May-June 2003 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

8/9/2019 May-June 2003 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society

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Big Bluestem FlyerBig Bluestem Flyer

Volume 38, Number 5 May/June 2003

Programs

May 15

Lynn e B rook es & Derr i ck Gr imm er

Mono Lake: Crea tion, Salva tion and the

Eternal Struggle, or, Lessons in Preservation

Activism.Unique Mono Lake on th e east side of the Sierra s

supports m illions of wat er critt ers an d migrat ing

birds. Seeing dan ger of being drain ed like Owens

Lake, California , activitist s organized an d forced a

compr omise. This pr esent at ion include video,

poster s, maps an d han d -out s describing th is rare

ecosystem, th e th reat s t o it, an d th e effective

organ izing t ha t is sa ving it from desert ificat ion.

The present ers ar e BBS members wh o visited

Mono Lake in 2001, ta lked with a ctivist associat ion

members, an d brought back a video an d oth er

mat erials to share with BBAS.

Field Trips

May

10 Bird-a-thon. J oin Audubon's all-day birding

an d fun dra ising event. Prizes will be awa rded.

Cont act Kar l J ungbluth for m ore informa tion (515-

432-5057).

16-18F YI. Iowa Ornithologists Union SpringMeetingin Water loo.

24 Colo Ponds. Meet at the cannon at t he

form er St ory Count y Cour th ouse in Nevada a t 8:00.

Trip Lea der : Hank Zaletel (515-382-5427).

June

7Annual Birders Brunch at Ledges Stat e

Pa rk (Boone Co.). Meet in th e upper Ledges at 8:00

am . Well bird as we hike down th e hill and h ave

brunch in t he lower Ledges. Please bring a fooditem to share.

Page 2 Officers and CommitteesPresidents Column

Page 3 Oak Forest FeedersKarls BackyardMeetz Prairie Winds

Page 4 Field trip reportsNorthern VisitorYoung Naturalists Camp

In This Issue

Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society

Page 5 Jim Dinsmores Olav Smedal AwardPage 6 Iowa Prairie Conference

New MembersBirdathon Reminder

Page 7 Bird Survey at Chichaqua BottomsMembership FormCoupons

Page 8 Halletts Quarry Photo Exhibit

Unless otherwise indicated, regular field trips leave

p r o m p t l y at 8:00 a m from the public parking lot west

of (behind) the Ames Wild Birds U nlimit ed (WBU),

located sout h of the ra ilroad tr acks at 213 Duff Ave. Trip

destinations are su bject t o change based on recent r ar e

bird sightings an d th e desires of the par ticipants.

Contact J eff Nichols for m ore inform at ion a t

515-795-4176 or [email protected]

Program m eetings are held monthly, September -May on

the th ird Thursda y of the month at 7:30 pm , Room

2226 Ve te r ina ry M edic ine B u i ld in g , Iow a S ta t e

U nive r s i ty , Am es , Iow a .

If you would like to meet and dine with th e speaker and

the BBAS Board before t he m onthly meeting, please

contact John Snyder to confirm space and location at

515-232-8824 or [email protected]


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2 Big Bluestem Flyer May/June 2003

Preside nts Colum nOften someone will ask me a particular detail about

birds. You know, questions like, Why dont the gold-

finches ea t from th eir feeder? or Where do bluebirds

go in th e winter ? When I explain I a m r eally not sure,

th ey comment, But I thought you are in Audubon?

That gives me the opportunity to explain Audubon is a

whole lot m ore th an birds. Just tak e a look at our mis-

sion statement on this page. Its focus is birds and also

includes words such a s n atu ral ecosystems, conserva -

tion, educational activities, broader un dersta nding an d

a deeper app reciation. These ar e words we can a ll su p-

port.

It is th e mission t hat ultimately drives the Big Blue-

stem Board. This is why we plan field trips ta king us

to places like Holst Stat e Forest t o search skies,

grasses, and br anches for finches a nd spa rrows in

J anu ary. And why we ventu re to Dunbar Slough in

Greene Count y to observe waterfowl and t heir ha bitat.

