May 2000 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

8/9/2019 May 2000 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

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22 2 S. HAMILTON ST. M ADISON W ISCON SIN 53703 255 BIRD M AY 2000

Just in time for Mothers Day, Madison Audubon Society is hold-

ing its 24th Annual Art Fair May 6, 2000. Come choose a Mothers

Day gift of art, while enjoying early spring flowers at Olbrich

Gardens.

More than 100 artists, many from Wisconsin, will be exhibiting at

Olbrich from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The MAS Art Fair is a juriedshow. Selected artists have used wood, glass, paper, jewelry, pho-

tography, sculpture, painting, metal and textiles to capture the natur-

al beauty of the world around us.

All of the art is consistent with the conservation philosophy of

MAS and does not contain materials from endangered resources.

Also, Wild Birds Unlimited is a major sponsor for the event and will

have a sales booth at the fair.

The MAS Art Fair is fun for the entire family. Admission and park-

ing are free. There will be live musical entertainment, a raffle, silent

auction and special activities for children. Children can join in the

activities from 10:00 a.m . to 2:00 p.m. G ourmet food is available for

sale throughout the day.

Many civic-minded businesses make generous donations to theraffle. And, many of the featured a rtists donate items to the silent

auction. Winners of the raffle and silent auction will be announced

during the art fair at 4:30 p.m. Winners do not need to be present to

win. You may purchase raffle tickets in advance by calling the office

at 255-2473. Raffle tickets are $2 each or three for $5.

The MAS Art Fair is the societys largest fundraiser. Proceeds from

the art fair are incorporated in the MAS general fund and supports

public education programs, monthly speakers, sanctuaries and field

trips. You may still have an opportunity to volunteer for this exciting

and fun event. Please ca ll Jeanie Druckenmiller at 244-0295 if youd

like to help.

Join Us

a t the

M AS

Ar t Fa ir

2000 Art Fair Raffle Prize List

1. Dagger Bayou one pe rson kayak. Retail value

$489. Donated by Rutabaga.

2. Framed Original Oil Painting. Value $650.

Painting donated by artist Jona than Wilde.Framing donated by Meuer Art Company.

3. Eureka four person tent. Retail value $229.

Donated by Fontana Sports Specialties.

4. Loon wind petal. Retail value $189. Donated by

Chickadee Depot.

5. Red Rock candle holder. Retail value $24.

Donated by Wild Birds Unlimited.

6. Framed O riginal Pastel and Mixed Media. Retail

value $475. Art and framing donated by artist

Caroline Beckett

7. Original metal sculpture. Value $75. Donated byartist Ellis Nelson.

8. Two Rainforest Preservation Kits. Retail value

$19.95 each. Donated by Nature of Things Store.

9. Three $10 Gift Certificate for Mounds Pet Food

Warehouse. Dona ted by Mounds Pet Food

Warehouse

10. REI Full Skinny fanny pack with shoulder strap.

Retail value $54. Donated by REI.

11. BookPrairie Time: Leopold Reserve Revisited by

John Ross and Beth Ross. Retail value $35

Donated by Borders Book Shop.

12. BookWisconsin Waterfalls: A Touring Guide by

Patrick Lisi. Retail value $19.95 . Designed and

donated by Flying Fish Graphics.

13. Bucky Book. Retail value $25. D onated by Lisa

Peterson

Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. Winners need

not be present to win. Drawing will take place at

4:30 p.m. on May 6 at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Original art by Nancy Hays Hills


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M ADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY

President: Joanne Herfel, 241-8009

Vice-president: Amy McDaniel, 238-0450

Goose Pond Resident Naturalists:

Mark and Sue Martin, 635-4160

Editors: Pat & Deb Ready, 873 -1703

[email protected]

Graphic design: Pat Ready.

Printed by Roemer Printing.

THE AUDUBON CAWS is pub lished

September through July by:

Madison Audubon Society,

222 S. Hamilton St.,

Madison, WI 53703,

(608) 255-BIRD (2473).

Birding h otline, 255-BIRM.

Madison Audubon Web Page:

http://madisonaudubon.org

E-mail: [email protected]

E-mail services donated by Berbee

Contribution dead line is May 8 for the

June issue, for which items may be sent to

Pat Ready, 1210 Oakwood Ct., Stoughton,

WI 53589 . [email protected]

The mission of the Madison Audubo n

Society is to educ ate our members and the

public about the natural world and the

threats that natural systems are facing, to

engage in advocacy to preserve and protect

these systems, and to develop and maintain

sanctuaries to save and restore na tural habi-

tat.

