KODIAK AUDUBON SOCIETY!

APRIL 29, 2012

Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (402 Center Ave)

10:00 -11:30 am Build a Bird Feeder

Build your own bird feeder and welcome birds to your backyard! Children under 8 years of age must have an adult assist with this activity.

11:30 am 12:30 pm Visit Artemis the Owl

A presentation featuring "Artemis" the Great Horned Owl (courtesy of owl handler Randi Pearlmann from the Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage).

1:00 2:00 pm Bird Banding Demo Baranov Park (weather permitting)

IMBD celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas - bird migration. Public awareness and concern are crucial components of migratory bird conservation. Citizens who are enthusiastic about birds, informed about threats, and empowered to become involved in addressing those threats, can make a tremendous contribution to maintaining healthy bird populations. By modeling what can be done and involving people, their interest and involvement in stewardship can grow (from www.birdday.org). Learn about the MonitoringAvian Productivity & Survivorship (MAPS) program, acitizen science program, which bands migratory songbirds and provides information to continent-wide database.

2011 - 2012 CONSERVATION REPORT FOR KODIAK AUDUBON

by Stacy Studebaker evaluate actions proposed by the Airport Operator, the Alaska State Department of Transportation and 2011 was a busy year for the Conservation Committee. Many new issues popped up but we have Public Facilities (ADOT&PF), to improve the Runway Safety Areas (RSAs) at the Kodiak Airport. continued to follow the FAAs Kodiak Airport Kodiak Audubon has been involved from the start to Environmental Impact Statement process for the help protect important habitats, salmon, and species proposed Runway Safety Areas (RSA). of conservation concern at the mouth of the Buskin Over the last six years, the Federal Aviation River. The EIS will be published this summer and Administration has been preparing an EIS to Continued on page 3

PAGE 1

KODIAK AUDUBON SOCIETY! PRESIDENTS CORNER

Greetings Habitat-Huggers, Its spring. Kodiak Audubon is gearing up for leading bird walks for the 5th grade classes at Fort Abercrombie with Peterson Elementary (May 4) and at Camp Woody (May 10 and 17) with Main and East Elementary. Even though the weather is frequently snotty, its always loads of fun. We are also looking forward to International Migratory Bird Day on May 19th hosted with the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (see the other article for details) and of course we are excited for our summer hiking series. Kodiak Audubon has switched to publishing a single printed newsletter each year which will come out in April/May with a copy of our hiking guide. To stay up to date on programs and events, join us on Facebook or visit our blog kodiakaudubon.blogspot.com. As most of you know, the ever-popular Birds About Town column, has now been ocially retired. If you are interested in the birds being sited around town there is a Yahoo Group KodiakBirding moderated by Rich

APRIL 29, 2012

MacIntosh. Please join and share all of the birds that you are sighting around the island.

Thank you to everyone involved. Way to go Auduboners!

THE FOLLOWING IS A RECAP OF THIS PAST YEAR.

In October we hosted Nils Warnock, the Director of Audubon Alaska, who gave a presentation, From Highways to Flyways: Migration of Alaskas Birds in which we learned about how crucial Asian wintering grounds are for the breeding birds of Alaska. In November, we had a booth at the AAUW bazaar. Each year we sell Audubon Calendars and the Kodiak Audubon Hiking and Birding Guide. We also display and sell cat bibs, which always received quite a few comments and chuckles. We also became better acquainted with Kodiaks winter bird life as Rich gave his annual Winter Birds of Kodiak presentation to prepare us for the Christmas Bird Counts. Thank you to Nils Warnock and Rich MacIntosh for sharing your expertise and photos. Each year in December Kodiak Audubon runs two Christmas Bird Counts one in the Kodiak area and another in the Narrow Cape area. The results from the Kodiak area count as reported by Rich MacIntosh on KodiakBirding, This was the 39th consecutive Kodiak Christmas Bird Count. Sixty one people participated this year. We tallied 78 species and 11,071 individual birds on count day, and an additional 7 species in Count Week (the periods three days before, and three days after Count Day). Count Week birds were Brant, Eurasian Wigeon, King Eider, Roughlegged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Thayer's Gull, and American Threetoed Woodpecker. The Count Day total was very good, despite bad weather. Our best ever Count Day total, 86, is the all-time high count for the State. The post-count compiling party, held at Claudia and Stosh Anderson's house, was fabulous. Thank you Claudia and Stosh. For more details, please visit http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/ KodiakBirding/message/396 In late March, we screen the move, The Big Year, and then too k everyone out to search for Boreal and Northern Sawwhet Owls. Kodiak Audubon decided to host fewer lecture speakers this year with the advent of the new Brown Bag Lunch Series hosted by the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and the Alutiiq Museum Evening Lecture Series.