Of cour se we have our a nnu al Christm as Bird Count

and t he Birdathon to add fun a nd enjoyment.Education is part of the mission, and Big Bluestem

has brought Aud ubon Adventures to thousa nds of ele-

ment ary stu dents in t he central Iowa region. We hope

to spark an inter est in our n atu ral ecosystems in the

next genera tion. In recent years we h ave funded schol-

ars hips for 5t h and 6t h graders to attend the Young

Nat ura lists Camp a t th e Y-Camp northwest of Boone.

And we will do it a gain th is year. I ha ve to ment ion we

are enlightened and ent erta ined by the Bird of the

Month Program an d to all of the great speakers pr e-

senting educationa l programs plan ned September

thr ough May each year.

Big Bluestem is involved with conservation issuessuch as Harrier Marsh expansion, Colo Ponds, Keller-

ton pr airie chicken re-intr oduction, Mortensen Moun ds

and m any other conservation and pr eservation pr o-

jects over t he year s.

If you would like t o help to provide leadersh ip in Big

Bluestem, continue work on its m ission, and a re int er-

ested in joining th e boar d, please contact m e. I encour -

age your active participation, and Big Bluestem needs

your commitment.

I want t o especially tha nk Kar l and Carm en

J ungbluth, an d Mar y Doud a nd J eff Nichols for

holding a Rumm age Sale for t he Birds. Carmen a nd

J eff came u p with th is idea a nd with t heir relativelyimpromptu plan , they ha d a very successful event,

ra ising over $600 for Big Bluestem . Than ks goes to

Linda Thomas who pr ovided advertising and to Ida

J ohnson, Wolf Oesterreich, a nd Matt Wetrich who

helped sta ff th e sale. Tha nks t o all who provided sa le

items an d to all of the bargain hu nter s who made wise

purchases.

John Pohlman

Big Bluestem Audubon SocietyOfficers and Committees

OfficersPresident: John Pohlman 232-6816 [email protected]: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected]: [vacant]Treasurer: Donna Flanagan 268-0458 [email protected]

Board Members

Bruce Ehresman 296 -2995 [email protected]: Nichols [email protected] Jackson 515-964-0140 [email protected] Oesterreich 515-232-3285 (h) [email protected] Wetrich 956-4299 [email protected]

Committee ChairsArchivist: Hank Zaletel 382-427 [email protected] Co-chairs: Karl and Carmen Jungbluth, 432-5057weatherbird.opencominc.comConservation Chair: Bruce Ehresman 296 [email protected] Chair: Ida Johnson 233-4831 iwindj@aoLcomField Trip Chair: Jeff [email protected] Chair: Al Johnson 233-4831 awindj@aol. com

Program Chair: John Snyder 232-8824 [email protected] Chair: Linda Thomas 292-7534 [email protected] & Electronic Media Co-Chairs: David Edwards [email protected] and Joyce Bahrenfus 275-3263 [email protected]

BBAS Web Site:http://www.wyalusing.org/BBAS.htmIowa Bird Sightings Hotline 319-338-9881Wildlife Care Clinic 515-294-4900

The mission of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society to

enjoy the observation and study of birds and natural

ecosystem s, cont ribu te to th eir conservation an d

restoration, engage in educational activities to benefit

humanity, and gain a broader understanding and deeper

appreciation of the world we live in.

N othing w holly adm irable everhappens in this coun try

except the m igration or birds.

Broo ks Atkinson

Steven DAma to

Northe rn Shove ler


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May/June 2003 Big Bluestem Flyer 3

Karls BackyardNorth edge of Ledges SP Boone Coun ty

Its that time of year when every new bud and leaf is

beau tiful, with a pr omise of blossoms to come. The plum

tr ees ar e flowering, which seems a couple of weeks ear ly

based upon m y 9 year s of experien ce in Boone county.

A variety of sparr ows are a ppearing in the yar d. After

six inches of wet snow on April 7t h, sixteen F ox Sparr ows

joined the J un cos. They stayed for several days. Icleared a few patches of snow and scattered some seed.

Carmen saw over a h undred Red-wing Blackbirds, some

grackles and cowbirds, plus a Rusty Blackbird all

crammed in a few square feet!

