January 2010
E-Newsletter

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Inside this edition:
Legislature Begins
Audubon's Projects
OHV Fatalities
Piping Plover
Audubon in the News
Chapter Happenings 

Photography credits: Great Gray Owl and American Bittern by Jim Williams; Kirtland's Warbler by Joel Trick, USFWS; Piping Plover by C. Perez, USFWS; Chimney Swift by Rebecca Field; Itasca State Park by Mark Peterson.

From the Policy Director…

As you read this, I will be transitioning from Audubon Minnesota to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). My time with Audubon was short - just over one year - but very sweet. I regret leaving the organization as so many wonderful things are happening. My departure is simply a result of good fortune - having been recruited to be the Assistant Director for NFWF’s Central Planning Region.

In the short term, I will be leaving much of my legislative work to Audubon Board member Don Arnosti. Some of the outreach and policy work will be taken up by various members of the Environmental Issues Committee. I am very grateful to everyone for picking up the most important pieces of Audubon’s policy work. These efforts are intended to fill the gap until this summer, when a more thorough review of the Policy Director position and its functions will be completed and a new person is recruited.

Finally, when my new employer told me my first task was to work for the Kirtland’s Warbler, I knew I wouldn’t be too far from the Audubon Family. Please feel free to reach out to me at anytime. I’m sure I’ll need the assistance Audubon members if I am to be successful at my new challenge.

Thanks for the wonderful memories and I wish great things for Audubon in the years ahead.

John Curry
Policy Director

The 2010 Legislature Begins February 4th

At noon on February 4, 2010 the gavel will pound in St. Paul, announcing a reconvening of the 86th Session of the Minnesota Legislature. Insiders think it will be a quick couple of months, but the deadline imposed by the Constitution is May 18, 2010. Wildlife issues are not likely to be high on the list of elected officials. For most of them, there are three things that will loom larger than all others: 1) the enduring economic recession; 2) the bonding bill; and 3) the coming elections in November for every single seat in the House and Senate. These three are united by jobs. The recession is the impetus for job creation. Job creation is best achieved through the bonding bill. The bonding bill is essential for re-election. So what is this bonding bill?

The bonding bill grants authority for the state to issue bonds which are repaid over 10 to 30 years, but which garner up front capital today. It’s not unlike a mortgage. And bonding is only permissible for items of enduring value, like land or buildings. Conservation projects have typically fared fairly well in the bonding bill. One analysis concludes conservation should expect 22% of the revenue from bonds - contrast that to less than 2% of the general fund budget. Audubon has been a key advocate in using the bonding bill to assist wildlife projects. Typical investments include acquiring key conservation lands or conservation easements on those lands and wetland/grassland restoration projects that benefit the conservation of bird species.

Our list of conservation goals in the bonding bill can be found here: Bonding Priorities. 

Audubon’s Projects Considered

Every year Audubon Minnesota supports public funding of important bird conservation projects promoted by many different entities. In addition to our ongoing advocacy to restore wetlands/grasslands, preserve prairies and conserve the best forest lands, Audubon Minnesota has two projects that we’ve helped conceive and initiate. Each project has received preliminary approval by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (the committee in charge of overseeing proceeds from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund).

Project 1 is $372,000 for the continuation of the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas. This will enable Audubon to complete years 3 and 4 of a six-year project and to continue our recruitment efforts throughout the state with a goal toward creating 500 priority survey blocks in 2010.  Project 2 is a $151,000, two-year project to complete an Integrated, Operational Action Plan for conserving Minnesota birds. This will serve as a blueprint for conservation actions in the future. Audubon Minnesota will help educate legislators about the value of these science-based conservation projects and we look forward to reporting good news in future issues of this eNewsletter.

Majority of Off-Highway Vehicle Fatalities are Alcohol Related

According to the most recent published data, 73% of off-highway vehicle deaths in the state are related to the use of alcohol. This is one reason that Audubon is partnering with Mother’s Against Drunk Driving and others to pass House File 1103 (Paymar)/Senate File 1067 (Moua) - a bill to close the loophole allowing OHV riders to carry open bottles of alcohol. The related reason is that the fatality number is but a glimpse at the far greater number of inebriated riders who make poor decisions as it relates to wetlands, riding on undesignated trails and habitat damage of all kind. The conservation of our natural resources and the safety of OHV riders are both compromised by the current “open container” law which allows riders to drink and ride.

