Archives | Columbia Audubon Society

Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas Training at CANS

Science always starts with a question. Scientists then design a study to find the answer. How many bumble bee species reside in Missouri? How are they distributed across the state? Are populations stable, increasing, or decreasing? These and other questions will be answered by the Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas. The MBBA will assist natural resource

Kick Off Picnic at Bonnie View Shelter

September 18th is our kick off meeting and picnic for CAS! It will be held at the Bonnie View Shelter near Rollins roundabout NW of Fairview School. We have the shelter rented from 4-8. Bring your own picnic supper and beverage. Utensils provided. Socializing until 6pm At 6:45, Andrew Biggs, Assistant Director from MU Research Extension

Bird Photographers! CAS needs you!

The CoMoGives campaign kicks off in late November, and as part of CAS’s campaign, we like to send out a charismatic winter bird postcard. We’re looking for a high resolution image that will be printed on a large format postcard to mail out to members and donors from years past. Credit will be given to

Summer Happenings at the Nature Areas

During the summer, everything seems to slow down a little, but nothing really stops. In fact, for CAS habitat restoration efforts quicken. AT CANS, many seedlings were planted in early spring with the intention of re-establishing some of Missouri’s missing brushy, bushy species. Unfortunately, the heat combined with the lack of precipitation conspired to thwart

Cerulean Warbler Motus Research in Colombia

Thank you all who have donated to help fund the research project that will be stationed in Colombia to monitor Cerulean Warblers on their wintering grounds! This is an amazing opportunity for USFWS to collaborate with SELVA to gather data and will surely be the start of many collaborative projects for other neotropical migrants in

Request for Matching Donations to help Cerulean Warblers

Sarah Kendrick, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Midwest Motus Coordinator, has teamed up with SELVA, a non-profit conservation group dedicated to studying and learning more about migration in Colombia, to start a 2-year long research project that needs our help. SELVA will be Motus radio-tagging Cerulean Warblers (CERWs) on their wintering grounds in

2022 National Migratory Bird Count Results

AREA: COUNT: SPECIES: 1 625 59 2 252 40 3 436 65 4 1074 90 5 0 0 6 3 1 7 1225 88 8 1790 98 9 262 53 10A 2708 133 10B 273 53 10C 0 0 11 1492 92 12 1230 90 13 454 71 ALL 11822 169 Here (below) is the

Columbia Motus Station detects its first migratory bird — and I helped tag it in Costa Rica

by Sarah Kendrick, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Biologist and Midwest Motus Coordinator The Columbia Motus station has its first Motus tag detection – and it has a great story! In late 2021, a Motus station was purchased by CAS in honor of Brad Jacobs and placed in partnership with the Missouri Department

Tree Removal at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area

by Brady Lichtenberg, Missouri Department of Conservation We’ve received some questions about the tree removal projects we’ve been working on for the past few years at Eagle Bluffs CA, so I am hopeful that this article will help to answer the common ones. In pool 2, we removed mostly cottonwoods and some willows because waterfowl

Note from the President

This is my last column as president of Columbia Audubon Society. I regret that we weren’t able to meet in person more often, but I think the Zoom meetings worked out well. I have enjoyed sharing eBird tidbits with you and hope that you found them useful. I want to thank Nancy Bedan for doing

Eagle Scout Project at Wild Haven

The highest rank obtainable in Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts of America) is the rank of Eagle Scout. There are many requirements necessary to receive the final rank including multiple merit badges, active leadership and participation in the scout’s troop and completing an Eagle project. The project is selected by the scout and must provide

CAS Board Meeting and General Membership Meeting Highlights for April 20, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the April, 2022 CAS board and general membership meetings: COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETYBOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGApril 20, 2022 Meeting conducted online via Zoom Treasurer’s Report Eric Seaman notes that CAS funds managed by the