An immat ur e White-th roated Spar row and a Ha rr iss

Sparr ow spent th e winter n ear our yard. Ive seen a few

more Ha rr iss lat ely, an d today a couple of classic White-

thr oated Sparrows appeared with t heir black and white

striped crown. Around dinn er time tonight, they were

joined by two Field Sparrows, a couple of Lincolns

Sparr ows, a Song Sparr ow, Chipping Spar rows and a

couple d ozen J un cos.

House Spar rows, Bluebirds a nd several Tree Swallowsall want to claim th e Bluebird box across th e road. Id

welcome two of th e th ree. The Tree Swa llows soared

an d flew and vocalized all day Sun day.Karl Jungbluth

Meetz Prairie WindsNortheast of Am es a few m iles

A flint a nd st eel strike, an d th e help of two dozen

hands, so began the process of spring renewal. We had a

Big Smoke this past Saturday, finally firing the prairie

after nu merous weath er related delays. A str ong east

wind and relative humidity around 22% proved to be fa-

vora ble. Volun teer s with backpa ck spra yers followed

oth ers laying down a fire-line with d rip t orches backedby three t rucks with water tanks a nd pumps run ning.

J oe Kooikers sons st ood by with water hoses an d flap-

pers in th eir ha nds.

A slow back bu rn allows for more cont rol an d pr ovides

an ever widening safety zone star ved of highly volat ile

fuel. As the flames increased and began crawling across

the ground, signs th at a nimal life still inhabited th e area

becam e increasingly evident. Sa fety is t he pr imary rea-

son for our bur n t echnique but also allows for critt er es-

cape routes. Birds easily escape, usually flushing as the

flames crept t owards a fence line or open a rea. Mam mals

either ru n a head of the flames or hide in their bur rows.

On one occasion, a cottonta il rabbit r aced out ah ead ofthe flames, circled around us a nd h eaded back into the

blacked prairie just behind the fire line, stopping near

some burning branches that had fallen along the fence.

Steve Lekwa came close to having an intimate conver-

sation with a Stripped Skun k tha t ran toward Steve.

And David Villar, while using the drip torch, hesitated

momentar ily as a group of five hen pheasa nts burst

forth less that three feet from where he stood.

The wind occasionally shifted during t his bur n a nd

tried to get a way from u s into adjacent fields more tha n

once, but overall it was a good burn .

We hardly had dr opped our gear and met for r efresh -

ment when Hank Zaletel briefly left the group to checkour tr ee row for our Fox and H ar ris Spar rows. Linda Z.

also pointed out a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.

Within ten m inut es a Red-Tailed Hawk perched on a

wooden fence post, male Red -Winged Blackbir ds wer e

staking out th eir territory, Kildeer were run ning

thr ough the ashes and a Greater Yellow-Legs flushed

near a pair of Canada Geese walking along the pothole

shoreline. Missing was the small flock of Snow Geese (a Rosss

among them) visiting until late that morning. They seemed totake their cue that it was time to head further north and beyondthe midwest prairie blooms.

Mike & Linda Meetz

Oak Forest FeedersMany of the transients common to this time of year

and some summer residents ha ve arr ived in th ese

middle weeks of April. A small group of th ree t o seven

Fox Sparr ows were working everyday an d all day for a

week, scra tching u p every bit of debris from th e side

yard. Most Dar k-eyed J uncos moved on at t he sam e time

as t he Fox Spar rows in th e midst of th e days of hot s outh

winds.

The usu al th ree of four Worle Creek Tur key Vultur es

ar e back, Wood Ducks ar e scout ing nest h oles, and a

Great Blue Heron seems int erested in t he valley. Today

a pa ir of Great Egrets h ave been quietly watching thewat er, a first for our yard list. Fr om th e side woods

come s ounds of woodpeckers qu ietly excava ting t his

years n est holes.