JOIN M ADISONAUDUBON

Student/Senior: $15

Introductory membership: $20

Basic: $35

Foreign: Add $10 in US funds.

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE ZIP

____I do not wish to receive AUDUBON maga-

zine

____The National Audubon Society occ asionally

makes its memb ership list available to carefully

selected organizations whose mailings you might

find of interest. To have your name omitted from

this list, please ch eck here.

Please enclose your check payable to

National Audubon Society and mail to Madison

Audubo n Society , 222 S. Hamilton St . #1 ,

Madison, WI 5370 3. Memberships are shared

with National Audubon and all members receive

Audubon magazine.

Fabulous Field Tr ips!It is recommended for all field trips

listed that participants de ss appropri-

ately for the weather, bring a snack

or lunch if desired, wear proper

footwear and bring binoculars, scope

and field guide if you have them.

Tues., May 2: O wen Park Evening

Nature Walk

Come enjoy a leisurely stroll

through Owen Park with trip leader

Jon Sutton. O wen Park is a Madison

conservation park on the south side

of Old Sauk Road. Jon is an environ-

mental educator with a broad back-

ground in natural history. Having

been a birder all his life, he will do

his best to identify as many spring

migrants as show up. We may see

thrushes, woodpeckers, sparrows,

swallows, a few ea rly warblers and

maybe an owl. Well keep an eye outfor wildflowers in the woods and the

restored prairies. If an early butterfly

shows, Jon will share his knowledge

about these colorful creatures as he

has become a butterfly enthusiast.

Meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Owen Park

parking lot near the house o ff the d ri-

veway from O ld Sauk Rd., across

from Crestwood School. The trip will

last til about dark, possibly 2 hours. If

you have questions, ca ll Jon Sutton at

238-7676.

Sat., May 7: Birding Picnic Point

Come join trip leaders Roma Linehan

and Willy Hutcheson for a pleasant

spring morning of birding on Picnic

Point, one of Madisons birding hot

spots. With lots of shoreline, open

water and a variety of woods, wet-

lands and open areas, Picnic Point is

known for its diversity of birds. By

May 1st, many migrants may be here,

depending on the weather. On the

lake we will look for waterfowl, gulls

and terns; in the marshlands well be

looking for blackbirds, wrens, song

and swap sparrows; in the woodlands

well look for woodpeckers, thrushes,

orioles, vireos and early warblers; and

in the fields and gardens well look for

grassland sparrows. Trip leader Roma

Linehan has over 20 years of birding a

Picnic Point and just compiled a

Campus Area Bird Checklist. Meet at

7:30 a.m. at the Picnic Point parking lo

off University Bay Drive, north of UW

Lot 60 and north of the UW hospital.The trip will last for 2-3 hours with an

opportunity to extend longer. If you

have questions, call Roma Linehan at

(608) 238-5406.

May 9,11,16,18: Warbler Walks!

MASs annual

early morning

warbler walks

will be held in

the UW

Arboretum. This

years trip leaderswill be Tod

Highsmith, Levi

Wood, Ken Barmore, and Tony Kaleni

We will be looking for migrating war-

blers as well as Vireos, Thrushes,

Tanagers and w hatever else flies by.

Meet at 6:00 a.m. in the Arboretum

the Wingra/Galistel Woods parking lot

along McCaffrey Drive. Enter the

Arboretum from the east off of Mills

Street. If you enter from the west

(Seminole Hwy.) you will have to wa lk

from the McKay Center parking area.

If you have questions, call Levi Woo

at 277-7959.

Fri. May 12: Evening at Nine Springs

Dave Fallow, professional bird guide

who leads private tours in the Madison

area, will lead this 2 1/2 hour birding

trip. We will visit one of the more inter

esting and often overlooked birding

spots in the Madison area to search for

shorebirds, herons, cranes, terns, swal-

lows and waterfowl. This area has goo

mud flats, marsh and pond habitat.Meet at 6:30 PM at the Epic Life

Insurance Co. parking lot at 6801 Sout

CAWS N ew sletter Subscrip tions Ava ilab leI am not a member of National Audubon, but am interested in receiving

The Audubon CAWS newsletter to stay informed of chapter activities. Ive

enclosed $10.00 payable to Madison Audubon Society to cover printing and

mailing for one annual year.

Mail to: Madison Audubon Soc., 222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1 , Madison,

WI 53703


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Towne Drive just south o f the beltline.