News and Notes from the President

There’s a lot happening in April. There are field trips, an in-person program and our election of board members. Be sure to visit our website, https://www.columbia-audubon.org/, for all the details. While you’re there, you can read a Missourian article about the Columbia Motus station. April Program I hope you’ll attend our April membership meeting. We

Notice of Election and Short Biographies of the Board Leadership Candidates

Pursuant to Article IV D section 2 of the by-laws, notice is given of an election for candidates for the board of directors to be held at the general meeting on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Twin Lakes shelter. The candidates for office are:

CAS applies for a second Boone Electric grant to cover cost of Pollinator Interpretive Panel

CAS has applied for a second grant to cover the cost of the installation of an interpretive panel discussing the pollinators that use CANS on the prairie. Grant dollars will pay for the hardware and laminated panel, while all content and graphic design, as well as photos, will be donated by CAS members or other

Nature Area Notes: It’s Spring!

Spring is finally here and the number of nice days is increasing. Migration is almost here too, just ask the Eastern Phoebes who are already here fly catching. But all property owners, whether birders or not, know it’s time to start spiffing up the yard and planning the garden. This is true for Columbia Audubon

Winter Twig Browse Survey conducted at CANS

As mentioned in the March issue of the Chat, Columbia Audubon is beginning to examine the impacts of deer herbivory on plant life at CANS. For two days in early March, I joined Bill Mees who oversees management of CANS to collect deer browse information on the site’s shrubs. In late winter when supple buds

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for March 16, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the March 16, 2022 CAS board meeting: 2022–2023 Budget Jim Gast encourages the board to look over the proposed budget for the coming season and let Eric Seaman know if there are any

Columbia Missourian article on the Columbia Motus Tower

The Missourian published their article about the new Motus tower CAS funded in honor of Brad Jacobs. Here’s a link to the article: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/a-new-migratory-tracking-station-detects-birds-as-they-fly-over-columbia/article_06be9592-9a44-11ec-8594-a306405b0545.html

David Plank Watercolor Exhibit- Missouri on the Wing

The State Historical Society of Missouri is hosting a revolving exhibit in the gallery of watercolor paintings by wildlife artist David Plank. Some of you may be familiar with his prints that we offered as premium gifts for donations to CoMoGives several years ago, one of a Northern cardinal and the other of an Eastern

News and Notes from the President

March Program moves to March 23rd. We have a treat in store for Columbia Audubon members in March. Instead of our regular March 16th membership meeting, CAS is co-hosting a Warbler Identification Webinar, via Zoom, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23rd . The webinar will be presented by Dr. Sara Morris, who teaches field

CAS in Need of Photos from CANS for New Interpretive Panel

Columbia Audubon is seeking another grant donation from Boone Electric for CANS to promote our restoration efforts in the way of funding another interpretive panel. The theme of this panel will be the pollinators of CANS. We are seeking photos of pollinators taken from CANS itself, not wanting to muddy the waters with pollinators from

CAS to co-sponsor March 23 Webinar on Warbler Identification

Ever find yourself frustrated with hard-to-identify warblers? Struggling with the less-distinct female and juvenile birds? Columbia Audubon is teaming up with the Missouri Birding Society and the Missouri River Bird Observatory to sponsor a warbler identification webinar, via Zoom, on Wednesday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m. The webinar, titled “Tips, Tricks and Tools for Warbler

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for February 15, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the February 15, 2022 CAS board meeting: Nominating Committee Shelby Thomas reports a slate of candidates is still being assembled for the next election. Jim Gast will place another call for candidates in

News and Notes from the President

Election I have appointed Lori Turner, Shelby Thomas and Laura Hillman to be the nominating committee for this year’s election which will be held in April. We need candidates for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and board member. If you are interested in becoming an officer or want to nominate someone (make sure that person