Several pair of European Starlings are sta rt ing to nest

in th eir usua l holes high up in the oak t rees. Does

anyone have an extendable pole, ideally at least 20 feet

long?Dave and Jeanne Edwards

Kirsten MunsonDowny Woodp ec ker

Pra irie Wind s Burn

Photo co urtesy ofMike M eetz


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May/June 20034 Big Bluestem Flyer

Field Trip Rep ort2 2 F e b r u a r y , La k e R e d R o c k . Despite a less tha n

favora ble forecast, thirt een part icipants arr ived at t he

parking lot behind Wild Birds Unlimited ready for a day

of Bald Eagle viewing. We made stops at the Lake Red

Rock visitors center a nd s everal locat ions south of th e

dam. We saw more than 40 eagles. Other interesting

finds included an a ccipiter an d several Amer ican Black

Ducks. We then drove into Pella to see presentations at

the Commun ity Cent er on the eagles as well as aprogram on owls. The presentations included live birds,

and both were quite interesting. After lun ch in Pella and

a stop at J aar smas Bakery, we star ted for h ome. A stop

at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge en route was enjoyed

by all, an d perm itted some of us t o satisfy our book -

buying needs before calling it a day.

Jeff Nichols

Newsletter Material DeadlinesThis is the las t n ewsletter for t his BBAS season. We will begin aga in in Septem ber. Becau se we wou ld like to

have the newsletter to each member before the first day of its coverage, the editor needs to have material at least

two weeks before tha t. Hen ce t h e n e x t d e a d l i n e , fo r t h e S e p t ./O c t . i s s u e , w i ll b e t h e f i ft e e n t h o f Au g u s t .

Young Naturalist Ca mp

for 5th and 6th grad e boys and girlsThe Des Moines YMCA is h olding a Youn g

Na tu ra list Cam p at th e YCamp west of Boone,

August 4-9, for boys and girls who are cur ren tly in

5th a nd 6th gra de. It is a week long worksh op

wher e youth meet with professiona ls in

environm enta l education an d conservat ion, along

with experiencing camp activities. Big Bluest em

is offering three $275 scholarships toward the

$325 cost of th e cam p. If you know of a 5t h or 6th

grader with a strong interest in nat ure, conta ct

Education Cha ir Ida J ohns on, 233-4831

[email protected] or Jeff Nichols 795-4176 jnichols1961@hotma il.com by May 30th .

Field Trip Report1 5 M a r c h , Ad a H a y d e n H e r i t a g e P a r k a n d L i t t le

Wal l Lak e. Plan A was to explore t he wa ter fowl

habitat of Greene Co, but after a short discussion, the

group decided to explore a rea s closer to home. We first

stopped at Ada Ha yden Park and found a few Hooded

Mergansers. At Little Wall Lake, we spent most of our

time exploring th e habitat around t he ma rgins of the

lake, as waterfowl in the open areas of the lake were

too far to see clearly. The tem peratu res were in the 70swith a nice south erly breeze, but t he lake was st ill

mostly frozen. Many geese an d ducks were migrating

overh ead, an d we ha d great looks at la rge flocks of

Greater White-fronted Geese and a few Snow Geese.

We finished t he da y with 31 species.

Jeff Nichols

Northern visitorIn late December , while looking th rough t he flock of

severa l hun dred Cana da Geese at Ada Hayden Herita ge

Pa rk , I saw one goose with an oran ge neck collar. The

goose was t oo far awa y to be able to read th e code of

letters and numbers on its collar. However, a few days

later on 1 J anu ary, I saw what was almost certa inly the

same bird at Mabaska P ond west of Ames and was able

to read th e code: T 35. I reported t his sighting to the US

Bird Banding Laborat ory (a website at h tt p://www.pwrc.

usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/recwobnd.h tm ma kes it easy todo so) and recent ly received some informa tion about t he

bird. The bird, a sm all Cana da Goose somet imes called

the Hut chins form, commonly migrat es th rough centr al

Iowa but seldom winters her e. The bird was ban ded on

West Baffin Island in n orth ern Can ada on 17 August,

1996. It was identified as an adult female and was one of

171 birds tha t were banded at th at time. I saw the bird

on 6 February and again on 11 March at Mabaska. I

was gone for about 10 days, and it was not th ere when I

retur ned on 24 March. I assume t hat it moved north

with the warm weath er we had in mid March. Wonder if

it will come back to centra l Iowa next fall?

