The Randall Davey Audubon Center Newsletter - Spring 2005
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S NEST: SAUSAGE MAKING MIGHT BE PRETTIER
EDUCATION UPDATE
BIRDING CLASSES AND FIELD TRIPS
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
IN THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY
PRESERVING HABITAT
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
CONTACT US
PERSONNEL
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S NEST: SAUSAGE MAKING MIGHT BE PRETTIER
by David Henderson
As I sit at my desk writing this column, I keep getting
sidetracked by the sound of pattering rain on the roof. The sound brings a smile
to my face as it should for all of you as well. But I also have to remind myself
that the bigger picture is still being painted, the reality is that we live in
an arid landscape, and droughts are measured in years, not months. It is a
beautiful landscape without question, but dry nonetheless.
I am reminded even day as I attend committee meetings at the New Mexico Legislature that we need to do everything we can to protect the cherished landscape in which we live, and which provides so many different habitats. This year in the Roundhouse I am tracking a number of bills, most of which focus on the health of New Mexico’s natural environment and the many critters with which we share that environment. Making sausage might be less messy than mucking through the mire of the legislature.
As you might hope for and expect, water bills are a primary source of conversation. The Strategic Water Reserve bill would allow the state to purchase water rights for the purposes of required Compact water deliveries to other states and for Threatened and Endangered Species recovery. There are also a number of finding bills to provide money for salt cedar and other exotic plant removal to enhance our watersheds. We support these eradication efforts, but want to make sure that the on-the-ground restoration and outcome monitoring take place so we can once again enjoy more natural bosques.
We are also tracking hills that will have direct impacts on our wildlife. One is a hill that will downgrade the status of cougars from a protected game species to a varmint. The second allows private landowners to dedicate up to 20000 acres of their land as a game park, an increase from the current 3200 acres.
What do these bills mean to us, and even more importantly, what do they mean to the wildlife of New Mexico? History has taught us that the unregulated taking of wildlife will inevitably lead to a wildlife disaster. We in Audubon know all too well. This year Audubon is celebrating its 100th Anniversary We began as a movement to stop the unregulated killing of birds for pleasure, sport, food and plumes. At that time citizens of this country were witnessing the near total destruction of populations of plume birds like Audubon’s symbol, the Great Egret and the total demise of one of the largest bird populations to ever fly over our country, the Passenger Pigeon. Wildlife conservation grew out of this movement. Now there is an effort in our legislature to turn the clock back to those dark times. A bill has been introduced, and sadly is gaining momentum, that would expose the cougar to indiscriminate killing as it was throughout the early part of the last century. In the 1970s the cougar attained some protection by gaining status as a protected game species, which meant that the Game and Fish Department could manage cougar populations and set harvest limits. This current bill, supported strongly by ranchers, would eliminate all those management controls. Audubon is working hard to kill this bill.
The other critter bill would allow for the enlargement of private game parks from the current 3200 acres to a whopping 20000 acres. If passed, this bill would allow a large land owner to declare up to 20000 acres of land as a game park and provide “sport” hunting opportunities to visitors without management input or control of the state Game and Fish Department. This is a big step down that slippery slope toward the privatizing of our public wildlife resources, the fencing in of our wildlife heritage.
As you can imagine, there are many, many more bills that must be followed carefully throughout the session, but this demonstrates some of the highlights (or lowlights) of bills having an impact on what we love about New Mexico. By the time you read this column, the session will be nearing its conclusion. With any luck, and a lot of hard work by a number of folks, we will have been able to do our small part to help New Mexico continue to be the Land of Enchantment we all love so much.
EDUCATION UPDATE
SUMMER CAMP 2005
REGISTRATION BEGINS March 14, 2005 at 8:00 AM. Camps-are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and fill up quickly! For more information and registration forms, please visit www.nm.audubon.org or call Eileen at 983-4609.
