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8/8/2019 Winter 2009 Field Notes Newsletter, Friends of Creamer's Field
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Friends of Creamer’s Field Winter 2009 Newsletter
Field Notes P.O. Box 81065 Fairbanks, AK 99708 907-452-5162 creamers@ptialaska.net creamerseld.org
Our MissionFriends of Creamer’s Fieldis a community based, non-
profit organization dedicatedto providing educational,
historical, and interpretiveprograms throughout the year at Creamer’s Field Migratory
Waterfowl Refuge.
Inside this issueAnnual Picnic .................... 4
Calendar of Events ........... 3
Camp Habitat .................... 9
Help Needed ..................... 4
Kids Nutty Chatter ............ 5
Membership Form ............ 9
Outdoor Almanac ............ 10
Preschool Program ........... 3
Quilt Rafe Winner ........... 4
Recent Events .................. 6
Thank You ................... 7 & 8
Visitor Center Hours ......... 2
Winter Trail Use ................ 2
Wish List ........................... 2
Go Green for the Holidays!Annual Green Holiday Sale at the Alaska Bird Observatory
Saturday, December 5th, 10 am–5:30 pm
Friends of Creamer’s Field will again team up with the Alaska Bird Observatory andthe Northern Alaska Environmental Center for the third annual Green Holiday Sale
This has become a very popular annual event and is a great way to get some holiday shop
ping done while supporting local environmental organizations! The sale will take placeat the Alaska Bird Observatory at 418 Wedgewood Drive on Saturday, December 5th, 10am–5:30pm. Photographer Jim Davis, artist Chuck Leake with
antler sculpture, Girl Scout Troop 220 with home-made birdfeeders, and Last Frontier Distributors with honey and seeds willalso be joining the sale this year. Many unique nature-themedgifts as well as gift memberships will be available for purchase,
and you can also nd out more about the participating organi-zations while you enjoy hot drinks and snacks. All sales benetthe participating organizations and families are welcome. Thisyear’s Green Holiday Sale is the same day as the Farmer’s Market
Bazaar, so plan to visit both and get something for everyone onyour gift list!
The Creamer’s Field Tree Lighting and Caroling program will
take place after the Green Holiday Sale at 6 pm at Creamer’sField. The tree lighting will be followed by hot drinks and cook-ies in the Farmhouse Visitor Center.
Pass the Hat Program Benets Nonprots
The Fairbanks Concert Association (FCA) in partnership
with the North Star Community Foundation (NSCF) areteaming up to offer a giving opportunity that supports local
nonprots and enhances our community. Friends of Creamer’s Field is participating inthis exciting program and we hope that you will support us by Passing the Hat!
At every FCA concert during the 2009-10 season, you will be able to earmark a gift
to Friends of Creamer’s Field and NSCF will match your contribution! So, if you give$100, NSCF matches it to make $200 going to Friends, AND FCA gets $100. Your dona
tion dollars are tripled and you have supported both Friends of Creamer’s Field and theFairbanks Concert Association!
Spread the Word, Give, & Build Community! Use the envelopes provided at FairbanksConcert Association concerts, donate by credit card or check and leave them in the hat
in the lobby. FCA’s next concert is the Eileen Ivers Holiday Concert on Sunday,November 29th, at 4 pm in the Hering Auditorium. This is a great opportunityfor end of year giving! We hope you will Pass the Hat! For concert information,tickets and more information about Pass the Hat, contact the Fairbanks Concert
Association at 474-8081 or fairbanksconcert.org.
Annual lighting of the bigspruce tree December 5th.
Photo by Ken Whitte
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Page 2
Friends of Creamer’s Field
Board Members
Amal Ajmi
Cyndie Beale, Vice President
Bob Craig
Jeff Creamer
Roxie Creamer, President
Herbert Davis, Treasurer-elect
Martin Gutoski
Bill Holman
Joyce Kelso
Donna Krier
Herb MelchiorJoy Morrison
Jon Runstadler
E. Tom Robinson
Arlene Strandberg, Secretary
Non-Voting MembersAlexis Runstadler,
Development Director
Melissa Sikes,Program Director
Cathie Harms (ADFG)
Mark D. Ross (ADFG)
This issue of Field Notes wasproduced by Mary Zalar.