Jim Dinsmore

Photo by Jon & Joyc e Bahrenfus

We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity

belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which

we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

Aldo Leopold


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5May/June 2003 Big Bluestem Flyer

Olav Smedal Conservation AwardJ i m D in s m o r e has been named as t he 2002

recipient of Olav Smedal Conser vation Awar d. This

award is sponsored by the Ames Chapter of the Izaak

Walt on League of America. The selection of an

individual or group located in cent ra l Iowa is based on

recognition of his/her/th eir cont ribut ion t o the pu blic in

th e field of na tu ra l resour ce conser vation or other

outdoor pursu its reflecting the highest st anda rds of

ethics and sportsman ship.

Among his ma ny activities J im ha s served on boards

an d comm itt ees for pr ofessional societies (Iowa Ch apt er

of The Wildlife Society, American Ornithological

Society, Iowa Or nit hologists Un ion) as well as m an y

conser vation groups (faculty ad visor t o ISU Cha pter of

Ducks Un limited since 1987, Iowa Academ y of Science,

Iowa Audubon, The Natu re Conser vancy). J im also

served as editor of Iowa Bird Life for 10 yea rs an d

still serves as the field reports compiler. Also of note,

J im is always willing to serve as a presenter and sh are

his knowledge with var ious environmen tal and civic

groups. Birds and birding, mamma logy, and animalecology are just a few of his int erests he is willing to

shar e even th ough he is now in retirement.

J im ha s au thored an d co-auth ored 5 books:Iowa

Birds, the Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas, Birds in Iowa, the

Iowa W ildlife Viewin g Guide , and A Coun try S o Full of

Game.

J ims book, A Coun try S o Full of Gam e, has a rguably

contributed more to Iowans knowledge of Iowa wildlife

th an a ny oth er publicat ion. A product of years of

painsta king resear ch, h is book reveals the history of

wildlife species in Iowa, from th e abu nda nce our E ur o-

American ancestors experienced here in the 1830s

through the destruct ion an d carnage that ensued in thelast ha lf of th e 1800s resu lting in t he loss of ha bita t

and the impa cts on t he elk, deer, prairie chickens,

wolves, an d oth er an imal populations by the 1900s. It

is as readable as it is carefully documented, an

excellent exam ple of th e mer ger of academ ic resea rch

with good writing.

Humble, J im is good na tured a nd u nassum ing and

does not toot his own horn . He h as gone out of his

way man y times to help other s by providing th em with

information and ma terials (teaching aids). With h is

help an d access to the Un iversitys extensive anim al

ecology collections h e ha s pr ovided ma ter ials for m an y

local county conser vation events. He ha s providedsupport an d mat erials for the Iowa Depar tm ent of

Natural Resources Youth Hunter Education events

including the YHEC progra m. J im has been involved

and been most helpful in Story Count y Master

Conservat ion P rogram , the Beginning Birder programs

and t he SCC Owls program. He has a ppeared on WOIs

Talk of Iowa to discuss Birds and Birdwatching.

J im was an active part icipant in the Sa ve Halletts

Quar ry campa ign an d continues to act as a consultant to

th e Ames Pa rk a nd Recreation board on t his issue.

J im ha s touched many with h is knowledge.

The AwardThe selection committee for the Olav Smedal

Conservat ion Awar d is composed of mem bers of the Ames

Chapt er of the Izaa k Walton League an d Story Count y

Conserv at ion Boar d. The committ ee is especially

interested in recognizing those individuals or groups

whose chief mea ns of employment is work outside of th e

conser vation field. Considerat ion is given to the

individual(s) who gives un selfishly of their free t ime a nd

volunt ar y efforts . All qua lified nominees will be

consider ed. If you would like to submit a n ominat ion youcan do so by conta cting th e Story Coun ty Conser vat ion

Board McFarland Park offices or the Ames Chapter of the

Izaak Walton league, Box 148 Ames.