Audubon Camp Hog Island Recipient of CAS Scholarship featured

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/innovations/education/green-future-students-build-houses-to-understand-eco-friendly-architecture/article_5edc3da2-544d-11ec-9c31-9f481be5cd46.html Congratulations to Smithton Middle School teacher Heather Jones, who was featured in the Columbia Missourian’s Jan. 27 “Innovations in Education” special section. Heather received a scholarship from Columbia Audubon to participate in Educator’s Week at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine. Read the full article in the link above about how she brought her skills

ComoGives Campaign 2021 Report

2021 marked Year 7 of participation by CAS! Thank you CoMoGives donors! Thanks to the generosity of 115 donors, CAS will add approximately $11,000 to our treasury. CAS was also awarded a Challenge Grant from CoMoGives in the amount of $500 for raising the second highest amount among organizations with an operating budget of $25,000

Proposed Managed Deer Archery Hunt at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

The mission of the Columbia Audubon Society is “to preserve the natural world and its ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, and the earth’s biological diversity through education, environmental study and habitat restoration and protection.” As such, and as a land managing organization, we aim to preserve and protect our land holdings for the

Nature Area Notes

Progress of CANS Prairie Expansion After several years of preparation, we successfully spread native grass and wildflower seed in the 6-acre expansion of the CANS prairie restoration, located on the west side of Scott Branch Creek (map). This project started with removal of Eastern Redcedar that had invaded the former cow pasture, followed by two

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for January 18, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the January 18, 2021 CAS board meeting: Audit Committee Report The Audit Committee (comprised of Boyd Terry and Judy Lincoln) has completed their review of CAS financial accounts for the last fiscal year.

Note from the President

Happy New Year and here’s to a wonderful 2022. CoMoGives Campaign Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we raised $10,507 for the 2021 CoMoGives campaign. January Program Join us—via Zoom—for Columbia Audubon’s January program, Bird Nests–The Wonder of Avian Engineering on Wednesday, January 19th at 7:00 PM. Paige Witek, education coordinator for the

Nature Area Notes

Wild Haven prescribed fire On December 2, a crew of 15 volunteers conducted a 20-acre prescribed burn in the creek valley west of the Wild Haven picnic area. Volunteers came from CAS, Boy Scout troop 242, and from ‘SAFE’, the MU student forestry club. Because many of our crew had limited experience, burn boss Roxie

2021 Christmas Bird Count Results-Not many birds, warm weather

This fall’s unseasonably warm weather continued on December 18, the day of the Columbia Christmas Bird Count. Temperatures were mostly in the 40s, above normal for the date, although the risk wind made it feel a bit colder and may have kept some birds in heavy cover. The turnout of count volunteers was high as

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for December 15, 2021

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the December 15, 2021 CAS board meeting: Committee Reports Conservation Dee Dokken presented a position paper circulating to various civic groups that CAS may sign urging the Columbia City Council to “develop a

How to Enter CBC Data in eBird

COUNT AND IDENTIFY BIRDS: This is the fun part! PREPARE ONE OR MORE EBIRD CHECKLISTS, using Mobile eBird app (e.g., on your smartphone) or eBird website (eBird.org) or Ask someone in your group for help with eBird data entry. DATA ENTRY DETAILS: Select an existing eBird hotspot or personal location or click on your location

Note from the President

Happy Holidays! I can’t believe it’s already December. I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. CoMoGives: The 2021 CoMoGives campaign has started. This campaign is Columbia Audubon’s major fundraising campaign, and this year we have a goal of $10,000. I cannot wait to see what this year’s postcard looks like–it features a beautiful photo of

A Few Notes about the History of the Christmas Bird Count

Late in the 19thCentury, an annual Christmas Day celebration centered around a “side hunt.” A “side hunt” would land you in a federal courtroom in 2021. But, in the days before conservation was an issue, teams would form, and each team would try to kill as many birds (and other wildlife) as possible in a

Christmas Bird Count: December 18, 2021

With all our section leaders in place for this year, the Christmas Bird Count 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 plan to send out our teams on Saturday Dec. 18th. Please contact your section leader