Tax ID# 92-0137107
Farmhouse Visitor Center
Winter Hours
The Visitor Center and Gift Shoplocated in the historic Creamer’
Farmhouse is open on Saturdayfrom Noon until 4 pm. Come on inafter a walk or ski to warm up witha hot drink. The entryway to the
Farmhouse is always open and is oneplace to go for information on upcoming programs, trail guides, and trai
condition information. The trails are
always open!If you are interested in volunteering in the Visitor Center, please call th
ofce at 452-5162. Training sessionwill be offered every month throughout the winter.
Friends’ Wish List
Please stop by the Farmhouse orcall us at 452-5162 to donate th
following:• a working baby monitor• birdseed• crane, bird, or wildlife themed cot
ton fabrics for potholdersWe’re also looking for members withwood working skills to• design and build a new donation
box for the Farmhouse entryway• repair our two crane signs for the
Visitor Center• repair four owl boxes.
Skiing, mushing, skijoring, snowshoe-ing, walking, snowmachining, and
trapping are just a few of the activitiesthat folks do at Creamer’s Field in the
winter.
Skiers and skijorers make use of theve miles of groomed trails throughoutthe winter months. The Alaska Skijor-
ing and Pulk Association (ASPA) has aseasonal use permit to post signs andgroom the trails on the Refuge. ASPA
volunteers groom the trails twice a week,weather permitting, and more oftenwhen it snows. These volunteers also rollthe walking trails after heavy snows. If
you and your pet have never tried skijor-
ing, the ASPA offers clinics for beginnershere on the Refuge. See http://sleddog.org/skijor for more information.
Cross country skiing is great here atthe Refuge—especially for beginnersand families. Trails are not tracked for
classic skiing, but with so many peopleskiing, it is easy to nd a set of tracks tofollow across the elds. Skate skiers canuse the ASPA groomed multi-use trails.
Skiing is not allowed at any time on theBoreal Forest Trail.
Many snowshoers, walkers and jog-gers also take advantage of the Refuge’sgreat central location for exercise duringthe short daylight hours. Dog ownersare particularly fond of the wide-open
spaces that Creamer’s Field providesin the winter and share the trails with joggers, mushers, and skijorers. Dogsmust be kept on a leash even during the
winter months to ensure the safety of other Refuge users, especially skijorers.
A loose dog can be very unpredictable.Snow machines are allowed on Cream-er’s Refuge, and although they provide agreat way to see the trails, speed is verydangerous. You never know when a skier,
hiker, snowshoer, or dog team is aroundthe very next corner, and snowmachinesmust allow other users the right of way.The snow machine policy is: “Slow is
safe.” Machines should travel under 20mph and ensure enough time to stop and
let other users enjoy Creamer’s Fieldin a safe, comfortable way. Snowma
chines should also respect establishedskijoring trails and not cross them ifat all possible. Four wheelers are not
allowed on any part of the Refuge atany time.
If you have not experiencedCreamer’s Refuge in the winter, we
encourage you to venture out andenjoy the well-maintained trails, thebeautiful scenery, birds, animals, andsunshine!
Winter Trail Use at Creamer’s FieldBy Melissa Sikes
Dogmushing at Creamer’s Field.
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Page 3
Upcoming Eventsat Creamer’s Field
All events are free and located at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl
Refuge unless otherwise noted. Donations are graciously accepted.Call 452-5162 for more information.
Thanksgiving for the Birds ProgramSaturday, November 28th, Noon–4:00 pm
Join us for our annual family fun event! We will be make bird feedersout of recycled materials, and you can learn about our winter birds inFairbanks. Program is drop-in any time during the hours stated.
