature was warm not sub-zero and the ground was moist enough to facilitate pulling the honeysuckle sprouts by hand (a few exceptions noted).

Missouri Birding Challenge 2026

CAS has donated $1,000 to the 2026 Missouri Birding Challenge as a partner organization. This is the second year MDC is hosting this event, and the second year that CAS is a partner! If you receive the Missouri Conservationist magazine, there is an article recently published. The press release and resources including informational webinars about

Small Trees for Landscaping Program at Mizzou Botanic Garden

Benefits of planting trees on your property are well-documented, including cooling shade, increased property values, more bird song and the fact that spending time under a tree can improve your mental health. Not every home landscape can support a majestic oak, but one or two beautiful mid-Missourifriendly smaller trees might fit right in. In celebration

CAS at the Conservation Federation of Missouri Annual Conference

The annual Conservation Federation of Missouri Conference was held in late February with Virtual Sessions, and then in person on March 6-8 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons. CAS is a proud affiliate organization of CFM. On Saturday, I attended the Affiliate Luncheon and heard from several speakers; a representative from the Department of

Mizzou Botanic Garden Happenings

The Mizzou Botanic Garden has cordially invited CAS to their garden events. Feel free to click on the flyer below for more details! The first event is April 2. Garden Gatherings at Mizzou Botanica Garden

Draft March Board Meeting Minutes

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday March 18, 2026 Boone County Electric Building Present:  Lottie Bushmann, Emma Buckingham, John Besser, Vickie Park, Eric Seaman, Greg Leonard, Shelby Thomas, Bill Mees, Ben West Meeting called to order:  6:02 pm Previous minutes: Bill Mees moved to accept the February minutes as written.     John Besser seconded

Conservation Alert! Due Thursday, March 5 Regarding Dark Skies

Many of you may remember Dr. Gokhale’s talk for Columbia Audubon or the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative on the importance of dark skies for wildlife. There’s a comment period for a couple of projects that will negatively impact our night skies and ultimately wildlife. The FCC is taking comments through Thursday,  March 5. The following

Saturday, March 21, 2026

CANS Workday-Honeysuckle Removal with Missouri Conservation Corps

9:00am-12:00pm

Columbia Audubon Society and Missouri Conservation Corps and are organizing a cooperative honeysuckle removal event on Saturday, March 21st, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS), 3607 Bray Ave. Volunteers will be pulling and cutting invasive honeysuckle from this 28-acre nature preserve. By holding this event early in the

Note from the President

On Thursday, February 26, I hope you were able to join us to hear about the Forest Park Owls with Mark Glenshaw. We had over 80 folks join us to hear about Mark’s experiences following the owls for the past 21 years. They are fascinating creatures. It was fun to see his videos and pictures

CAS Dark Sky Efforts Underway

Last month, we mentioned that CAS has a Dark Sky Subcommittee and our primary efforts include securing Urban Night Sky Place certification for Rock Bridge Memorial SP and educating citizens about the importance of dark skies for wildlife, especially birds. We are pleased to announce that on February 26, we submitted a Preapplication for the

Upcoming Free Events at Songbird Station

Our partners at Songbird Station cordially invite Columbia Audubon and the public to a series of free seminars throughout the season:  Nest Box 101 Seminar March 14th  10 am Learn how to make your yard a perfect nesting site for Eastern Bluebirds, wrens, Purple Martins, Wood Ducks, and more. Attract Hummingbirds, Orioles, and More Seminar

Great Backyard Bird Count Feeder Crawl Report

On Sunday, Feb. 15th CAS hosted our Great Backyard Bird Count feeder crawl. It was a great success as 12 folks visited 5 different yards. Hosted by myself and Emma Buckingham, our morning started off at the first yard with a Brown Creeper that visits suet that is tied to a tree trunk. He was

Draft February Meeting Minutes

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting Thursday February 26, 2026 Boone County Electric Building Present:  Lottie Bushmann, Vickie Park, Reed Gerdes, Eric Seaman, Greg Leonard, Shelby Thomas, Bill Mees, Lori Turner, Eric Wood, Allison Vaughn Meeting called to order: 6:02 pm Previous minutes:  Lori Turner moved to accept the January minutes as written. Bill

Thank you for the Workday Help!