We will carpool there to take fewer

cars to Nine Springs. Bring a scope if

you have one. If you have questions

call Dave Fallow at 249-3843.

Saturday, May 13: Internationa l

Migratory Bird Day

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Bird Watching Walks

- Come catch the migration

sensation!

Led by experts; for people of all ages

and expertise

Cherokee Marsh (north end of

Sherman Ave)

Picnic Point

U.W. Arboretum (McKay Center)

7:00 - 11:00 a.m.

9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Family Events on

the Capitol Square (S. Hamilton St.

corner) -during the Farmers Market!

+ The Balloon Man!

+ Face painting+ Games and activities

+ Exhibits, displays, free posters!

Sponsors for IMBD include

Chickadee Depot, Madison Audubon,

U.W. Wildlife Ecology, the Black

Hawk Council of Girl Scouts, and the

DNR.

The birds will be returning soon.

Come and greet them! For more infor-

mation or to help at the event (we

need volunteers!) call Karen Etter

Hale, 255-BIRD.

Sat., May 13, Migratory Birds and

Sand Prairie Vegetation

7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Joint trip with The Nature

Conservancy at 7 :30 a.m. Join trip

leader David Kopitzke and ornitholo-

gist Barb Duerksen for a hike at the

Gotham Sand Barrens. We will look

for spring bird migrants as we explore

this sandy habitat along the Wisconsin

River, which is characterized by jack

pines and Hills oak as we ll as dry

prairie. Participants should be pre-

pared to do extensive hiking on fairly

level ground. Wear sturdy hiking

shoes and dress for the weather. Bring

binocu lars and field guides, if you

have them. Call Cate Harrington

(608/251-8140, ext. 139) if you have

questions about the trip.

Trip is limited to 20 people. Call

Cate on or after April 24 at 9:00 a.m.,

to reserve your place for the trip and

get directions to the meeting place.

No reservations will be taken before

April 24.

Sat., May 20, Birding at Spring Green

8:00 a.m. to 11 :00 a.m. Rain Da te:

Saturday, May 27, 2000


Conservancy. Participants will walk

the various habitats at the preserve

looking for grassland and woodland

birds. Trip leaders Greg Geller and

Becky Abel will also share informa-

tion about the plants and natural

communities protected at Spring

Green Preserve. Wear footgear appro-

priate for walking among cacti and a

hat if the day is warm and sunny.

Bring water, and binoculars and a

bird field guide if you have them. In

case of rain, the trip will be post-

poned until May 27. Call Greg Geller

at (608/544-2082 home) if you have

questions or in case of bad weather tosee if the trip has been postponed.

Meet at the Spring Green pa rking

lot. Directions: From the intersection

of US. Hwy. 14 and State Hwy. 23

near Spring Green, travel north on 23

for 0.5 miles and turn right (east) on

Jones Road. After 0.75 miles, turn left

(north) on the d irt access road to the

preserve parking lot (its just past the

driveway to a house trailer with fire

number E5196A).

Sun., May 21: Birding at Horicon

Marsh

Enjoy a spring day birding in

Horicon Marsh. The trip is scheduled

to join w ith a D NR naturalists11:00

a.m. tour of Horicon Marsh. As thosewho have been on one of Bills tours

before knows, he is an enthusiastic

fount of knowledge about Horicon

Marsh and its diverse bird life. With

268 species of birds identified in the

marsh, Horicon is one of the birding

hot spots in Wisconsin. At this time of

year, in addition to the nesting egrets,

herons and waterfowl, we hope to

see p lenty of warblers, vireos, thrush-

es and other passerines. With luck we

will hear and maybe even see some

of the more e lusive marsh birds, such

as rails, and wrens. While on the nat-

uralists one hour tour we will have

his expertise to help us locate and

identify as many birds as we can.

In addition to our tour with a natu-

ralist, we plan to cruise around the

marsh investigating other areas and

exploring further for more birds. Wemay not head back to Madison until

mid-afternoon.

Meet at the East side Cub Food

Store parking lot at 8:30 a.m. to car-

pool up to Horicon Marsh. To reach

Cub Foods take Hwy. 30 east to Hwy

51. Head north on Hwy. 51 and take

the first right (Nakoosa Trail) and turn

right again into the Cub Foods park-

ing lot.

Bring binoculars, a hat, sunscreen,

a scope if you have one and d ress

appropriately for the weather. If you

have questions, call Levi at 277-

7959.

Sat., May 27 , Q uincy Bluff and

Wetlands

9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.