Star Party, Saturday, November 28th, 7:00 pm
Sponsored by the Fairbanks Astronomical Unit, the big telescope will
be out for general star viewing and the Farmhouse Visitor Center will beopen for hot drinks.
Green Holiday Sale
Saturday, December 5th, 10:00 am–5:30 pm
Join us for the 3rd annual Green Holiday Sale at the Alaska Bird Ob-servatory. Friends joins other local environmental agencies in offering
environmentally friendly and themed gifts. Proceeds support our orga-nizations.
Annual Lighting of the Spruce Tree
Saturday, December 5th, 6–8:00 pm
Join us for the annual lighting of the big spruce tree and caroling followed
by cookies and hot drinks in the warmth of the historic Farmhouse!
Holiday Open House
Saturdays December 5th, 12th, and 19th Noon –4:00 pm.
Join us for family fun at our annual open houses. We will be making holidayornaments and crafts using natural materials in the Farmhouse VisitorCenter. Program is drop-in any time during the hours stated.
Winter Solstice Walk
Saturday December 19th, 1–3:00 pm (walk begins at 1:15)
Come celebrate the joys of winter with a walk on the Refuge trails to cel-ebrate the changing of the seasons or specically when the sun is lowest inthe sky and we experience the shortest days of the year. Join us after thewalk for cookies and hot drinks! Meet at the Farmhouse Visitor Center.
Winter Nature Walk/Track Casting Program
Saturday January 16th, 1–4:00 pm (walk begins at 1:30 pm)
Join us for an afternoon of exploring the Refuge and learning about ani-mal tracks and signs. Participants will also make plaster casts of animaltracks.
Annual Winter Field Party
Saturday February 13th, Noon–4 pm
Join us for an afternoon of free winter fun out in the eld. Snowshoes fromBeaver Sports will be on hand for folks to try. The waterfowl pond clos-est to the Farmhouse will be cleared off for an afternoon of skating fun.Bring your skates and skis! Hot drinks will be available and the Farmhouse
Visitor Center will be open for warming up after skating.
✁
Preschool Nature
Discovery Program
W
e are continuing to offer thePreschool Nature Discovery
Program. This program is designedfor children ages 3-5 and is meantto instill a love of nature and theenvironment through reading books,
participating in a variety of funactivities, and direct contact withnature through walks on the Refuge.Creamer’s Field intern Shannon
Pearce will continue to organize andlead this program, but we are lookingfor someone who is willing to take over
from her starting next semester. If you are interested, give us a call.
The Preschool Program will takeplace on the second Thursday of
every month from 1–2:30 pm at theCreamer’s Field Farmhouse VisitorCenter. The cost is $3 per child andreservations are required as there is
a maximum of 15 children per classCall 452-5162 for reservations.
Dates & Themes:
December 10
SnowakesJanuary 14 Owls in the WinterFebruary 11 Birdfeeders
March 11 Animal TracksApril 8 GeeseMay 13 PondsJune 10 Mosquitoes
July 8 CranesAugust 12 Leaves
September 9 Camoauge
Make a bird feeder out of recycled materials at Thanksgiving for the Birds.
Photo by Melissa Sike
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Page 4
Brenda Sadler, center, is presented the Gail Mayo Volunteer
of the Year award by Friends of Creamer’s Field DirectorsMelissa Sikes and Alexis Runstadler. Photo by Joy Morrison
Annual Membership Picnic
This year’s membership picnic was held on Thursday,September 17th. All who attended enjoyed lovely
weather, good food, and good company under our newevent tent in the picnic area. After a very short busi-
ness meeting in which all of the current and new Boardmembers were ratied by a vote of the membership, pastBoard members were thanked by Board President Roxie
Creamer. Alexis presented local architect Patty Peirsolwith an honorary lifetime membership for her work withthe Historic Buildings Committee.