Youth Assistants are a key part of Audubon Summer Day Camp. Positions as Youth Counselors (ages 14-18) and Youth Counselor-in-Training (ages 12-14) are available. To receive a youth assistant application, please call Eileen at 983-4609 . Applications are due by April 8, 2005.
CANYON EXPLORATIONS
Canyon Explorations introduces ecosystem concepts- and our fragile web of life while exposing students to the fun of studying the outdoors and the enjoyment of hiking. One teacher who participated in Canyon Explorations stated, “It was an excellent field trip and the program could not have been more appropriate for my class!” Looking to the future, Audubon educators are encouraging increased participation in Canyon Explorations and are searching for funding opportunities to offer this new natural history program free to public schools that cannot afford to pay for field trips.
BIRDING
CLASSES AND FIELD TRIPS
Spring Birding Class – Learn your birds.
Spring Birding Class – Very Cool Birding Adventures
One-on-One Birding Walks
Both Gary’ and Susan spent years working as geologists for the US Geological Survey. Their many years in the field made them keen students of nature and have given them opportunities to witness birds in a multitude of habitats.
When they’re not bird-watching or working on their homes, Susan, an accomplished artist, spends time on her artwork. RDAC was the fortunate recipient of a generous gift last December when Susan donated one of a kind holiday cards, which she painted from scenes at the Center. She also provided over 70 of the cards to use as invitations for our annual Volunteer Holiday Event in the historic Randall Davey Home.
Most recently, Susan has created a series of “Bird Note Cards” painted from hand—painted tiles that she designed for their kitchen on Whidbey Island. They’re available in boxed sets in the Nature Store, so pick up a box or two next time you’re at the Center!
This year the National Audubon Society celebrates its 100th birthday a century of conservation. Audubon’s strength lies in the dedication of members and volunteers who actively demonstrate their love of birds and other wildlife in a myriad of ways across the country. We at the Randall Davey Audubon Center wish to applaud our members, supporters and volunteers by using these pages to illustrate how you have encouraged our place in the community. Thank you! The Center has become the home of the Bosque del Rio de Santa Fe project, a partnership with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy Canyon Preservation Trust and property owners along the River. We feel a strong obligation to protect the valuable native riparian wildlife corridor that continues along the River’s bed even though in-stream flow is usually non-existent. Kent Williamson, project director, has overseen removal of invasive species (the biggest culprits are Siberian Elms, Salt Cedar, Tree-of-Heaven, and Russian Olive) and is helping our neighbors plant native species. There is plenty still to do in restoring the bosque. We are grateful that so many of our neighbors have supported this project financially, with volunteer labor, and by their willingness to create wildlife-friendly habitats in their backyards. When Audubon was given the Randall Davey property in 1983, we assumed care of Davey’s private nature sanctuary. Each year thousands of adults and children roam this place at all times of the year. With this in mind, the board of Audubon New Mexico has commissioned a master site plan for the Center. A board subcommittee will select a professional planning group to examine our environs, our programs, and our roles as nature sanctuary, historic site, education center, and state office of Audubon in New Mexico. The board hopes to receive recommendations on whether improvements in use of the property, visitor services and interpretation would make us more effective as an Audubon Center. The board will incorporate the site plan into its own plan for the Center’s future, including fundraising goals.
CONTACT US
Audubon New Mexico
Randall Davey Audubon Center
P.O. Box 9314
Santa Fe, NM 87504-9314
(505) 983-4609 Phone
(505) 983-2355 Fax
www.nm.audubon.org
Located at 1800 Upper Canyon Road, three miles east of the
Santa Fe Plaza.
Nature Store Hours 10 a.m. to 4 pm.
Historic House Tours Every Monday at 2 p.m.
PERSONNEL
Audubon New Mexico Staff
David Henderson - Executive Director
Kim Straus - Development Director
Deanna Einspahr - Operations Manager
Lisa Boegl - Volunteer Coordinator
Ken Barragan - Education Manager
Eileen Everett - Education Specialist
The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.
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