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then on to Amazon) with purchases
at Amazon.com
Thanks to the internet, you can
make a purchase at Amazon and support WRA. WRA gets up to 8% of your
purchase.
If you have questions, contact Sue
Leaf or Craig Roberts. thanks! |
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Meetings, 7 pm at Chisago
Lakes Area Library just off US 8 between Chisago and Lindstrom,
unless otherwise noted.
Download the Feb 2010 Wild River Audubon Current. Thanks to
our contributors Sue Leaf, Joe Sausen, and editor Bonnie DeClercq.
February 9th –
Ron Windingstad speaks on Chimney Swift Restoration Project 7:00
p.m. Community Room Chisago Lakes Area Library
April 13th – Bob
Holtz Bird Walk
May 15th – Bird Walk at Wild
River State Park. |
Meetings, 7 pm at Chisago
Lakes Area Library just off US 8 between Chisago and Lindstrom,
unless otherwise noted.
Download the Jan 2010 Wild River Audubon Current. Thanks to
our contributors Sue Leaf, Joe Sausen, and editor Bonnie DeClercq.
January 12th –
Rick Olseen and Jeremy Kalin will address environmental issue in the
upcoming legislative session Chisago Lakes Area Library 7:00 p.m.
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Tues, December 8 -
CANCELLED due to icy roads
- Jeremy Kalin and Rick Olseen- Upcoming legislation
and how is the new sales tax money dedicated to the environment
going to be spent.
Sat, December 19th- Christmas Bird Count Meet at Chisago Lake
Lutheran Church 7:30 a.m. to set up teams and areas.
Tuesday 7 pm November 10th @ Chisago Lakes Area Library.
Peggy Callahan of the Wildlife Science Center in Columbus.
Peggy Callahan is a native of
Rochester, Minnesota and first became interested in canines through
her family’s dogs. She has been fascinated by wolves since she was 8
years old. Peggy earned a degree in biology from Carlton College in
Northfield, Minnesota. And began working on the wolf project in
1985.
Today, she is Executive Director
of the Wildlife Science Center in Columbus. The Wildlife Science
Center (WSC) provides wildlife education and scientific research
with an emphasis on wolves. She has worked at the WSC as a
biologist in 1985. It’s located on the grounds of Carlos Avery
Wildlife Management Area in Forest Lake, Minnesota. |
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November WRA Current Newsletter.
Download the latest
here!
Requires Adobe
PDF
Reader. |
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Birding update: 11/2/09
Dorothy and I went to
Crex Meadows
in Grantsburg today and had a great day of birding. We saw well over
1,000 Sandhill Cranes, and we were quite close to 100's of them.
There were also numerous trumpeter swans and rough legged hawks. Two
very different highlights were the first two snow buntings of the
year followed by seeing a golden eagle a few minutes later. There is
supposedly a whooping crane hanging out with the Sandhills but we
weren't lucky enough to see it. We're planning to go to the next
meeting but people might want to know before then. Mike and
Dorothy Chrun |
Tuesday Oct 13th
7pm Kurt Mead and Dragonflies !
Minnesota
is located at a crossroads, where east meets west and north meets
south. Because of this exciting fact, Minnesota has a great
diversity of all kinds of critters, not the least of which are the
dragonflies and the damselflies (the Odonata). The recently-formed
Minnesota Odonata Survey Project (MOSP) is tasked with training and
supporting citizen volunteers who help to establish the ranges of
the over 130 species of these winged predators in Minnesota. At 7
pm on October 13th at Chisago Lakes Area Library, Kurt Mead will
give an entertaining talk about the biology of dragonflies and share
photos and stories of some of his dragonflying adventures. Kurt
will answer any questions you may have about dragonflies (although
not all of his answers may be true!).
Kurt
Mead is a naturalist and homesteader trying to make a living in the
forest near Finland, MN. He is the founder of the Minnesota Odonata
Survey Project (dragonflies and damselflies) and the author of the
award-winning “Dragonflies of the North Woods” (a revised, Second
Edition has just been printed) and has provided entertaining
dragonfly programs to hundreds of groups. He recently spent a year
in Sweden with his family, where, in addition to meeting some of the
dragonflies of Europe, he played with Swedish birch and pine in an
attempt to make beautiful items of practical value. Every year
brings him closer to his goal of becoming and old, eccentric
putterer.Minnesota Odonata Survey
Project:
http://www.mndragonfly.org/
Chisago Lakes Area Library
http://www.wildriveraudubon.org/MapChisagoLakesAreaLibrary.htm |
Update on the LS Power plant proposed for Lent Township. Seek
out information for yourself, here's some to get started.