Alexis and Melissa thanked the 2009 volunteers and
presented the Gail Mayo Volunteer of the Year Awardto Brenda Sadler. Brenda is a long-time volunteer forboth Friends of Creamer’s Field programs and in theVisitor Center. She also coordinated the brunches for
this year’s Design Alaska Wild Arts Walk and the CraneFestival. The Gail Mayo Volunteer of the Year Award ispresented annually to one or two volunteers who have
made an outstanding contribution of time and energy
to Friends of Creamer’s Field. The lovely plaque listingthe winners hangs in the back room of the Farmhouse.Our deepest thanks and congratulations to Brenda and
all of our 2009 volunteers. The evening concluded withthe door prize drawings. Door prize winners were BettyCarlson, Pat DeRuyter, Cathie Harms, and Jane Sellin.
Members’ Help Needed on
Committees
We are looking for members to join the following Friendsof Creamer’s Field committees. All of our commit-
tees meet in the Farmhouse and are made up of Friends of
Creamer’s Field Board Members, staff, and members. Call
us at the ofce at 452-5162 for more information.• Spring Migration Celebration planning committee meets
January through May once a month for an hour with an
additional 2-3 hour time commitment closer to the eventwhich occurs at the beginning of May.
• Design Alaska Wild Arts Walk planning committee meets
January through June once a month for an hour with anadditional 2-3 hour time commitment closer to the eventwhich occurs at the beginning of June.
• Crane Festival planning committee meets year-round once
a month for an hour with an additional 2-3 hour time
commitment closer to the event which occurs at the endof August.• Fundraising & Membership committee meets year-round
once a month for an hour to plan and coordinate Friendsof Creamer’s Field fundraising efforts.
• Camp Habitat Advisory Board meets year-round once a
month for two hours with an additional participation in2-3 publicity or fundraising events for Camp Habitat.
Quilt Rafe
T
he quilt rafe drawing was held on Sunday, August23rd at the end of Crane Festival. This year’s lovely
almost king-sized quilt was created and donated by SherryLewis and Jude Czopek. Jamie DeVries graciously donatedthe quilting. This year’s qulit rafe winner was BarbaraMcLaughlin of Oakland, California. Congratulations toBarbara and thank you to Sherry, Jude, Jamie, and all of
the ticket holders. The annual quilt rafe is one of Friendsof Creamer’s Field’s most successful fundraisers.
Memorialize a Bench at
Creamer’s Field
Dedicate one of our newly installed benches at Creamer’s
Field to special people or loved ones. We will workwith you to design a cast bronze plaque, to be installed on abench in an area of the Refuge that you select. Benches for
memorializing are currently available along the margins ofthe west viewing eld, along the Farm Road Trail, and onthe Boreal Forest Trail. A donation of $1,000 to Friends ofCreamer’s Field is requested in order to have a new memoria
plaque made and installed on the bench you have selectedPlease contact Alexis at 452-5162 if you are interested intaking advantage of this opportunity.
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Page 5
KidsNuttyChatter
© W. D. B e r r
y
Winter Birds in Interior Alaska Not too many bird species spend the winter here in interior Alaska. Those that do can
usually be attracted to a well kept feeder. Bird feeding is a great way to learn about thewildlife in your neighborhood, but you should be a responsible bird feeder. Here aresome tips:
Keep your feeders clean! – Wash once a month with a 10% bleach solution.
Window Collisions – Break up the reflection with decals, mobiles or raptor shaped cut-outs.
Quality Food – Be sure to feed high energy foods such as black-oil sunflower seed, thistle seed, or suet. Avoid seed mixes with mostly millet (small roundyellow ball-shaped seeds) as they have little nutritional value. Avoid feeding them
bread, as it has little nutritional value and will fill their stomachs but cause themto starve.
Remove When Winter is Over – Take your feeders down in the spring when the
insects return. Most winter birds eat insects in the summer, and can readily find
this delicious energy source.
A Fun and Unique Winter Bird Feeder You Can Make1. Make toast in toaster.2. Cut toast with cookie cutter.
