AUDUBON NATURALIST SOCIETY Naturalist Quarterly Spring 2018 ANSHOME.ORG Nature for All - Creating a Thriving Natural Oasis at Woodend by Alison Pearce, Director of Restoration ANS NATURE ACTIVITIES & NEWS The Audubon Naturalist Society OFFICERS inspires residents of the greater PRESIDENT Scott Fosler (’20) Naturalist Quarterly Washington, DC region to VICE PRESIDENT Megan Carroll (‘19) appreciate, understand, and treasURER Alice Ewen (‘18) ANShome.org Spring 2018 protect their natural environment SecretarY Becky Turner (‘18) through outdoor experiences, BOARD OF DIRECTORS education, and advocacy. Wendy Anderson (‘18), Cecilia Clavet From the Director 3 HEADQUARTERS (‘19), Diane Hoffman (‘19), Ryan Matney Woodend, a 40-acre wildlife (‘20), Jane McClintock (‘18), Tim Nature for All by Alison Pearce 4 sanctuary in Chevy Chase, MD McTaggart (’18), Carolyn Peirce (‘19), Nancy Pielemeier (‘19), Rob Timmons OFFICE HOURS Children and Nature 7 (‘20), Bonnie VanDorn (‘18), Larry Monday-Friday 9 AM-5 PM Wiseman (‘19), Beth Ziebarth (‘20) STORE HOURS Conservation 8 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Monday-Friday 10 AM-5 PM Lisa Alexander Saturday 9 AM-5 PM Children and Family Programs 11 Sunday 12-5 PM OPERATIONS Amy Ritsko-Warren, Director of Operations GROUNDS HOURS Rust Classes/Programs 15 Dawn to dusk FINANCE ANS MEMBERSHIP Lois Taylor, Comptroller, Dupe Cole, Adult Programs 16 Student $15 Senior Accountant/Benefits Manager; Individual $50 Barbara Young, Accountant CALENDAR 20 Family $65 MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Nature Steward $100 Caroline Brewer, Director of Marketing Audubon Advocate $200 Feature Photos 26 and Communications; Vince Robinson, Sanctuary Guardian $500 Webmaster and Social Media Manager; Naturalists Council $1,000 Stream Science Classes 28 Ben Israel, Videographer/Photographer Preservationist $1,000+ AUDUBON NATURALIST SHOP NATURALIST QUARTERLY is Free Birding Trips 29 Matt Mathias, Manager; Yoli Del Buono, published four times a year by Assistant Manager the Audubon Naturalist Society, Natural History Field Studies 30 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy CONSERVATION Chase, MD 20815. Photos, art Eliza Cava, Director of Conservation; work, and articles may not be Monica Billger, Northern Virginia Nature Travel 32 reprinted without permission Advocacy Manager; Gregg Trilling, from the editor. Opinions offered Creek Critters Program Manager ANS News 34 do not necessarily reflect official DEVELOPMENT Jacky Wershbale, ANS policy. Advertised products Director of Development; Debra Prybyla Tributes 38 or services do not carry the & Lin Orrin, Grant Writers; Loree Trilling, endorsement of ANS. Database Coordinator; Allie Henn, Registration Info 39 ISSN 0888-6555 Development Assistant; Larry Petrovich, Assistant SENIOR EDITOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION Caroline Brewer Diane Lill, Director; Stephanie Mason, Senior Naturalist; Stephanie Bozzo, MANAGING EDITOR Preschool Director, Amelia McLaughlin, COVER Photo of Eastern Towhee courtesy of Wikipedia Pam Oves Chelsea Hawk, Shannon Earle, Kristin Commons, Authors: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren © 2018 Audubon Naturalist Roberts, Julie Walkup, Ruth Polk, Society Preschool Teachers; Nora Kelly, Camp Director; Serenella Linares, School CONTACT INFORMATION Programs Manager; Carol Hayes, Nature ANS Headquarters/Woodend Travel Program Assistant; Katrina Kugel, Sanctuary Lauren Simpson, Debbie Boger, Lee 301-652-9188 Anne Graeub, Jenny Brown, GreenKids FAX 301-951-7179 Specialists; Deb Crew, Ambika Anand ANShome.org Prokop, Gina Ghertner, Environmental [email protected] Educators; Steven Pearce, Intern SAVE THE DATE Audubon Sanctuary Shop PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 301-652-3606 Bjorn Busk, Property Manager; Ami Conservation, MD x22 Smerling, Assistant Property Manager Conservation, VA 571-278-5535 OFFICE MANAGEMENT Environmental Education x16 Pam Oves, Office Manager; Carol Hayes, Membership x35 Office Coordinator Publications, advertising x23 Rentals x38 RUST SANCTUARY Volunteers x20 Susanne Ortmann, NOVA Programs Contributions x31 Manager; Ellen McDougall, Special Events x12 Environmental Educator Rust Sanctuary 703-669-0000 VOLUNTEERS Mitch Greene; Volunteer Coordinator E-mail unusual bird sightings to [email protected] WOODEND RESTORATION Alison Pearce, Director of Restoration WATER QUALITY PROGRAMS Cathy Wiss RENTALS Beatriz Engel SAVE THE DATE From the Director Wildlife recovery nationwide is mirrored here at our own headquarters as we roll out our Nature for All project. Nature for Nature for Whom? Nature for All! All will restore the habitats of our beloved Woodend Sanctuary This year marks the 100th Anniversary to bring back plant, insect, bird and amphibian biodiversity. of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Fittingly, Nature