Membership Meeting

Sunday December 7, 2008

Safeguarding ANWR
& the Tongas
November/December 2008 The
Sandpiper
Strategies by Lauren Hierl
1:30 pm – 3 pm
Pearsall Building
2109 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen

the land contours. Here the exotic, last was a magnificent day, though
densely-thatch-forming European my knees told me for many hours
grasses (brought in originally by afterward just how many dozens
humans for erosion control) are of times I had sunk down on them
being removed and native plants and struggled back up!
retained and enhanced (by plant- Many, many thanks to the vol-
ings of natives grown from local unteers who have taken part in
seed.) our efforts in 2008, often under
During 2007, Jan McMillan the adverse conditions described
Adult Male Snowy Plover of Grays Harbor Audubon co- above: John and Margaret Green,
ordinated volunteers in several Carolyn Norred, Tom Finn,
Snowy Plover Habitat plant-related work parties at the Alan Richards and myself from
Restoration Project site. This year, I am the coordina- WHAS, Susan Clark of Shoal-
Update tor of our efforts. Last year and water Birders, and Jan McMillan,
By Ann Muche, this, Washington Dept. of Fish Ann Haarer, Carol Sunde, Jan
Willapa Hills Audubon and Wildlife (WDFW) hired the Strong and Diane Schwickerath
Strenuous walking through talented, encouraging and very of Grays Harbor Audubon.
sand, extremely early starts re- knowledgeable expert, Kathy Our total was 279 hours donated
quiring alarm clocks to jangle at Gunther, part of whose duties is to this project in 2008!
times like 3 a.m., and many hours to survey the LHRA for animal
of mist, rain and wind were re- activity, especially birds. Our
warded with occasional alternate volunteer efforts this final grant
hours of glorious sun and views year have shifted to doing surveys
of pelicans, eagles, peregrine fal- along with Kathy and recently, on
cons, and a variety of shorebirds. our own.
Some of us were lucky enough to Our March training, conducted
see Snowy Plovers, both adults by Scott Pearson and Cyndie
and young fluff balls, north of Sundstrom of WDFW, was de-
the restoration area in the federal tailed, informative, and includ-
refuge. ed field observations. In May, I Snowy Plover Clutch
What was it inspired all this ac- gave a brief introduction about
tivity? Willapa Hills and Grays the project on the peninsula for
Harbor Audubon continue to co- Nina Carter, executive direc-
operate with state agencies to cre- tor of Audubon Washington and
ate additional habitat at Leadbet- Board of Stewards member, John
ter Point for the Western Snowy Narver. Since then our volunteer
Plover and the Streaked Horned group has conducted or helped
Lark. Both of these birds were with one survey in June, two in
once more abundant along our July and one in August. During
coasts. South of the federal Wil- September we held a work day,
lapa Wildlife Refuge at the tip of in cooperation with Dave Hays
the Long Beach peninsula, within of WDFW, to physically cover
Leadbetter State Park, our efforts native plants on the site in prepa- Snowy Plover Chick
involves creating and monitoring ration for staff to spray herbicide all photos this page by Jack Haverty
ten smallish plots which follow on the exotic beach grasses. This
 The President’s Perch
By Arnie Martin
By now, you know which
candidates won the November
4th election races, but this was
written before the results were
known. Please hold the winners
to their promises that will ben-
efit the environment, and make
your voices heard in our govern-
mental forums against policies
that will continue to degrade the
fragile bit of our planet’s outer
skin that we inhabit.
Here in Grays Harbor County,
many of us live very close to sea
level, so global warming and sea
level rising are of great concern
(or should be). There are many
studies on the relationship be-
tween atmospheric CO2 levels
and temperature, which you may
give greater or lesser credence
to, but as a former engineer with
a physics background, I believe
that increasing CO2 levels will
lead to increased average global
temperature. There is no doubt
that increased temperatures will
lead to glacial melting and in-
creased melting of the polar ice-
caps.
Like most people, I wish that
we were sending less money to
the OPEC countries, but nearly
70 percent of our energy now
comes from outside the US.
Additional drilling for oil and
gas, both offshore and on land,
may eventually reduce the per-
centage we derive from foreign
sources. Without alternative
sources of energy and additional
efforts toward conservation and
re-use, the consumption of oil
and gas will increase and there-
fore the releases of CO2 will
also increase.
Putting our major efforts into
finding significant additional oil
and gas reserves in the US does
page 2
nothing to reduce carbon emis-
sions, even though it may help
our balance of payments. Some
candidates suggest using “clean
coal” and nuclear power. The
problem with “clean coal” is
that disposing of CO2 removed
from coal-fired power plants is
un-proven technology, and po-
tentially risky if the CO2 is se-
questered in underground rock
strata at high pressures. Nuclear
power has made improvements
in reactor design and safety
since the 1980’s but we still
don’t have a federal waste re-
pository (or repositories).
These concerns should lead us
to power sources that are carbon
neutral, or better yet, carbon-
free, such as wind and solar.
These carbon-free technologies
are subject to the weather at
the generation site. The wind
doesn’t always blow and the
sun only shines during the day.
These weather and daylight is-
sues should lead us to have mul-
tiple generation sites across the
country as it’s not cloudy every-
where at the same time. Having
dispersed generation sites will
require vastly improved region-
al and national power inter-ties,
and power storage devices to
store solar-generated power for
use overnight.
Unfortunately, even these car-
bon-free technologies are not
without environmental costs.
Wind power generation is haz-
ardous to migrating birds and
also to bats. Solar generation
stations, which would be located
in sunny, seldom-cloudy sites,
take great areas of land, and can
cause loss of habitat for desert
and arid-dwelling species, both
plant and animal.
My take on the subject is that,
neglecting cellulosic ethanol
manufacture and energy de-
rived from algal growth (both of
which take large areas of land or
water), we need to concentrate
on wind and solar power in or-
der to stop or drastically reduce
CO2 emission. We have already
dammed most of the power-pro-
ducing rivers during the 19th
and 20th centuries, so we need
to derive most of our power
from the direct capture of the
solar energy and wind energy.
Now we need to keep remind-
ing the election winners to im-
plement policies that will bene-
fit, not destroy the environment.
Our earth can’t take continued
releases of greenhouse gases
and pollutants while keeping the
environment suitable for our de-
scendants and all of our fellow
inhabitants of this blue dot on
the outskirts of our local galaxy.
Keep working to reduce our
dependence on oil reserves for
heating and transportation; we
will need it to lubricate the bear-
ings of our most efficient mode
of transportation: our bicycles!
GHAS Mission
The mission of the Grays
Harbor Audubon Society is
to seek a sustainable balance
between human activity and
the needs of the environ-
ment; and to promote enjoy-
ment of birds and the natural
world
Are you interested in receiv-
ing The Sandpiper online?
Send us your email address
and we can forward the latest
issue the moment it is ready
to publish or visit http://ghas.
org to view the newsletter as
a color pdf file.

