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MAY/JUNE 2015 NEWSLETTER OF GREAT SALT LAKE AUDUBON www.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org I N S I D E Board Highlights .................................................page 2 We remember the passing of two good friends...page 3 In Memory of.......................................................page 3 Please report your volunteer hours.......................page 3 Field Trips........................................................pages 4,5 Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.....................page 6 Bee-Harming Pesticides.......................................page 6 Jordan River Migratory Bird Reserve..................page 7 Benefits Reminder to National Audubon Society Members: New National Audubon Society (NAS) members will receive The Pelican free as a courtesy, as part of their first year mem- bership. Thereafter, should renewing NAS members wish to continue to receive The Pelican either in paper form or electronically, they will need to join GSLA. All other benefits such as participation in field trips, bird counts, general meet- ings, legislative representation, will continue to be granted to all NAS members. BiRdS ’n BiteS Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at The Education Center in the Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park for an informative hour and refreshments. It is free and open to the public. We welcome all. Doors open at 6:30, the program begins at 7pm. Enter Liberty Park at 600 E and 900 So. Upcoming Program: May 19th - “Your garden, the birds, and your health” will be presented by Fred Montague, PhD. Fred’s year-round food garden includes a lean-to greenhouse, an efficient cold frame, and a hoop house. Even at an eleva- tion of 6,500 feet and in a deep snow zone in Summit County, his structures provide fresh greens, brassicas, herbs, and other produce during the time of the year in temperate regions when they are needed most in the diet. Of course, in the summer, the modest, but adequate, outdoor beds provide food for the table and the pantry. He will share his ideas about gardening in a healthy manner so that our food and the birds that visit our yards will be optimally nourished. There will also be a short general membership meeting at the beginning of the evening. Come out and meet the Board of Directors, and give us your comments or suggestions. Birds ’n Bites will be taking a summer break, programs will resume in September. We are planning a kid-friendly program with ice cream for the first meeting. Hope to see you and your family there. “Birding Utah” app for iPhones We are very happy to announce that the “Birding Utah” app for iPhones is now available through the Apple App Store. Wasatch Audubon Society and Great Salt Lake Audubon teamed with Wayne Martinson of National Audubon and the folks from Aves Amigos to produce this handy, reasonably priced app ($2.99). Here are some of the great features of this app: Visit over 150 areas with excellent birdwatching in Utah Use the helpful details for each site to maximize your birding experience - habitat descriptions, directions, GPS coordinates, featured birds, nearby amenities Search all sites by city, ZIP code or species Explore over 150 sites, split into three regions: View as a list or as a map CheCk it oUt!! We’d like to thank the sponsors of this project which include the Utah Office of Tourism, the BLM, DWR and Wild About Birds. Join us for the 2015 Basin & Range Seminar. See the enclosed Brochure and Registration Form.

may/june 2015 neWSLeTTeR OF GReaT SaLT LaKe auDuBOn …x.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org/pdf/pel2015mayjun.pdf · maRCh/aPRIL 2015 Secretary, Jenn Waterhouse/Karin Kirchhoff The PeLICan

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Page 1: may/june 2015 neWSLeTTeR OF GReaT SaLT LaKe auDuBOn …x.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org/pdf/pel2015mayjun.pdf · maRCh/aPRIL 2015 Secretary, Jenn Waterhouse/Karin Kirchhoff The PeLICan

may/june 2015 neWSLeTTeR OF GReaT SaLT LaKe auDuBOnwww.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org

INSI

DE

Board highlights .................................................page 2We remember the passing of two good friends...page 3In memory of.......................................................page 3 Please report your volunteer hours.......................page 3 Field Trips........................................................pages 4,5migratory Bird Treaty act of 1918.....................page 6Bee-harming Pesticides.......................................page 6jordan River migratory Bird Reserve..................page 7

Benefits Reminder to National Audubon Society Members: New national audubon Society (naS) members will receive The Pelican free as a courtesy, as part of their first year mem-bership. Thereafter, should renewing naS members wish to continue to receive The Pelican either in paper form or electronically, they will need to join GSLA. All other benefits such as participation in field trips, bird counts, general meet-ings, legislative representation, will continue to be granted to all naS members.

