Upcoming Events - Audubon Society of Kalamazoo

ASK LEADS INTERPRETAVIVE NATURE WALKS FOR

THE KALAMAZOO RIVER VALLEY TRAIL

Last spring ASK was contacted by the Program Coordinator of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail (KRVT) about leading some interpretive nature walks on the trail for the general public. Joyce Leppard, Russ Schipper, and I agreed to give it a try, and we led a walk in July, a walk in August, and two golf cart tours in October.

The walks were deemed a success by both ASK and the KRVT, and we are expanding the program to 11 walks and four golf cart tours this year, starting in April and ending in October. All trips start at the Kal-Haven Trail parking lot on North 10^th Street and go east, likely the most natural part of the trail finished to date.

Not only are these trips an excellent outreach opportunity for ASK but also a fundraiser, as we are getting paid to lead them.

For dates and details check the KRVT website at:
http://www.kalcounty.com/parks/krvt/trailprogramming.htm#Events.

ASK AND WOLF LAKE FISH HATCHERY OFFERS

SUMMER 2010 GARDEN TOURS

Learn about native plants and how you can attract birds, butterflies, and more to your garden. Tour the expanded butterfly garden and certified Monarch Way Station and Monarch Larva Monitoring Project site with over 50 species of native flowers and grasses. Tours will be offered at 6:30 PM on June 17 and July 21, lasting approximately one hour. This program is offered free of charge. Other dates or times might be arranged for groups by calling Shana McMillan at 269-668-2876. This event is a collaborative effort with ASK.

The Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery Visitor Center is six miles west of US-131 on the southwest corner of M-43 and Fish Hatchery Road. The parking lot is on Fish Hatchery Road a tenth of a mile south of M-43.

HUMMINGBIRD FESTIVAL 2010

The 4^th Annual Michigan Hummingbird Festival will be held on Saturday, July 31, 2010, at the River Lake Inn Trails & Gardens, 767 Ralston Road, Colon, Michigan. There will be hummingbird banding taking place starting at 8:00 AM. A guided nature walk will be lead by Russ Schipper at 11:00 AM. The Kalamazoo Nature Center will have Live Birds of Prey on site at 11:30 AM. There will be four presentations at the Colon High School starting at 2:00. Allen Chartier will talk on “Michigan Hummingbird Research” and “Creating a Hummingbird Haven,” Ilse Gebhard will speak on “Attracting Butterflies with Native Plants,” and Josh Haas will give an introduction into “Hummingbird Photography.” In addition, there will be several vendors selling nature-related items along with many non-profit exhibitors. Self-guided nature walks and golfcart tours will be available for the River Lake Inn Nature Trails, Freiburger Nature Trails, and the River Lake Inn Butterfly Gardens. Children’s activities will be ongoing through the day plus much more. There will be a $4 parking fee, but all events except the afternoon presentations and lunch are free. Tickets for the presentations are $20 and will be sold in advance. They may be purchased by calling River Lake Inn at 269-432-2626. Lunch and snacks will be available on site. For more information, see the River Lake Inn website at www.riverlakeinnrestaurant.com.

ASK CO-SPONSORS PETE DUNNE AT THE

KALAMAZOO NATURE CENTER

Pete Dunne is an American author, famous for his writings on natural history and birding. He is also the founder of the World Series of Birding, as well as the current director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, Vice President of Natural History for the New Jersey Audubon Society, and publisher of New Jersey Audubon magazine. His articles have appeared in most major American birding publications, including Birder's World, Birding, Bird Watcher's Digest, and WildBird.

A few of the books Pete has written are Tales of a Low-Rent Birder, The Feather Quest: A North American Birder's Year, and Hawks in Flight: A Guide to Identification of Migrant Raptors (with David Sibley and Clay Sutton), and The Wind Masters: Lives of North American Birds of Prey.

Pete Dunne’s Birdwatching Perspective

Friday, September 10, 7:00-8:00 PM at the KNC Interpretive Center

Fee: $8 members, $10 non-members

Join Pete as he shares his experiences and perspectives of birdwatching over the last 50 years.

Breakfast, Birds, and Banding with Pete Dunne

Saturday, September 11, 8:00-10:00 AM at the KNC Banding Station

Fee: $20 members, $25 non-members

Have breakfast with Pete at the KNC banding station, one of the oldest stations in the country. Then spend the morning with Pete as we are banding, walk the area and learn from him! Come with your bird questions. Bring your binoculars or borrow some from KNC. Many of Pete’s books will be available to have him sign.

Purchase tickets online at www.NatureCenter.org or call 269-381-1574, extension 0. Registration deadline is Monday, September 6. The fees for this program will help to support the KNC banding station. ASK is a co-sponsor.

Please note that our field trips now include the phone number of the leader. It is our policy that the leader will go to the meeting point even if the weather is poor. This does not mean the leader will go to the meeting point if it is dangerous to do so or if the roads are so bad, i.e. deep snow, that travel is not recommended. The phone numbers are provided for cases where the conditions are questionable, so that you can call the leader to see if the trip will be held. Please realize that we still hold our trips rain, snow, or shine, but we now leave it up to the leader to decide what is just plain unsuitable weather. Reminder: We still attempt to start trips at or very near the appointed time, so please don't be late. If you have any general questions about the policy, please call Russ Schipper at 375-7210.