BHI CONSERVANCY Holiday Gift Catalogue 2013 Adopt & Shop for a Cause WWW.BHIC.ORG Barrier Island Conservation Preservation Education Free shipping with any donation from this catalogue. PHOTO: Donna Finley ADOPT A BHI TURTLE This adoption program is not a symbolic adoption. You will be assigned an actual turtle and help ensure the protection of that animal. Proceeds from these adoptions help the internship program conduct all night patrols to give BHI the highest nesting success in North Carolina. ADOPT-A-NEST* $150 Adoptive parent will receive: • A nest certificate detailing the location of the nest, date laid, and expected hatch date. • A birth announcement once the nest hatches detailing the hatch date and number of hatchlings. • A 7” plush turtle. * Please note that Adopting a Nest is not the same as being a Nest Monitor. Nest Monitor’s are volunteers trained by BHI Conservancy in accordance with permits issued by the NC PHOTO: BHIC Staff Wildlife Resources Commission. ADOPT-A-MOM $500 Adoptive parent will receive: • A certificate with a physical description of your loggerhead turtle and the tag number. • Shell measurements of your turtle. • A certificate at the end of the season detailing the number of nests laid during the season by your turtle. • Birth information describing when each nest hatched and the number of hatchlings. • A 12” plush turtle. PHOTO: BHIC Staff ADOPT-A-LEGACY $2,500 Adoptive individual/family will: • Name an individual sea turtle MOM and be assured your turtle will have this name forever (or as long as we document her on BHI). • Receive a certificate detailing the life history of your turtle (when she was tagged, tag number, & how many years she has been documented nesting on BHI). • Receive a physical description (shell measurements, etc) • Receive notice every year when your turtle returns to nest on BHI along with the number of nests laid during those years. • Receive a 26” plush turtle. PHOTO: BHIC Staff LEFT PAGE PHOTO: Doug Ledgett YOUR ANIMAL! CHOOSE YOU CAN Painted Bunting • Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchling • Common Tern • Red Fox • American Alligator SYMBOLIC GIFT ADOPTIONS You will be giving a gift that helps protect the future of wildlife on Bald Head Island. Proceeds support the Bald Head Island Conservancy’s wildlife conservation efforts. Adopt one of the following five BHI animals and give a gift that protects wildlife on the island you love! $50 GIFT ADOPTION GIFT ADOPTION Includes: Fact Card, Certificate of $25 Adoption, 5x7 Photo, 8” plush of adopted animal Includes: Fact Card, Certificate of Adoption, 5x7 Photo RED FOX PHOTO: Donna Finley Adoption (VULPES VULPSE) » The red fox resembles a bushy-tailed, medium sized dog. Certificate of » A good way to distinguish a red fox from the grey fox is their This certificate of adoption is to verify that identifying feature is the long tail which is tipped with white » Red foxes are primarily should be nocturnal although they are occasionally out contact with humans can make them active during is the symbolic parent to daylight hours » Foxes are naturally shy; however, they lose their natural fear of humans when fed by humans. Fed foxes are often mistaken for AMERICAN having rabies – a disease which regularly impacts their population Adoption – when authorities see them beg for food they often destroy them ALLIGATOR mistaking begging for aggressiveness. Symbolic adoptionby supporting represents the a commitmentefforts of the toBald helping Head save Island wildlife Conservancy. on Bald Head Island (ALLIGATOR MISSISSIPPIENSIS) Thank you for your support and congratulations! Suzanne E Dorsey PhD ExEcutivE DirEctor » The average life span of a red fox in the wild is between 2-4 years. Certificate of » Alligators are the largest reptiles in North America. This certificate of adoption is to verify that » The red fox is an agile, skillful hunter, feeding on a wide variety of » Alligators are cold blooded, egg laying and covered by foods including mice, lizards, snakes, and various plants and insects protective scales. and on Bald Head Island, sea turtle eggs. is the symbolic parent to » Alligators live up to 50 years. » Male and female red foxes primarily form monogamous pairs each winter and will dig a den to raise their young. » Alligators eat a variety of things, including insects, fish frogs, snakes, birds, raccoons, deer and even other alligators. for more information WWW.BHIC.ORG PHOTO: Doug Ledgett » Alligators can remain under water for 45-60 minutes. Symbolic adoptionby supporting represents the a commitmentefforts of the toBald helping Head save Island wildlife Conservancy. on Bald Head Island » Alligators are capable of short bursts of speed on land—up Thank you for your support and congratulations! Suzanne E Dorsey PhD ExEcutivE DirEctorto 30 mph! » A mother alligator lays anywhere from 30-70 eggs in a nest composed of vegetation and lined with mud and sticks. » Mother