BiRdS ’n BiteSjoin us on the third Tuesday of the month at The education Center in the Tracy aviary at Liberty Park for an informative hour and refreshments. It is free and open to the public. We welcome all. Doors open at 6:30, the program begins at 7pm. enter Liberty Park at 600 e and 900 So.

Upcoming Program: May 19th - “your garden, the birds, and your health” will be presented by Fred montague, PhD.

Fred’s year-round food garden includes a lean-to greenhouse, an efficient cold frame, and a hoop house. Even at an eleva-tion of 6,500 feet and in a deep snow zone in Summit County, his structures provide fresh greens, brassicas, herbs, and other produce during the time of the year in temperate regions when they are needed most in the diet. Of course, in the summer, the modest, but adequate, outdoor beds provide food for the table and the pantry. he will share his ideas about gardening in a healthy manner so that our food and the birds that visit our yards will be optimally nourished.There will also be a short general membership meeting at the beginning of the evening. Come out and meet the Board of Directors, and give us your comments or suggestions.Birds ’n Bites will be taking a summer break, programs will resume in September. We are planning a kid-friendly program with ice cream for the first meeting. Hope to see you and your family there.

“Birding Utah” app for iPhones

We are very happy to announce that the “Birding utah” app for iPhones is now available through the apple app Store.

Wasatch audubon Society and Great Salt Lake audubon teamed with Wayne martinson of national audubon and the folks from aves amigos to produce this handy, reasonably priced app ($2.99).

here are some of the great features of this app: • Visit over 150 areas with excellent birdwatching in Utah • Use the helpful details for each site to maximize your birding experience - habitat descriptions, directions, GPS coordinates, featured birds, nearby amenities • Search all sites by city, ZIP code or species • Explore over 150 sites, split into three regions: View as a list or as a map

CheCk it oUt!!

We’d like to thank the sponsors of this project which include the Utah Office of Tourism, the BLM, DWR and Wild about Birds.

Join us for the 2015 Basin & Range Seminar. See the enclosed Brochure and Registration Form.

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2The Pelican

BoARd MeetiNG hiGhLiGhtS maRCh/aPRIL 2015

Secretary, Jenn Waterhouse/Karin Kirchhoff

The PeLICanneWSLeTTeR OF GReaT SaLT LaKe auDuBOn

Printed on recycled paper.

Mission Statement: Great Salt Lake Audubon is dedi-cated to protecting and enhancing habitat for wild

birds, animals and plants, and to maintaining healthy and diverse environments for wildlife and people

throughout the state.

GReAt SALt LAke AUdUBoN diReCtoRYwww.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org

oFFiCe152 W. Burton, Suite J, SLC, Utah • (385) 313-0608Send correspondence to P. O. Box 520867, SLC, UT 84152-0867

oFFiCeRSPresident, heather Dove.......................................801-424-0010 Vice President, Ray Smith....................................801-532-7384Secretary, jenn Waterhouse...................................801-369-3603Treasurer, Kimberly mcDonald............................801-882-4573

BoARd oF diReCtoRSTerm Ending 2017Karin Kirchhoff................................................... 801-793-0484 Kimberly mcDonald.............................................801-882-4573 anne Terry............................................................361-649-2430Term Ending 2016Alex Hoppus.........................................................801-688-3571 nancy Sakahara....................................................801-487-4025 Guy Frost........................................................801-277-5138janet Frost............................................................801-277-5138Term Ending 2015jenn Waterhouse...................................................801-369-3603

