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Migration is starting to flutter throughout the state, and this month we're pleased to migrate to our new eNews format! You can prepare for fall migration birding by joining us on August 7 in Anchorage for a Meet the Author event with Robert Armstrong, author of the new edition of the
Guide to Birds of Alaska. Sandhill Cranes will be gathering at Creamer's Field Important Bird Area later this month, which you can enjoy at the Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival August 28-30. Find out how else you can help birds in this edition of the Audubon Alaska eNews.
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Guide to Birds of Alaska Book Signing in Anchorage
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Join Audubon Alaska and Alaska Geographic for a Meet the Author event Friday, August 7th, from 5:00pm-7:00pm at the Alaska Geographic Bookstore, 241 North C Street in Anchorage. Meet professional photographer and Alaska natural history author Robert H. Armstrong. Bob has written and coauthored many books including the Guide to Birds of Alaska, 6th Edition, published earlier this year. Enjoy appetizers, beer, and wine while watching a slideshow of Bob's incredible photographs. Bob will be available to sign books and answer questions. This event is FREE, with books available for a discounted price of $20 (cover price $29.99). Share the Facebook event!
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| Photo by Gerrit Vyn, Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology |
On July 20, Audubon accepted the Esri President's Award for revolutionizing its data collection and management approach with geographic information system (GIS) technology. Audubon Alaska received special mention for the major conservation success of our mapping of important habitat in the NPRA and Arctic Ocean! We couldn't do it without your support. Go team!
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Bike and Bird Day a Success
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Despite a rainy morning and pictures on the news of people kayaking down main streets in Anchorage, by early afternoon the weather improved enough for Audubon Alaska to hold the 4th Annual Bike and Bird Day.
Learn More
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TAKE ACTION:
Tell President Obama Arctic Ocean Drilling Is Too Risky
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King Eider
photo by Milo Burcham
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Shell's attempt to start drilling in the Arctic Ocean this summer has been an ominous replay of its 2012 season of mishaps.
Learn More
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Tongass Victory Protects Roadless Forest
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Good news for the Tongass!
A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision just reinstated the Roadless Rule on the Tongass, which prevents road construction and logging in currently roadless areas of the forest.
Learn More
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Wednesday Bird Walks in Anchorage Continue in August
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Wednesdays, (August 5, 12, 19 and 26), 6:30-8:30 PM
What's so special about Anchorage's coast for birds? To find out, join Audubon Alaska's Hannah Uher-Koch for weekly bird walks along the Coastal Trail. These walks will focus on the birds that make the Anchorage Coastal Important Bird Area a special place. We will meet at the Westchester Lagoon boat launch site and then continue along the Coastal Trail on easily accessible paved paths. Our pacĀe will be leisurely as we make frequent stops to look for birds. Everyone is welcome and binoculars will be available to borrow.
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Name that Bird Photo Quiz
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Previous Name That Bird
Photo Quiz Answer
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Name That Bird Photo Quiz
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Last month's photo quiz bird was a Glaucous Gull.
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The Bering Sea Shelf Edge 173W58N Important Bird Area is more than just a mouthful to say, it's an important foraging area for nearly 103,000 of these small seabirds. Can you identify this species?
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 Bike and Bird Day a Success
Around 50 people from Anchorage to Palmer participated last Sunday, July 26. Audubon Alaska hosts this event yearly to highlight the Anchorage Coastal Important Bird Area and the diverse birds that use it. Located right in Anchorage's backyard, this IBA follows the coast from Ship Creek to Potter Marsh, including popular Westchester Lagoon. Our partners include the Alaska Zoo and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Our route this year included 6 stations spread out along the Chester Creek and Coastal Trails. Event participants started at Valley of the Moon park, greeted by Peabody the Great-horned Owl from the Alaska Zoo. Then, they continued down the trail stopping at different birding stations as they biked towards the end station near Elderberry Park. At each location, local birders were on hand to help with bird ID and general information about the birds people spotted. The day closed with a visit from Little Bit, a Merlin from the Alaska Zoo.
The most exciting bird sighting was of a Eurasian Collared-Dove, later confirmed to be the first documented in Anchorage! Many thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers that helped make the day a success.
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TAKE ACTION:
Tell President Obama Arctic Ocean Drilling Is Too Risky
First, Shell submitted a drill plan for two wells nine miles apart that completely ignored a US Fish and Wildlife Service requirement that drill sites be fifteen miles apart to protect walrus. After much hemming and hawing by the Obama Administration, the plan was modified to only allow the operation of one well at a time. Then, on July 3, the icebreaker Fennica hit an underwater shoal, tearing a hole in the hull as it left Dutch Harbor. Shell had to send the ship to Portland, Oregon for repairs, delaying the start of drilling. The ship just headed back north July 31. Once it arrives, Shell hopes to finally begin drilling into oil-bearing rock.
All in all, Shell has displayed a mixture of arrogance and incompetence that does not bode well for the Arctic Ocean or its birds and wildlife. The Department of Interior estimates there's a 75% chance of a major spill if the Chukchi Sea leases are fully developed.
Send a letter to President Obama telling him drilling in the Arctic Ocean is too great a risk.
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Tongass Victory Protects Roadless Forest
This decision is the end of a long legal fight that began when the Bush Administration exempted the Tongass from the national roadless rule. Just last year, things looked bad when a 3-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ruled that the exemption was legal, and that the roadless rule should not apply to the Tongass. Happily, the 9th Circuit agreed to rehear the case with the full panel of judges (a very, very rare occurrence). In December the Court heard oral argument and this week issued its holding that the Roadless Rule applies to the Tongass. Large-scale old-growth logging and the roads that accompany that logging have taken a huge toll on portions of the Tongass. This win doesn't protect all the ecologically important parts of the Tongass, but it is a great start.
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We hope to see you at the Anchorage book signing. Thank you for supporting Audubon Alaska.
Happy Birding!
Beth Peluso, Communications Manager
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