Explore Cedar Bog, 4/7/12
Saturday, April 7, 2012 - Cedar Bog Field Trip. Leave from old Wal-Mart parking lot at 7:15 a.m.; arrive at Cedar Bog around 9:00 a.m. Bring a lunch. Our guided tour and program will begin at 10:00 a.m., when the Education Center opens. Our guide will be Eric Doerzbacher, director and naturalist. We expect to arrive back in Oxford late afternoon. Cost: Admission is $6 for adults / $5 for Golden Buckeyes. Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, managed by the Ohio Historical Society, is the largest and best example of a boreal and prairie fen complex in Ohio. It has many rare plants and animals, as well as excellent orchid, prairie, and woodland wildflower displays. An almost mile long boardwalk guides the visitor through this preserve of Ohio’s recent to Ice Age past. Mastodons probably fed here, and all of the Indian cultures of Ohio lived around here. The Cedar Bog Visitor Center opened in April 2009. The building includes exhibits that are a prelude to walk in the fen, a classroom, restrooms and a gift shop.
Local Educator Describes the Impact of Hog Island, 4/9/12
APRIL 9, 20112: The Impact of Hog Island, Danette Hickey, Marshall Elementary School. Hog IslandEducator’s Workshop brought together 60 educators from around the country to share and learn how to incorporate natural history into the classroom. As a participant in this program Danette had the chance to meet fascinating people, practice playing in Nature, gain new ideas and insights into science education, and enjoy a beautiful paradise. This talk will focus on the highlights of the camp as well as show the impact that this workshop has had in her classroom.
About the Speaker: Danette is a first grade teacher at Marshall Elementary School. She has served as an Earth Club Co-Advisor for the past 4 years and is currently serving her third year as the Treasurer for the Environmental Mobil Unit. Though not an obsessive birder herself, she has been surrounded by others with the affliction all of her life. 7:30 P.M., 2nd Floor Oxford Community Room, Lebanon Citizens National Bank. All meetings are free and open to the public.
Student Art Contest Award Winners Chosen
The Audubon Miami Valley 2012 Student Art Contest Award Winners have been chosen! There will be Artwork Exhibit and Awards Ceremony at Alumni Hall, Miami University on March 3, 2012, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm.
The Awards Ceremony will begin at 2:00 pm followed by refreshments. Live Raptors will be on hand at 3:00 pm. Student art entry pick-up begins at 4:00 pm. To the list of the contestants and awards go to Art Contest Awards 2012.
Many thanks to the students, teachers and schools who participated! Thanks also to the volunteer organizers and panel of judges for their enthusiasm and expertise.
Outing to Visit Spring Grove Cemetery, 2/25/12
Saturday, February 25, 2012 - Spring Grove Cemetery with Dick Munson. Spring Grove Cemetery is one of the premier arboretum cemeteries in the United States. It contains the final resting place of many local and national luminaries. Spring Grove contains numerous examples of some of the largest and rarest trees in North America and Spring Grove is a great birding site. The hike will involve some hills and perhaps even a bit of snow on the ground. A winter hike allow us to see many trees without their leaves, revealing their true magnificence in terms of shape, bark, and branching habit. Join us for a brisk and inspiring hike through a truly beautiful place. Dress warmly and wear good boots for warmth and traction. Meet on the southwest side of the old Oxford Wal-Mart parking lot at 8:00am to car pool or caravan.
Town Peterson to Speak on 3/12/12
MARCH 12, 2012: Birds of the World: Assessing the Status of Accessible Knowledge of World Birds, Town Peterson, University Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Dr. Peterson’s research focuses on aspects of the geography of biodiversity, especially the geography and ecology of species’ distributions in space and in time. His formal training began at Miami University, with a degree in Zoology. In his graduate studies at the University of Chicago, he specialized in tropical ornithology, with a particular focus on systematics. As such, one component of his research focuses on the taxonomy of birds, as well as on the phylogeny of recently radiated clades of birds. Tied to this focus is work with the basic geography of bird distributions and the composition of local avifaunas, based on detailed site inventories and scientific collections around the world which is the focus of this talk. Dr. Peterson’s work, however, has taken him into other fields, including conservation biology and planning, invasive species biology, and disease transmission systems. Dr. Peterson’s work is collaborative in nature, and usually involves geographers, computer scientists, and biologists. This talk will be in 218 Pearson Hall, Miami University, Oxford at 7:30 P.M.
Wolf Creek Habitat and Rescue, 1/28
January 28, 2012 - Wolf Creek Habitat and Rescue. Because of many requests to go back to Wolf Creek Habitat, we will return January 28 to play with the wolves. There is no charge to visit the facility but if you would like to go in the pen with the wolves it is $20 a person. For more information about Wolf Creek Habitat: www.nighthowls7.com. No fur or red coats if you want to go in the pens with the wolves and it will be muddy so wear clothes that if they get dirty you won’t mind. Also no dangle earrings or piercings. Wolf Creek Habitat only allows pocket cameras on the property. This is not a field trip for children. Meet on the southwest side of the old Oxford Wal-Mart parking lot near McDonalds at 9:30 to car pool or caravan. We will stop for a hot drink and lunch on the way back to Oxford. - Linda Williams, Field Trip Chair, jlwms67@gmail.com
Faces of the Christmas Bird Count
The Christmas Bird Count is not a time to take a lot of bird pictures. The participants are too intent in counting every bird in sight that a camera would just get in the way. Rising early to get a good head start on the day, everyone convenes at noon to tally the numbers, share stories and eat a hearty chili soup lunch. To find out more about the count’s result go to our Christmas Bird Count page. To see more pictures from the event visit our Audubon Miami Valley Facebook page.