CoMMMittee ChAiRSFinance, Guy Frost............................................801-277-5138newsletter editor, nancy Sakahara.......................801-487-4025Public Outreach, nancy howard...........................801-487-4925 education, jenn Waterhouse...................................801-369-3603Field Trips, Paul Lombardi.................... [email protected] Fundraising............................................................OPen hospitality, Darlea & Bob Stack...........................801-487-3792 jRmBR manager, Karri Smith..............................801-833-9029membership, heather Dove ..................................801-424-0010Programs, Karin Kirchhoff....................................801-793-0484 Publicity, Rollie and martha Westman,,.............1-651-308-2717 Conservation, janice Gardner................................801-440-5895jRmBR Restoration, Karri Smith.........,...............801-833-9029Volunteer Hours, Barb Eastman.............................801-671-8932 Website, heather Dove & David Druker................801-424-0010Submission Guidelines: Original articles and photos arewelcomed. The editor reserves the right to choose and edit as needed. email articles to [email protected]. The Pelican is published 6 times a year. Submission deadline for thejuly/aug issue is june 10, 2015.

The Publicity Committee has been very busy, working on media and social networking, i.e. Facebook which will be utilized much more. events in which the GSLa is involved have needed more visibility at the site. a banner is being planned for greater visibility.

Great Salt Lake audubon teamed with the u.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, utah Division of Wildlife, and the Tracy aviary with valuable input from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. Together, we have created and are distribut-ing an informational brochure and “best practices” docu-ment to regional public managers and other interested parties to comply with the migratory Bird Treaty. Please see page six of this issue for the article and thank you to Conservation Chair, janice Gardner, for all her hard work.

The GSLA bylaws are undergoing a final revision and update. Remember may is the general membership meet-ing, please attend and give us your views on anything you would like to address. Great Salt Lake Issues Panel is being planned for the fall, it will be held at Westminster which can accommodate a larger audience.

The Birding app in which GSLa was involved has been released. Fifty nine units have been sold at last count. We will be promoting it at the GSLa booth at the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.

The spring 2015 Council meeting of audubon chapters was held Saturday, april 18th, at Farmington Bay nature Center. Ray Smith and heather Dove represented GSLa chapter.

Exciting field trips are coming up, please check it out.

GSLa will have booths at the Tracy aviary urban Bird Fest and at the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.

The 2015 Basin & Range will be held june 13-14 at Great Basin national Park. We hope you can join us for this enjoyable annual event!

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3may/june

GSLa thanks the voters of Salt Lake County for their support of the Zoo, Arts & Parks program.

In memoriamGreat Salt Lake audubon would like to honor the following in-

dividuals in whose memory a generous donation has been made:

Suzan albanesi Delson and

marguerite Roberts’ donation in memory of Louise hollander

Please note the passing of two good birding friends.

(Gayle) yvonne Stroup passed away march 18; she was 81 years old. yvonne was passionate about her bird watching and she traveled with friends to arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and other places to build up her bird list. But it wasn’t just about listing; yvonne really enjoyed watching the birds. yvonne told an often heard story about watching a Black-billed magpie sneak up behind a Red-tailed hawk and quite deliberately yank out one of its tail-feathers; how special to see something like that! yvonne grew up in Payette, Idaho; she spent a portion of her summer breaks working at yellow-stone national Park, she received her master’s degree from the university of Washington, and she was employed by the j. Willard marriott Library for most of her professional career. Thank you to yvonne who also remembered GSLa in her will. another good friend, Terry Sadler, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly this March. Terry was a stalwart of the utah birding community. he eagerly participated in various audubon Christmas Bird Counts around the state, including the Salt Lake City, jordan River, Fish Springs and Torrey counts. All these birding surveys benefited from Terry’s knowledge, expertise and love of the birds. An early riser, up with the birds so to speak , Terry contributed to statewide breeding bird surveys and enjoyed traveling around the state listening for birds and recording their nesting activity. as a member of the utah Bird Records Committee, Terry ensured that unusual birds were accurately documented before being added to the utah state bird list. a fabulous photographer and world traveler, Terry delighted in taking pictures of the birds and sharing those pictures with friends in much antici-pated, frequent and exciting slide shows. Terry freely shared his love of birds and was a field instructor for GSLA’s Basin and Range weekend seminar, most recently at Strawberry Reservoir in 2013. Our sympathy and love is extended to his wife Pam and their three children, julie, Ryan and andrea, and eight grandchildren. We will miss you Terry!

tRACkiNG VoLUNteeR hoURS

Barb eastman is tracking the volunteer hours for Great Salt Lake audubon. These hours are very important as they are required for reports to na-tional audubon and are used in grant applications to justify funding operations and expenses.

