The Raven: Celebrate Nature
The Raven: Celebrate Nature
The Raven: Celebrate Nature
This public lecture is co-sponsored by UAS and The Alaska Bird Conference--
Juneau Audubon. David Quammen is a celebrated science and nature writer.
He is a three-time recipient of the National Magazine Award for his science
essays in Outside magazine and his recent feature article “Was Darwin
Wrong?” in National Geographic. Mr. Quammen has also received an
Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and
Letters, John Burroughs Medal for nature writing, and the Lannan Literary
Award for nonfiction. His award-winning nonfiction book, Song of the Dodo:
Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions (1996) is a readable and
scholarly account of the history of evolutionary theory, biodiversity,
population dynamics, and extinction. Mr. Quammen’s insightful and well-researched thoughts about
biogeography, evolution, and culture are highly relevant to the Alaskan landscape and the fish, wildlife,
and people that depend on it.
BOARD NOTES FOR JANUARY by Brenda Wright, Juneau Audubon Society president
Healthy and busy New Year to you all! We have a couple of very fun and interesting events coming
up in February this year. The Juneau Audubon board is happy to be a sponsor of the 11th Alaska Bird
Conference and Workshops to be held in Juneau February 7-9, 2006. The conference offers
contributed papers and also special lectures. .
After the excitement of the bird conference we can all contribute to citizen science by participating in
the Great Backyard Bird count jointly sponsored by National Audubon Society and Cornel
Laboratory of Ornithology. This year the count will be on February 17-20. You can join with thousand
of others to find out how many birds are being seen in your area and across the continent this winter.
This huge project allows you to participate in documenting where birds are, and track changes in their
numbers compared to previous years, helping scientists paint a picture of the state of birds this winter.
For more information, or to get started, go to http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
The Juneau Audubon board has recently been in contact with the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve and Lynn Canal
Conservation group about concerns with plans for the preserve. Please read the information included in this
newsletter for more information.
As always the Juneau Audubon board appreciates suggestions for improvements or changes. Please contact any
of us though addresses on our web page. Your local Juneau Audubon web page also includes a local bird
checklist, lecture schedules, and past newsletters (www.juneau-audubon-society.org).
BALD EAGLE/COASTAL RAINFOREST ECOLOGY FUND
By Deana Hale
The University of Alaska Southeast has an Endowed Fund designed to aid bald eagles, their habitat in Southeast
Alaska and students. The Bald Eagle / Coastal Rainforest Ecology Fund’s ultimate goal is to raise $2.5 million
to provide an endowed chair at UAS related to bald eagle ecology. However, in the meantime, the fund can
provide for small research grants and education about bald eagles and their importance in Southeast Alaska.
Short term possible uses for the fund’s earnings include using it as a source to hire students doing bald eagle and
coastal rainforest ecology related research and provide student scholarships for biology or environmental
science majors studying bald eagles and their relationships to the coastal rainforest. Additionally, the fund’s
resources could be used to offer fellowships related to bald eagles and coastal rainforest ecology, support
visiting professors in this area and provide for publications, conferences and workshops related to bald eagle
ecology.
Jim King, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist/pilot, credits many others with the forward thinking
involved with the endowment’s establishment. “This Fund gives the University financial resources for bald
eagle and coastal rainforest ecology projects that are not dependent on politics or other outside influences and
cannot be taken from Juneau and Southeast,” says King. Instrumental in the fund’s creation were King,
members of the Bald Eagle Research Institute (BERI), its former treasurer, Myra Howe, and former UAS
Chancellor Marshal Lind, all of whom were committed to local control of funding for bald eagles and their
habitat.
Those who established the Fund were looking to the future. The initial principal is invested with the University
of Alaska Foundation where the earnings, but not the principal, can be used at the discretion of the UAS
Chancellor for projects related to rainforest ecology and the eagles. The Fund has unlimited potential to
contribute to the Juneau economy.
“An endowment like the UAS Bald Eagle / Coastal Rainforest Ecology Fund that supports research is
important for our understanding of and the protection of eagle habitat in Southeast,” says UAS Chancellor John
Pugh.
Those who wish to contribute to the UAS Bald Eagle / Coastal Rainforest Ecology Fund may do so with
MasterCard or Visa by going to the UA Foundation’s secure website at
https://ssl.uaf.edu/ua/uafound/forms/securegift.html. When asked what fund you would like your gift directed to,
please indicate “UAS Bald Eagle / Coastal Rainforest Ecology”. Gifts also may be made by check payable to
UAS with Bald Eagle Fund in the memo line and by mailing to UAS Development Office, 11120 Glacier Hwy.,
Juneau, AK 99801. For more information contact the UAS Development Office at 796-6566.
New high counts were obtained for several species of waterfowl (American Wigeon record was
impressive, especially for a species only becoming a count “regular” about ten years ago), Marbled
Murrelet, Black-billed Magpie, and Golden-crowned Kinglet. However, Pacific Loon and European
Starling, both seen on all but two previous counts, were missed on count day. Moreover, our irruptive
species such as crossbills and siskins barely made a showing.