3. Spread either peanut butter or
shortening on the toast cutout.4. Place cutout into tray of birdseed to
coat it.5. Attach a piece of string, yarn or
ribbon for hanging. Try unbending a paper clip and fashion it into a
needle. Thread with string and poke ahole at least 1” from the edge. Knot
at the top.
The 3 Most Common Local Bird Feeder Species –
Black Capped - Chickadee Redpoll Downy Woodpecker
©W.D. Berry
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Page 6
By Melissa Sikes
As if to make up for the
long spell of smokydays this summer, we expe-rienced an unusually warmand long transition into the
cold and dark of winter.ADF&G biologist CathieHarms dubbed this au-tumn as the “never-ending
August,” and many wouldagree with her. Averagetemperatures in both Sep-
tember and October wereway above normal, reach-ing above 50° on manydays in early October. The
ponds on the field didn’tice up until after October15th. We didn’t have signi-cant snowfall until October
26th, providing a reason fora small group of geese toremain on the elds long
after they would have nor-mally own south for thewinter. All the nice weatherprovided enjoyable days
for many of the Friends of
Creamer’s Field events.We held the rst series
of Art Workshops August17th –20th, during the weekleading up to the SandhillCrane Festival. These work-
shops were led by many
local artists and Mavis
Muller, the Crane Festivalguest speaker. Topics in-cluded photography, water-color, drawing, and basket
making. The workshopswere such a success that wehope to offer another series
in the future.The 12th annual Tanana
Valley Sandhill Crane Fes-tival held on August 21,
22, and 23 was a fabuloussuccess. Mavis Muller wasa very creative, entertain-
ing and personable festi-val speaker. Her energybrought a very enjoyableand creative side out of
many festival attendees.On Friday, Mavis shared amultimedia presentationon the Creamer’s Barn all
about her burning basketprojects in Homer andother places. On Saturday,
she coordinated the con-struction of a large crane
sculpture out of hay andother natural materials
which was viewable fromthe observation platformalong the Farm Road traillong after the festival end-
ed. Pictures of the hay
crane were sent to 350.org,
an organization dedicatedto raising awareness abouthealthy levels of C02 in the
atmosphere. Mavis also in-troduced her new book (inprogress) about bringingthe teachings of cranes into
our everyday lives.We also had great pre-
sentations by Mark D. Ross
on drawing cranes, RandyCompton and Jeff Bourqueon birds of prey, and Kyle
Campbell and Sue Guerswho presented researchdata from bird studies onthe Refuge. With variedand creative crafts, en-
tertaining crane callers,great music and food atthe brunch to great food
at the Tex-mex, and muchmore, all who attendedfound something to do.There were also thousands
of cranes, geese and ducksthat graced the eld duringthe festival. Many thanksto all the sponsors and won-
derful volunteers whosededication and energyhelped make this event so
successful.The Fall Equinox Walk
on September 19th was acolorful and warm foray
The Never-ending August at Creamer’s Field Refuge
into the trails of Creamer’s
Field. Many thanks to CaraWardlaw-Bailey for leadingthis walk.
Unusually warm tem-peratures and no snowhelp to make the AnnualCreepy Critters program on
October 24tha well attendedand successful event. Theprogram focused on Waspsproviding visitors with a
chance to learn more aboutour local wasp species as
well as the opportunity toask experts questions. Visi-tors were able to talk to alocal bee keeper, the insectcurator from the UAF Mu-
seum of the North, and twofolks from the UAF Coop-erative Extension Service
With different levels ofcrafts, some honey-basedsnacks, and a very suc-cessful series of wasp nest
hunts, attendees had awonderful afternoon.
On October 30th, Cream-er’s Board Member Martin
Gutoski coordinated a StarViewing Party, and over 40people attended to enjoy a
wonderful clear night com-plete with dancing bandsof northern lights.
A Hay Crane was created by Mavis Muller and Crane Festival participants during the August Crane Festival. Photo by Derek Sike
Steve Petersen from Toklat Apiaries shares his knowledge at theCreepy Critters program. Photo by Derek Sikes
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Page 7
Thank You to Our Volunteers and Supporters
• Thank you to Cara Ward-law-Bailey for leadingthe fall equinox walk onSeptember 19th.