LS Power Info sheet
Flyer
about the plant. |
|
Meetings, 7 pm at Chisago
Lakes Area Library just off US 8 between Chisago and Lindstrom,
unless otherwise noted.
Tues, September 8 – Fall plantings to enhance your yard and
attract birds and other wildlife
Tues, October 13- Curt Mead- Draggonflies
Sat, October 24th – Bird Seed Sale in Lindstrom at the stoplight
near the Holiday Station 9 a.m.-noon
Tues, November 10– Peggy Callahan- Wildlife Science Center
Tues, December 8- Jeremy Kalin and Rick Olseen- Upcoming legislation
and how is the new sales tax money dedicated to the environment
going to be spent.
Sat, December 19th- Christmas Bird Count Meet at Chisago Lake
Lutheran Church 7:30 a.m. to set up teams and areas. |
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Our September, 2009, Wild River Audubon Current newsletter.
Download it
now! |
|
Our June, 2009 Wild River Audubon Current newsletter.
Download it now. |
WRA Summer Picnic, Tuesday June 9th, 6:30 pm at Paradise Park in
Chisago City
Join us in a spring farwell for an evening of food and good
conversation with like-minded people. And we'll have election
of WRA officers. We have a great slate of candidates - everyone
re-upped, proof-positive that being involved in the work of this
grassroots environmental organization is rewarding.
Map to Paradise Park |
And Sunday June 14th at 1:00 PM, we've got a treat
for you and a kid:
Joe Sausen from the Wild River Chapter of Audubon and the Landscape
Alternatives' staff will present Bring a Kid (Grand-kid, nephew,
niece, neighbor's kid, . . . ) Day. We will have blue bird kits to
build, a seminar on landscaping for birds, activities with bugs and
slimy, crawly things, snacks and lots of opportunities to get dirty
hands!
1) This is for adults and children working together. Birdhouse kits
are for the kids to assemble with your help.
2) Please pre-register. Call (651) 257-4460 or email us at
landscapealt@frontiernet.net and leave name and contact number
of address. We will reply to confirm. Space is limited to 20. Cost
is $20 to cover the cost of supplies. Payable when you arrive.
3) Bring your own hammer.
4) Let your favorite young person show you how much fun an afternoon
with you can be!
www.landscapealternatives.com has all the goodies, including
directions, hours, a blog and more. Google maps says 12 minutes from
the center of Lindstrom and 39 minutes from North Branch. |
Bird Walks
8 am, May 9th, Ki-Chisaga County Park is May 9th. People
should meet in the parking lot. This is focused on beginner
birders, but everyone is welcome.
County web site.
Map
7:30 am, May 16th, at
Wild River State Park, meet at the boat landing. (Don't
forget how long it takes to get there, register (free this day), and
drive through the park! You'll see birds on the way too!) Spend the
day - this is Seegwan, WRSP's annual spring special
event, with seed sowing, a native plant sale, snakes (optional -
don't feel you have to attend this part if you're shy of the
slithery little critters), and our special evening program by the
famous Big Top Chautauqua. Check out the
flyer. |
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April 14th 7 pm at the
Chisago Lakes Area Library: Birds in Flight: the art and science
of how birds fly, by Carol Henderson. Carol will also show a
power point presentation on Birds from Minnesota, South America,
Africa, and New Zealand.
Henderson,
author, photographer and wildlife manager has been the Non-game
Wildlife Program supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources since 1977. He has developed a statewide program for the
conservation of Minnesota’s non-game wildlife species and has had
responsibility for planning and developing projects to help bring
back endangered wildlife.
He wrote
Woodworking for
Wildlife, Wild About Birds
and the very popular book,
Landscaping for Wildlife.
His newest book is
Oology and
Ralph’s Talking Egg.
