Capital Area Master Naturalists 2013 FIELD NOTES Meeting April 24th, 2013. Dennis Reis will be speaking on “Environmental Superfund Sites.” As an attorney, Dennis has handled environmental remediation cases for hundreds of contaminated sites nationally, and has assisted his clients on how to avoid these problems and how to fix them. He was recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for his leadership in environmental law.
photo by Ronnie Kramer Regular Monthly Meetings are normally the last Wednesday of each month (except December when we do not meet) and are held at 6:30, at the Austin Nature and Science Center, Zilker Park Map to President’s Note Austin Nature Center http://bit.ly/hJ2Pli. All meetings are open to the public so bring a friend! We all learned in our Master Naturalist Master Naturalists to support the natural classes that the point of the program was to environment of the Capital Area and to “develop a corps of well-informed volunteers educate the public about nature. You will to provide education, outreach, and service read the stories of four epic surveys of the CAMN Board Meeting dedicated to the beneficial management of Colorado River, two flora and fauna surveys Join the Board of Directors for a spirited natural resources and natural areas within at the Austin Nature and Science Center, discussion about CAMN business at our their communities.” Last year, the evenings watching for amphibians, efforts to next meeting on May 2d, 2013. Contact members of our chapter contributed reforest the Bastrop area, and so much more. any Board Member for more details and almost 6000 hours of volunteer You will also learn about educational efforts, for the location of the meeting. service, not including about 250 hours of both those offered by CAMN members for travel. To remain “well-informed,” they others and those attended by members to attended around 1700 hours of advanced empower their service. You will even learn training. how to make a leaf press. Volunteer and Above is an illustration of the things that I’m sure you have your own stories as CAMN members do nearly every day, well (please send them in for the next Advanced Training generally without getting much credit. newsletter!). We don’t have to save the Opportunities Shirley LaVergne led a beginner's bird walk planet at one fell swoop. CAMN members Visit the CAMN website at http:// for Travis Audubon at Meadow Lake in can do it with one bite-sized project at a camn.org/ and log in to the CAMN Round Rock (from left to right: Dan Wojcik, time. Not only “can” we do it, but most of us Volunteer Calendar to start fulfilling those Rene Wojcik, Ronnie Kramer, Shirley actually have. So, go out there and keep up volunteer hours. LaVergne, and Carole Ralph). They had 31 the good work! species, which included 73 Hooded Christine Powell Mergansers! Elsewhere in this issue are the stories of CAMN President, 2012-13 Visit the CAMN yahoo group many other efforts contributed by dozens of for On-line networking
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 1 In This Issue President’s Note 1 Why Report Volunteer Hours? 2 Merry Mistletoe 3 The Law of Unintended Consequences 4 Watching Nature 5 Big Day in the Park 7 Hardhats and Saplings 8 Winter Butterflies 9 TREEmendous Trees 10 Golden-Cheeked Warblers 2013! 11 Claude Morris Austin Wildlife Demonstration Schoolyard 14 An Easy-to-Build Leaf Press 16 Above: a quiet morning on the water southeast of ANSC Biodiversity Survey 17 Austin as the intrepid volunteers of the Colorado River Colorado River Survey Reports 18 Survey make their monthly trek downstream. There are descriptions of four of these trips elsewhere in this issue. An Invitation to Master Naturalists 22 Many of the participants are CAMN members who Scat and Frass 23 have found a wonderful way to combine doing good with having fun. A Request for Help from Monarch Watch 27 CAP Officers and Committee Contacts 29
Why report volunteer hours? The following are some thoughts from Larry Calvert, who is President of the Hays County Master Naturalists: Clearly, there are trained master naturalists who are still providing volunteer services, but for whatever reason, do not report them. From the first day we entered the Master Naturalist class we all heard people tell us to turn in our volunteer hours. We all know we need 40 hours each year to be certified, but why does it matter that we document all of our volunteer hours? For those who have certified or those who are working on it, the reporting of hours is not just to get your picture in the newsletter and the annual pin. All of the hours we turn in get reported to our Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) sponsors. TPW uses nationally accepted values for each hour of volunteer work reported. Currently that value for the TMN program is $19.50 per hour. TPW applies for federal grants to support the work they do, including sponsoring the MN program, state parks, etc. The Federal Aid program awards grants to the agency with our service used as an in-kind match. Please take the time to keep track of the hours you work and then be sure to turn them in. If you can, turn in your hours in a cumulative spreadsheet each quarter since the chapter must report all volunteer hours quarterly to TPW. At a minimum, send in your final report of hours [to [email protected]] annually. Thanks for your consideration and think about hours you may have “Volunteers aren’t paid, not because they are worthless, but because already performed in 2013. Write them down now and you won’t they are priceless.” have to reconstruct your hours in January!
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 2 Field Prep: by Jim and Lynne Weber Merry Mistletoe
From the earliest times, mistletoe has been considered one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants found in European folklore. Originally used to bestow life and fertility, as a protection from poison, and as an aphrodisiac, in medieval times branches of mistletoe were hung from the ceiling to ward off evil spirits. With the process of immigration and settlement of North America, traditions associated with the European plant were transferred to the New World and evolved into a folklore all its own. In Central Texas, two species of mistletoe are native, the through their droppings and by wiping their beaks on tree Christmas Mistletoe (Phoradendron tomentosum) and Oak branches, both of which may cause a new plant to take hold and Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum). The genus name comes from become established. the Greek ‘phor’ which means thief and ‘dendron’ which means While ancient folklore has attributed a wide range of tree, as both species are semiparasites that steal water and mystical abilities to mistletoe, none is more fascinating than the nutrients from their host trees. Christmas mistletoe has small, myth of how mistletoe became her sacred plant of Frigga, the elliptical evergreen leaves and smooth green stems covered by Norse Mother Goddess worshiped by pre-Christian people of short hairs, with tiny green flowers on the male plant and shiny northern Europe. She was believed to be the mother of Balder, white berries on the female plant. It is widely used in the United the God of the Summer Sun, who had a dream of death. States as a Christmas decoration, and is especially common Alarmed by this dream, Frigga went to all the elements, plants, growing on Sugar Hackberry, Cedar Elm, and Honey Mesquite and animals to seek a promise that no harm would come to her trees in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. son. Balder was thought to be safe from harm by anything on or Native north to New York State, south to Florida, and west under the Earth. to New Mexico, Oak Mistletoe is another common mistletoe But Balder’s enemy, Loki, was the God of Evil, and he knew hung at Christmastime. It is a larval host plant for the Great of the one plant that Frigga overlooked. It was the lowly Purple Hairstreak butterfly, and while similar in appearance to mistletoe, which grew neither on nor under the Earth itself, but Christmas Mistletoe, its berries are covered with a sticky on the branches of oaks and other trees. Loki made an arrow substance poisonous to humans but relished by winter resident tip with the mistletoe, and gave it to the Hoder, the blind God birds such as Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Bluebirds, and American of Winter, who used it to strike Balder dead. The sky paled and Robins. These birds eat the berries and spread the seeds everything wept for the Sun God, who was restored by Frigga
Above: Christmas Mistletoe (Phoradendron tomentosum)
Left: Oak Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum)
Pictures courtesy Jim & Lynne Weber
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus calfornicus)
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 3 Field Prep: by Jim and Lynne Weber Merry Mistletoe after working with the elements for three days. The tears she Thus began the custom that whomever should stand beneath shed for her son were said to be the pearly white berries of the the humble mistletoe will come to no harm, but receive only a mistletoe, and in her joy at his resurrection she kissed everyone kiss as a token of love. Merry mistletoe to you and yours! who passed beneath the tree on which it grew.