• Thank you to ChrisSampson for donating
a Creamer’s Dairy milkbottle to Friends of Creamer’s Field.
• Thank you to Mary Za-lar for her excellent work
on producing the Field
Notes newsletter againthis year.
• Thank you to this sum-
mer’s dedicated vegeta-ble garden volunteers.
The Anna CreamerFarmhouse VegetableGarden was a bit smallerthis year but providedmany produce donations
to the Stone Soup Café.• Thank you again to the
Fairbanks Garden Clubfor planting and tending
the lovely owers aroundthe Farmhouse this sum-mer.
• Thank you to ConnieStricks for her book do-nations to the Friends of Creamer’s Field natural
history library.• Thank you to Julia Brice
for volunteering her timeto catalog some of our
historic dairy items aspart of the Earth QuestInternship program run
by the National Fish andWildlife Service.
• Thank you to GVEA fortheir donation of two
energy audit gift cer-ticates for MembershipPicnic door prizes.
• Thank you to Sarah De-Gennaro who did a ter-ric job again this yearas our Crane Festival
Intern and for paintingthe lovely mural on the
new Fair booth table.• The 2009 Tanana Valley
Sandhill Crane Festivalwas supported in part by
a 2009 City of FairbanksHotel-Motel Grant.
• Thank you to our Au-
gust Refuge Hosts, Gail& Gerry Strickland.
Farmhouse VisitorCenter Volunteers
Joyce BatemanNancy Bayer
Bob CraigChristol Creamer
Jeannie CreamerRoxie CreamerPat DeganPat DeRuyterRay Hadley
Sandra KrampsMartie LacherSherry LewisGrace Matthews
Gail MayoAnn MorganLinda Mosher
Karen NorrisBrenda SadlerKathy Taylor YokelCara Wardlaw-Bailey
Marilyn WhiteheadCaroline Wolf Chris VillanoMary Zalar
Nature Walk LeadersA hearty thank you to ourtalented and knowledge-
able nature walk leadersfor sharing Creamer’s Fieldwith our visitors.Rich Ackerman
David BehrTrish BlakeKyle CampbellChristol Creamer
Sarah DeGennaroDennis DegnanKathy Dubbs
Bill Holman
Elizabeth LowerGrace MatthewsSue McCallister
Karen NorrisBetty Pixley
Andie RiceSuzanne Richards
Mark RossTami SeekinsMona ShriberNicole Swensgard
Cara Wardlow-BaileyMary Wyatt
Saturday Mornings
with an ArtistThank you to the artists
who gave their time tomake Saturday morningsduring the summer full of
creative energy.Barbara BurleighRandall Compton
Timmie Sue EdgerleyPeter FriciloneSarah HolmNikki Kinne
Herb & Hilda Melchior
Tom NixonJamie SmithCorlis Taylor
Christine “Okiku” ThomasAdele Wiejaczka
Fair Booth VolunteersJoyce Bateman
Cyndie BealeMarian BenhamMary BurtnessKyle Campbell
Betty CarlsonJim ChumbleyBob Craig
Jeff & Christol CreamerSusie CreventstenJude CzopekPat Degan
Pat DeRuyterSarah DeGennaroClarice Dukeminier
Ray Hadley
Phyllis HagglandShirley HarrisBill Holman
Patty KastelicDon KielyDonna KrierSherry Lewis
Elizabeth LowerGrace MatthewsGail Mayo
Herb & Hilda MelchiorJeanette Moore
Joy MorrisonPatty Peirsol
E. Tom RobinsonJon Runstadler
continued on page 8
This year’s Fair Booth featured a new mural on the table frontcreated by Sarah DeGennaro. Photo by Joy Morrison
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Page 8
Brenda Sadler
Susan SharbaughRachel ShivelyGerry Stewart
Taian TrujilloKate WoodJohn & Kathleen Wright
Art Workshops SeriesFriends of Creamer’s Fieldoffered a series of art work-shops August 17th-20th.Many thanks to the follow-
ing artists for sharing theirtime and talents:Jim Allan
Boyce BushEllen HarneyJoyce KelsoJill Marshall
Darleen MasiakMavis MullerGael MurakamiTom Nixon
Mark D. RossDerek SikesVladimir Zhikhartzev
Sandhill Crane FestivalThank you to all the won-derful volunteers who madethis year’s Crane Festival
an enjoyable and success-ful one. Many hands madethis truly a communityeffort. We wish to extend a
very big thank you to ourInvited Guest Speaker, Ma-vis Muller, who shared her
wonderful creative energy
with all who attended thefestival. Also special thanks
to our presenters:Jeff BourqueKyle CampbellRandy Compton
Sue GuersMark Ross
John Wright
2009 Crane Festival
Special DonorsABR, Inc.Alaska Bird Observatory
and its Board members
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Alaska Feed Co.