The potluck after the day’s birding activities was great; thanks to everyone for their generous
contributions. Also, thanks to Paul Suchanek for developing and sharing a new field data recording
form and for coordinating the downtown and Douglas efforts, and to Gus van Vliet for tracking count
week species, and conducting the evening tally. Finally, thanks to all those who participated on the
count; it was a fine day.
- Birds seen during Skagway’s CBC. Total number in ( ) does not include feeder
counts. CW means species observed during count week but not on day of count.
KETCHIKAN'S CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT RESULTS -Teri Goucher
December 17th was an exceptionally beautiful, sunny day here in Ketchikan.The winds were
calm and the temperature ranged from 30 to 37 degrees.
There were 43 people in 21 parties participating this year, finding 68 species, the most ever for
our area!
In addition to the more commonly found species for Southeast Alaska we managed to tally some
very interesting birds and numbers!
An unusually high number of 26 Northern Flickers were found, this compares to a previous high
count of 6 seen in 2001.
American Robin numbers were also very high with 115 seen that day;which is considerably
higher than 30 being spotted in 1993.
A brand new species for our count was American Pipit; amazingly 9 were seen together in
Saxman!
A Northern Pygmy-Owl was found, marking another new count day species, although one had
been spotted during count week in 2000!
Single individuals of rarer species were found including a Pied-billed Grebe, Brewer's
Blackbird, White-throated Sparrow, and Bonaparte's Gull.
There were up to 11 Trumpeter Swans on Ward Lake during count week, with a few being
recorded for the count day.
There were five more species added to Ketchikan's data during count week; these included Red-
breasted Sapsucker, Common Grackle, Glaucous Gull, Pine Grosbeak and Swamp
Sparrow!
Thanks to everyone who birded on land and sea on a lovely day to make Ketchikan's best ever
Christmas Bird Count results possible!
Three species were seen for the first time during this mid-winter count, black turnstone,
hermit thrush, and fox sparrow. So many previously unrecorded species in one year is
noteworthy. Three additional species, greater yellowlegs, short-eared owl, bohemian
waxwing were found during the count week. The most remarkable aspect of the count
was that nearly every bird species was found in higher than average numbers, and a truly
amazing 22 species, almost a third of the of the total, were recorded in all-time high
numbers. Among these were (their average numbers are in parenthesis) 51 pacific loons
(7), 93 common loons (22), 76 horned grebes (19), 195 pelagic cormorants (69), 1335
mallards (508), 395 black scoters (37), 1992 surf scoters (408), 412 red-breasted
mergansers (104), 12 belted kingfishers (2), 26 Steller’s jays (5), 103 common raven
(35), 151 chestnut-backed chickadees (51), 101 golden-crowned kinglets (14), and 17
song sparrows (4),
Just days before locals and visitors would gather in the Preserve to celebrate the 10th
Anniversary of the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival, State House Representative Bill Thomas
announced at the annual Haines Chamber of Commerce banquet that he is considering
introducing legislation that would shrink the Preserve by 40%. This would remove the
controversial jet boat tour route from the higher management standard required in the
Preserve.
"I haven't drafted it, but I'm looking at it," Thomas said. "The bill can shrink the bald
eagle preserve to the Wells Bridge (on the Haines Highway)." --from the Chilkat Valley
News, November 3, 2005.
All areas of the Preserve are used by eagles at some time of the year and are essential to
their survival and reproductive success. Please help by opposing any efforts to shrink the
Preserve in the 2006 legislature.
(Additional information from Sari Saunders: The preserve protects river bottom lands of
the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers as critical habitat for bald eagles and salmon
populations. The wakes from commercial jet boats are much larger that those of
traditional crafts in the area and can contribute to increased rates of bank erosion. This
damages fish habitat and can cause mortality of salmon eggs and alevin by destroying
streamside vegetation and overhanging banks, increasing stream turbidity, and altering
the stream substrate (e.g., increasing sedimentation). For up-to-date information on this
(potential) legislation and the concerns for the Chilkat reserve, watch the JAS website at:
www.juneau-audubon-society.org and also see the website for Lynn Canal Conservation
at: www.aptalaska.net/~lcc11/.)
2. Birds and wetlands - Issues of bird and habitat management on the Mendenhall wetlands are of
primary interest to JAS members. In the spring the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Juneau airport expansion was released. Steve Zimmerman has been following this process for a number
of years and submitted comments on the document on behalf of Juneau Audubon. The issue of increased
bird use of the lands adjacent to the airport, and the safety concerns that presents, are now in the news
(see Juneau Empire Dec. 26 2005). Watch for information about options for bird and risk management
that are expected as outcomes from pending meetings on this topic. (A detailed study of the behavior
of birds near the Juneau Airport, as has been recommended off and on in the past, has yet to be
conducted. JK)
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