Send your nature-related questions to [email protected] and we’ll do our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, look for our book, Nature Watch Austin, published by Texas A&M University Press.
The Law of Unintended Consequences
Yes, the Law is still in effect! The Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Council (TIPPC) recently told this cautionary tale: The 2009 discovery of an exotic insect in Georgia, Megacopta cribaria (kudzu bug), seemed like a potential problem-solver for the “Vine that Ate the South,” Pueraria lobata (kudzu). The prevalence of the vine is itself an illustration of the Law and its corollary, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Kudzu was deliberately imported into the United States as a ground cover and heavily promoted by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service until 1954 for erosion control on embankments. Unfortunately, the plant quickly escaped cultivation, infested some 7.4 million acres, and continues to spread at the rate of 150,000 acres per year, far outstripping the efforts to control it. So, when the kudzu bug appeared, it at first seemed like a very good thing. The bug feasts on the invasive vine, and studies indicate that this insect is able to reduce a kudzu patch by 50% within two years (Jim Hanual, U.S. Forest Service). Unfortunately, kudzu bugs also feed on several other legume species, including soybeans. In fact, research indicates that if infested fields are left untreated, there can be up to a 20% decline in soybean yield (Phillip Rogers, University of Georgia). Since the 2009 introduction, kudzu bugs have spread rapidly and are currently reported in seven states across the southeast U.S. They have several generations per year, and typically solely feed on kudzu in the spring, then shift to soybeans or other hosts in the late summer to fall. In the winter, they become a household nuisance as they like to congregate on light-colored surfaces, such as home siding, water pipes, fascia boards, and the like. (NC State University, Entomology Extension). Do your part to report kudzu bug sightings, protect your home and farmland, and practice sound pest control. In much happier news, the TIPPC reports that Melia azaderach (Chinaberry) has FINALLY been added to the Texas Department of Agriculture's Noxious and Invasive Plants list. TIPPC submitted a formal request in 2012 after the successful addition of Lygodium japonicum (Japanese climbing fern), the first species to make the list after a formal request from TIPPC. Listing is an important step, since it is the only way to get a plant out of the retail and wholesale nursery trade. Thanks to a 2011 law, only listed species can officially be described as “invasive” by state agencies.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 4 Field Work: by Sue Anderson Watching Nature
First, the December Texas Amphibian Watch (TAW) Report from the Lake Creek Froggers— Quiet on the Frog Front. No calling Saturday night, December 8. However, the weather was fantastic - One watcher was in shorts and quite comfortable. Given the quiet, we discussed the new TPWD protocol for Amphibian Watch with Kathy McCormack. For Lake Creek and Berry Springs, we will start in January with a timed listening regime in addition to our regular logging of the highest level of calling within the hour. Kathy will check one more time with Lee Ann Linam at TPWD to make sure we understand the method and intent. The proposal for listening at certain intervals includes recording the sound as well. That will be verified by Kathy. (If yes, then I gotta figure out how to get a recorder or use the one I have at the house.) We also discussed a new fun initiative. Kathy, Andy Swain and I discussed setting up “pond watches” to join a study of dragonfly migration. Andy and Mikael attended Dr. John I am drafting an Excel field data intake sheet based on the Abbott's one day class, and are keen to start monitoring. Andy paper form handed out in class, but with space for is willing to sponsor a watch at Riata. To help get started, Kathy (recommended) weather condition recording which was and I will send questions to Andy, and he will then clarify mentioned in the protocol description but not included on the methods with Dr. Abbott. sample data sheet. Mikael Behrens may be setting up a watch closer to home at This is still in early formation stages, so stay tuned, and Lake Creek. Since this activity is during the day, perhaps it definitely chime in with questions and suggestions. More would be easiest to do odonate observation after a birding meetings may take place to work out details. outing. This is one of the ideas being considered. We still have a Here is a link to the Xerces Society Dragonfly Pondwatch number of questions about how to do the observing, when Program - lots of details: (which months), how often, and for how long each time. http://www.xerces.org/dragonfly-migration/pondwatch/ Whew! For a 'quiet' night, we sure had a lot going on.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 5 Field Work: Amphibian Watch
And Watching Some More... It was a quiet night of frogging at Bauerle Ranch on December 15, but we did manage to see a few Blanchard's cricket frogs (acris crepitans blanchardi). One of the cricket frogs had an interesting reddish-brown pattern on its back. Jerry Mayfield invited us to his house for an Amphibian Watch holiday party and dinner, and afterward we went to another pond off Lindshire Lane in the Bauerle Ranch neighborhood where one of our froggers, C.R. Smith, had seen a large flock of black-bellied whistling ducks (dendrocygna autumnalis). There were dozens of black-bellied whistling ducks there when we arrived. We observed the birds for a while, and a policeman came down to the pond to see why there were so many flashlights shining by the pond. He could tell by our enthusiasm that we really were just naturalists watching the ducks. — Jason Cox
All photos courtesy Jason Cox
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 6 Big Day in the Park! Julia Osgood Mark your calendar for Sunday, April 7—Commons Ford Big Day in the Park—for a variety of fun birding and nature walks, including activities for families and children. Those helping lead walks will include Shelia Hargis and Laurie Foss, Meredith O'Reiley, Dianne Sherrill, Ed Fair, and more! Additionally, a variety of local conservation organizations will be in attendance. Although attendance at the event is free, tax-deductible donations to Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organzation will be encouraged to help them continue their efforts to remove invasive plants and replant natives in this beautiful swath of prairie. The event will also feature a ‘Wing Ding,’ where attendees will count all bird species seen throughout the day, and supporters can pledge a certain amount per bird species or a flat donation. Click here for more information and to register for the walks.
