April 30, May 1-2, 2010

6:00pm:                     Board Meeting

8:00-10:00pm:         Screech! Where Do They Live and How Do We Know?
Presenter: Ross Britain, National Audubon Society

Ross Britain will be presenting information on the natural history of the owls of Indiana and how to survey for their presence in our Hoosier habitats. Ross will also give a demonstration of banding techniques used to study owl population ecology by attempting to capture Eastern Screech Owls immediately after the presentation. 

Ross Britain has a Masters Degree in Public Affairs and PhD in Environmental Science from Indiana University, where he studied avian food webs in coastal Georgia and modeled habitat loss due to sea level rise and urban development. Prior to graduate school, he owned the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Bloomington, Indiana for 7 years. Ross is probably best known in the state for coordinating a team of researchers to study Northern Saw-whet Owls migrating through Indiana and has published two articles on their data. Ross currently works as the Indiana Director of Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society and holds his office in the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at IUPUI. Ross lives in Greenwood with his wife, Erin, and son, Micah.

Sunrise:                    Birding with Rob
Leader: Rob Ripma

Rob Ripma is one of our newest members on the Indiana Audubon Society’s board. He is the current treasurer and serves on many committees such as the executive committee and the Indiana Young Birders Club. Rob is extremely knowledgeable and shares his passion for birds to both new and experienced birders when in the field. He has attended several birding events including the Midwest Birding Symposium in Lakeside, Ohio and the Waterfowl Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. He is working with Alan Bruner on the field trip committee and will be leading/co-leading trips to Illinois, Magee Marsh, and Goose Pond this spring and summer. In addition, Rob is well-known in birding circles for his website and blog NuttyBirder.com.  

8:00-9am:                  Breakfast with the Kiwanis

Breakfast will once again be served by the Kiwanis! Hot food and great company is guaranteed. Please be sure to help support the Kiwanis by purchasing meal tickets. Breakfast is $6.00 per person.

9:00-10:30am:          Planting & Maintaining Food & Cover Crops to Attract Wildlife
Leader: Brian Stern

Planting and Maintaining Food and Cover Crops to Attract Wildlife are the topics for this exciting program. Brian works in this area on a daily basis with his customers. Participants will learn about how to take ordinary garden tools and incorporate cover crops and green manures into the home vegetable garden and landscape while attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies. Other benefits are the improvement of garden soil, attracting beneficial insects and improving the earthworm population.

Brian and his wife Susan own and operate Stern's Herbs 'N' Bloom LLC in Winchester Indiana. They grow Herbs, Native Wildflowers and Native Prairie Grasses for retail sale. In addition, they also grow specialty cut flowers, fresh and dried for floral sales.

9:00-11:30:              Let’s Go Diggin’ with Allen!
Leader:  Allen King

Join Allen as he continues the archaeological dig at the site of the Yellow Brick House.  Since this workshop began, about 600 artifacts have been found so far which are helping us determine how the inhabitants of the house lived.  Virgin soil hasn’t been reached in the pits yet and participants may find some Indian things, too. Come prepared to kneel down and move dirt with a trowel.  Equipment will be provided.  Young people are welcome.  They bend more readily.

Allen King became interested in investigating the past through Elderhostel programs and later with the U.S. Forest Service.  His most recent dig was not productive.  The site in Minnesota did not live up to the findings in the test pits. 

10:30-11:15am:      Young birders camp fire basics for kids
Leader: Bill Cummings and his kids

Bill Cummings earns his daily bread by burning kerosene inside jet engines for Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis.  The real test of a combustion engineer, though, is building a one-match fire in the woods.  This live demo will be hosted by Bill and his kids, Will, Joe, Mark, and Sarah, all of whom have camped out at Mary Gray before turning age 1.  A recent birthday bonfire provided Joe an opportunity to demonstrate the basic needs of a fire - fuel, oxygen, and good mixing of the two - and these principles will be highlighted.  We will also cover safety aspects and some environmental impacts of wood and fire.

11:30am-Noon:       Shuttles out to the old location of the Girl Scout camp

12:00-1:00pm:         Lunch of grilled hot dogs and brats in the old Girl Scout building.  Master chefs provided from the sanctuary committee. (Lunch is provided at no cost)

1:30-2:00pm:            Shuttles back to Brooks Hall.  Those who prefer can walk back.

2:30-4:00pm:            A House is a Home 
Leader: Chad Williams  

Young Birders!  Did you know that man-made bird boxes helped save the Eastern Bluebird?  Meet the Indiana Young Birders Club at the red bard to help assemble and then install some Eastern Bluebird boxes on the Mary Gray property to continue to help this gorgeous blue insect eating bird.

Chad developed his interest in birds when he was in the 5th grade from a man named Clayton Wiggins that lived down the road. A friend told him that Clayton banded birds and Chad should go talk with him before he knew it, Chad was making regular visits to his house to watch him band birds and watch his feeders from his breakfast table. The interest stuck and now Chad’s proud to consider himself an official "Birder"! Chad is the am IAS Board Member and Chairs the Indiana Young Birders Club (of which he helped start)!

3:00 - 4:00pm:  The Fish that Stopped an Interstate: Exploring the Endangered Species Act
Presenter: Nicholas Gahl

This session will include a basic overview of the Endangered Species Act, discussion about its successes and shortfalls, and its applicability to Indiana. Additionally, several topics addressing other areas of environmental law will be presented for an open forum on the issues.

