The Limpkin Times

Apalachee Audubon Society Mission Statement:

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

November 1, 2023

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Gartered Trogon, Bribri indigenous village, Yorkin River, Costa Rica, April 2023.

Photo by Hays Cummins

 In this Issue:

Chapter Programs at FSU's King Life Sciences Building Auditorium

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Our parking assignment for this year has been changed to the parking garage. See the information below.



• Thurs. Nov. 16, Exploring Costa Rica Through Science, Culture, and Photography, with Hays Cummins
• An Introduction to Hays Cummins

Chapter Outings (fully booked, but a waitlist is available)

• Sat. Nov. 11, Guided Walk at Lafayette Heritage Trail Park, with Kristan Godbeer
• Sat. Dec. 2, Overwintering Ducks at St. Marks NWR, with Don Morrow

Lake Elberta Activities

• November Bird of the Month
• Sat. Nov. 4, Trash Cleanup

Photo Request



Donation Request

Kathleen Carr, Lucas Pittman, and Ben Rangel at Audubon Florida Assembly

President's Message

Adopt-a-Street: I'm pleased to announce that, thanks to the efforts of board member Rebecca Wall, AAS has adopted a city street where we will pick up litter every two months--a stretch of Sharer Rd. starting at North Monroe and ending just before it crosses I-10. Our first litter pick-up is scheduled for Sunday, November 19th, at 9:00 a.m. If you're interested, please email Rebecca at rebecca.l.wall@outlook.com. 

2023 Audubon Assembly: For the first time since 2019, Florida Audubon chapters met in person for the annual Audubon Assembly. 2020 and 2021 were virtual meetings, due to the pandemic—better than nothing, to be sure. Then in 2022, we planned to meet in person in Fort Myers. Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian devastated the area just weeks before our meeting and we ended up having to quickly step back into virtual meeting mode. The Audubon Florida staff did an amazing job of reorganizing everything on short notice! Thankfully, this year’s Tampa meeting went off without a hitch and the three of us who attended had a great time and learned a lot. See photos and description of this year’s conference.

Introducing Lucas Pittman, our 2023 CLI Student: For the second year in a row, I am volunteering as a mentor for Audubon Florida's Conservation Leadership Initiative (CLI) program. CLI connects undergraduate students with local chapter leadership for an entire school year to strengthen their leadership skills and gain an understanding of career options in the conservation field. Lucas is a sophomore at FSU, majoring in Environmental Science & Biological Science. And he is no stranger to Apalachee Audubon or me! He participated in a number of field trips last year and my husband James and I provided him with transportation on several occasions. It was a wonderful surprise when the program officials notified me--they had no idea we already knew each other. I am looking forward to his greater involvement with AAS.

Black Gum Stakeout, by Don Morrow: Recommended short read. Check out this blog article posted by Native Nurseries. Here's an excerpt, but do read the entire piece! That black gum never actually spoke to me, but by watching it, I learned a lot about how it fits into the local ecosystem. In the end, I observed eight bird species feeding on the gum’s fruit; Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson’s Thrush, and Summer Tanager. 

Happy Birding!

Kathleen Carr, President

Chapter Programs

Programs will meet in person and via Zoom.

Zoom Program Registration Link: https://bit.ly/45woHJZ

Register early and you will receive a meeting reminder 24 hours before the meeting.

FSU's King Life Science Building

319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee 32304 

NOTE: FSU has changed our parking arrangements. Please park in the Spirit Way parking garage on the second Floor and above.We will have people outside before the meeting directing program attendees to the correct location. 

Exploring Costa Rica through

Science, Culture, and Photography

with Hays Cummins

Hays Cummins

Social with coffee and snacks at 6:30 p.m.

Announcements at 7:00 p.m.

Program begins at 7:15 p.m.

Join us as we hear from Dr. Hays Cummins about his fascinating adventures and extensive research in Costa Rica.

Click for more information and Zoom registration

An Introduction to Hays Cummins

By Peter Kleinhenz, AAS Past President

Dr. Hays Cummins is one of the first people that pop into my mind when I think of "conservationist". He has spent an entire career dedicated to better understanding the natural world, from weather to paleontology to coral reefs to birds. But he also has spent an entire career educating others, and not just people he's paid to teach. And then, of course, he has protected not just one but two tracts of land, one in Ohio and one in Florida. Hays, along with his equally impressive wife Donna, generously donated conservation easements on both tracts of land to ensure that they are protected forever.

As if this is not enough, Hays has an insatiable curiosity about the world around him and is someone I would define as a "lifelong learner". He knows how to ask a good question and, despite his deep well of knowledge, is humble enough to always seek out more information from others around him. Whether on Facebook, on field trips, during lectures, while leading international trips, or talking to private landowners out in the country, he's constantly sharing both his old and new knowledge with others in an effort to move the conservation needle forward and inspire others to care as much about conserving this planet as he does. The best way to put it, I think, is that Dr. Hays Cummins is a true inspiration to anyone with even the slightest love of nature and wild places. If we had more of him, the world would be a much better place. 

Chapter Outings

Participants for the October guided field trip with Juli deGrummond to Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park. 

Upcoming Field Trips:

Both the November and December outings are fully booked, but if you'd like to be added to the waiting list, visit the information page for that trip.

Sat. Nov. 11, Guided Walk at Lafayette Heritage Trail Park, with Kristan Godbeer.

Click for more information.

Sat. Dec. 2, Overwintering Ducks at St. Marks NWR, with Don Morrow.

Click for more information.

Lake Elberta Park

November Bird of the Month

Click to learn about this bird frequently found around the park!

November Trash Clean Up | Join us in keeping this beautiful ecosystem healthy!

Sat. November 4, starting at 9:00 a.m.

• Additional parking is available on FAMU Way, close to Stearns St. There's also a 20-spot parking lot off of the roundabout at FAMU Way and Robert and Trudie Perkins Way (just west of Stearns St.). It’s about a 3-minute walk from the parking lot to the Stearns St. entrance of the park.
• Kayakers and canoeists are welcome and needed!
• Gloves, trash bags, and other supplies provided
• Water is provided, but please bring your reusable water bottle

Photo Request -- Seen Something Cool?

If you've taken a great photo of birds or other wildlife in one of the counties we serve, we'd love to highlight it on Apalachee Audubon's social media accounts. Send photos taken in Leon, Jefferson, Wakulla, Gadsden, Liberty, and Franklin Counties to Ben Rangel at bkrangel@gmail.com.

Please Donate to Help Us Protect Nature!

Apalachee Audubon can only accomplish the work we do with the support you provide. Your gift is a sound investment in a healthy future for North Florida birds, their habitats, and the web of life upon which we all depend. You can donate online via PayPal or send us a check. Click to become a donor. Thank you!

Help keep our chapter strong!

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: 2023-2024

Officers

President: Kathleen Carr

Vice President: VACANT

Treasurer: Harvey Goldman

Secretary: James Carr

Directors

Cindy Baisden

Charlie Baisden

Kristin Cohea

Juli deGrummond

Kristan Godbeer

Ben Rangel

Rebecca Wall

Student Directors

Traysea Auger

Christian Watson-Kerr

STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS

OTHER COMMITTEES & CHAPTER ACTIVITIES