Photos courtesy Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Project
Here is the latest on the Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Project: 1. Prairie Bird Surveys. We have completed prairie bird surveys for winter 2012/13. Surveys are conducted along three 100 meter transects and all three transects are run on three different days throughout the winter. The survey team spreads out over 20 meters and then walks the 100 meter transect counting only birds landing in or flushing out of the transect. The results were astonishing. We had a total of 10 species and 94 individual birds. The most eye-catching result is that Le Conte's Sparrow, a sought-after sparrow by birders throughout the area, was not only the most seen sparrow, but was also the most seen species. This is the first survey run after the initial planting (the first anniversary of which is this week). The results compare strikingly with the single individual (a lonely Sedge Wren) tallied on the pre-restoration surveys. Thanks to our many volunteers who helped conduct these prairie bird surveys: Kenny Anderson, Maggie Burnett, Eric Carpenter, Leigh Jandle, Andrea Julian, George Kerr, Arman Moreno, Diane Sherrill, Dean Singleton, Ian Steusloff, Deb and Leigh Wallace and Gail Woods. We could not compile this important data without the commitment of our volunteers. We sincerely thank everyone for their time and effort. Thanks for your continuing support. Ed Fair Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organization www.commonsfordpro.blogspot.com [email protected]
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 7 Field Work: Heike Laudien Hardhats and Saplings
2011 was a tough year for Texas. Record So on Sunday (January 13th) we went out above). After the day was done, all you setting heat and drought had gripped the there to join 70 volunteers to help plant could see were miles and miles of pink state, and no rain had fallen for several trees. We were all given hardhats since flags. This will allow TPWD to monitor months. In September of that year one of there was a danger of burned and dying the survival and growth rate of the saplings the worst wildfires occurred in Bastrop, trees falling in the stiff breeze. It was a since this is one of the first of such Texas. 30,000 acres and 600 homes were brisk 41 degrees and everyone was pretty endeavors. destroyed. The area is well known for its cold. Come on, grow little sapling! You can do it! beautiful pine forests and the fire affected So armed with hardhats, sacks of tree 96 percent of Bastrop State Park. 1,913 tree saplings were planted that day saplings and a steel pole, we were sent on and many more days have been organized This year for the first time, the Texas Parks our way to designated areas that were the for people to come out and plant. We all and Wildlife Department initiated a most affected—areas where the fire had hope that we have some rain to help these program to plant pine seedlings in the area burned so hot that even the pine seeds little guys make it, so that in 30 years we and sent out a call to the local public to were sterilized. will have a strong, healthy young forest to assist in the project. Each sapling planted was marked with a enjoy. little pink flag (see one in my picture
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 8 Field Arrivals: Craig Hensley Winter Butterflies
On the 5th of February 2013, I witnessed a diverse menagerie of butterflies, ladybird beetles, honeybees, and various flies all over the leaves of our various thistle plants at Guadalupe State Park. These are all rosettes of leaves with no flowers. As I watched I noticed the butterflies appeared to be nectaring on the surfaces and undersides of the thistle leaves. I looked carefully and saw no apparent moisture on the leaves from dew (there had been no rain – imagine that!). I picked a leaf to see what was going on, suspecting that perhaps with all the ladybird beetles present that this behavior had something to do with aphids. Aphids produce a sugary waste that is farmed by ants – honeydew. An initial inspection of the leaves with my reversed binoculars (make for a great magnifier, by the way) found the leaves covered with lots of white hairs. On the hairs I could see sections that appeared to have a thicker, shiny mass stuck to them. It was then that I also discovered the aphids. I next placed the leaf under one of our magiscope microscopes for a closer look. As I was watching an aphid, a clear bubble suddenly formed from the upturned abdomen. At this moment, the aphid (and I am not making this up!) raised a leg and essentially popped the bubble! Imagine blowing bubbles – what happens when they pop, the liquid flies out in all directions. Based on this observation, and confirmed by another staff member who witnessed the bubble formation, it became clear to me that the butterflies and honeybees were actually feeding on the sugary excretions of the aphids. Wow, wow, wow! Anyway, I reported this “discovery” to Kip Kiphart and we both, along with his son, witnessed this feeding frenzy two days later. Remember now that at the time the only flowering plants were a few scattered wind flowers and an occasional dutchman’s breeches and slenderstem bitterweed. Apparently, these aphids were helping sustain these early emerging insects! Think of it, two things we often try to rid our landscape of, aphids and thistles, were in fact key to the early survival of our beloved butterflies, ladybird beetles, and honeybees. Ain’t nature grand! (The photo is of Monarchs in their Mexican wintering grounds—Jim Lovett/Monarch Watch)
Austin Butterfly Forum Club Meeting: Monday March 24, 2013. Zilker Botanical Garden Center, 2220 Barton Springs Rd. 7:00 p.m. Free. Studying Moths in your Backyard. Club members Bill Dempwolf, Chuck Sexton, Barbara Ribble and Dan Hardy will talk about their experience attracting, identifying, and photographing moths at backyard lights. There are ten times as many moth species compared to butterfly species, so there’s lots to find. Everyone is welcome. Come join us! Upcoming events: April 22 meeting: Collecting Butterflies with Bill Dempwolf. For details on these events and upcoming meetings and field trips, see http://www.austinbutterflies.org/Calendar.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 9 Field School: Nancy Podio TREEmendous Trees
Here are photos I took at the Wildflower Center Tree Talk Winter Walk where CAMN hosted the table activity called “TREEmendous Trees” for measuring the height, circumference of canopy, and diameter of trunk of an oak tree. This activity was on a cold Saturday, January 26, 2013 in the new Wildflower Center Arboretum. Later in the day, the sun came out and warmed everyone up.
Above: Mary Helen Quinn and Barbara Keir teaching a Barbara Keir helping visitors. visitor how to measure the
Right: Barbara Keir, Peggy Murphy, Mary Helen Quinn and Alicia Nelson. Gretchen Antill and Nancy Podio also worked early in the morning.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 10 Field Findings: Dale Rye and Christine Powell Golden-Cheeked Warblers 2013!
The auditorium at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center habitat areas in Leakey and Austin. Presumably, the birds are was completely filled on January 25 for the 2013 Golden- adapting to higher noise levels due to higher human Cheeked Warbler Symposium. This was sponsored by populations throughout their range. Even more encouraging, a BiodiversityWorks and several other agencies that are involved study presented by Michael Marshall showed that opening up in warbler conservation efforts. Many of the speakers were graduate students who have conducted research with the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources. The symposium provided not only valuable information, but also a networking opportunity for professionals and volunteers working in the field. We certainly learned relevant information about the importance of area preserves such as the Balcones Canyonlands, Water Quality, and Bright Leaf Preserves. A number of the presentations related to recent developments at the Ft. Hood military reservation, which is one of the largest habitat tracts in the warbler’s range. Because of changes in the post’s mission, there is more training occurring for dismounted infantry, which has required clearing a good Wikipedia deal of undergrowth. Fortunately, studies have shown that this has not measurably harmed the endangered population. The about 2300 acres by removing understory, including about 5% disturbance caused by the troop movements themselves seems of the Ashe junipers, had no adverse effects. Golden-cheeked to have had little long-term impact, according to a study warbler population, reproductive success, and behavior were presented by Dianne Robinson of A&M. This matches the apparently unaffected, and fledgling survival rates were study’s findings for the impact of highway construction near noticeably higher.
Above: The star of the show Left: Current distribution of the species in Texas (TPWD) Below: Habitat—Cow Creek in the BCNWR (USFGS)
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 11 Field Findings: Dale Rye and Christine Powell Golden-Cheeked Warblers 2013!
This has clear implications for maintenance in the area preserves like Bright Leaf. Preserving suitable mobility and visibility for hikers need not come at the expense of the wildlife that lives in the higher reaches of the juniper-oak woodlands that the endangered songbirds call home. Brush removal—and particularly the removal of invasive plants—to improve usability and fire safety can actually benefit the warblers and other songbirds. Several studies seemed to confirm the idea that the most important indicator for excellent warbler habitat is the presence of tall trees. Bill Reiner of the City of Austin showed that mature oak-juniper woodlands were the best habitat within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve System, while edge and disturbed areas were much less favorable. Jim Miller of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discussed studies at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge showing that areas with less than a 4-meter canopy were highly unlikely to support the warblers, while the likelihood for areas with a high canopy approached 100%. The proportion of canopy cover is somewhat less predictive, in part because traditional methods for measuring cover from aerial and satellite imagery tend to overestimate its extent. Shannon Farrell of A&M discussed the use of LiDAR to obtain better data. “Light detection and ranging” is a technique that substitutes pulses of light for the microwaves used in radar, “radio detection and ranging.” Radar waves pass right through foliage that will reflect light, so LiDAR provides highly accurate measurements of the canopy height that can be used to identify the favorable areas with tall trees. LiDAR images can also be used to eliminate areas that look like canopy in traditional images, but actually consist of shrubs less than 1–3 meters tall. Bill Reiner suggested that this bad data plugged into good models may have led to very serious overestimates of warbler populations in marginal areas. LiDAR scans are now available with about 2 meters of horizontal resolution, while some traditional images have pixels as small as 0.23 meter. The National Agriculture Inventory Program (NAIP) provides reasonably recent 4- spectra images from multiple seasons with 1-meter granularity. The LiDAR-corrected data can be used in models that predict warbler success with very high accuracy. Again, this has practical implications for places like Bright Leaf: tall hardwoods provide the best habitat, so conservation practices should particularly seek to preserve these trees. Once they are lost, they take a very long time Texas Parks and Wildlife to replace. Jeff Hatfield of the U.S. Geological Survey described a study of tree growth rates in the
Images: A map of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve System and another picture of the favorite local bird.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 12 Field Findings: Dale Rye and Christine Powell Golden-Cheeked Warblers 2013!