alligators have a very strong maternal instinct, which can cause her to become aggressive if she thinks her nest or young are threatened. for more information WWW.BHIC.ORG 3 EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT $100 GIFT ADOPTION BHI Conservancy Wildlife Conservation Includes: Fact Card, Certificate of Adoption, 5x7 Photo, 12” plush of PHONE adopted animal 910-457-0089 ext 10 ONLINE www.bhic.org Adoption PAINTED BUNTING Certificate of (PASSERINA CIRIS) This certificate of adoption is to verify that » Only when male Painted Buntings reach their second fall do they achieve the dramatic combination of blue, green, and red colors. MAIL » In contrast to the male, the plumage of the female is cryptic green is the symbolic parent to and yellow green. » Painted Buntings eat seeds, except during spring and early summer when they feed primarily on insects. » Male vigorously defend their territories and chases trespassing rivals. This vigorous response to intruders has served as means to Symbolic adoptionby supporting represents the a commitmentefforts of the toBald helping Head save Island wildlife Conservancy. on Bald Head Island capture males by using cage birds or mounts as decoys for traps. Thank you for your support and congratulations! Suzanne E Dorsey PhD ExEcutivE DirEctor Return the form in the back » Males give courtship display on the ground (mostly), where he “flattens himself out, spreads his wings and tail, and fluffs his plumage much like a miniature turkey gobbler. of this catalogue. » Females lay 3-4 eggs in cup shaped nests made from grass stems, barks strips and rootlets lined with moss and hair. for more information WWW.BHIC.ORG ALL THREE GIFT COMBINATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR EACH ANIMAL. SALT MARSH HABITAT A salt marsh is the land along the edges of coastlines. It is dominated by dense stands of salt-tolerant grasses and filtering oysters. Salt marshes are the nursery of 90% of our harvested seafood and provide support to migrating birds. Salt marshes protect coastal communities by absorbing storm surge. ADOPT A PAINTED BUNTING Male Painted Buntings are the most spectacularly colored birds of all North American songbirds, with a gaudy combination of red, blue, yellow and green feathers. However, despite its vivid coloration, it is often difficult to find as it moves among dense thickets on the edge of salt marshes. The Painted Bunting’s decline is most likely the result of loss of habitat. The eastern population, with its very limited coastal range, is especially susceptible to habitat loss. Your help will support annual surveys of the BHI bunting population. These surveys help monitor the health of the BHI Painted Bunting’s population and their migration success. $100 $50 $25 BUY ONLINE: WWW.BHIC.ORG FREE SHIPPING • 910-457-0089 EXT 10 PHOTO: Doug Ledgett TOP PHOTO: Donna Finley DUNE/BEACH HABITAT Sand dunes are geologic features that are in a constant state of change – either building in elevation with wind trapped sand or being flattened due to a big storm or hurricane. The plants on sand dunes provide protection from storm-induced erosion and provide shelter to nesting birds and turtles. Healthy dunes protect human and wildlife homes; and are one of three major habitats on Bald Head Island. PHOTO: Doug Ledgett ADOPT A LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE HATCHLING From May-September, Loggerhead mothers nest on our beaches. After laying 100-120 eggs, mothers head back to the ocean. Loggerhead babies hatch and head to the ocean without their mother’s help. After 25-30 years, female turtles mature and return to their natal beach to nest. The Loggerhead is one of three turtle species to nest on BHI and is currently listed as “threatened”. BHI Conservancy’s Sea Turtle Protection Program uses a saturation tagging method to record all nesting turtles. That means all nesting moms are intercepted and tagged. Turtle nests are caged to protect them from predators and relocated when in a place vulnerable to erosion. Late hatchlings are helped out of the nest when necessary. All this occurs following the NC Wildlife Commission guidelines. $100 $50 $25 BUY ONLINE: WWW.BHIC.ORG PHOTO: Donna Finley FREE SHIPPING • 910-457-0089 EXT 10 ADOPT A COMMON TERN The Common Tern is a graceful shorebird frequently seen above the Cape diving for fish. The terns’ wellbeing depends on healthy coastal waters with plentiful fish and substantial dune systems for nesting. The Bald Head Island Conservancy collects ocean water quality samples and monitors dune erosion to protect their fragile habitat. Be careful if you approach a mother tern when she is sitting on her nest— terns are protective parents. $100 $50 $25 BUY ONLINE: WWW.BHIC.ORG FREE SHIPPING • 910-457-0089 EXT 10 MARITIME FOREST HABITAT A maritime forest is a woodland found within one mile of coasts. High winds, salt spray and sandy soils are harsh environments for plant life.