Nicholas holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence (cum laude) from Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington, and served on the executive committee of the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies. He began his career with the firm Steward & Irwin in 2007, and he has welcomed the hands-on experience in federal and state environmental litigation, compliance permitting, and various other environmental matters ever since.

Prior to starting at Stewart & Irwin, Nick worked in the Behavioral Science Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Quantico, Virginia. This opportunity arose after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and German. During such time, Nick studied abroad in Innsbruck, Austria and became an avid snowboarder.

Outside work, Nick enjoys maintaining his competitive spirit by participating in soccer and flag-football leagues and is a member of the Indiana Audubon Society and Sanctuary Committee member.

4:00-5:00pm: The Shorebirders Twilight Zone & Freudian Birds
Presenters: Alan Bruner and Kathy Feldman

Join Alan Bruner and Kathy Feldman for two light-hearted skits! The Shorebirders Twilight Zone is a comical look at the confusion birders often have when identifying shorebirds.  The skit will take you through a fictional day of birding by a "rookie" and a double-talking expert. The second skit, Freudian Birds, looks at rare bird species and birding behavior discovered through editorial errors in publications.  This is a chance to poke fun at our mental slips and editorial skills. This will be an interactive presentation with audience participation.

Kathy Feldmanlives in Indianapolis, and started birding in 2001. She immediately became an addict, spending most of her vacation time in birding hot spots. Kathy is an IAS member and a former board member and education committee chair of Amos W. Butler Audubon Society. She helped organize several educational workshops during that time.  Kathy showed horses for many years and is still an Indiana 4-H Horse and Pony judge in saddle seat, hunt seat, and western/stock seat.  She’s owned three Whippets since 1977, including two champions with one ranked number one in North America but best of all, wonderful family members. Kathy is employed as a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist for an actuarial/401(k) firm.

Alan Bruner lives in Marshall Indiana and is employed at Metal Forming Industries as a Nickel Plater and Environmental Analyst.  He is a graduate of Indiana State University with degrees in Chemistry and Life Science.  Alan has been a member of IAS for over 35 years serving at one time or another in all officer positions except Treasurer.  He is the current IAS Quarterly Editor and Field Trip Chair. Alan also maintains the Indiana Bird Report Archives and has written numerous bird-related articles.

Indiana Audubon Society Membership Meeting will follow Kathy and Alan’s presentation

6:00-7:00pm:            Dinner served by Gina Pflum & Friends

($7.00 per person)

7:30pm:                     Awards: The Earl Brooks Award is given in May for the advancement of conservation of natural resources in Indiana.

8:00-9:30:                  The Secret Life of Crawfish Frogs: An Indiana State Endangered Species
Presenter: Mike Lannoo 

Mike is Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine and Chair of the IU School of Medicine Academic Standards Committee.  He has authored numerous papers on antarctic fish, salamanders, malformed frogs, and frog conservation.  His published books include works on the Natural History of the Okoboji Wetlands in northwest Iowa, a thorough review of malformed frogs with an unprecedented use of x-rays of frog skeletons, and a beautiful amphibian atlas of the United States.  He speaks frequently to a variety of audiences, including an appearance about frogs on National Public Radio a few years back.  He set up and oversaw a study of cricket frogs at Mary Gray in the 1990s and continues to offer guidance on habitat management of the sanctuary.  In 2001 Mike was awarded the prestigious Parker/Gentry Award for Conservation Biology from The Chicago Field Museum of Natural History for "efforts which are distinctive and courageous and have had a significant impact on preserving the world's natural heritage, and whose actions and approaches can serve as a model to others."

Mike is also a keen pursuer of prairie establishment and restoration in properties in both Indiana and Wisconsin.  He, his wife, Sue, and son, Pete, lived until 2005 on a 5-acre prairie he established outside of Muncie and now live in suburban Terre Haute.

Sunrise – 10am:      Birding with Rob
Leader: Rob Ripma

8:00 – 9am Breakfast with the Kiwanis

Hot food and great company is guaranteed. Please be sure to help support the Kiwanis by purchasing meal tickets. Breakfast is $6.00 per person.

9:00-11:00am – Geology of Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary.  Presentation followed by field trip. 
Leader: Jack Berninger 

Jack has been working on a project about the geology of Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary. He notes that there is an interesting geologic deposit in the creek on the property and will talk about his discoveries. After the short presentation, be prepared to hike the property to better understand the geology of Mary Gray.

Jack has been leading hikes and giving presentations at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary for several years. Past talks have included the ferns of Mary Gray of which he wrote a walking guide and trail descriptions and the Dinosaurs of Mary Gray that discussed the latest discoveries to support the theory that birds really are dinosaurs. In addition, he leads a great spring hike each year at Brookville Lake. Jack and Elaine, his wife, are often seen hiking the trails at Mary Gray enjoying sharing their expertise.

9:00-11:30am:          Archeological dig, continued
Leader: Allen King 

10:30-11:30am:       Beekeeping
Leader: To be announced

Noon:                       Lunch served by the Pflums and Friends.
Cost is $6.00 per person.

The fall meeting will be held at McCormick's Creek State Park on October 1 - 3. The focus will be on Goose Pond and the surrounding Bloomington area.