www.flyingwild.org
Hill Country. Without human assistance such as watering and fertilization, it may take over a century for a new tree to grow big enough to support a warbler nest and much longer for the growth of trees tall enough to provide optimum habitat. As Nancy Heger of Texas Parks and Wildlife demonstrated, NAIP imagery over the last decade shows that decent warbler habitat has been declining, particularly in the developing areas west of I-35 between Austin and San Antonio. This has partially been offset, however, by increasing amounts of habitat in and around the area preserves. Bright Leaf—where many CAMNers volunteer—led the way for the development of these newer dedicated areas in the Austin metro area that protect native habitat and restrict intensive recreational use. In this, as in so many other ways, its founder, Georgia B. Lucas, was a visionary who saw the only way possible to preserve some of the most important natural features of our community.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 13 Field Work: Heike Laudien Austin Wildlife Demonstration Schoolyard Being a Master naturalist means that I get to take part in some awesome projects in Central Texas. This one ranks up there as one of my favorites and one of the most intense so far. Recently the National Wildlife Federation joined forces with the Austin Independent School District to make learning outdoors for urban students more accessible. During these times of economic pressure, many urban school districts are struggling to improve Science and Math performance for their students. As Marya Fowler, lead Senior Education Manager for the NWF, who is valiantly spearheading this project states: “Learning in the outdoors, where a student’s experience is hands-on and inquiry-based, draws students into these 1 disciplines in a way textbooks and classroom exercises often do not.” With this in mind, she states that “we are creating a model wildlife habitat that will serve as an environmental education and training venue for thousands of children and teachers in Austin and central Texas.” The project is extensive. It is located at the AISD’s Science and Health Resource Center (“before” picture above) and includes the setup of a variety of curriculum-based learning stations, which include native plants that attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. A rain garden and benches will be setup as well. There will be a little pond for wetland plants and native fish. Interpretive signs will be stationed in various areas, and a rain harvesting system will help focus on water conservation. An all important endeavor during these times of drought. Marya states that: ” Our ultimate goal is that the design elements of this model wildlife habitat will be easily replicable, and will inspire educators to build habitats on their own campuses to use as outdoor classrooms and advance science learning throughout central Texas.” Over 50 volunteers are helping and it will still be some time before it is completed. Terraces had to be setup on the steep slope to build garden beds and to slow the water runoff from rain. A splash zone (left) was built to prevent water crashing down from the roof from eroding the beds below
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 14 Field Work: Heike Laudien Austin Wildlife Demonstration Schoolyard
The ground was very compacted and had to be loosened with pickaxes to dig holes for trees and for the planting beds. It was an excellent workout! Local kids got involved too. They were excellent workers, digging trenches, filling splash zones with rock and planting trees. Things are taking shape. Trees have been planted and are diligently watered. Pathways have been created and protected with landscape cloth and crushed granite. Planting beds are filled with good soil. It’s a pretty large project and there is still a ways to go, but everyone is very excited about how it will all turn out.
All pictures by Heike Laudien. Check out her blog: http://sun-dancing.net/blog/
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 15 Field survey: Jeff Genung An Easy-to-Build Leaf Press for under $20 A leaf press is a must have for any serious student of plants. Whether you are interested in trees, smaller plants, or grasses, a leaf press can assist in carrying specimens out of the jungle and back to your lab, for your own herbarium, or just as beautifully pressed plants. Leaf presses can be made in any size but the most useful size is 12x18 inches. This size allows full sheets of herbarium paper to be in the press or just common sized paper 11x17 inches. Cardboard and chipboard can also be purchased in 12x18 size. This size also allows us to build a press very easily with just a few tools or even with no tools if your local home lumber center will let you cut some wood. Many home centers will cut plywood for you and some will also have a station to cut moulding. If not, you can have it cut at a frame shop or cut it yourself with just a small saw and a mitre box. This simple press can be made with very little effort make these 2 pieces as close to the same size as possible, as they and for well under $20. will form your upper and lower parts of the press. PARTS LIST: Cut 4 pieces of quarter round moulding 18 inches long, or as long ¼ inch plywood or 5mm luann wood: 2 pieces cut to 12x18 ($4) as the long edge of your plywood. One 6 ft piece will be perfect ¾ inch quarter round moulding: 4 pieces 18 inches long, cut from for this. Also cut,4 pieces of ¾ square wood the same length. one 6 ft piece ($3) These will be for each side of the upper and lower pieces of the press. Set these on the plywood and measure between them ¾ inch square wood: 4 pieces 18 inches long and 8 pieces (picture) the space should be about 9 inches. Cut 4 pieces of this approximately 9 inches long ($6) length for each piece of plywood, 4 for the top and 4 for the glue (wood glue) bottom. It is better for these to be 1/16 to 1/8 inch too short sandpaper rather than too long. If the store has 3 ft long pieces of this wood, you will be able to get 2 of the long pieces or 4 of the short pieces nylon straps and plastic hardware ($5) out of each length of wood. Glue everything together and use the sandpaper to smooth any CONSTRUCTION: rough edges. The straps should wrap around the press and have Many of the measurements given here will not be exact on your enough length to grab and tighten. A good choice is 1 1/2 inch press. The main objective should be to make the front and back nylon web straps with plastic slide hardware to tighten as close to the same size as possible. For the press pictured I used everything together. If you don’t have access to nylon straps, even a pair of belts with extra holes punched will work. ¾ x ½ inch moulding, that I found at Lowe’s. Thin ¼ inch plywood or thin wood called luann which comes in thicknesses of about 5 mm is the best bet for the upper and CONCLUSION: lower parts of the press. Most home improvement stores will sell Use your leaf press with newspaper and cardboard to flatten dry this in 2 ft squares. Take one of the squares and have them make specimens. Keep the straps tight and if necessary use a book or 2 cuts for you. The first cut should take about 6 inches off one brick as extra weight for flattening leaves. side to make a 24x18 piece of wood and then the second cut should cut this piece in half to make 2 pieces 12x18. Ask them to
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 16 Field survey: Melissa Macdougall ANSC Biodiversity Survey
JANUARY: Jeff Genung, Nikki Qualls, Joy Hernandez, Stacey FEBRUARY: Val Bugh, Carolyn Doolittle, Nick Hentschel, Bucklin, Mary Helen Quinn, Skip Mencio, Nick Hentschel, Val Stephany Johnson, Melissa Macdougall, Betty McCreary, Skip Bugh, and Melissa Macdougall conducted the monthly Mencio, Barbara Ribble, John Smith, Helen Snook and son Paul, biodiversity survey at the Austin Nature and Science Center and and Peg Wallace conducted the monthly biodiversity survey at the Zilker Preserve on Saturday, January 5, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 Austin Nature and Science Center and Zilker Preserve on noon. It was a cloudy, chilly morning, but not at all unpleasant, Saturday, February 2, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. especially compared to the cold and rain earlier in the week. Water It was a wonderful morning to be outside and we saw some was flowing in a small section of Dry Creek. We observed only especially nice birds this time, including Golden-crowned about a half dozen plants blooming and those were very small and Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Cooper’s sparse. Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, and an Osprey circling overhead. Highlights this month included: two White-tailed Deer, who The black widow spider from the last two months was still there, snorted their disapproval of our presence in the preserve; the though she had moved to the rock next door. Since it was warmer, opportunity to examine the large, sharp teeth of a recently dead there were more insects active, especially butterflies, and many mature Opossum; our season’s first Hermit Thrush; Golden- pollinators visiting the flowering elbowbush. Several red buckeyes crowned Kinglets; and good views of a hawk (Cooper’s?) perched were on the verge of blooming as well, but there are few in a tree. wildflowers coming up compared to last spring. There’s still hope Moss, lichens, liverworts, and turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor) if it rains! appeared lush and colorful, thanks to the recent rainfall. Perhaps We could find no sign of the Devil’s Cigar from last month, but the most interesting observation was a fungus known as Devil’s Val spotted and identified another fungus with a colorful name: Cigar or Texas Star (Chorioactis geaster). You can see a picture King Alfred’s Cramp Balls (Daldinia concentrica)! directly below. According to Wikipedia, “this extremely rare mushroom is notable for its unusual appearance and disjunct The complete fauna species list can be found at the link below: distribution: it is found only in select locales in Texas and Japan.” http://tinyurl.com/7pf73zr You can see a picture, distribution map, and find out more at: Thanks to all the volunteers for their sharp eyes and minds, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorioactis special thanks again to Val Bugh. See the complete species list at: Surveys are normally scheduled for the first Saturday of the http://tinyurl.com/bad9seu month. Please contact Melissa Macdougall Thanks to all the survey volunteers! Your sharp eyes and inquiring ([email protected] or 422-6270) if you would like to minds are much appreciated! Special thanks to Val for invertebrate join us. The survey is a CAMN-approved volunteer activity, no and fungus identification. special skills are required, and all are welcome!
