Utah's Red Rock Canyonlands
A PROGRAM PRESENTED BY THE SOUTHERN UTAH WILDERNESS ALLIANCE
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Tuesday, February 5 - 7:00 p.m.
THE ANITA B. GORMAN CONSERVATION DISCOVERY CENTER, 4750 Troost Ave. KCMO 64110, in the auditorium - Refreshments and social time from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Lobby. Take a break from winter in the Midwest and learn more about conservation out west! America’s wild public lands are a proud part of our national heritage, but they're under attack. This program includes a showing of Wild Utah – a short film documenting citizen efforts to conserve public lands in southern Utah's spectacular canyon country. These areas contain the largest concentration of intact Native American archeological sites in the United States. Clayton Daughenbaugh, conservation organizer with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), will explain the protection effort’s history and issues in the current political climate. Free and open to the public.
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Tuesday, March 5 BAS General Meeting reminder - Ecological Impacts of Outdoor Cats by Cara J. Joos of the American Bird Conservancy. We will again meet in the auditorium at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. Due to our guest speaker's schedule, this program will be on the FIRST Tuesday of March, but the remaining spring 2019 General Meetings will be on the THIRD Tuesday of April (16) and May (21).
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Missouri Young Birders Club of KC
KANSAS CITY CHAPTER MEETS AT BAS NATURE CENTER IN FEBRUARY
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Saturday, February 9 - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
THE BURROUGHS AUDUBON NATURE CENTER & BIRD SANCTUARY, 7300 SW West Park Rd. Blue Springs, MO 64015 - All young birders ages 8 to 17 are invited to join the new Missouri Young Birders Club (MYBC) of Kansas City. No membership fee and no experience necessary, just a love for birds! Dress for the weather as we'll hike the trails looking for birds. If the weather is intolerable, we'll view the large bird feeding area from the building. Bring your binoculars, field guides and/or birding apps, if you have them. Burroughs' Nature Center has binoculars to use while there. This is a club by young birders, for young birders -- which means members will be involved in making decisions for all aspects of the club. Anyone interested in participating as an adult advisor to the group, please contact Sara Scheil.
All are welcome to stay for bird banding at 10:00 a.m. by biologists from the Missouri River Bird Observatory. You’ll get to talk with the biologists and see wild birds up close! This session lasts until 1:00 p.m., weather permitting. If the weather is inclement (too windy or rainy), the banders will give a presentation for attendees. Questions? Contact Sara Scheil at 816-356-6986 or MYBCKC@gmail.com.
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Wings Over Weston Birding Festival
ORGANIZERS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
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Wings Over Weston is Saturday, May 4 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. In 2010, Burroughs’ Important Bird Area (IBA) Committee held a one-time festival to introduce the Iatan/Weston River Corridor IBA to the general public and Burroughs members. Today, this festival is known as Wings Over Weston, and it's the largest one-day birding festival in the Midwest with a unique niche – children. A partnership between Burroughs Audubon and Missouri State Parks, Wings Over Weston’s mission is to introduce birds, migration, and the importance of conservation of habitat to children, the birders of tomorrow.
The festival has more than 30 stations including build a house or feeder, Bird Olympics, The Great Migration game, bird banding, live birds from Operation Wildlife and Raptor Rehab, hummingbirds, and more! Burroughs’ Christine Kline is co-chair of the festival and is seeking volunteers for Saturday, May 4. She is also forming two committees to help with paper mâché projects and the development of four new booths. If you have an interest in volunteering for a committee, a festival station or if you have questions, please call or email Christine at 816-540-3515/816-824-1074 and birdsecretary@comcast.net.
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Conservation News
ADVOCATE FOR THE FEDERAL LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND
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Since it was established in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) federal program has supported the protection of public lands and waters – including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and recreation areas – and voluntary conservation on private land. The fund is a successful bipartisan conservation and recreation program that uses zero taxpayer dollars because it utilizes return on investment from the proceeds of offshore oil and gas leases. LWCF investments secure public access, improve recreational opportunities, and preserve ecosystem benefits for local communities. It has supported over 40,000 projects in all 50 states, created $3.9 billion in state grants and protected 2.37 million acres of land.
The program has supported everything from the expansion and maintenance of local parks and recreation centers to national forests, national parks and historical sites. But in September 2018, Congress let the LWCF lapse and in December, the U.S. Senate failed to save it. After the recent partial Federal Government shutdown, our parks and public lands need the funds provided by the LWCF, and they need citizen advocates like you. Please urge your U.S. Representative to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
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Bird Banding at the Burroughs Library
WITH THE MISSOURI RIVER BIRD OBSERVATORY
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Saturday, February 9 - 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Our friends from the Missouri River Bird Observatory, Ethan and Dana, gently capture, band, and answer your questions about these wild birds. Visitors have the opportunity to photograph and release birds back into the wild! Please feel welcome to come and go at any time throughout the three-hour event. If you can't make it this month, the season's last banding program will be on the first Saturday of March.
Note: High winds, rain and extreme temperatures are hazardous to netted birds. In case of inclement weather, Ethan and Dana will present a non-banding program, including resighting previously banded birds. If the weather outlook is poor, please call 816-795-8177 to ask if bird banding is happening as scheduled.
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February Field Trips
TO VARIOUS KANSAS AND MISSOURI LOCATIONS
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Burroughs field trips are free to Audubon members and the public, and people of any age or level of experience are welcome to participate! Any trip may involve walking on a variety of terrain and surfaces, but some trips will be more strenuous than others. Trip leaders can advise you of the physical activity involved. Since we visit a number of wild areas and habitats, we respectfully ask that your pets not accompany us on the trail. If they're not given to vocal excitement, crated pets in vehicles are fine.
Saturday, February 9 - 6:45 a.m.
Shawnee State Fishing Lake and Banner Creek joint trip with Topeka Audubon
Sunday, February 23 - 7:30 a.m.
Clinton Reservoir and Perry Lake
Visit our Field Trips web page for trip description, meeting place, and leader contact info.
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