Please report your hours volunteering through the period june 1 2014 - may 31 2015 to Barb aSaP. Volunteers include field trip leaders, committee members, Reserve volunteers, board members and anyone else who volunteered their time in GSLa-related events, projects and activities. When you report, include your name, activity, total hours and date or month.

you can report your hours by contacting Barb east-man at 801-466-0542 (h) or 801-671-8932 (Cell), or email your hours to her at [email protected]

tRACY AViARY URBAN BiRd FeStiVAL - may 9th 9am-6pm

Enjoy the day with local vendors, non-profits, opportunities to learn about birds and the environ-ment around you, Fun for all. $5.00 admission ages 3 and up and Free for members and head Start Families

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The Pelican 4

Great Salt Lake Audubon, www.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org(385) 313-0608

Calendar of events including Field trips for May/June 2015

Beginning birders are especially welcome. We encourage carpooling on our field trips. Contributions towards gas money would be appreciated. Be sure to call the field trip leader to confirm that arrange-ments are still as published.Physical difficulty:eaSy - little or no walking, smooth paths.mODeRaTe - 1 mile or more, possible rough terrain.DIFFICULT - extensive walking which could include rough terrain and significant changes in altitude.Despite our best efforts, ratings for the field trips are still somewhat subjective. Please consult with the leaders. Wednesday, May 6th, 8am - ModerateMoUNtAiN deLL ReC. AReA, PARLeY’S CANYoNLeader: john middletonCome and join us for our monthly bird survey. may should be a good month to see a variety of birds as the spring migrants are beginning to return. Ospreys and Red-tailed hawks are already nesting. We’ll meet by 8am in the park-ing lot just west of ReI on 33rd South and 3285 east for a morning of birding. Call john (801- 322-2171) if you plan to attend.

Friday, May 8th to Sunday, May 10th– easy/ModerateLYtLe RANCh, WAShiNGtoN CoUNtY Leader: Dave hanscomDepart at 6am on Friday morning, with a couple of stops en route to St. George (Oak Grove and Red Cliffs Camp-ground). Cox Park, Spring Pond, and Tonaquint Park are on the agenda for late day. We’ll stay in motels (everyone is responsible for their own accommodations) and drive to the ranch early Saturday morning, checking for desert species along the way, then stop at Gunlock and Ivins reservoirs on the way back to town. up early on Sunday morning to bird at Washington Fields, Sand hollow, Grandpa’s Pond, and other spots before heading home. this trip is limited to 15 people (4-5 cars only). Call dave at 801-550-1777 or email [email protected] to register and for more information. May 14th-18th GReAt SALt LAke BiRd FeStiVALinformation at: www.greatsaltlakebirdfest.comGood field trips still available

tuesday, May 19th – GSLA Birds ’n Bites 7pmeducation Center, tracy Aviary, Liberty ParkGardener, Fred Montague, Phd.

Saturday, May 23rd, easy /ModerateWASAtCh FoReSt hikePinebrook Private trail SystemLeaders: Kimberly Roush and nate Brown

This is a lovely time, the leaves are spring green and the birds are singing, setting up nesting territories. my favorite hermit Thrushes are certain. macGillvray’s Warblers, several species of flycatchers, 4 species of woodpeckers, kinglets, Orange-crowned Warblers, Warbling Vireos are all breeders on these Pinebrook trails.even drumming Ruffed Grouse can be heard but may require a slightly steeper hike.

Depending on the size of the group and their abilities, we can visit several trailheads to locate a variety of species. Participants can take a fairly easy climb to access a flat trail with great birding opportunities. Some may elect steeper parts of the trail.

8:30 start time: meet in the south parking lot behind Fresh Market on the south side of the Jeremy Ranch exit, EXIT 141, off of I-80.