Conservancy. This trip will take us

through black oak and jack pine

woods, along ancient sand ridges and

dunes, and through a variety of wet-

lands. We will hike to the top of Lone

Rock, a 200 foot sandstone mesa.

Along the way, trip leader Lynn

Hanson will point out geologic fea-

tures and discuss how Native

Americans once traveled through

places like Quincy Bluff following an

elaborate trail system. Roy Wittwer

will talk about the Conservancys his-

tory and land management at the pre-

serve, and an o rnithologist will help

participants identify native bird

species. Wear sturdy footgear for

scrambling up rocks. Also pleasebring water and a lunch. This hike is

about 3 to 4 miles long and some-

what strenuous as we will be hiking

to the top of Lone Rock. Call: Lynn

Hanson (920/485-3019; work) if you

have questions.

Meet at the Quincy Bluff parking

area at 9:00 a.m. for a 5 hour hike.

Directions to Quincy Bluff: Take State

Hwy. 13 south from

continued on next page


4/8

(required), and lunch. If there is a

steady rain, the trip will be canceled.

Call Steve Richter (608/250-2420) if

you have questions about the trip.

Directions: From Madison or

Milwaukee take I-94 to Lake Mills

exit, go south on State Hwy. 89 to the

four way stoplight. Go west at the

light on Tyranena Rd. for one half

mile to its junction with Madison Rd.and Cnty. Hwy. B. Turn right at this

junction and go west for 0.5 miles

past Rock Lake Rd. Park in the public

lot opposite the county park.

Sun., June 11:

Birding at

Thousand Rocks

Prairie and

Blue

Mounds

State Park

KayBurcor,

enthusiastic

Madison area

birder, will

lead this trip to two good birding

areas in western Dane County.

Stopping first at Thousand Rocks

Prairie, we may hear and hopefully

see Upland Sandpipers, Vesper,

Grasshopper and Savanna Sparrows

as we ll as other grassland birds. At

Blue Mound State Park we will take

about a two hour hike on the Pleasant

Valley trail, which is moderately diffi-

cult looking for Acadian Flycatchers,

Louisiana Waterthrush, Cerulean

Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers and

possibly a Cuckoo. You will need a

State Park sticker to park at Blue

Mounds.

Meet at 7:00 AM in the pa rking lot

on the north side o f Mineral Point

Road just east of the Beltline in front

of Main Appliance, Erehwon

Outfitters and Rocky Roccoco. Bringa snack or lunch, if you want to stay

after the hike a t Blue Mounds and

maybe climb the tower for the view. If

you have questions, call Kay at 798-

2275.

Adams/Friendship or north from

Wisconsin Dells to Cty. Hwy. H.

Drive west on H for 2.5 miles. Turn

north (right) onto 16th Ave., then west

(left) onto Evergreen Ave., and then

north (right) onto 16th Drive.

Continue 2.2 miles to the parking loton the right (east) side of the road.

Sat., June 3: Birding Governor Dodge

State Park

NO TE: Change of date from 6-13-00

Come join us on Saturday June 3,

2000 when we bird in the 5000 acre

Governor Dodge State Park in the

driftless area of south west Wisconsin

near Dodgeville. Governor Dodge is

an interesting summer birding area.

Birds we saw or heard in early June

last year include Bob-o-links, SedgeWren, White-eyed Vireo, Bells Vireo,

Acadian Flycatcher, Orchard Oriole,

Clay-Colored Sparrow and Henslows

Sparrow. There is potential to find

some interesting species of birds. Trip

leader John Ramano has birded exten-

sively here, includ ing doing the

Breeding Bird Atlas work in Governor

Dodge. The knows the breeding birds

of this park very well.

Meet at 6

a.m. at the

Super Americagas station at the

intersection of

Verona Rd. (Hwy

18-151) with

Raymond Rd. A

State of WI parks

sticker is necessary to en ter the pa rk.

We should return around noon. If you

have any questions about the trip,

please call John Romano at 236-9410.

Sat., June 3: National Trails Day:

Birding Badger PrairieEnjoy a leisurely morning bird walk

at the height of the nesting season,

when resident birds should be busy

caring for young. We hope to find a

variety of birds during this two hour

walk along the Military Ridge Trail,

just east of Verona.

Meet at 7:00 AM in the Military

Ridge Trail parking lot off County

Hwy. PB, just south of Verona Road,

and across from the entrance to

Badger Prairie Park and the Dane

County Home. Questions call Levi at

277-7959.

