 Sat, Aug 19, 9am
Swannanoa Valley Birdwalk
Sat, Sept 2, 8am
Beaver Lake Birdwalk
Tue, Sept 5, 7pm
EMAS Board Meeting
Sat, Sept 9, 8am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
Sat, Sept 16, 8am
Swannanoa Valley Birdwalk
Tue, Sept 19 7pm
EMAS Program, Reuter's Center, UNCAsheville.
Sat, Oct 7, 8am
Beaver Lake Birdwalk
Sat, Oct 14
, 8am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
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For the latest schedule and any changes:
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Golden-winged Warbler
by Alan Lenk
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Our sincere thanks go out to all those who donated to Elisha Mitchell Audubon's 2017 Spring Birdathon. Through your generosity, and the fundraising efforts of the Birdathon teams, you've helped us raise a record-breaking $8,750! Thank you so much, we appreciate your support. Very special thanks go to Bill and Peg Steiner for donating, and matching, the proceeds from the sale of their Audubon prints at the May EMAS meeting.
The funds from the Birdathon have been disbursed as follows. A UNCA Environmental Studies student has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Our donation to the
American Bird Conservancy came during their matching fundraiser so the Reserva El Jaguar received $15,300! Our funds will support a project to enhance habitat in the Nicaraguan highlands for birds including two keystone overwintering species, the Golden-winged Warbler and the Wood Thrush.
Since the 2010 Birdathon, our chapter has raised over $50,000 for bird conservation. We are most grateful for the support of our members. If you haven't yet sent in your tax-deductible contribution yet, please
click here for a donation form. It's never too late for you to help birds!
Thank you all very much again for your generous and important support.
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Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge:
Conserving some of the Mountain's Rarest Places and Species
EMAS Program, Tues, Sept 19,
7 p.m.
Reuter Center, UNCA
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One of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's newest refuges  lies scattered across the mountains here in North Carolina. Dedicated in April 2015, the Mountain Bogs NWR was established to protect Southern Appalachian Mountain bogs, which are among the rarest and most imperiled habitats in the U.S. These bogs host five endangered species; Bog Turtles, Green Pitcher Plant, Mountain Sweet Pitcher Plant, Swamp Pink (a lily), and Bunched Arrowhead. They also provide habitat for animals like salamanders and migratory birds. Nearly two decades in the making, many of the bogs are on private land and some not in the refuge are still in need of protection. The refuge could eventually include 23,478 acres scattered across as many as 30 sites in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.
 Please join us for an inside look at this new refuge with Sue Cameron, wildlife biologist with the US F&WS. Sue works on terrestrial species of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Her primary duties entail working with partners to recover federally listed species like the Bog Turtle. Sue received her bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from Florida Tech and a master's in Resource Ecology from Duke University. Prior to working with the US F&WS, Sue worked for NC Wildlife Resources Commission as a coastal waterbird biologist and at Virginia Tech as a red-cockaded woodpecker biologist.
EMAS programs are free and open to the public.
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Tom Tribble Receives
Audubon Award
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On July 15, at the
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Tom Tribble with Heather Hahn
and Kim Brand
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Audubon Convention in Utah, Tom Tribble, our EMAS President, was presented with the William Dutcher award for his dedicated work on behalf of birds and the Audubon Society. The award was created to recognize outstanding Audubon volunteers who exemplify the standard of service to Audubon established by William Dutcher, who was named first chairman of the
National Association of Audubon Societies in 1905.
Friends affectionately refer to Tom as "the Ambassador of Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary" because he spends so much time there. He leads bird walks, helps tend the native plant garden, does maintenance work with the BLBS committee, removes invasives, coordinates volunteers, and welcomes every visitor in his open, friendly way. Tom also does a lot of his birding there!
Tom has been a birder and a member of Audubon since 1975. He's in his third term as EMAS president, and has served on the chapter board since 2008. A few of the countless tasks Tom does for Audubon and for birds include being an Audubon Ambassador, a Climate Watch coordinator, and leader of outreach to local nurseries for Audubon NC's Bird-Friendly Native Plants program. Tom also coordinates the Christmas and Spring Buncombe County bird counts, and gives numerous presentations locally about birds and Climate Change. The EMAS board and all our members congratulate Tom on this well-deserved award. We are lucky to have him and are very grateful for all he does for birds, our chapter and Audubon.
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Bird Notes by Rick Pyeritz
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The subject matter for
 this month's
Bird Notes was requested by a reader a few months ago. He asked that I write an article about a certain early ornithologist. It seems that these folks were always interesting individuals and the subject of the reader's request was no exception. A clue to his identity: This gentleman had three North American birds named after him while never having set foot in North America. If you are interested in finding who he was and more about his life, follow
this link.
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Text and Photos by Jay Wherley
map by Jenna Kesgen
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 You may have noticed six new ecoEXPLORE signs at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) is an incentive-based, citizen science initiative of the North Carolina Arboretum aimed at K-8 WNC children. This free pilot program combines science exploration with kid-friendly technology to foster a fun learning environment for children. Its purpose is to encourage kids to explore nature and to become citizen scientists.
ecoEXPLORERS visit selected LoanSpots to borrow binoculars, nets, iPod Touch units, or other items. Observations are then made at area HotSpots, photographed, and shared to earn points, which can be redeemed for goods at GetSpots. BLBS is a MegaSpot with LoanSpots and GetSpots nearby. Kids get outdoors, they learn, and have fun!
If you have a child interested in joining, sign up online (with parental permission) at http://www.ecoexplore.net/
Notable recent sightings at Beaver Lake include Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, and a Great Egret.
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