Wednesday, May 27th, 7am – noon oR longer - easyFARMiNGtoN BAY PLUSLeader: Bryant Olsenmeet in Se corner of the ShopKo parking lot in Sugar-house by 7:00am to carpool OR meet at 7:30am at the GSL nature Center on Glover Lane in Farmington (I-15 exit 319 in Centerville, then Frontage Rd north 4 miles to Glover Lane overpass OR I-15 exit 322 in Farmington, then backtrack 2 blocks on Frontage Rd to the overpassafternoon Birding Option: after birding “The Bay” for the morning, anyone interested can continue birding northward with Bryant. Destinations will likely be Kaysville Ponds or antelope Island depending on what birds are being seen. Call or email Bryant if you plan to attend. (801-498-0362; [email protected])

Saturday, May 30th, 7am - 2pm - easyReStoRAtioN Site iN FAiRFieLd ANd PoWeLL LAke, LehiLeader: Darwin BundyDarwin has a passion for the environment and has spent 20 years transforming his land (161 acres) from an overgrazed state to a place of diverse habitats using native trees, bushes and grasses. as a consequence many birds and other animals find this a welcoming place. After spending

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5

Great Salt Lake Audubon, www.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org(385) 313-0608

Calendar of events including Field trips for May/June 2015

may/june

Saturday, May 23rd, easy /ModerateWASAtCh FoReSt hikePinebrook Private trail SystemLeaders: Kimberly Roush and nate Brown

This is a lovely time, the leaves are spring green and the birds are singing, setting up nesting territories. my favorite hermit Thrushes are certain. macGillvray’s Warblers, several species of flycatchers, 4 species of woodpeckers, kinglets, Orange-crowned Warblers, Warbling Vireos are all breeders on these Pinebrook trails.even drumming Ruffed Grouse can be heard but may require a slightly steeper hike.

Depending on the size of the group and their abilities, we can visit several trailheads to locate a variety of species. Participants can take a fairly easy climb to access a flat trail with great birding opportunities. Some may elect steeper parts of the trail.

8:30 start time: meet in the south parking lot behind Fresh Market on the south side of the Jeremy Ranch exit, EXIT 141, off of I-80.

Wednesday, May 27th, 7am – noon oR longer - easyFARMiNGtoN BAY PLUSLeader: Bryant Olsenmeet in Se corner of the ShopKo parking lot in Sugar-house by 7:00am to carpool OR meet at 7:30am at the GSL nature Center on Glover Lane in Farmington (I-15 exit 319 in Centerville, then Frontage Rd north 4 miles to Glover Lane overpass OR I-15 exit 322 in Farmington, then backtrack 2 blocks on Frontage Rd to the overpassafternoon Birding Option: after birding “The Bay” for the morning, anyone interested can continue birding northward with Bryant. Destinations will likely be Kaysville Ponds or antelope Island depending on what birds are being seen. Call or email Bryant if you plan to attend. (801-498-0362; [email protected])

Saturday, May 30th, 7am - 2pm - easyReStoRAtioN Site iN FAiRFieLd ANd PoWeLL LAke, LehiLeader: Darwin BundyDarwin has a passion for the environment and has spent 20 years transforming his land (161 acres) from an overgrazed state to a place of diverse habitats using native trees, bushes and grasses. as a consequence many birds and other animals find this a welcoming place. After spending

time here we will drive back to Lehi with Darwin and tour the wetlands known locally as Powell Lake.We will meet in the south-east corner of the Sugarhouse Shopko parking lot in SLC by 7am for carpooling. Bring water and lunch. Contact person for this trip is Paul Lom-bardi (801-678-8065)

Wednesday, June 3rd, 7:30am -ModerateMoUNtAiN deLL ReC. AReA, PARLeY’S CANYoN Leader: john middletonCome and join us for our monthly bird survey. Our summer visitors will be here so come and help us find them. We’ll meet by 7:30am in the parking lot just west of ReI on 33rd South and 3285 east for a morning of birding. Call john (801-322-2171) if you plan to attend.