Left: Turkey tail fungi; photo by Melissa Macdougall.
Right: Devil’s Cigar fungus; photo by Valerie Bugh
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 17 Field survey: Claude Morris EPISODE 79: Autumn Colors
I really like this time of year when 37 species (+1 other taxa) the air is a bit cool and the leaves are changing colors. Making it even more Gadwall 24 pleasant is the angle of the sun giving Pied-billed Grebe 4 some really warm hues to the light. I Double-crested Cormorant 6 tried to capture some of that beauty in Great Blue Heron 8 the photos from today. Great Egret 7 On the December 1 survey, we found Snowy Egret 4 a white Ibis. This is the first time I have White Ibis 1 listed it on our river survey. It is an Black Vulture 16 unusual bird for this area and especially Turkey Vulture 6 Osprey 4 for this time of year. We also had a Red-shouldered Hawk 8 Pileated woodpecker and several Red-tailed Hawk 4 Ospreys. One osprey dove in to the water American Coot 200 and caught a fish right in the middle of Killdeer 8 the group. We collected a list of 38 Spotted Sandpiper 24 species. Greater Yellowlegs 5 We also found our usual supply of Wilson's Snipe 3 turtles. I did notice several sulfur White-winged Dove 80 butterflies and a tiger swallowtail. There Mourning Dove 12 were a number of dragonflies and Belted Kingfisher 6 Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 damselflies. Downy Woodpecker 2 Enjoying all this fun were Linda Williams, Julie Bollman, Cathy Kopp, Peg and Ron Northern Flicker 1 Armbruster, Dennis Breining and Bob West. Pileated Woodpecker 1 Don't forget to go out and find the Austin Bastrop River Corridor Partnership page Crested Caracara 6 on Facebook. You will find more information about the river and water issues in central Eastern Phoebe 8 Texas. I usually put more photos and more information on this page than in this report. Blue Jay 3 Also, if you would like to have your photos posted, just send them to me and I will do it. American Crow 7 On a personal note, sorry about the spam during the week. I got hacked. But if you Carolina Chickadee 21 want to send me some money I will gladly accept it. Tufted/Black-crested Titmouse 3 House Wren 3 Carolina Wren 18 European Starling 22 Ye l l o w -rumped Warbler 1 8 Northern Cardinal 21 Red-winged Blackbird 300 Great-tailed Grackle 40 House Finch 2
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 18 Field survey: Claude Morris EPISODE 80: Small Mammal Day
I love it when the leaves are off the trees. It makes it so much easier to see other 58 species (+1 other taxa) things. On January 5, we found a couple of raccoons and squirrels were everywhere. In the “not-so-small-mammal” department we found lots of places where the wild hogs Wo o d D u c k 6 have been tearing up the ground. Cook's Island has been hit very hard. Gadwall 12 Mallard 2 It was a great morning for birding too. After two days of cold rain the birds must Northern Shoveler 8 have been very hungry. I think they were looking forward to a break in weather to get Ring-necked Duck 3 out and feed. Some of our Pied-billed Grebe 23 Double-crested Cormorant 3 best birds of the day Great Blue Heron 7 included Bald Eagle, Wilson Great Egret 9 Warbler and a huge flock of Black Vulture 12 Turkey Vulture 15 Brewer's Blackbirds. We Osprey 3 had Yellow-rumped Cooper's Hawk 1 Warblers the entire way Bald Eagle 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 9 down the river. American Red-tailed Hawk 5 Goldfinchs were American Coot 4 everywhere. We caught a Killdeer 33 glimpse of the previously Spotted Sandpiper 18 Greater Yellowlegs 16 mentioned Bald Eagle, and Least Sandpiper 45 ended the day with five Wilson's Snipe 9 species of woodpecker White-winged Dove 17 Mourning Dove 8 including the Pileated. Native sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, and Eastern Phoebes were Belted Kingfisher 9 plentiful and rounded out our list of 59 species. We even found one species of herptile - Green Kingfisher 1 an unidentified turtle. Thanks to Lea and Duncan Charlton, Sharon and Jeff Richardson, Red-bellied Woodpecker 12 Ye l l o w -bellied Sapsucker 3 and John Barr for getting out on a chilly but beautiful morning to help with the survey. Downy Woodpecker 4 Don't forget to like the Austin Bastrop River Corridor Partnership Facebook page, Northern Flicker 1 where I post more photos than I can include here. Pileated Woodpecker 1 Crested Caracara 3 Eastern Phoebe 25 Blue Jay 8 American Crow 6 Carolina Chickadee 32 Black-crested Titmouse 15 Carolina Wren 22 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7 Eastern Bluebird 14 Northern Mockingbird 1 American Pipit 8 Orange-crowned Warbler 5 Common Yellowthroat 4 Ye l l o w -rumped Warbler 1 5 0 Wilson's Warbler 1 Chipping Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 8 Lincoln's Sparrow 12 Swamp Sparrow 1 White-crowned Sparrow 4 Northern Cardinal 44 Red-winged Blackbird 80 Eastern/Western Meadowlark 25 Brewer's Blackbird 500 Great-tailed Grackle 30 House Finch 1 Lesser Goldfinch 6 American Goldfinch 100
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 19 Field survey: Claude Morris EPISODE 81: A Mid-Winter’s Dream
Whenever you can kayak and bird in 47 species (+2 other taxa) swim trunks and a t-shirt in the middle of the winter it is absolutely a dream. By Gadwall 25 noon on February 2, we had gotten out American Wigeon 2 the sunscreen. That is when we started Green-winged Teal 12 to see butterflies and dragonflies. Sulfur Ring-necked Duck 2 and Tiger Swallowtail were the two types Lesser Scaup 7 I could identify. There were more. Pied-billed Grebe 2 Woodpeckers seemed to be the Double-crested Cormorant 15 predominant birds of the day. We listed Great Blue Heron 7 four species but they were very plentiful, Great Egret 9 Black Vulture 45 active and vociferous. Also plentiful were Turkey Vulture 14 the Titmouse. Usually we do not get very Osprey 3 many, but today I heard them all the way Cooper's Hawk 1 downstream. Early in the morning we Bald Eagle 1 saw a Bald Eagle. Two Green Kingfisher Red-shouldered Hawk 7 are always nice. Red-tailed Hawk 3 I also