Sun., June 4: Canoe Red Cedar Lake

Libby Zimmerman, an experienced

wetland ecologist, will lead this canoe

trip around Red Cedar Lake, near

Cambridge. She and her late husband,

Jim Zimmerman, have enjoyed a

weekend home here for many years.While Libby tells us abou t the ecology

and history of the lake, we hope to

see marsh birds such as herons, bit-

terns, black terns and maybe yellow-

headed blackbirds. We will walk on a

bog mat, so bring foot gear that can

get wet (no barefeet). Attach bow and

stern rope to your canoe to tie it when

stopped.

Bring your own canoe, midday

snack or lunch and dress appropriate-

ly for the weather. The canoe trip willlast about four hours. Libby has invit-

ed those who wish to stay to eat their

snack or lunch at her place after

canoeing and she will provide cold

drinks.

Meet Libby at 8:00 AM at the boat

landing on the northeast shore of Red

Cedar Lake just South of Hwy. 12.

Take Hwy. 12 about 2 miles east of

Cambridge, just past the intersection

with County A from the north, the

next right (no sign) to the south to the

DNR boa t landing. It is necessary to

call Libby at 423-4047 if you are

coming on the trip so she can match

padd lers. Call Libby if you need a

canoe or paddling partner or if the

weather is questionable.

Sat., June 10: Bicycling to Prairie

Remnants

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.


Conservancy. Join trip leaders Steve

Richter and Paul West at 9 a .m. for a

bike trip (about 20 miles total) oncounty highways to prairie remnants

along the Crawfish River, including

Snapper and Faville prairies. At the

Conservancys Snapper Prairie, we

will do ou r annual count of two o f

these plants. On our ride home , we

will stop at a site where landowners

are working to restore prairie and

savanna, where we hope to find a few

uncommon grassland birds while we

hike. Bring your bike, a b ike helmet

Field Tr ip s . . .cont inued from pag e 3


5/8

Sum m er Ecotr ek sBeginning Bird W alk at the Arboretum

Saturday May 27, from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m., free of charge. Binoculars and

bird guide reccommended. All ages welcome. Sign up ahead of time with

Madison School-Community Recreation at 266 -6255, registration # ortrek

303. If you have questions, contact Jan at 255-7304.

Ma y 1 3 Field Trip to H oricon Ma rsh Bird Sanctuar y

Saturday May 13 from 11a.m. - 3p.m. MAS, in partnership with Madison

School-Community Recreation (MSCR), is offering a day trip to Horicon

Marsh. Engage in Horicons annual Bird Festival activities and observe the

rich bird life! Bus transportation inc luded, fee of $12.00 /adult and

$5.00/youth. Bring a sack lunch, drink or snack if desired. All ages welcom e.

Sign up with MSCR at 266-6255 under course # orhor 301. If you have ques-

tions, contac t Jan at 255-7304 or MSCR.

Madison Park s

Come join MAS and Madison School-Community Recreation (MSCR) on a

hike at one of Madisons conservation parks and at Goose Pond (in

Arlington). Led by na turalists, the walks are Sundays, 1:30 - 3:00, rain or

shine. All ages welcome, free of charge. Please sign up ahead of time with

MSCR at 266-6255.5/21 Edna Taylor Conservation Park, 802 Femrite Drive, Registration

#ortrek 302

6/11 Owen Conservation Park, 6021 O ld Sauk Road,Registration #ortrek 001

7/16 Goose Pond, in Arlington, WI Registration, #ortrek 002

7/30 Prairie Ridge Park, 2406 Berkley Drive, Registration #ortrek 003

If you have questions, contact Jan at 255-7304 or MSCR at 266-6255.

I had the pleasure of visiting EasterIsland in March & learned some very

interesting facts about this unique

island . I wen t there to view the giant

stone monoliths called Moai & to visit

one of the most remote, isolated

places on Earth. Easter Island is an

island of volcanic rock in the South

Pacific. It is more than 2000 miles

west of South America & about 1400

miles from the nearest island. The area

of the island is only 64 square miles.

The island was discovered by

Polynesians at about 400 AD. At that

time the island was a subtropical for-

est of trees, bushes, shrubs, herbs,

ferns, & grasses. The first colonists

found fertile soil, abundant food,

bountiful bu ilding ma terials, etc. They

prospered and multiplied.