Saturday, June 6th, 8am - easy/ModerateBLUeBiRd BoXeS iN StRAWBeRRY VALLeY Leaders: jeanne LeBer and Ray SmithPlease join us. We will meet at 8am in the South-east corner of the Shopko Parking lot in Sugarhouse or 9:15am at the Strawberry Valley Visitor Center. The morning will be spent checking the boxes and recording the species using each box, and if there are eggs or young birds. It’s very exciting – you never quite know what you are going to find! afterwards we will gather for lunch. Please bring your own sandwich; GSLa will provide cold drinks. Call jeanne or Ray at 801-532-7384 if you have questions or to let them know you’ll be there.

June 13-14th, BASiN & RANGe 2015 GReAt BASiN NAtioNAL PARk See the insert for details

Wednesday, June 24th, 7am – noon oR longer FARMiNGtoN BAY PLUS - easyLeader: Bryant OlsenSee description for may 27th trip.

NoTE: TWo opTioNS for BirdiNG oN Saturday, June 27tH

Saturday, June 27th, 8am – ModerateJeReMY RANCh RoAd, eASt CANYoN Leader: nate Brownjoin us for a walk along the dirt road from jeremy Ranch toward east Canyon which follows a stream lined with

willow. Over the years, common species seen are Gray Catbirds, Willow Flycatchers, american Dippers, Belted Kingfishers and a variety of raptors. Swallows, humming-birds, warblers and woodpeckers are also regulars. Chil-dren and families are welcome - bring a scope if you have one.Take I-80 to the Jeremy Ranch exit and turn north (left under I-80). Turn left/west onto frontage Rasmussen Road. Continue to the round-about and turn right on jeremy Road towards the country club and follow the golf course on your right through the neighborhood. Where the canyon starts and the road turns to dirt, park on the side. meet at 8am. Contact nate Brown (970-978-1804 or [email protected]) if you can attend or have questions.

Saturday, June 27th, 6am- ModerateRiCh CoUNtY Leader: Bryant Olsenjoin us as we bird portions of Rich County which have some of the best birding in the state with species that are often hard to get elsewhere. We will meet just west of ReI on 33rd South and 3285 east at 6am, then take I-80 east to evanston, Wy and head north. Places we will visit include Woodruff narrows reservoir, public portions of Deseret Ranch, the “meadows” area east of Randolph, the road over monte Cristo, and if time and interest permit, some areas along the north fork of the Ogden River near Pinev-iew Reservoir. Contact Bryant Olsen at [email protected] or 801-498-0362 for more info or to sign up. note: this will be an all day trip from 6am to dark so bring water and snacks.

LookiNG AheAdWednesday, July 8th, 7am - ModerateMoUNtAiN deLL ReC.AReA, PARLeY’S CANYoNLeader: john middleton Come and join us for our monthly bird survey. Last year we saw 39 species in july. We’ll meet by 7am in the park-ing lot just west of ReI on 33rd South and 3285 east for a morning of birding. Call john (801-322-2171) if you plan to attend.

Saturday, July 11thBRiGhtoN BiRd CoUNtLeaders: jeanne LeBer and Ray Smith (see details in the next issue)

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The Pelican 6

PRoteCtiNG BiRdS FoR the CoMMUNitY: how to Avoid illegal “take” of Birds during tree trimming, Brush Removal and other

improvement Projectsby Janice Gardner, Conservation Committee Chair

each year migratory birds that are protected under the migratory Bird Treaty act (50 CFR § 10.12) are needlessly killed or harmed during the course of construction, tree trimming, mowing vegetation, and other habitat-altering projects.

Nearly all birds in the United States are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, with the exception of some upland game birds and non-native species such as the european Starling and the house Sparrow. under the migratory Bird Treaty act, it is unlawful for anyone to “take” a migratory bird or their parts, nests, or eggs unless permitted to do so. The term “take” is defined as to “pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect.”

GSLa recognizes that many of the actions that impact birds are unintentional. many members of the public and private community do not understand their responsibilities under the migratory Bird Treaty act. With the goal of spreading information on the protection of birds, Great Salt Lake audubon teamed with the u.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, utah Di-vision of Wildlife, and the Tracy aviary. We received valuable input from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. Together, we have created and are distributing an informational brochure and “best practices” document to regional public manag-ers and other interested parties.