Arctic AudubonThe Artworks
Friends of Creamer’sField Board members
DateLine Digital PrintingHot Licks Homemade Ice
Cream
Dr. James MiearsNorth Star Golf ClubDr. Phyllis PendergrastUAF Cooperative Exten-
sion ServiceWedgewood Resort
The WoodwayFestival Art Exhibit
Thank you to these photog-raphers who displayed theirwork for the crane photog-raphy and art exhibit.
Scott ChesneyJim DeWitt
Joyce Kelso Chuck Leake
Herb Melchior Kenelm Philip David Shaw John Wright
Silent Auction Donors
The following kind individ-uals donated items to the
Crane Festival Silent Auc-tion that raised over $800for Friends of Creamer’sField:
Amal AjmiBeaver SportsJan CannonCraig Cheledinas
The Cookie Jar RestaurantEl Dorado Gold Mine &
Riverboat DiscoveryGulliver’s BooksGail MayoMavis MullerNew Horizons Gallery
Jon & Alexis RunstadlerMelissa SikesRon Teel
Sandhill Crane FestivalVolunteers
Joyce Bateman
Cyndie BealeDavid BehrHeidi Benson
Tricia BlakeLaurie BoeckKyle CampbellSusan Campbell
John CogdillChristol CreamerRoxie Creamer
Pat DeganSarah DeGennaro
Laurel DevaneySamantha Fish
Susan GraceMary Lee GuthrieRay HadleyBill Holman
Kathleen HovdaFrank KeimSandra Kramps
Donna KrierMartie Lacher
Sherry Lewis
Coty MayGail MayoBud Marschner
Jamie MarschnerThom McLeanDebbie MillerJoy Morrison
RJ NelsonMary ObergShannon PearcePatty Peirsol
Dennis RogersE. Tom RobinsonJon Runstadler
Ethan RunstadlerVreni RunstadlerBrenda SadlerTami Seekins
Susan SharbaughDerek SikesKaley Sikes
Chris TaylorMarilyn WhiteheadCaroline Wolf John Wright
Mary Zalar
Creepy CrittersThe Creepy Critters Pro-gram was all about wasps
this year, and perhaps wechanged a few minds aboutthe beneficial aspects ofwasps and bees. A specia
thank you to our invitedexperts for sharing theirknowledge: Steve Petersen
from Toklat Apiaries, DerekSikes from the UAF Mu-seum of the North, andDiane Claasen & Cathy
Taylor from the UAF Coop-
erative Extension Service.Creepy Critter Volunteers
Christol & Jeff CreamerDennis DegnanKaren & Alda NorrisShannon Pearce
Jeanne RingstadMark D. RossRachel ShivelyKaley Sikes
The Crane Festival Brunch was held under Friends of Creamer’sField’s new tent. Photo by Melissa Sikes
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Page 9
Become a member of Friends of Creamer’s Field, make a donation, or renew your membership.(Please check the renewal date in the corner of your mailing label.)
qNew Member qRenewal qDonation $______
q$15 Students & Seniors q$20 Individual q$40 Family q$75 Supporter
q$100 Contributor q$250 Steward q$500 Patron* q$1000 Lifetime*
qPatron and Lifetime: please check here if you would like to receive a Randall Compton print of Creamer’s Dairy
signed by the Creamer family with your membership (valued at $150).