want to say something about American Coot 10 the ducks we saw. They seemed to take Killdeer 3 flight long before we could identify them. Spotted Sandpiper 17 Maybe it is still too close to hunting Greater Yellowlegs 18 Least Sandpiper 7 season and they are still skittish. I have Wilson's Snipe 6 listed several species but the count listed is way low. We saw hundreds of ducks but only White-winged Dove 26 got identification on several. Our list for the day was 49 species. Mourning Dove 18 Kudos go to Julie Bollman, Peg Gavin, Frita Celucci, Mark Celucci, Ron Armbruster, Belted Kingfisher 10 Stuart Bailey, and John Barr. Green Kingfisher 2 Don't forget to like the Austin Bastrop River Corridor Partnership Facebook page Red-bellied Woodpecker 18 and check the Travis Audubon webpage. Downy Woodpecker 4 Northern Flicker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 5 Crested Caracara 5 Eastern Phoebe 3 Blue Jay 14 American Crow 22 Carolina Chickadee 28 Tufted x Black-crested Titmouse (hybrid) 22 Carolina Wren 8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4 Eastern Bluebird 5 Northern Mockingbird 3 Ye l l o w -rumped Warbler 3 8 Savannah Sparrow 15 Lincoln's Sparrow 6 White-crowned Sparrow 6 Northern Cardinal 26 Red-winged Blackbird 200 Eastern/Western Meadowlark 26 Common Grackle 7 Great-tailed Grackle 100
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 20 Field survey: Claude Morris EPISODE 82: Signs of Spring
Jack Frost, it is time for you to leave. 46 species (+1 other taxa) On the March 2 survey I went about looking for signs of spring. There were Wo o d D u c k 1 2 lots to be found. Red Buds and Gadwall 300 Dewberries are blooming. There is new American Wigeon 12 green growth on the floor of the wooded Ring-necked Duck 2 areas. New green leaves and catkins are Double-crested Cormorant 8 on the trees. Even some of the spring Great Blue Heron 7 and summer birds are starting to show Great Egret 9 up. It was cool enough today that we Black Vulture 23 saw no butterflies and only 3 turtles. Turkey Vulture 27 Bald Eagle 2 We saw a Blue Jay carrying nest Red-shouldered Hawk 6 building material. We heard two Red-tailed Hawk 1 Chipping Sparrows in song. The only Killdeer 14 summer species we found was Barn Spotted Sandpiper 26 Swallow. We saw another species of Greater Yellowlegs 16 unidentified swallow I believe to be a Least Sandpiper 5 Cliff Swallow. White-winged Dove 4 We saw a couple of Bald Eagles today. Mourning Dove 14 An adult and a Juvenile were seen in the Belted Kingfisher 8 McKinney Roughs area. We found 3 Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 Downy Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, 2 of which were Northern Flicker 1 together. We got good numbers of Swamp Sparrows, Greater Yellowlegs, and Wood Pileated Woodpecker 3 Ducks to complete our list of 47 species. Crested Caracara 7 A note on the ducks is, again, we saw more than we identified (last month I blamed Eastern Phoebe 6 it on hunting season. This month...). Stacey Bucklin and John Barr braved a cold wind to Blue Jay 8 join me today. Thank you. American Crow 15 These surveys are also posted on the Travis Audubon web site Barn Swallow 2 http://travisaudubon.org/get-outdoors/claudes-river-survey Cliff/Cave Swallow 2 Carolina Chickadee 32 Tufted Titmouse 3 Carolina Wren 17 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 American Pipit 1 Ye l l o w -rumped Warbler 1 0 0 Chipping Sparrow 2 Savannah Sparrow 15 Song Sparrow 2 Lincoln's Sparrow 4 Swamp Sparrow 7 White-crowned Sparrow 7 Northern Cardinal 42 Red-winged Blackbird 200 Common Grackle 24 Brown-headed Cowbird 60 American Goldfinch 18 House Sparrow 35
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 21 Field Work: Jeffrey Glassberg An Invitation to Master Naturalists from the North American Butterfly Association
Dear Fellow Naturalist, If a count already exists in your area, we hope that you can We invite you to join NABA’s Butterfly Count Program so that participate in and facilitate the existing count. Location of scientists studying butterfly distribution and population counts and contact information for their compilers can be found fluctuations will have the benefit of important data from your on the NABA website at area. Now is the time to plan a new count—it’s a great way both http://www.naba.org/butter_counts.html. to help the environment and to have an exciting day in the field with friends who enjoy the natural world. Sincerely, Butterflies are ideal indicators of the health of the environment because they are exquisitely sensitive to small changes in their Jeffrey Glassberg, Ph. D world. Yet surprisingly little is known about butterfly population President, NABA fluctuations and distributions throughout North America. Gathering information about these important pollinators is the goal of the annual Butterfly Count Program organized by NABA, the North American Butterfly Association. Celebrating almost 40 years, the Butterfly Count Program is a Below: Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly long-term citizen-scientist project, involving almost 500 counts and thousands of volunteers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Volunteers select a count area with a 15-mile diameter count circle and assemble a group to conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within that circle. Published annually in the NABA Count Report, count data provide critical information about the geographical distributions and population sizes of the species counted. Increasingly, these data are being used by scientists to help address a wide variety of topics, including the fall migration of Monarchs and the effects of habitat changes on butterflies. Currently, NABA Butterfly Counts are conducted from March to October in nearly every state. If there is no existing NABA Butterfly Count in your area, we encourage you to start one! For more information about how to start a count and about the Count Program in general, please visit NABA’s website, www.naba.org, send an email to [email protected], or call NABA’s Monarch Watch national headquarters at 973-285-0907.