If you go to
www.exploreminnesota.com
you will find his list of favorite birds watching spots in
Minnesota. |
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Wild River Audubon is a cosponsor for two lectures
that the Women's Environmental Institute will be putting on this
month. As WEI's Scholar Under Fire (see
www.w-e-i.org for
more info), hydrologist and engineer Paul Wotzka will be give a
lecture entitled, "Atrazine, Nitrates, and Corn-Based Ethanol
–Implications for Minnesota’s Water Resources".
Sunday, April 26th at 6pm, Paul will be speaking
at the North Branch Area
Library's community room.
Saturday, April 25th at 1pm, Paul will be
speaking at the
Taylor's Falls Memorial Community Center. |
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WRA Newsletter
April 2009 Download |
Light Pollution and Wildlife
Joanna Eckels of Audubon Minnesota will speak to Wild River Audubon
on March 10, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chisago Lakes Area Library
on “The Effects of Light Pollution on Wildlife.” A graduate
of Cornell University in Natural Resources and Wildlife Science, Ms.
Eckels now heads up Audubon Minnesota’s Light-Out Program that aims
to reduce city lighting during bird migration. Formerly a trainer
with the World of Birds show at the Minnesota Zoo, she will discuss
how various forms of night lighting adversely affect many different
kinds of wildlife. |
In suggesting this topic, WRA’s executive board hoped to begin
conversation with Chisago County elected officials in how to avoid
the damaging effects on wildlife that the overly-lit Twin Cities are
now experiencing. If you know an elected official, please invite
them to this meeting! If you are an elected official—put this date
on your calendar. Audubon meetings are always open to the public.
See you there! |
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WRA Newsletter
March 2009 Download |
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February 10, 2009. Kim Risen, author, photographer and nature trip
leader, presented "Fun with Digital Photography." Kin His program will include a digital DVD from a tour of South
Africa. Get away from the snow and cold for a couple of hours. Come
enjoy this informative and beautiful presentation. Free. Public is
welcome to attend. |
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WRA Newsletter
February 2009 Download |
|
WRA Newsletter
November 2008 Download |
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YES was the outcome on the vote on the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment November
4th. Details at (opens in a new window)
Nature Conservancy web site. |
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WRA Newsletter
October 2008 Download |
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Fall Wild River
Audubon Presentations
Fall 2008
All programs at 7:00 p.m. Chisago County Library, Chisago City |
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October 21, 2008,
Red Headed Woodpecker Society |
Jerry Bahls. Come learn about what's been going on with a bird
many of us have seen in the past, but not much now. |
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October 25, 2008, WRA Bird Seed Sale
Details |
Locations:
* Lindstrom– Corner
of Hwys 20 & 8, at the stop light. |
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* North Branch– Peterson Mill
The North
Branch Sale will be combined with a new FAMILY BIRDING DAY sponsored
by Peterson’s Country Mill and our Wild River chapter. After nearly
three decades of braving the weather, we’re moving inside to
Peterson Home and Garden store! We will get a percentage of the
profit on ALL of the seed sales for the entire day!
The morning
sessions will have birding scavenger hunts in the store, and build a
basic feeder for kids under 14. Each feeder will come with some
free seed provided by Petersons. The Audubon Center of the
Northwoods will present ‘Raptors by Family,’ a talk which includes a
Great Horned Owl, a Red-tailed Hawk, and an American Kestrel. This
session will start at 1 p.m. with Q & A , and photos with the birds
ending at 3 p.m.
Peterson’s Mill
has sent out 50,000 (yep! 4 zeros) newsletters with an eye-catching
photo of the Great Horned Owl. Many of the people that stopped at
our booth at Fall Harvest Days had seen the flyer and were planning
on attending! |
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November 11, 2008 Winter Migrants |
Mark Martell from Audubon
MN |
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December 20, 2008, Christmas Bird Count |
Wild River Audubon-ers and friends spend the day counting birds in a
25 mile radius of Center City. We finish with a potluck as we tally
the counts. Details to come later. |
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Sue Leaf's President's Column. |
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Link to 2007 programs. |
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See Wild River Audubon's
2007 Christmas
Bird Count Results |
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Thanks to contributors for this issue, Sue Leaf and others. And many thanks to our Wild River Audubon Current Editor,
Bonnie DeClerq. |
Wild
River Audubon Society