On February 21, several folks showed up to help burn brushpiles as part of a workday at Wild Haven. Here’s a note from the organizer, David Neely! Thank you to Eric, Tim, Kevin, Bill, Davyn and Jean for a great Wild Haven workday.  We burned the remaining brush piles just below Jenkins Hall and that

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Wild Haven Work Day

9:00 AM- 12:00PM

Weather permitting we will be burning several brush piles. This job may include dragging brush a short distance from brush piles to the burn site. Depending on the number of volunteers we may split several people from the burn crew to continue working on the fire break trail in anticipation of a controlled burn this

Upcoming Work Days

Our plans for winter work days have been stymied by the weather so far, but we are still looking ahead to several important tasks:1. Prepare fire lines for burn of West side of CANS. Date TBD. This work needs to be done before John Timmerman can conduct a prescribed burn. We need a day with

Note from the President

Hi all I hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying this very winter weather we’ve been experiencing. I don’t know about your yard, but mine was quite busy with all the snow and cold, and the birds kept my feeders emptied. I’ve had a lone Common Grackle that has been hanging around the last

The Nominating Committee Wants YOU!

Lottie Bushmann, CAS President, has appointed a Nominating Committee composed of Lisa Schenker who is chair, Nancy Bedan, and Bill Mees.  This committee is charged with recruiting individuals who will serve on the Board of Directors of Columbia Audubon Society.  The Board is composed of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer each serving a

International Motus Wood Thrush Project Update

CAS donated funds for the Motus tracking program as referenced in this article that was previously printed in the 2025 Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter. To see the article with images and other links, visit the original publication in the NA Newsletter in link above.  In 2024, a multi-national group of bird-conservation partners across the hemisphere

CAS partners with Rock Bridge Memorial SP for Urban Night Sky Place Certification

In 2025 at the Daniel Boone Regional Library, CAS heard from Dr. Vayu Gokhale, a physics professor at Truman State University who is deeply involved in DarkSky Missouri, a voluntary effort to promote dark skies at night, not just for stargazing but also for human and wildlife health. He talked to us about the need

Note from the President

Happy New Year! It was a busy year last year for CAS and there is plenty to be grateful for and reflect upon. Our Christmas Bird Count went off this year without a hitch and with surprisingly nice weather. While the species count wasn’t especially high (91 species) the enthusiasm expressed by folks that attended

Roundup of the 2025 Christmas Bird Count

Columbia Christmas Bird Count — Dec, 20 2025 This year‘s count was held later than usual, but we still had mild weather on count day, with light clouds and a high temperature near 50° F. We also had a good turnout of volunteers. with 118 eBird checklists submitted. Many counters also showed up Saturday evening

Deer-Vehicle Collision Data from MoDOT

In light of our January Membership Meeting Presentation on Deer Populations and their Impact on Natural Resources, we hear from Tayler Macdonald from MoDOT on their own surveys regarding Deeer-Vehicle Collisions which are causing all of our car insurance rates to rise. From Tayler: Here’s the link for the MoDOT Wildlife Vehicle Collision (WVC) Study webpage for

Duck Decoy Presentation in JC

From our friend Greg Renner with the Duck Decoy Project: I want to invite you and all of the Columbia Audubon members and their families to our next Missouri Decoy Collectors Program, which will be held at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City on Saturday March 14, 2026.  If you would please put this information and invitation into your

Note from the President

Greetings all! It appears that winter has arrived a bit early with this cold blast coming on the heels of Thanksgiving. I spent some time this past week reflecting over all I am grateful for in my life. My birding community is near the top of the list. I find that birding helps ground me

Christmas Bird Count and Chili Supper on Dec. 20

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 our teams on Saturday Dec. 20th. Please contact your section leader if

CAS Eternal

CAS lost three longtime leaders and members in recent months. These three powerhouses were not only exceptional birders but incredible leaders who guided the organization to be a strong force in Columbia. Bonnie Heidy served as a Board Secretary and a longtime Board of Director. Her son, Eric Woods, ias an exceptional legacy of Bonnie’s

CoMoGives Campaign Begins

Columbia Audubon Society is participating in the 2025 CoMoGives fundraising campaign for the 11th year. This annual fundraising drive for local non-profit organizations begins Monday, December 1st and ends on Wednesday, December 31st. CAS has been very fortunate to have members and friends who support our mission… “to preserve the natural world and its ecosystems, focusing on

Winter Finch Forecast 2025-2026

Keep your eyes open this winter for northern visitors to your feeders. Scientists are predicting large numbers of finches will be on the move. They call these southerly movements “irruptions” and we are due for one this year. Perhaps you’ve noticed some Pine Siskins or Red-breasted Nuthatches at your feeder already this fall? Read this

Field Trip to Stephen’s Lake Park!

Eleven birders joined field trip leader Ben West for a pleasantly warm afternoon birding around Stephens Lake Park on Sunday, November 16.  Most of the attendees saw about 20 species of good variety for the season.  Highlights included a Sharp-shinned Hawk high overhead, and a Northern Mockingbird at a short distance on a fence.