The Aldo Leopold Audubon Society
Welcome to the webpages for the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society serving Central Wisconsin. It has been my pleasure to provide leadership and work with an outstanding group of people on the Board of Directors of ALAS as we strove to implement the ALAS vision and represent nearly 550 members of our chapter.
We continually focus on environmental advocacy, conservation and habitat restoration, and science based environmental education. Together we work to conserve and restore natural ecosystems. None of our recent projects would have been accomplished without the support of our membership and the guidance from a significant number of community leaders.
Greetings from Larry Graham
President of the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society
As you peruse the webpage, we invite you to consider joining our ALAS team. Attend a presentation, volunteer for one of our work day, or be a behind the scene financial support person. Our annual and long range goals will be reached through your guidance and assistance. Join our team and become a member of ALAS.
Join the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society Now!
Click here to download and print Membership Form
ALAS Calendar of Programs and Events 2011 - 2012
Click here to download and print
Monthly Calendar of Events - New
In an attempt to help people plan out programs and field trips they wish to attend, below is a full month calendar of events related to nature and protecting our environment. We will attempt to include other community events that fit with the mission of the
Aldo Leopold Audubon Society.
Calendar of Events - January 2012
Calendar of Events - December 2011
Calendar of Events - November 2011
Enjoy our webpages.
Special Announcements:
Introduction to Raptor Field Techniques
A 5-day Raptor Workshops, "Introduction to Raptor Field Techniques" is being offered which can be taken for credit through UW- Stevens Point. Summer Sessions: June 4-8, June 25-29, 2012. Fall Sessions: August 27-31, Sept 17-21, and October 8-12, 2012.
Visit www.RaptorResearch.com for details, and be sure to view our workshop video.
TIME RUNS OUT ON NEVADA’S BIRD-KILLING PIPES
Audubon_Kern_River_Preserve_death_pipes.pdf
Plastic PVC pipes have been used as mining claim markers for some time. Claim-holders used these popular 4-inch diameter white-colored plastic pipes because they are light, inexpensive, and easy to see. If uncapped, they are also bird-killers.
Small birds, mostly cavity-nesters, frequently investigate these pipe-openings, often after first perching on top. Once they enter a pipe, the birds become trapped; the width doesn’t allow for wing-opening, and the sides are far too smooth to allow climbing out. The pipe becomes a deadly trap.
For example, two inspections in Nevada of 1,177 pipes in 2208 and 2009 revealed 957 dead birds. And again last month, 854 pipes inspected revealed 879 dead birds. Ash-throated Flycatchers and Mountain Bluebirds dominated the mortalities, but other victims included woodpeckers, shrikes, wrens, sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees, and even Western Screech-Owls.
The Nevada practice of using open pipes was made illegal in 1993, but the law apparently wasn’t effective. The passage of a subsequent measure in 2009 required removal of the pipes, with a two-year grace-period. That grace period ended early last month. Open-ended pipe-markers could no longer be used, even though the claim itself might still be valid.
Agencies and volunteers quickly began pulling out the pipes, often in an organized fashion. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NVDOW) started extracting the pipes along with the Nevada Conservation Corps (an AmeriCorps program). The Las Vegas-based Red Rock Audubon Society has even sponsored volunteer pole-pulls. Their slogan: “Pull, baby, pull!”
There is no way of knowing how many pipes are out there. According to Christy Klinger of the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the number is probably in the hundreds of thousands. The BLM issued more than a million mining claims across the state since 1976, and nearly 200,000 remain active today. “There may be problems in California, Utah, Idaho, and elsewhere in the West, but Nevada could be the worst,” adds Klinger.
There are almost 3.4 million mining claims on BLM lands in eleven western states and Alaska.
Cheryl Ann Friesen
Science Liaison
Willamette National Forest
541-822-7226
Green Circle Birding Trail now online, January 24, 2011
Sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society of central Wisconsin (www.aldoleopoldaudubon.org), the Green Circle Birding Trail highlights the best sections of the trail for observing birdlife. Explore the diversity of habitats and wildlife in 10 different areas along the Green Circle. The website describes each of these areas in detail with photographs of significant birds. Download a Green Circle birding checklist to see how many you can find. Visit www.greencircletrail.org/birding to start your birding journey!
Stevens Point City Council approves application by ALAS for the first Bird City in Wisconsin.
Bird City in Wisconsin website: www.birdcitywisconsin.org
Click to read letter formally requesting Parks & Recreation Department/Committee to approve moving forward with the application by the City of Stevens Point for one of the first Bird City Wisconsin (BCW) cities. The organization cooperating with the City on this grant application process will be the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society (ALAS) of central Wisconsin.
Calendar of Events