for All will provide a warmer, more inclusive welcome it’s also the year that Audubon Naturalist that invites all people in our region to experience the benefits Society hosted a meeting of Independent of nature. The subject of diversity, equity, accessibility and Audubon Societies from across the inclusion ran through all conversations during the final days of country. We gather with our counterparts the Independent Audubon meeting. We grappled with questions to trade stories of successes and frustrations and learn from of how to break down barriers that prevent people from enjoying one another how best to strengthen the environmental those fundamental, healing connections with nature that are so movement nationwide. Throughout our history, ANS has led essential for quality of life. discourse about the intersection of humans and nature. Our My fellow Executive Directors and I all committed to taking Independent Audubon meeting was no exception. We seized steps to increasing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion the opportunity to bring that discourse to Capitol Hill and lobby (DEAI) in our organizations – from hiring, to Board recruitment, for full enforcement of environmental protections in our nation, to programming and partnerships and nature interpretation. including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the federal law that Just this week, ANS’s own Programs Committee made plans to Audubon Societies everywhere fought to pass a century ago. launch a DEAI task force to define what those inclusion terms Just days before the Trump administration released its poorly mean to the mission work of ANS. imagined budget that guts the Chesapeake Bay Program and Through Nature for All, ANS will continue to demonstrate strips funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, my meaningful ways for all of us to respond to human-driven change colleagues and I walked the halls of Congress fiercely supporting while preserving and restoring as biodiversity. Through Nature environmental protection and full funding for conservation for All, we will inspire people to take action in their daily lives programs and agencies. We walked five miles back and forth to support the natural world. Together, we will nurture a new to the House and Senate. Our lead issue was advocating for generation of conservationists who someday will bring their passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). This environmental ethic to Capitol Hill. Our region and our planet act would redirect royalties from existing mining and drilling depend on humans making new choices, and ANS will serve on public lands, and send that money back to the states for a leading role in convening thought leaders who will influence 3 implementation of Wildlife Recovery programs. Please write or decision makers and future generations to make positive call your Senators and Representatives and let them know that changes in support of nature in our region and our nation. you also support RAWA. We have high hopes for this to be – stop Find your place in the Nature for All project by signing up at the presses - a bipartisan bill! anshome.org/volunteer. STAFF UPDATES: We are pleased to welcome Mitch Greene as Volunteer Coordinator. He is a graduate of Naturalist Quarterly Expands to the 2017 MD Master Naturalist Program, operated a Personal Chef Service business for a decade, served Give You More for eight years as a U.S. Naval Officer, and studied The Naturalist Quarterly has more to give you! We’ve added physics at the U.S. Naval Academy. Amy Ritsko-Warren eight more pages so that we can give you more stories, news, is our new Director of Operations. A camp parent since and photos – especially nature photos -- and we’re expanding 2014, she comes to us from the Greater Capital Area our features section to include children in nature. We’re sharing Association of REALTORS, where she served as Chief more because there’s so much good stuff going on in the Operating Officer. At ANS, Amy is working to implement natural world – alongside the bad -- and we want to keep you office, building, and work flow system efficiencies and alerted to the emerging and persistent challenges and threats improvements. With a background in marketing, she is we face. also working with the ANS Shop and Woodend’s rental manager to grow revenue. We welcome Ben Israel as So, drop us a line and let us know what you think. Email our first StaffV ideographer/Photographer. Ben runs his [email protected] with the Subject Line “More NQ.” own videography company, Color School Films, and And while you’re at it, email your best high-resolution (500KB or previously worked for the national Brady Campaign to more) nature photos to [email protected], with your name, Prevent Gun Violence as a videographer for documentary the name of the flora or fauna, the date your photo was