Editorial: Photo and Video Permits on Conservation Lands need Commonsense Revision

The Missouri Department of Conservation has adopted new rules requiring fee-based permits for commercial photography or videography on MDC conservation areas. These permits cover any activity that “directly or indirectly results in financial benefit or gain.” MDC confirmed, in writing, that this has no exemptions, applying even to hobby photographers selling a few pictures at

Nature Area Notes

Six years have passed since we have conducted a prescribed fire in the open oak woodlands at Wild Haven. Our management goal for this area is to use periodic, low-intensity fire to maintain the open understory of the woodland and to help control invasive woody shrubs like Autumn Olive and Bush Honeysuckle. We’d like to

Good Turnout for “First Friday” Bird Walk with Songbird Station

Eighteen birders showed up to walk together at 3M wetlands on Friday, November 5, the first of our “First Friday” Bird Walks. It was a beautiful, frosty morning and pretty chilly when we started, but we had low winds, warm sun and plenty of birds to study. Sparrow populations here are strong. The group found

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for November 16, 2021

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the last meeting: Present: Doug Miller, Jim Gast, Bill Mees, Nancy Bedan, Shelby Thomas, John Besser, Jean Neely, Eric Seaman, David Wood, Allison Vaughn Treasurer’s Report Eric Seaman reports that U.S. Bank began

Help Protect the Gans Creek Wild Area

You may recall that Columbia Audubon Society opposed a development of 113 houses just north of the Gans Creek Wild Area in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. Although the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission has rejected plans for this subdivision in their current form, this process has exposed larger questions about planning issues impacting the

Note from the President

I can’t believe it’s already November. Lottie Bushmann’s First Friday Field Trip kicks off on November 5th. Contact Lottie at lottie.bushmann@gmail.com for more information. The CoMoGives campaign starts on Tuesday, November 30th (Giving Tuesday). November Program Features Missouri Parks Association We’re going back to the Zoom format for our November 17th membership meeting. Two special

Band With Nature at CANS 2021

The weather was “iffy” at best for the 2nd grade field trip, Raptor Rehab was unsure they would be able to attend, MRBO was going to offer a program not attempted with this age group and the banding station was all new staff from Rockbridge High School. With this prelude, what could possibly go wrong?

Crepuscular Creep a Huge Success at CANS

A rainy Friday night did not deter over 250 people from attending the first-ever “Crepuscular Creepl” sponsored by Columbia Public Schools Science Department and Columbia Audubon Society. 125 carved pumpkins lit by glow sticks were displayed on the concrete trail from the entrance of Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary, down the path and across the boardwalk,

Noah Strycker Joins CAS for Big Sit at Bradford Farms

Approximately 35 Columbia Audubon members and special guests participated in an all-day “Big Sit” on Saturday, Oct. 16, at MU’s Bradford Farm–our first CAS field event since spring 2020. Vicki Park, Edge Wade, Noah Strycker, Lottie Bushmann and Paul McKenzie talk birds. Noah Strycker, author of “Birding Without Borders,” joined us for most of the

CoMo Gives Begins November 30!

Columbia Audubon Society will be participating in the annual CoMoGives online community fundraising campaign for area non-profit organizations. 148 organizations are participating in CoMoGives this year. CAS has participated in CoMoGives for six years. Over $48,000 has been raised for CAS during past CoMoGives campaigns. This is the only fundraising effort for Columbia Audubon Society.

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for October 20, 2021

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the last meeting: Committee Reports Communications The question is raised about whether to send out e-mails promoting events not hosted by CAS, but that might be of interest to the CAS membership. Since

News and Notes from the President

Due to the recap of the Open House at Wildhaven Nature Area in the President’s note, this article will also serve as the Nature Areas Update. Conservation Chair I am pleased to announce that Dee Dokken is our new Conservation Chair. Dee joined the board in September. She also serves as Conservation Chair for the