Texas Nature Tracker Workshops April 26-27, 2013 Texas Amphibian and Mussel Watch Train the Trainer Workshops Rockdale General Store, 1201 W Hwy 79, Rockdale, TX Free: Registration Required. Fee $10 for materials per workshop. Learn how to identify amphibian and freshwater mussel species and participate in scientific research as members of an important Texas Nature Tracker Partnership. Sponsored by the El Camino Real Master Naturalist Chapter. Texas Amphibian Watch will be held on April 26, 4:00-10:00 p.m. and Texas Mussel Watch will be held on April 27, 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Texas Master Naturalist Approved Advanced Training. CPE and TEEAC credit available for educators. Contact Katherine Bedrich at 254-697-2836 or [email protected] for information and registration.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 22 Scat and Frass
Spring is the season when all the species that headed south last autumn are on the way back. Those of you who enjoy following the progress of migrating birds, butterflies and other creatures should bookmark the Journey North news page in your browsers: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/ current.html You might not be as interested in the current state of the whale migration, but you can find that here, too! One favorite feature is a weekly report on the impact of current weather on the various migrations that are underway at any point in time. *** The Class of 2013 recently enjoyed a day at the Gault Archeological Site The Journey North Website has photos and maps detailing many migrations north of Florence on the Bell County line. For those folks, and for all the cards to t-shirts and sweatshirts. The The Wildlife and Fisheries unit of others who appreciate the work there, GSAR receives a portion of every Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has a Dr. D. Clark Wernecke, Executive purchase. Check it out periodically new Youtube channel, called Director of the Gault School of because we are continually adding “WFSCAgriLife” at https:// Archaeological Research, writes: “We designs as our warped staff thinks of www.youtube.com/user/ have established a store on the website new ones!” To go shopping, click WFSCAgriLife. Please subscribe to Zazzle.com where you can now buy all the channel so you can be alerted when http://www.zazzle.com/gaultschool sorts of Gault gear from ties and post they put new videos on the channel.
The latest issue of the Reverchon BASTROP TREE GIVEAWAY Naturalist newsletter is now available on the Texas Natural Resources March 16, 2013 Conservation Service web site and can be found at this link: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/ TreeFolks recently sponsored a Tree nrcs/detail/tx/technical/ecoscience/ Giveaway event in Bastrop County. bio/?cid=nrcs144p2_003087 Volunteers , including CAMNers set-up, directed traffic flow, loaded The Texas NRCS website was recently trees and answered landowner updated and the old link no longer questions related to tree species, works but the link above will take you planting and basic care. directly to the site.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 23 Scat and Frass (Continued)
e are lucky enough this month For information on this and other issues This year's Camp is pleased to be hosted to have a number of messages involving feral hogs, contact: by the Welder Wildlife Foundation. The Wfrom the Master Naturalist Brian Koch Welder Refuge is a 7,800 acre privately state office and Michelle owned and operated wildlife refuge and Haggerty, the Program Coordinator: Regional Watershed Coordinator research facility with on-site lodging and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation dining facilities. Located near Sinton, Board Wharton Regional Office Texas, the Welder Refuge is home to ~ 1120 Hodges Lane Wharton, Texas 77488 fabulous coastal wetlands and south Texas vegetation which boasts a plethora of There is an AWESOME 7-page spread O:(979)532-9496 C:(979)533-8836 plants and wildlife that campers will have story about the Texas Master Naturalist [email protected] the opportunity to view and study while Program in the new April 2013 Issue of the www.tsswcb.texas.gov/cwp on the Refuge. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine! See the The cost of this camp is $300 per student. story on pages 40-47. Please check with your local Farm Bureau The feature is entitled: Nurturing ~ for a possible sponsorship. Nature: Master Naturalist Volunteers, Visit www.tctws.org
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 24 Scat and Frass (Continued)
Today, the Bison Association is pleased to Wild Onions, Milkweeds, Alligator Study in the new statewide tournaments, State Park partner with the Texas FFA in sharing the at Fort Worth Nature Center, Land Tournament, and Sunrise to Noon Tournament. cultural significance of bison with Management with Bison, Prescribed We look forward to your joining the fun at Texas' thousands of FFA students. Burns, and more. Special sessions are also first statewide Great Texas Birding Classic. Learn more about this at the conference planned for local chapter presidents and and visit website: board members, a great opportunity to Remember, as in previous years, the proceeds for this tournament are for the birds! Registration http://www.VoteBison.org learn from other leaders and organizations. fees and sponsorship dollars go toward The annual TBA conference features Conservation Grants for birding and habitat informative seminars on raising bison, For more information and/or to register restoration and enhancement projects exhibitors from bison and agriculture see: throughout the state, and some winning teams industries, and discussion among some of http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php? will help select which projects are funded. the industry's top bison experts. The event 416473 Contact: includes a fun 'Buffalo Banquet' that provides attendees with a bison steak Shelly Plante dinner as well as live and silent fund- ~ Nature Tourism Manager, Texas Parks and raising auctions that include buffalo art, Wildlife Dept. jewelry, ranch equipment, furniture and Looking for a fun way to take kids and 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744 much more. teens outside, have some fun, and learn Phone: 512-389-4500; Cell: 512-241-9163; Fax: For more information, call 512.778.9092 your local birds in the process? Mentor or chaperone a Roughwings (13 years and 512-389-8029 REGISTRATION: E-MAIL younger) or Gliders (14-18 year olds) team Great Texas Wildlife Trails - [email protected] [highly preferred] or in the Great Texas Birding Classic
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 25 Scat and Frass (Continued)
If you are in the role of outreach and Texas Parks and Wildlife is looking for Priority is given to first-time attendees. Repeat information dissemination, you have a experienced herp, bird, invertebrate, and participants may geton the wait list by submitting challenging mediascape to conquer. You plant enthusiasts interested in a completed registration form with payment know about social networks, you know participating in an exciting project—the (nothing will be processed unless you are about being “on-line”. The challenge is Biological Inventory Team, which is a admitted to the workshop). being heard against a tide of competing group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable Do not hesitate to contact the following if you voices. What happens when sound experts (volunteers) who are able to assist have any questions. We look forward to seeing science-based information is buried on landowners and TPWD biologists by you at the workshop! page 5 of a search? What happens when conducting surveys of these various Helen Holdsworth the information you need the public to species on private property. We need hear is too quiet to be heard? enthusiastic and knowledgeable experts 2800 NE Loop 410, Ste. 105 (from groups such as Texas Master This one day course is designed for San Antonio, Texas 78218 Naturalists; native plant, herp and bird watershed coordinators and those who societies; and other nature organizations) Phone: 800-TEX-WILD or 210-826-2904, ext. promote sustainable uses of watersheds. In who are able to assist landowners and 120 this workshop you will learn how the TPWD biologists by conducting surveys Cell: 210-332-3560 mediascape (and social media) is changing of plants and animals on private property. the way we think about information Fax: 210-826-4933 The Biological Inventory Team vision is dissemination and our own efforts to to establish volunteer teams in each of reach the pubic. It’s not about using social the eight TPWD Wildlife Districts media because its popular, it’s about ~ understanding how popular tools (and not If you are interested in participating on a so popular tools) can be used to expand Biological Inventory Team or if you are a The TPWD Angler Education group is having the reach of important information in the landowner who would like to have a several up coming workshops for new angler ed most efficient way. survey conducted on your property, instructor certifications. I’d love to invite the pleasecontact Marsha May at: local TMN groups. Schedule: [email protected] or Here are our upcoming workshops, two near 8:30 am Registration opens ($60 pre-reg (800)792-1112 ext.8062 for more Houston, one at lake whitney and one here in $70 late) information. Austin. 9:00 How did we get here? http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/calendar/fishing- 10:00 Role of social media in advocacy and angler-education-instructor-training education. ~ For more information, contact: - 11:00 Tool, tools, tools, looking at the You are invited to the Women of the right one Land Workshop scheduled for April 19-21, Caleb Harris 12:00pm Lunch/networking (lunch 2013. This promises to be one of the best included in registration fee) workshops yet. Cedar Mountain Lodge is Aquatic Education Specialist 45 minutes southeast of Dallas. http:// Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. 1:00 Not so known tools www.cedarmtnlodge.com/ 4200 Smith School Road 2:00 Tips and Tricks you NEED to know Conference Information and Registration forms at: Austin, TX 78744 http://www.texas-wildlife.org/resources/ 512-389-4472 ~ events/women-of-the-land-workshop fax 512-389-8673 Space is limited to 30 participants and Join us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/ will be filled on a first come, first serve texasanglereducators basis. Payment must be received with Learn how you can help Texas State Parks: your registration.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 26 Field Work: monarchwatch.org A Request for Help from Monarch Watch