The Piping Plover

The last issue of the eNewsletter solicited your ideas about the eNewsletter going forward. This prompted many informative responses and it incited a conversation with a few old-timers about the Piping Plover. The current staff of Audubon Minnesota was reminded that initially Audubon Minnesota made use of the Piping Plover as its mascot/logo when the state office first began. The Piping Plover is one of the 60 birds on Audubon’s Action list and its population has dropped to just a few viable populations in the state. Despite occasional sightings in the northern lakes area, a stable breeding population only exists on Lake of the Woods and a more tenuous one on Lake Superior. If this newsletter were to adopt a bird namesake, a water bird whose population is threatened would be a good choice don’t you think? Citation: p.4

Audubon in the News

When to go birding?
Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jim Williams blog) - ‎Jan 10, 2010
The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter, by the way, begins some of its scheduled walks at midday or later. ...

Annual bird count yields more birds, fewer species
Winona Daily News - ‎Jan 1, 2010‎
Peterson and the Griers traveled from the Zumbro Valley Audubon Society for the count, just like they have for the past four years. ...

Golden eagles numerous in Wis., Minn.
UPI.com - ‎Dec 28, 2009‎
Based on those results, Audubon Minnesota, the National Eagle Center and the departments of Natural Resources in Minnesota and Wisconsin this year started a ...

Chapter Happenings

Audubon Center of the Northwoods

• January 23, 6:30 pm: Dinner on the Lake: Jim Gilbert Nature Photographer
• February 13, 6:30 pm: Dinner on the Lake: Lynn Rogers, Bear Expert

Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis

• February 2, 7:00 pm: Waterbirds: sandhill cranes, trumpeter and tundra swans, snow geese, and white pelicans, by Arnie Fredrickson, Mayflower Church

Austin Audubon Society

• January 19, 7:00 pm, Monthly Meeting, JC Hormel Nature Center, 1304 21st, St. NE

Brainerd Lakes Area Audubon Society

• January 27, 7:00 pm, 2010 Legislative Priorities featuring local legislators and Audubon Minnesota leadership, Northland Arboretum

Central Minnesota Audubon Chapter

• January 20, 7:00 pm: Research on Swainson's Hawks in the Grasslands of North and South Dakota, by Rhonda Zimmerman, at the Unitarian Fellowship, which is located at 3226 Maine Prairie Road, St. Cloud.

Duluth Audubon Society

• February 10, 7:00 pm, Monthly Meeting, Hartley Nature Center

Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter

• January 28, 7:30 pm: Grey Wolves - The Controversies and the Facts, by Peggy Callahan, Wildlife Science Center, REI Bloomington
• February 12-15, Great Backyard Bird Count

Snowshoe/Photo Events at the Refuge

• January 23, 2:00-3:30 pm at Rapids Lake, Stomping in the Snow for ages 10 and up.
• January 23, 2:00-3:30 pm, Bloomington Visitor Center
• January 30, 10:00 am-12:00 noon: Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Louisville Swamp - adults only. Reservations required: 952-858-0715 or send an email to minnesotavalley@fws.gov
• February 9, 10:30 am-12:00 noon, Off the Beaten Path Winter Fun and Fitness, Rapids Lake
• February 13, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm:  Walking in a Winter Wonderland – adults only.  At the Visitor’s Center. Reservations required: 952-858-0715 or send an email to minnesotavalley@fws.gov

Field Trips

• February 13, 2:30 pm: Birdwatching Trek, MN Valley NWR, Wilkie Unit with Craig Mandel, 952-546-3407
• February 14-16, Northeastern Minnesota Birds, Duluth, with Craig Mandel, 952-546-3407

St. Paul Audubon Society

• February 11, 7:00 p.m., Piping Plover, by Francesca Cuthbert, Fairview Community Center, 1910 W. County Road B, Roseville
• February 12-15, Great Backyard Bird Count, various locations

Wild River Audubon Society

• February 9, 7:00 pm, Ron Windingstad speaks on the Audubon Minnesota Chimney Swift Restoration Project, Community Room, Chisago Lakes Area Library just off US 8 between Chisago and Lindstrom.

Zumbro Valley Audubon Society

• January 23, 1:00 pm, Whitewater Field Trip, with Trip Leader Joel Dunnette, 507-269-7064. Meet at 1 pm in the east parking lot of the Heintz center of RCTC to carpool. 
• January 26, 7:00 pm, The Great Horned Owls of Perkins Valley, presented by Karla Kinstler, Director/Naturalist at Houston Nature Center in Houston, Minnesota Quarry Hill Nature Center
• February 6, 9:00 am: ZVAS Birding Trip, Quarry Hill Park, Trip Leaders: Terry and Joyce Grier
• February 12-15, Great Backyard Bird Count, various locations

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. John Muir

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