The Limpkin Times

Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:

Protecting the rich biodiversity of the Florida Panhandle through education, appreciation, and conservation.

May 2023

Trouble Seeing This Email? View Online

Frosted Elfin butterfly

 In this Issue:

Annual Meeting

• May 21, Potluck Picnic & Program at Tall Timbers | Election

Chapter Outing

• May 13, Birding Social at Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center

Events of Interest

• May 6, Birds and Bubbly (Millstone Institute of Preservation)
• May 13 & 14, Native Plant Society Field Days
• May 20, Jubilee Orchards Festival 

President's Message

This is a brief message to inform you that we will be sending out a special election issue of The Limpkin Times on May 14 that will announce our 2023-2024 slate of officers and directors. The election will be held in person at the May 21 Potluck Picnic at Tall Timbers and we anticipate voting in five new members to our board! People will be welcome to email their support for this year's slate as well.

Happy Birding!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Carr

President, Apalachee Audubon

Annual Meeting

May Potluck Picnic and Program

Sunday, May 21, 2022, 4:00-7:00 PM

4:00 PM, Informal birding & socializing (Bring your binoculars!)

5:30 PM, Dinner (Bring your own dishes and eating utensils!)

6:00 PM, Election of the Board of Directors

6:15 PM, Presentation: Fire in the Hills How Butterflies Evolved with Fire in the Red Hills Region, with Robert Meyer and Dave McElveen

Tall Timbers is located in Leon County north of Tallahassee, Florida. The address is:

13093 Henry Beadel Rd.

Tallahassee, FL 32312

(NOTE: If you’re using Google Maps, search for Tall Timbers, not the street address, which will take you to the wrong address if you use the correct address, “Beadel Dr.” Or use “Beadel Rd.")

Click to view a map.

Here are the logistics:

GATHER at Tall Timbers as early as 4:00 PM for informal birding and socializing, and bring your binoculars!

SUPPER will begin at 5:30 PM so please have your covered dish, one per person or family, there by that time. Please bring a serving spoon. Label your serving dishes and spoons. Please also bring an index card with the name of your covered dish. Mention on the card whether it is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or if it has nuts in it. AAS will supply ice-cold minted water, sparkling water, and beer. 

LET’S REDUCE OUR WASTE: Each person should bring their own plate, bowl, utensils, and cup or water bottle. If you forget, we will have some extras on hand. We also recommend bringing a cloth napkin and a washable cloth bag in which to stow your used dishes. Sustainability starts with us. We’re looking forward to seeing you there.

PRESENTATION: The biodiversity in the Red Hills Region is known as a global biodiversity hotspot and much of that diversity is due to fire. Butterflies, like most of our endemic species, have found ways of living with the fires that maintain this ecosystem. But unlike other animals, butterflies have complex life stages that each interact with fire in different ways. Using the frosted elfin and the king's hairstreak butterflies as examples, we'll see just how varied those mechanisms of survival can be. Learn about the speakers.

Chapter Outing

 Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center 

Please use the sign-up email link to register for this 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, May 13, 2023, 8:30 - 11:00 AM

Bring the kids! Family Friendly Birding Social at Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center in Midway, Florida.

We will visit the center and its wildlife exhibits, then explore the bluebird nest box trail that AAS interns installed in 2022.

Sign up for this trip

April 16 field trip led by Mike Dayton at Meridian Park (Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park)

Events of Interest

The May 6 Birds and Bubbly is hosted by the Millstone Institute of Preservation, non-profit preservation, and teaching center since 1995. Their mission statement is “honor the legacy….protect the waters...and celebrate the spirit”.

Trip leader Cade Chaney is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Upon graduation, she did her internship with FWC in Tate’s Hell where she studied and banded red-cockaded woodpeckers.

After that, she worked for FWRI as part of a small team that implemented a pilot rooftop nesting study for several species of endangered shorebirds in the state of Florida.

In 2019 Cade was the Northeast Regional Shorebird Field Biologist. Since then, she has settled in Gainesville and continues her work for FWC. 

Her main passion is land management and community restoration. She currently leads research in her area on Southeastern American Kestrels, Bachman’s Sparrows, and Brown-headed Nuthatches. 

She authored two breeding bird accounts in the upcoming Breeding Bird Atlas II, published by the Florida Ornithological Society.

Florida Native Plant Society | Annual Conference Field Days

In-person Conference Field Days will follow around the state. The Field Days will include field trips and opportunities to socialize and network – and are being hosted by the Chapters in those areas. Field Day capacity is very limited, so check out your options and book one or more days around the state soon!

The Tallahassee Field Days Program includes two field trip options Saturday, May 13, and two options Sunday, May 14. Visit the registration link for details.



Register at https://www.fnps.org/conference/tallahassee-field-days

Jubilee Orchards Festival

Healthy Farming, Foods, Kids, Land, and Climate!

Saturday, May 20 10 AM - 5 PM

12008 Miccosukee Road

Tallahassee, FL 32309

Join us at the Jubilee Orchards Festival, which will take place on May 20th. Our friends at Tall Timbers are helping to sponsor this event and we’ll have a table there, so stop by and say hello! Blueberry picking starts at 8 AM and all other activities are from 10 AM to 5 PM. You’ll also experience a showcase of land management practices, soil enhancement advancements that reduce greenhouse gasses, a demonstration of Forest School – an international practice of exposing young children to nature, and more. The day will also be filled with organic blueberry picking, hay and pony rides, music, and food.

Click for details and the schedule of events.

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.



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, Kristin Cohea

+ 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     Kristin Cohea

Volunteer Coordinator Rebecca Wall