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The Limpkin Times
Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:
Protecting the rich biodiversity of the Florida Panhandle through education, appreciation, and conservation.
March 2023
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Paddling on the Aucilla River, February 19 field trip. Photo by Peter Kleinhenz.
Visit the field trip webpage to see more photos.
In this Issue:
Bird Advocacy Kudos!
Chapter Program
- Thurs. March 16, Land Conservation for Birds Panel Discussion (Zoom)
Chapter Outings
- Sat. March 11, Family friendly & Beginner's Birding Social at Lake Elberta
- Sun., March 19, Guided Walk at Wakulla Springs State Park
Events of Interest
- Thurs. March 2, Native Plant Society program: Northwest Sentinel Landscape, with Kent Wimmer
- Tues. March 21, Sierra Club program: Coastal Plains Institute, with Rebecca Means
Thank you for a great 2023 Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour!
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President's Message
Volunteers Needed: Many hands make for light work—and we’re in need of more hands! If you can contribute 2 or more hours of your time, please visit our volunteer webpage and see if there’s a task for you. We are looking for people to help with various projects at Lake Elberta Park and Governor’s Park, help develop programs for next year, or join our communications team and help out with the newsletter, publicity, and social media. There are a variety of tasks that we need help with. Some tasks have a limited monthly time commitment—like sending out welcome letters to new members—and can be done from home. Others are periodic activities, like picking up trash at a park, removing non-native invasive plants, or helping out at a tabling event at local festival (always fun!).
March Program: I hope you can join us for this month’s Zoom program about the role of Florida’s Conservation Lands in providing essential habitat for birds, and how organizations and individuals can help. Peter Kleinhenz will be moderating this panel discussion and we will have an open discussion as part of it, so bring your questions!
Get your Project Funded: A reminder that we have extended the deadline for the $500 Ben Fusaro Conservation Grant to March 15. We award two of these grants every year. Do you have a small conservation project in mind, or know someone, an organization, or school who’s looking to plant trees or a pollinator garden, or install some bird nest boxes? Visit our grant webpage to access the application and learn more about the 2022 award recipients.
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Sincerely,
Kathleen Carr
President, Apalachee Audubon
| Kudos to AAS member Sue Hansen and the City of Tallahassee! Sue has been strongly advocating for a pair of Ospreys who lost their long-standing nest site over the winter while they were away on migration. They had been using a cell tower (seen in the background of this photo) and when it was decommissioned the structure the birds built on was removed. Over the winter, Sue brought the matter to the attention of the City, which owns the site. In response, City staff installed two alternative nesting platforms, one next to the tower, which remains, and another a short distance away. UPDATE: The Osprey pair arrived back from migration the second week of February and have been VERY puzzled by the change at the tower and are doing their best to start a nest. Here's hoping that they will find the other platforms appealing and put them to good use! Check out our www.apalachee.org for more updates on our blog. |  | Two new nesting platforms have been installed by the City of Tallahassee to provide alternative nest-building sites for the Osprey pair that has been nesting on a nearby tower for many years. Photo by Kathleen Carr. |  | |
Northern Bobwhite Quail
Land Conservation for Birds Panel Discussion
This program will be taking place via Zoom. Registration is required for Zoom participants. Register early for any or all of our programs and you will receive a meeting reminder 24 hours before the meeting.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Zoom Program: 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Register for this program at the following link:
Zoom Registration Link: : https://bit.ly/3Lm7U2S
This Zoom program will feature a panel discussion about how land conserva-tion proceeds in Florida and what that means for our bird populations in the state. The discussion will be moderated by Peter Kleinhenz. The audience will have a chance to ask questions about land conservation, the respective organizations the panelists represent, and ways forward to help our feathered friends in our state.
The panelists are:
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Kent L. Wimmer, AICP - Senior Representative and Coordinator for the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape and Senior Northwest Florida Representative, Defenders of Wildlife
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Neil Fleckenstein - Tall Timbers Planning Coordinator
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Susan Carr - Strategic Conservation Manager, Alachua Conservation Trust
Learn more about the moderator and panelists.
For information about our April and May programs, visit www.apalachee.org
Watch recordings of previous programs on our YouTube Channel.
| February 19 Aucilla River field trip participants. Visit the webpage to see more photos. | |
Please use the sign up email link to register for each outing so we can keep you updated with any last minute changes. Be sure to include your mobile phone number in your email. Thank you!
Saturday, March 11, 2023, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Family-friendly and Beginners -- Birding Social at Lake Elberta Park
Sign up for this trip
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Guided Walk at Wakulla Springs State Park with Juli deGrummond
This trip will feature a guided walk with Juli followed by an optional boat tour at 10:40 AM and, for those who are interested, lunch at the lodge afterwards. Park admission is required and if you don’t already have a park pass you can buy a day pass online ahead of time, or pay when you arrive at the park’s entry booth.
Sign up for this trip
Saturday, April 8, 2023, 8:30 - 11:00 AM
Birding Social at Bear Creek Educational Forest
Sign up for this trip
Save the Date
Sunday, April 16, 2023, Times and details TBD
Sign up for this trip
Events of Interest
Thursday, March 2, Native Plant Society program: Northwest Sentinel Landscape, with Kent Wimmer
Tuesday. March 21, Sierra Club program: Coastal Plains Institute, with Rebecca Means
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A view of the cypress swamp bordering Tara Tanaka's and Jim Stevenson’s backyard.
Photo by Tammy Brown.
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Thank you for a great
2023 Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour!
By Tammy Brown
The weather was sunny and cool, which was perfect for another wonderful tour this year. We sold a total of 137 tickets, which made for a constant stream of visitors visiting four yards throughout the day. We had so many wonderful people working behind the scenes for months to bring it all together. Everyone’s contributions and outstanding efforts are very much appreciated. Read about the tour at our website.
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Land Acknowledgement Statement
Apalachee Audubon acknowledges that the region it serves is located on the ancestral and traditional homelands of the Apalachee Indians of the Talimali Band, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. We pay respect to the resiliency of their tribal members, past and present, and to all Indigenous peoples. We encourage all to learn about the significance of Indigenous peoples in this region and throughout this continent.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 2022-2023
Officers:
President: Kathleen Carr
Vice President: VACANT
Treasurer: Harvey Goldman
Secretary: James Carr
Directors:
Cindy Baisden
Charlie Baisden
Caleb Crow
Howard Kessler
Peter Kleinhenz
Heather Levy
Rob Williams
STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Conservation Peter Kleinhenz
Education Bryan Danford
Field Trips Heather Levy
Membership VACANT
Program VACANT
Publications and Publicity Kathleen Carr
+ Newsletter Chris Grossman
+ Web Team Elizabeth Georges, Kathleen Carr
+ Annual Report (President)
OTHER COMMITTEES & CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
Bookkeeper Adrienne Ruhl
Birdathon Harvey Goldman
History Caleb Crow, Karen Wensing
September Coastal Cleanup Donna Legare
Wildlife-Friendly Yards Tour Tammy Brown
Lake Elberta Park VACANT
Volunteer Coordinator VACANT
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