Compliance with the mBTa and avoiding impacts to breeding birds can generally be accomplished by conducting habitat-altering projects when birds are not breeding. In utah, the peak breeding season when most birds breed, is april through july. The entire breeding season for all birds, including raptors and eagles, is january through august. If projects can be timed to avoid the breeding season, impacts are greatly minimized or avoided.

Do you engage in activities at home or work that may impact breeding birds such as tree trimming or vegetation clearing? Plan ahead to implement your projects when birds are not breeding.

For your own copy of the brochure and to learn more about best practices, go to www.greatsaltlakeaudubon.org

BRoAd ALLiANCe CRitiqUeS ePA’S ANNoUNCeMeNt oN Bee-hARMiNG PeStiCideS

On april 2, 2015, the u.S. environmental Protection agency (ePa) announced a moratorium on new bee- and bird- harm-ing neonicotinoid pesticide products and uses. While supportive of the partial halt on new registrations, farm, beekeeper and environmental groups were disappointed that the action ignored the huge numbers of other bee-harming pesticides already on the market. “We need ePa to protect bees and other pollinators from the neonicotinoids and other bee-harming insecticides that are already covering the corn and soybean acres in our area, not just keep new products off the market,” said Joanna Voigt at Kansas Rural Center. Over 125 farmer, food safety, beekeeper, faith and environmental groups sent a letter to the president last month urging a moratorium on all neonicotinoids and their chemical cousins, other systemic pesticides. additionally, more than four million americans signed petitions urging the Obama administration to take im-mediate action on bee-toxic pesticides. Lowe’s Commits to decisive Action to Protect Pollinators: Friends of the earth, Domini Social Investments and Trillium asset management praised Lowe’s for making a commitment to eliminate neonicotinoid pesticides from its stores. after input from suppliers, nGOs, investors and other key stakeholders, the company announced it will phase out neonicotinoids (“neonics”) as suitable alternatives become available, redouble existing integrated pest management practices for suppliers and provide additional material educating customers about pollinator health. “We commend Lowe’s for taking a leadership position on this critical issue,” said adam Kanzer, managing Director and Director of Corporate engagement at Domini Social Investments. “Sales of neonic-containing products may be exacerbating a critical systemic risk – alarming declines in honeybees and wild pollinators that support our food systems. as investors and as human be-ings, we all depend upon pollinators. We believe Lowe’s actions will help protect an irreplaceable resource.” See http://www.foe.org/news/news-releases/2015-04-lowes-commits-to-protect-bees-and-pollinators for more information.

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7may/june

What’s happening at the Jordan River Migratory Bird Reserve !!By karri Smith

Spring is coming to life again at the jordan River migratory Bird Reserve. a Red-tailed hawk is incubating eggs in an old cottonwood tree and Canada geese are paired up and beginning to nest in their favorite territories. numerous Green-winged teal, american avocet, gadwall, hooded mergansers, mallards and other waterfowl and shorebirds are using the reserve wetlands and open water areas for refueling and nesting habitat. Song sparrows, robins, red-winged blackbirds, and yellow-headed blackbirds are singing happily from tall reeds and edges of riparian and wetland habitat.

Cottonwood, willow and other native tree and shrub transplants installed during Fall 2014 are beginning to break bud and leaf out with the hope of new life and expanded habitat to follow. With no snow pack and minimal rainfall it will be a labor of love to nurture these new plants through one of the most severe droughts recorded in utah history. Thanks to the reserve beaver family for helping me manage the small amount of water flow coming into the reserve and for min-ing retained sediment from basin bottoms. Removing sediment from basin bottoms is an important process that must be worked on each year to preserve open water for birds and wildlife.

you too can make a difference for the wildlife and avian species which depend upon the jordan River migratory Bird Re-serve by providing “anytime” contributions or charitable gift annuity donations to support on-going habitat enhancement efforts !! Please contact Karri Smith at (801) 833-9029 to learn more about how you can help.

nesting Canada Goose on the jordan River migratory Bird Reserve,photo by Karri Smith

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