Greetings Monarch Watchers! additional 300,000 records that still need to be entered in order to complete the set—data from the 1992-1999 tagging seasons as well as sheets that are still coming in for this season (monarchs We are finally moving forward with our monarch tagging tagged last fall). database project and we need some help! :-)
This is where we need some help. As most of you know, citizen scientists just like you have been tagging monarch butterflies through Monarch Watch since 1992. In all, more than ONE MILLION monarchs have been tagged Ann has just hired one data entry student and may be able to with Monarch Watch tags over the years—representing a HUGE hire one more, but we would also like to open this up to any volunteer effort. Most of these tagging records have been Monarch Watcher out there that would like to assist us - either in returned to us in the form of paper datasheets, organized by person (Lawrence, KS) or by working remotely at home. This students into binders, and relocated when a tagged monarch is data entry will involve taking the hard copy datasheets (or digital reported to us—thus allowing us to complete the tag record and versions of them) and typing the information into a spreadsheet add it to our online tag recovery database (currently more than (using Excel, etc.). If you are not familiar with our datasheets, you 16,000 records). can check them out via http://monarchwatch.org/tagging— including a spreadsheet format that will be used for this data entry project. As you can see, for any given datasheet there will This system has its inefficiencies and limitations but given be a lot of duplicate (date, location) or sequential (tag codes) data, funding constraints this was the only workable solution for many so there are some shortcuts that can be used to make data entry years. The really big downside to this storage method is that it go faster (copy/paste, fill down, etc.)—we will provide you with does not give us easy access to the majority of the data set - those all the information you need to speed things along. records that include date, location, and other data for more than one million monarch butterflies. An infinite number of analyses could be done using this massive data set, and we are determined If you can help us in person, we will provide everything you need; to whip it into shape and have it available very soon. In the if you would like to work remotely, you will need a computer, process, the online recovery database (http://monarchwatch.org/ spreadsheet software (Microsoft's Excel, Apple's Numbers, recoveries) will get an overhaul as well. Apache OpenOffice's Calc, etc.), and internet access—we will send you a set of scanned datasheets and the spreadsheet template. Beyond that, all we ask is that you return the We now have a firm plan in place to renovate our existing completed data to us in a timely manner, follow the simple databases, clean up the data, and add records to make the set as instructions we will provide, and be very focused when entering complete as possible. We already have about 975,000 tagging the data to reduce the number of keying errors :-) records in an electronic database and estimate that we have an
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 27 Field Work: Monarchwatch.orgl A Request for Help from Monarch Watch The amount of time that you spend volunteering will be up to you About Monarch Watch —we will send you a small number of sheets initially so that you can get a feel for the data entry and how long it takes. When you submit your data you may request additional sheets if you'd like Monarch Watch (http://monarchwatch.org) is a nonprofit to continue. education, conservation, and research organization based at the University of Kansas that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular migration. If you would like to assist us in this endeavor, please respond to If you have any questions about this email or any of our programs this message expressing your interest and we will get back to all please feel free to contact us anytime. potential volunteers as soon as possible with additional details. Thank you for your continued interest and support!
We're excited to be forging ahead with this - thank you for your help and continued support! Monarch Watch http://monarchwatch.org Sincerely, [email protected] This e-mail may be reproduced, printed, or otherwise redistributed as long as it is provided in full and without any Jim, Chip, & Ann modification. Requests to do otherwise must be approved in http://monarchwatch.org/staff writing by Monarch Watch.
Field Meetings: Cheryl Goveia & Greg Cumpton Coming Attractions
We have some incredible programs coming up over the next months so please try and join us as often as you can. If there is something you would like to suggest for a future meeting, please let us know. Enjoy!
April 24th, 2013. Dennis Reis will be speaking on “Environmental Superfund Sites.” As an attorney, Dennis has handled environmental remediation cases for hundreds of contaminated sites nationally, and has assisted his clients on how to avoid these problems and how to fix them. He was recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for his leadership in environmental law.
Elections Meeting in May! On May 29th, we will have our annual Elections Meeting. This is your chance to shape the course of CAMN’s future over the next year and to offer your guidance for the incoming officers that you will elect. Everyone come and Celebrate!
Many more great programs coming! Watch for details.
CAMN FIELD NOTES SPRING 2013 28 Officers Committees Sponsors/Partners
President: Christine Powell Administrative Mission Statement Contact: David Dunlap Vice-President: Cheryl Goveia and Send Hours to: [email protected] To develop a corps of well-informed Greg Cumpton Maintains database of students and alumni, volunteers to provide education, outreach, Past President: Lynne Weber including names, addresses, class attendance, and service dedicated to the beneficial volunteer hours earned, and advanced training Treasurer: Peg Gavin management of natural resources and completed. natural areas within their communities. Administrative Secretary: Communications Members of CAMN are dedicated to the David Dunlap Contact: Dale Rye Recording Secretary: Webpage: Dale Rye conservation, preservation, and restoration Maggie Moody Field Notes: Christine Powell of our natural resources. To that end, we At-Large Board Members: Press releases: Kelly Bender encourage and support trained Master Responsible for the Internet web page and Naturalist volunteers in Austin and Travis Meredith O'Reilly press releases. County in providing community programs Harry Miller and projects that increase appreciation of Advisory Board Members: Curriculum our natural environment and promote, Kelly Bender Contacts: Arwen Lietz and Lea Detlefs protect, and preserve native flora and Develops the CAMN curriculum, as well as fauna. Clark Hancock plans the lectures, activities and field trips for Melissa MacDougall each class. Jeri Porter Advanced Training Austin Nature and Science Center Contact: Bill Dodd Plans, coordinates, and approves advanced Texas Parks and Wildlife Board of Directors training opportunities. According to the CAMN By-Laws, our Food & Fun Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors consists of the Officers Contact: Becky Patterson and the Chair of each Committee. Facilitates the social aspects of CAMN Austin Sierra Club including the Certification Ceremonies and holiday celebrations. If you have concerns you wish the The Nature Conservancy of Texas Board to consider, please contact one Field Trips of the Board members via email or Contact: Jerry Mayfield Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Facilitates and helps organize field trips. come to a Board Meeting (please let us know you will be coming). Volunteer Opportunities Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve Contact: Vernon Berger Develops criteria to determine whether CAMN Board Meetings are held on the Hornsby Bend Center for volunteer opportunities may be counted for Environmental Research first Thursday of odd numbered months at: CAMN credit. Reviews, approves, and 6:45 p.m. at the Travis Association for the publicizes opportunities. Blind, (Austin Lighthouse), 2307 Business Bat Conservation International Center Drive, Austin 78744. Check with a Education and Outreach Committee Board Member for more details. Contact: Barbara Keir and Nancy Podio Native Plant Society of Texas Promotes CAMN and organizes Educational The agenda for the next Board Meeting is events. Travis Audubon Society available on request. Background Checks Got info for the Field Notes? Contact: Jan Hanz Texas Capital Invaders Send info, photos and articles for Contact: Dolores Campbell publication in the Field Notes to: Citizen Scientist project. [email protected] Deadline for submission is the 27th of each Special Projects and Publications month. Contact: Marc Opperman
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