Easter Island is one of the most dra-

matic & best-documented examples of

overpopulation destroying an environ-

ment. Archeologists estimate tha t the

population of Easter Island reached its

peak at about 10,000 people, farexceeding the capabilities of the small

islands ecosystem. Resources became

scarce, & the once lush palm forests

were destroyed. The forests were

cleared for agriculture & for moving of

the Moai. Easter Island is one of the

most extreme examples o f forest

destruction in the world. The whole

forest was gone & most of its tree

species extinct. The growing popula-

tion had cut the forest more rapidly

than it could regenerate! A thriving &

advanced social order began to

dec line into bloody civil war &, evi-

dently, cannibalism. By the time

European explorers arrived in the early

eighteenth century, the island was

completely barren & the culture had

collapsed.

As the history of Easter Island

demonstrates, the decline of forests is

not a modern phenomenon. What is

unique today is the rate & extent of

deforestation globally. Forest cover is

down to 27%. The underlying causeof all deforestation is the increasing

population growth & the demand for

wood products. Even though defor-

estation rates are greatest in the devel-

oping world, over half the wood har-

vested is consumed by industrialized

coun tries. Americans now live in

homes almost twice the size of those

they lived in 50 years ago, & occupy

two-and-one-half times the residential

space per person. More than 10 mil-

lion Americans own two or more

homes, & there are more shopping

malls than high schools in the US. If

current population growth & develop-

ment patterns continue, deforestation

will expand. These trends can be

reversed by investments in social

health, education, sustainable devel-

opment, and stabilized population.

The good news about Easter Island is

that there ha s been substantial refor-

estation and the population has stabi-

lized at about 2500 people.

Ma dison A udubonsBIG DAY birding event

Madison Audubon is holding a big

birding day on International Migratory

Bird Day May 13, 2000. This a great way

to enjoy birding with friends and raise

some money for MAS.

The event will begin at 4a.m., yes four,

and run for 14 hours until 6p.m. The goal

is to find as many bird species as you can

in Dane County in those 14 hours and

return to the finish line before 6p.m. It is

expected that teams will find 100-150

species in the 14-hour limit. Each team

needs to elect a captain who will receive

a list of official rules adapted from the

World Series of Birding held in New

Jersey. So, put a team together of 2-4 peo-

ple. Prizes will be given to the top rank-

ing teams. The ala carte cost is $15 per

person OR $25 covers your participation,

dinner, and the awards banquet held atImperial Gardens West where adventures

of the day will be told.

The d rop dead registration deadline is,

May 8, 2000. This is a rain or shine event.

Call Ken Barmore at 608-836-6096 or

email him at [email protected].

POPULATION & HABITAT

Easter Islan d , The Ecolog ica l Disaster of the Sou th Pacif ic!By Carla Corwith, Population & Habitat Committee


6/8

et, and that many of them are members of

Madison Audubon!

It seems also, that environmentalists

understand what it takes to get the job

done. So it is with Stan and Jeannie, who

not on ly talk about what it takes to save

the health of the environment, but do the

work necessary to make it happen. Thank

you both so much for your donation of

your van. It will truly make a difference.

Low Water Level at Goose Pond

A recent article in the newspaper

detailed the cause for the low water level

of Lake Michigan, and the other Great

Lakes. Goose Pond is low for the same

reason, the lack of precipitation. For the

past three years, there has been little

spring runoff into Goose Pond. The pond

depends on spring runoff and heavy rains

because as a prairie pothole wetland,

there are no springs or ground watersources to add water to the system.

Swans were present for over one month

with a high count of 315 birds. They were

frequen tly seen e stablishing pair bonds

and seemed to enjoy standing in the six-

inch deep wa ter.

Sometimes, there is a bright side to a

problem. The low water level provides

ideal shorebird habitat because there are

ample areas of exposed m ud flats for the

birds to feed in. We encourage you to visit

Goose Pond in May for the peak of the

shorebird migration. However, water lev-els could change if we receive a gully

washer.

Remem ber to stay on Prairie Lane when

bird watching. Never walk down the rail-

road tracks or to the pond to get a better

look. This type of activity will flush the

birds from the pond, leaving nothing but

empty mud flats for all to look at.

Photos taken by Mark Martin

VolunteerOpportunit ies

Have a good time and m ake

new friends while helping the

Madison Audubon Society.

MAS is looking for a couple of

people to fill volunteer posi-

tions. A Volunteer

Coordinator is needed tosolicit and organize volun-

teers for the numerous events

we conduct. These events

would include Prairies

Jubilee, Earth Week activities,

Scope Days, Eco Treks,

Farmers Market, and numer-

ous o ther activities that we

conduct or participate in. This

can be fun, but it does take

time. This position requires

organizational skills and a

willingness to work with sev-

eral people.

