by Jim Gast

 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 is willing), contact one of the above. We need a slate of candidates by the March board meeting on March 15th.

Every organization needs people to run it and CAS is no exception.  I strongly encourage you to run for office.  I was on the board in  the 1990s and then ran for president in 2020.  All you really need is a desire to help.

Programs

We’ll meet by Zoom again for our February membership meeting and program. Randal and Denise Clark will join us to present a nature photography program they call Sharing the Seasons of 2020/2021. I’m sure many of you know the Clarks. For nearly four decades, Randal led spring nature walks at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. He and Denise have been sharing their photos and videos through Randal’s Nature Walks Facebook Group since 2020.

The program starts at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, February 16th. To join in, use this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83239450614?pwd=VDVCQkdYTjlOa0cxSGFzQmtncWNHQT09

Meeting ID: 832 3945 0614

Passcode: 279264

If you missed Paige Witek’s talk on bird nests, you can watch it at https://youtu.be/6BzfePVKBzE

Save the date: Our spring picnic will be on Sunday, May 22nd.  There will be more details as we get closer to the date.

Remember to check our web page, https://www.columbia-audubon.org/, for upcoming events.  You can also read a brief description of the event, and who to contact for more information.

More on Motus

CAS made a donation to install a Motus tracking tower in honor of Brad Jacobs.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System tracks the movement of birds and bats. Currently, there are 17 stations in Missouri.  The one in Columbia, which became operational on December 30, 2021, and is located on a radio tower at Waters-Moss Memorial Wildlife Area, was donated by Columbia Audubon in memory of Brad Jacobs.  A plaque was installed at the site. To see the birds that have been tracked, go to https://motus.org/data/projectActiveReceiverDeployments?id=210.

CoMoGives Campaign Chair

Jan Mees is giving up the chair of the CoMoGives campaign so we need someone to take her place. The position involves attending planning meetings and coordinating the campaign. This responsibility is another important post with Columbia Audubon because CoMoGives is our fundraising campaign. If you are interested, please contact me at jgast@socket.net.