THE NEWSLETTER OF NEW YORK CITY AUDUBON WINTER FALL 2014 2019 / /VOLUME VOLUME XXXV XL NO. NO. 3 4 THE URBAN AUDUBON Introducing Our Vision for the Future NYC Audubon Adds a New Business Model for Green Roofs Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis) Fall 2019 1 NYC AUDUBON MISSION & STATEMENT Mission: NYC Audubon is a grassroots community that works for the protection of wild PRESIDENT’S PERCH Jeffrey Kimball birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Vision: NYC Audubon envisions a day when birds s we approach 2020, we at NYC Audubon look forward not only to our 40th and people in the five boroughs enjoy a healthy, livable habitat. Anniversary, but also to the implementation of our new Strategic Plan, 2020-2025: A Vision for the Future. The process of writing a new strategic plan for any orga- THE URBAN AUDUBON A Editors Lauren Klingsberg & Marcia T. Fowle nization is soul-searching. We wrapped ourselves around all that we are currently doing and Managing Editor Andrew Maas simultaneously looked forward to all that we hope to achieve in the near future. After almost Newsletter Committee Seth Ausubel; Lucienne Bloch; Ned Boyajian; Suzanne Charlé; two years of efforts by staff and board members, we are very pleased with the completed Diane Darrow; Catherine Schragis Heller; document, which you can view at www.nycaudubon.org/strategicplan2020-2025. Mary Jane Kaplan; Abby McBride; Hillarie O’Toole; Don Riepe; Carol Peace Robins A strategic plan serves as an internal guide for the organization, a roadmap for all our Printing & Mailing Kase Printing, Inc. efforts in preserving habitats throughout the ive boroughs, making our vast city safer for Design Whitehouse & Company birds, and illuminating the wonders of nature for all New Yorkers. And the plan provides Art Director Andrew Maas a reckoning with how we can be more inclusive of the great diversity in our community. Publisher NYC Audubon We have always held the preservation of birds at the forefront of our mission. In the BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Jeffrey Kimball next ive years, we will continue our decades-long work of monitoring wading bird and Executive Vice President Robert Bate waterbird colonies, as well as other important conservation initiatives. But we will also Vice President Karen Benfield Vice President Richard H. Fried, VMD expand our reach, advocating for local and statewide legislation that promotes bird-safe Vice President Catherine Schragis Heller building practices in the city. For the irst time ever, NYC Audubon now has a full-time Vice President Sarah Jeffords Advocacy and Outreach Manager to ensure that our voice is heard in government ofices, Vice President Lawrence Levine Vice President Rachel Quiñones public hearings, the press, or wherever birds and nature need a voice in New York City. We Treasurer Drianne Benner will expand our inluence as a leader in green roof research and launch a green roof certi - Secretary Alexander Ewing Immediate Past President Harrison D. Maas ication program, encouraging the creation of a patchwork of rooftop oases that provide Directors Seth Ausubel; Marsilia A. Boyle; another layer of habitat for migrating and native birds and contribute to cooling buildings Shawn Cargil; César A. Castillo; Christian Cooper; Tatiana Kaletsch; Deborah Laurel; Jenny Maritz; naturally and regulating stormwater runoff. Alan Steel; Michael Tannen; Richard Veit, PhD; There are of course many other environmental threats to New York City, such as Michael Yuan climate change, the rampant use of rodenticides that inadvertently kill hawks and other ADVISORY COUNCIL raptors, and the danger of outdoor cats to bird populations. We are still a small organiza- Co-Chair Marcia T. Fowle*; Co-Chair James R. Sheffield; tion, and we cannot always be at the forefront of all these issues, but we do stay abreast Richard T. Andrias; Sarah Grimké Aucoin; of what is going on in the city and contribute our support or expertise wherever we can. Claude Bloch, MD; David Burg*; Albert K. Butzel; Cliff Case; Rebekah Creshkoff; Andrew Darrell; As we look to the half decade ahead, we will greatly increase our footprint in areas Joseph H. Ellis; Andrew Farnsworth, PhD; of the city that are traditionally underserved, encouraging all New Yorkers to appreciate Lynne Hertzog; Mary Jane Kaplan; the nature in our midst and to conserve it. We will continue to expand the number of Robert J. Kimtis; Lauren Klingsberg; Kimberly Kriger; Janice Laneve; Pamela Manice; bird walks we offer in all boroughs, adding several in small neighborhood parks. We will Peter Rhoades Mott*; Dorothy Peteet, PhD; carry on our efforts in education, developing curricula for use in schools, as well as ampli- Don Riepe; Lewis Rosenberg; John Shemilt; David Speiser; Tom Stephenson fying our successful training of architects and other building professionals in bird-friendly *Past President design and construction. STAFF Equally as