A Publicity Coordinator is also

needed to publicize the

numerous events we offer to

the community. Events would

include monthly program

meetings, annual Art Fair,

Prairies Jubilee, and other

society activities.

Two people are needed each

Saturday morning for the

Audubon table to hand out lit-erature at the Farmers Market

on the Capitol Square. A cart

of materials will be prepared

and ready for pick up at the

office a few blocks away from

our designated spot on the

square.

A volunteer is needed to tele-

phone/recruit volunteers for

the Farmers Market table.

Help stick labels on the

monthly CAWS newsletter.

The next issue will be p re-

pared on June 2.

Art Fair help on the day of the

event.

Anyone interested in offering

their talents or time to any of

these areas, please contact

Joanne Herfel at 266-0472

(days), 241-8009 (eves) or call

the Madison Audubon Office -

255 BIRD (2473)

Ap ril A t Goose PondSanctuaryBy Mark & Sue Martin

Van Donation Thanks Druckenmillers

Thanks to the generosity of Jeannie and

Stan Druckenmiller, we are now the

grateful recipients of a beautiful and

roomy Dodge Caravan.

According to Stan, it was Jeanniesidea to give the van to Madison

Audubon. She thought that it would

come in handy, especially with the sum-

mer interns. Stan went on to say, we

both feel that MAS is a great organiza-

tion, and we support the work done by

its members for the betterment of the

environment. It seemed like a good fit.

The van will be kept at Goose Pond,

but is available to the office staff and

board members for transportation to

meetings, seminars, and Audubon func-

tions.Both of the Druckenmillers and their

son Patrick have been visiting and en joy-

ing the sanctuaries for many years. They

often stop in to say hello and to ask

about interesting bird sightings. As long

time members of MAS, bo th have partici-

pated in a variety of volunteer ac tivities.

Jeannie currently serves as the person in

charge of Art Fair volunteers. The couple

is also very active at WHA-TV in

Madison.

In the winter months, Stan and Jeanniewould travel to Goose Pond Sanctuary

with their good friend Sue Ames in

search of Sues favorite birds, the snow

buntings. Sue Ames Prairie was made

possible by Sues generous bequest to

Goose Pond Sanctuary at her death.

Over the past 20 years that we have

been the Resident Managers here, we

have been very fortunate to make many

good friends like Stan and Jeann ie that

will last a lifetime. We have witnessed

first hand, what real commitment means,

and we are constantly reminded thatthere are many good people on this plan-

Sue & Shorty in the new van.

Low water conditions at Goose Pond .


7/8

YES, I want to make theGoose Pond vision a reali-ty. Here is my contributionto the Goose PondCampaign.

[ ] Acre Mak er. $1,000 or moreto buy and restore another acre

of land at Goose Pond.[ ] Half-Acre Mak er. $500-

$999 to buy and restore anoth-er half-acre of land at GoosePond.

[ ] Adop t An Acre. I pledge$100 a year for three years($300 total) toward GoosePond restoration. Here is myfirst installment.

[ ] Nest Egg. I pledge $50 ayear for three years($150 total).Here is my first installment.

[ ] My Ow n Vision. $to help as much as possible.

Name

Address

In Memory of

In Honor of

For Gifts Honoring Another: Send

Acknowledgement to (name andaddress)

Contributions will be acknowledgednear the Goose Pond InformationBoard as follows: $1,000 or more-name to appear on a permanentplaque; $250-$999-name to appearon engraved paving brick.

Acknowledge in MadisonAudubon Society Newsletter

Do not acknowledge in MadisonAudubon Society N ewsletter

Make checks payable to MadisonAudubon Society and mail to:Madison Audubon Society, 222 S.Hamilton Street, Suite #1, Madison,W I 53703

Tax deductible to the extent allowedby law.

Madison Audubon Societysfinancial statement is availableupon request.

Congratulations Dorothy Haines

Good friend and MAS supporter

Dorothy Haines has just published her

long awaited book called Monona InThe Making. The book covers the citys

story from 1938 through 1975, and is

available at the Monona City Hall and

the Monona Library.

Dorothy has been an ac tive member

of MAS for many years, and has been

awarded Volunteer o f the Year for her

work at the Sanctuaries. She served as

newsletter ed itor and is the historian

for MAS, and still does many other vol-

unteer activities. She also supports the

society in other ways. Her name isincluded on the donor plaque on the

large permanent spotting scope on the

sanctuary drive.