Past recipients of the Olav Smedal Conservation

Award include:

America n Coot

Mike Meetz with material by Jim Pease

Kirsten M unson

1988 Dale Brentn all 1995 J im Pease

1989 Bill Horine 1996 George Pa tr ick

1990 Steve Lekwa 1997 Edwin Powell

1991 Na ncy Kur rle 1998 Mike Meetz

1992 Cele Burn ett 1999 Linda & Han k Zaletel

1993 Dave Van Waus 2000 Er v Klaas

1994 Robert Pinneke 2001 Cindy Hildebrand


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6 May/June 2003Big Bluestem Flyer

The 9th Iowa Prairie Conference

The Prac tic al Prairie

The Iowa Pr airie Conference, hosted by th e Iowa

Prairie Network, will be held the weekend of July 12t h a t

the Iowa Stat e Center Scheman Building on Iowa Stat e

Universit ys campu s in Ames. The event promis es

inform ation for beginners and experts a like with

speakers r anging from pr airie practitioners t o academic

researchers. An icebreaker picnic Friday evening allows

gather ing att endees to begin th e conference with a n

opportunity for networking. On Saturday, Dr. Ron

Pan zer, Northea stern Illinois University, and Dr . Jam es

Trager, Sha w Nat ure Reserve, Missouri Botan ical

Garden , will deliver t he k eynote a ddresses on pr airie

invertebrat es. Highlighted concur rent sessions include

prairie man agement, land protection, soils, fauna , and

the benefits of urban prairies. A panel discussion on

prescribed bu rn ing issues will also be convened. Field

trips will provide an opportunity to spend time with

pra irie experts in some of cent ra l Iowas finest pra irie

remna nts an d reconst ru ctions. Conference att endees willalso have the opportunity to browse various vendor,

organizational and educational displays. The day will

conclude with an evening ban quet , followed by mu sic

an d a n h istoric port ra yal of Iowa-born Aldo Leopold, on e

of th e na tions leading conservat ionist s of the last

century. Sunday morning activities, including field trips,

complete th e conference. Registr at ion form s will be

available May 1st . Register early to ensure the field trip

of your choice. For additional in form at ion an d

registration forms after May 1st, visit the Iowa P rairie

Network website at www.iowaprairienetwork.org or

cont act In ger La mb at 515-963-7681or 515 -240-4358.

Terri Abbett

Pat Alberts

Mark & Susan Ackelson

Raymond & Delilah Ahrens

Ron Andrews

Rich & D.K. Axtell

Becker

Lorraine BelluciMandy Brown

Mike Carlson

J erry & Susan Caswell

Ja ne Clark

Vernon Condon

Drew Ehresman

Gary Forster

J am es Miller & J ennifer

Fraterr igo

Peter F ritzell

J on & Dorothy Gu sta fson

Mari lyn Greene

Doug & Nina Har rMary Ja ne & Richar d

Hatcher

Jim & Pat Heukel

Heidi Hohman n

Laur en & Nan cy Housema n

Ginny J ackson

Mary Jane Johnson

Kevin Kan e

Fr itz & Victoria Keinert

Michael & Susan Keraus

Gerald Keys

Eliot La follete

Ed Engle & Julie Larson

Dean & Freida Lehman

Raveena Levis

Doroth y & Donald Lewis

Cheryl Macvey

Mary Jean Mathis

Bobetta & Mich ae l

MatthesSta n & Ma rlene Moffit

Woodrow & Betty Lou

Myers

Michael Myszewski

Ellen Nielsen

Neal & Ma rjorie O'Bri en

David O'Brien

Larry & Verona Par r

Scott & Peggy Peters on

Ann Reed

George Roling

Tom Rosbur g

Esther RossmanDuane & Marilyn San d

Bob & Jean Schau b

Pat Schlarbaum

Peggy Smith

Kay Snopek

Dan & Beth Solomon

Troy Thompson

Mimi Wagner

Linda & Doug Ward

Bob And Jan Williams

Trudy Yoder

New Memb ers

Now is the t ime to gear u p for Birda th on 2003! Ask

an y of our dozens of Birdat hon pa rt icipan ts, an d th eyll

tell you its just plain fun . We count bir ds to ra ise fun ds

forbirds. Birdathon enables our Audubon chapter to

support m any worthy pr ojects r elated t o birds, ha bitat

an d natu re education. Last year we ra ised over $5200.