Payment:qCash qCheck qCredit card Visa or MasterCard (circle one)
Card Number _________________________________ Expiration Date ______
Signature ____________________________________ VCode*: ____________ *3 digit code on card back
Name __________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
City ___________________________ State _________ Zip __________
Phone __________________ Email ________________________________
qThis is a gift membership for the above name from _________________________________
qI have a new mailing address, phone, or email.
qI would like to receive my newsletter via email.
qI would like to volunteer. Please contact me with information about upcoming volunteer orientation sessions.
Friends of Creamer’s Field is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.
Membership Response Form (or renew online at creamersfield.org)
Friends of Creamer’s FieldPO Box 81065
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
907-452-5162 (ofce)
907-459-7309 (Visitor Center)email: creamers@ptialaska.net
website: creamerseld.org
Camp Habitat is Huge SuccessBy Adele Wiejaczka, Camp Habitat Director
With record enrollment and a top notch staff, the 2009 CampHabitat season was a huge success and a lot of fun! With the
help of local donations and grants, the Camp Habitat curriculumhas been updated to offer a wide variety of developmentally-ap-propriate activities for the campers in an easily accessible format for
staff. This summer Camp Habitat hosted the rst Camp Habitatinternship for an undergraduate environmental education student.This position allowed the camp to raise the bar in instructor/stu-dent ratio, continued curriculum development, staff training, and
overall positive energy.One of the highlights of the camp season was the overnights
held in the Boreal Forest at Creamer’s Field Refuge for the WaterStrider and Refuge Adventurer students. After campers picked
their ll of berries, staff dressed up as entertaining characters for avariety of skits, and songs were sung and games played throughoutthe evening. If you were walking on the Boreal Forest boardwalk
on one of those nights, you might not have seen our camp, butyou would have heard the Camp Habitat campers “Going on aBear Hunt” or singing the “Fungus Song.” With a new tent forthe Camp Habitat village and the highest number of returning
staff, we anticipate a stellar 2010 camp season.
A Camp Habitat group hikes on the west feld trail.Photo by Andrew Althof
8/8/2019 Winter 2009 Field Notes Newsletter, Friends of Creamer's Field
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/winter-2009-field-notes-newsletter-friends-of-creamers-field 10/10
F r i e n d s o f C r e a m e r ’ s F i e l d P . O . B o x 8 1 0 6 5
F a i r b a n k s , A l a s k a 9 9 7 0 8 w w w . c r e a m e r s f i e l d . o r g
I s i t t i m e t o r e n e w y o u r m e m b e r s h i p ?
Night Gliders
The squirrel bunches up;
ready to leap “spread eagle”,
unfurling its parachute like
cape: loose skin that extends
from front to hind leg on each
side of the body.
At the nal moment
before landing, the tail
goes back and the hind
feet shoot forward.
Upon landing, it scurrys to
the opposite side of the tree to
elude pursuing predators
such as owls.
Large eyes help them see
obstacles in the night. The
at feathery tail is a rudder
for steering.
Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) are common in interior Alaska,
in fact as common as the noisy red squirrel.
Because they are truly nocturnal and secretive many
folks haven’t seen them. But those who have,
invariably saw them in “ight”.
Outdoor AlmanacCreamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
Now that nights are long, it’s time to nd the
m o r e :
Le a r n
Sat, Nov 28, Noon - 4 p.m. at Creamer’s Field
Make feeders from recyclable materials.
Thank sgiving for the Birds
Activities for all ages: in the farmhouse.
F ly ing Sq u i r r
e ls
make a f eeder; a t trac t f lying sq uirrels
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