Pick up a copy of her interesting

book and consider giving one as a gift.

If you b ring your books with you on

Sunday afternoon Scope Day events

at Goose Pond this month, I am sure

that Dorothy will be happy to sign

them for you. Dorothy and her team of

volunteers proudly help people identify

migrating birds during spring and fall

migrations at Goose Pond Sanctuary,from 2-5 p.m.

Memor ial Gif ts

Aid MAS San ctua riesMadison Audubon gratefully acknowl-

edges the following unrestricted dona-

tions:

In Memory of Lillian G. Ellis of

Monroe, WI

Evelyn Brugger & Family

James & Jane Delaney

Gertrude Elmer

Ernest & Marilyn Gay

Ervin & Judith Gay

Alice Homean

Lee & Janice Johnson

Dorothy Jones

Don & Jeanne Kennedy

Mrs. Wilma Martin

Chet & Mary Ann Matthews

Dave & Gerry Miller

Mrs. Ruth Richardson

Phyllis Rutledge

Jenny & Ray Schmitz

ABACUS Direc t on behalf of Laurie

Schmitz

Ethel & Millie Stauffer

Helen Stauffer

Lou & Franke Locke assisting with Goose

Pond Scope Day.

Goose Pond Sanctua ry Wish List

Items must be in good condition

Digital camera

Refrigerator for the seed building

Shovels, rakes

Wheel ba rrow

Garden hoses

Gift Certificates Hardware Stores

Two-way radios 2 mile range


8/8

5/ 00

Madison Audubon Society, Inc.

Joanne Herfel, President

222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1

Madison, W I 53703

Non-profit organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Permit No. 1831

Madison, Wisconsin

1321 E. Mifflin St.Madison, WI 53703

(608) 256-1066

MAS Big DayBird ing Event May 13

see a e 5

M AS Calend arat a Glance

M ad ison A udub on Loses a Goo d FriendBy Jeannie Druckenmiller

Madison Audubon, birds and pets throughout southern

Wisconsin lost a great friend last month when Ken Mack passed

away after a long illness. Ken was founder and owner of Mounds

Petfood Warehouse stores located in Madison and Janesville.

Back in the Good Old Days of the big MAS seed sales, MAS

began to form a relationship with Ken. When we ran out of seed,

we referred customers to the original Mounds store on University

Avenue. In the early 1990s Ken became our sole supplier ofseed sold a t the sale. Although we had a rough start that first year - it rained

buckets the entire four days of the sale and the wet seed had to be cleaned up

with snow shovels, Ken asked for a second chance and promised us the problems

would be fixed the following year. And indeed they were. The sale was a big suc-

cess and our friendship with Ken began to grow.

But times were changing and the seed sale had to evolve, too. Ken offered to

host the seed sale in his stores (he had two, then ), provided the assistance of his

managers and staff, and invited us to set up our MAS display. Most important, he

gave MAS a generous percentage of all sales of birdseed and b ird feeding prod-

ucts for the months of October and April and featured the sale in his commercial

advertising and on the stores marquee. This alone was worth thousands of dol-

lars to MAS. The sale continued in this fashion with Ken building more stores andMAS featuring speakers and live an imal demonstrations during the weekends of

the sale. With Kens support, the seed sale remained a major fund-raiser, generat-

ing $20,000 per year in support of Goose Pond and MAS educational programs.

By 1998, the customer base for the MAS seed sale had almost disappeared.

But Ken continued to support MAS, generating new ideas to increase ou r visibili-

ty, offering gift certificates, raffle items for the Art Fair and promotional articles in

his monthly flyer.

Ken may be gone, but his legacy with Madison Audubon will remain forever.

He genuinely loved animals and felt a deep responsibility to support non-profit

organizations in the Madison area. We extend our sympathy to his wife and fami-

ly. We will miss him very much.

7 May: Birding Picnic Point, p. 4

9,11,16,18 May: Warbler Walks p. 2

12 May: Birding Nine Springs, p. 2

13 May: MAS Big Birding Event, p. 5

13 May: International Migratory Bird

Day, p. 3

13 May: Birds and Sand Prairie

Vegetation, p. 3

20 May: Birding Spring Green, p. 3

21 May: Birding Horicon Marsh, p . 3

27 May: Quincy Bluffs, p. 3

3 June: Birding Gov. Dodge Pk., p. 4

3 June: National Trails Day, p . 4

4 June: Canoe Red Cedar Lake, p. 4

10 June: Bike Prairie Remnants, p. 4

Documents

May 2000 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society