PAGE 2

KODIAK AUDUBON SOCIETY!

Sept. 1, 2011 We submitted comments to the Borough Parks and Recreation Committee on the Kodiak Road System Trails Master Plan. Audubon members have been very dedicated and active members of this committee throughout the development of the plan. The plan is now complete and the committee held its rst Trails Summit on April 25th. Although we feel the plan falls short in some areas of conservation concern, we thank the committee for their eorts in the art of compromise and are pleased that the plan is complete so they can now move forward with getting grant money to improve trails.

APRIL 29, 2012

proposed route in the Gulf of Alaska.! Kodiak Audubon continues to participate in the Kodiak Archipelago Cooperative Weeds Management Area group meetings that direct eorts to protect our native ora from introduced and invasive plant species.

will include the FAAs preferred alternatives for the Runway Safety Areas and runway extensions. There will be a 60-day comments period. Working with other groups, tribes, agencies and individuals, Kodiak Audubon has made a dierence in protecting the Buskin River State Recreation Area from unnecessary impacts and encouraging the development December 21, 2011 of alternatives that will not disturb We submitted comments to this area that is so important to Kodiak Island Borough Planning our community. and Zoning Committee on the request by A1 Timber to build a logging road in Chiniak across August 27, 2011 state and borough land. Audubon We submitted comments to the was opposed to the request due to Kodiak Regional Aquaculture many natural resource impacts and Association on their proposal for supported the Chiniak community Nutrient Enrichment of Karluk that was also opposed to the idea. Lake. We do not support nutrient Audubon members testied in enrichment or stocking of Karluk person many times at meetings. Lake or any other lake in the The permit was denied. refuge that is relatively pristine mainly because these lakes are within the Kodiak National January 21st, 2012 Wildlife Refuge whose mission is, We submitted comments to the in part, to protect natural Alaska Department of Natural ecosystems. Many other lakes in Resources Division of Mining, the Kodiak Archipelago have been Land and Water on the Alaskan articially enriched or stocked and Wet Dog Jetski Race Event we believe that some should be proposed for May of 2013. We left alone to serve as a control in have many concerns about safety, order to learn more about the environmental impacts, and natural uctuations of Kodiak infrastructure impacts on small salmon and brown bear habitat. communities along the 1000+ mile

Contributors
CINDY TRUSSELL
President of Kodiak Audubon Society

CINDY BOWER
Newsletter and hiking program coordinator

STACY STUDEBAKER
Conservation chair and organizer for International Migratory Bird Day.

PAGE 3

KODIAK AUDUBON SOCIETY!

APRIL 29, 2012

Hiking Program Continues in 2012

schedule inside for dates, destinations, and diculty levels. You may participate in these hikes at your own risk and should be aware of dangers in the wilderness and your own limits. Only select trips with a level of diculty you can manage. Let the trip leader know about any problems you may have. Children are welcome if accompanied by a responsible adult and if the trip is not too strenuous (e.g. # 1 type hikes). Dress appropriately for Kodiaks cool and wet climate. Carry rain gear and use the layering principle. Wear good quality waterproof hiking boots.

Calendar
May 19, 2012 International Migratory Bird Day June 2, 2012 Fort Abercrombie Hike June 3, 2012 Near Island North and South Ends June 9, 2012 Up and Over Old Womens Mountain June 10, 2012 Boyscout Lake Trails June 16, 2012 Three Pillar Point Trail

The Kodiak Audubon Society invites you to join us for a stroll, a hike, or a climb! Volunteers lead hikes on our beautiful island. Meet your hike leader at 9:30 am in front of the Bring a snack or sandwich, water, Kodiak Island Convention & Visitors camera, and binoculars to enjoy the Bureau (Ferry Building) at the end of wildlife and the glorious vistas. Center Avenue, downtown. Check the