important, we are growing and working to include a greater diversity of Executive Director Kathryn Heintz New Yorkers in our membership, our staff, and our board of directors. The future of bird Director of Conservation & Science Susan Elbin, PhD conservation, and indeed the future health of the planet, will be in the hands of the broad Conservation Biologist Kaitlyn Parkins diversity of the coming generations. Field Biologist Emilio Tobón Programs Manager Danielle Sherman Advocacy & Outreach Manager Molly Adams Director of Development Kellye Rosenheim REMEMBER THE BIRDS Grants Manager Anne Schwartz Development Associate Leo Wexler-Mann Make sure that New York City remains a haven for the birds and wildlife you love. A bequest is Communications Manager Andrew Maas a generous and straightforward way to safeguard birds and their habitat in New York City’s five Communications Content Manager, Special boroughs. It can be expressed as, “I bequeath [a sum of money or a percentage of my estate] to Projects Tod Winston New York City Audubon Society, Inc., a not-for-profit organization with offices at 71 West 23rd Controller David Cavill Street, Suite 1523, New York, NY 10010.” To learn more, contact Director of Development Kellye Rosenheim at [email protected] or 646-502-9611. RECYCLED Supporting responsible use of 2 www.nycaudubon.org forest resources IN THIS ISSUE FALL 2019 © Patricia A. O’Keefe / Audubon Photography Awards NYC AUDUBON 71 West 23rd Street Suite 1523 New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212-691-7483 Fax: 646-606-3301 www.nycaudubon.org Cover Photograph: Connecticut Warbler in Bryant Park © Terence Zahner Small Banner Photographs: Susan Elbin, Steve Nanz, and Don Riepe *This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. 6 © Matt Tillet* FEATURES 6 Introducing Our Vision for the Future by Tod Winston 7 Meet Our New Board Members 9 by Catherine Schragis Heller © William Vieth / Audubon Photography Awards © William Vieth / Audubon Photography Awards 8 NYC Audubon Adds a New Business Model for Green Roofs by Mary Jane Kaplan 9 Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis) by Tom Stephenson 15 Kingsland Wildflowers Transitions to New Management 10 by Kathryn Heintz © Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages 18 Thank You to Our Spring and Summer Staff and Interns 20 The Fall Roost: Celebrating 40 Years DEPARTMENTS 4 Conservation Notes 17 Fall 2019 Lecture Series 15 5 Volunteer! 18 Acknowledgments 10 Events & Adventures 19 Support NYC Audubon’s Mission 16 Book Reviews 19 News & Notes Fall 2019 3 CONSERVATION NOTES To help determine our conservation priorities going forward as part of our new strategic plan, the conservation team created an outline spanning our conference room wall that organized all the current projects we are involved in by programmatic area. Each project was represented as a card, with Post-it notes indicating priority ranking as well partner organizations also working on these projects. The outline was critical in helping us understand what projects were in most need of our expertise and efforts over the next ive years. YC Audubon staff and board members have been laser- led to the sighting of the 29th bird species using the roof as habitat, focused on creating NYC Audubon’s strategic plan, which the Eastern Bluebird. Most of the species are passerines, visiting the Nwill set our conservation priorities for the next ive years. Toroof during their migration. Among breeding birds, Herring Gulls are help frame the discussion, we produced a comprehensive outline of our taking advantage of the green roof for nesting habitat: it was home to work in urban bird ecology and conservation. This outline helped us nearly 150 nesting pairs this season. We banded 101 of these birds in an evaluate all the projects we are involved in and answer these questions effort to see where the chicks go after ledgling and determine if breed- about them: Which projects are most central to our mission? Which proj- ing adults return to the roof in subsequent breeding seasons. So far, we ects happen solely with NYC Audubon leadership? And which projects have documented several banded adults returning to the roof to breed. are led by our partners (with varying degrees of help from us). There are Some of the banded chicks have been sighted as far away as Virginia, many environmental and wildlife issues confronting New York City, so Florida, and Louisiana. it was important to evaluate thoroughly the conservation landscape in the City and determine where our efforts and expertise are most needed WATERBIRDS OF NEW YORK HARBOR and can be put to best use. Over the next ive years, we will continue to May 2019 marked NYC Audubon’s 35th annual Harbor Herons expand and focus our core programs (Project Safe Flight, Waterbirds of nesting survey on islands in New York Harbor and surrounding water- New York Harbor, and Protecting Urban Bird Habitat), reinforcing our ways.