Ther es still plenty of time t o form a tea m, join a tea m,

ra ise some pledges or mak e a donation. Birdat hon

team s will be heading out on Ma y 10t h to see who can

coun t th e most species of birds in one day. The winnertak es home t he coveted Birdath on Traveling Trophy: a

Prothonotary Warbler carved and paint ed by J on &

J oyce Bah renfus.

New birder s are welcome, too. Our Birda th on

Coordina tors Karl & Car men J ungbluth will help you

join a team , and get you st art ed with pledge form s an d

other information. Full details about Birdat hon, plus a

pledge form, were included in the March/April

newslett er. We can a lso ema il copies of th e pledge

form.

If you cant do a Birdathon, were always looking for

more sponsors. Sponsor a friend who has a tea m, or

mak e a pledge to the chapt er. Ju st conta ct Kar l &Carmen at 515-432-5057 or send an email to

weat her bird@opencomin c.com.

Bi r d a t h o n i s M a y 1 0 t h

Do Somet hing For t he Birds!Enjoy spring, ta ke a look beyond your backyard, a nd pa rticipate in Birdat hon!


7/8


8/8

IfyouhaveanXafteryournameonyourmailinglabel,thiswillbeyourlastissueoftheFlyerunlessyourenew.

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.PostagePaid

PermitNo.131Ames,Iowa

BigBluestemFlyerDavidC.Edwards,EditorBigBluestemAudubonSociety2308StateAveAmes,IA50014

Printed on Recycled paper

Wewelcomenewmembers!

May/June 2003Vol 38 No. 5

HALLETT'S QUARRY PHOTO EXHIBIT

"WALK THRU" AND PROGRAM ON HALLETT'S QUARRYS u n d a y , Ma y , 18 , 2 00 3, 2 t o 4p m S t o r y C o u n t y C o n s e r v a t i o n C e n t e r , M c F a r l a n d P a r k

J oin Ames Photograph er J anet J epeway for a "Walk Thru " of her ph oto exhibit "Hallett 's Quar ry" on Su nda y,

May 18, 2003, 2 to 4pm at the Story County Conservation Center, McFarland Park, 56461 180th St., Ames, Iowa.

Janet will do a "Walk Thru" of her photo exhibit "Hallett's Quarry", which photo-documents the appearance of

th e quar ry in its first six mont hs of owner ship by th e City of Ames. She will relat e th e events lea ding to her

photographing th e quarr y, discuss th e individual photos an d what it was like to photograph th e quarr y in all types

of weath er, as well as show her favorite piece of equipmen t and sh ar e experiences such as t he "teen -age neckin g

party".

All photographs in the exhibit are for sale. Profits after expenses will be donated to the restoration of the quarry

as a park and as a backup water su pply for t he City of Ames. Prints pu rchased will be signed an d dat ed by the

photograp her . Fra ming is cour tesy of Walden P hoto. Refreshm ent s will be provided by Wheat sfield Grocery.

Sponsors of the exhibit a re: Out door Light ing Associat es In c, Access Direct a nd Royce J. Bitzer.

PROGRAM: Story Coun ty Conservat ion Par tner s a nd the Ames Herita ge Association will co-sponsor th e

aftern oon's progra m. Denn is Wendell, Collections Cur at or for the Ames H erita ge Association will present a

program on t he h istory of Hallett 's Quarr y entitled:

Hunting , Farming , Quarrying : 2000 Yea rs of Human Ac tivity at Hallett's Qua rry"Mr. Wendell will briefly discuss the evidence for prehistoric human activity in the area, then concentrate on the

Eur o-American settlement during t he m id-nineteent h centu ry, and the later gravel pit operat ion. Slides, art ifacts

and perh aps th e appeara nce of a mystery guest will supplement t he talk.

Conta cts: J anet J epeway, 233-6741Denn is Wendell, Collections Cur at or, Ames H erita ge Association, 233-1404

Story Count y Conser vation, Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, 232-2516.

Documents

May-June 2003 Big Bluesterm Flyer Big Bluestem Audubon Society