New coordinator joins
GHNWR
by Megan Johnson
I am the new Education and
Outreach Coordinator for the
Grays Harbor National Wild-
life Refuge. I am excited to be
working with the community to
strengthen our relationship with
the natural environment we live
in. I am grateful to be work-
ing with such wonderful people
including the members of the
Shorebird Committee and the
employees and volunteers at the
Grays Harbor National Wildlife
Refuge. This year GHNWR
staff has decided to focus on
3rd and 4th grade classroom
visits due to the expansion and
popularity of the Education Pro-
gram. This change will bring
more clarity to the curriculum
and lead to a stronger education
program.
I grew up watching the beautiful
landscape in the Mojave Desert
of Southern California among
the coyotes, cacti, Mountain
Lions and Joshua trees. I was
drawn up north through San
Francisco, Portland and finally
to Olympia where I have made
my home.
My passion for environmen-
tal conservation started young
when my fifth grade teacher
introduced me to anthropogen-
ic impacts on the earth. Since
then I have been discovering
that I can create movement and
change in simple and complex
ways.
page 3
I am honored to be serving The
Grays Harbor National Wildlife
Refuge through AmeriCorps.
The opportunity to educate chil-
dren about Shorebirds and the
importance of GHNWR to the
conservation of migrating birds
gives me great pleasure.
December Membership
Meeting
By Dianna Moore
Our December 7th program is
a special event featuring Audu-
bon’s new Alaska Legislative
Associate, Lauren Hierl. She has
just returned from a fact-finding
trip with news of Audubon’s
work to safeguard ANWR and
protect the last best habitat of the
Tongass National Forest, one of
seven temperate rain forests left
in the world. This work, a col-
laborative effort between Audu-
bon’s policy office and Audubon
Alaska, has brought Audubon’s
unique brand of science, policy,
and education to bear on some
of the most critically important
bird and wildlife habitat in the
world. In order to reach as many
people as possible, Lauren is
traveling around the country to
local chapter meetings, so we
are fortunate to have a chance
to hear this up-to-date infor-
mation from her. Please join us
and show your support for your
chapter and for these important
issues.
The meeting is on Sunday, De-
cember 7th from 1:30pm until
3pm at the Pearsall Building,
2109 Sumner Ave. The entrance
is on the east end of the building.
We will serve refreshments.
Concerned about Global
Warming? Here is what
your State Office is doing...
Audubon Washington staff are
often asked what the State of-
fice is working on in regards to
Global Warming. Right now, we
are focusing on a national cam-
paign, the C-Change Global
Warming Campaign. The pur-
pose of this campaign is two-
fold: to generate pressure on
targeted swing congressional
members and to create climate
change champions among our
senators to ensure stronger con-
servation legislation from the
next Administration.
There are three primary compo-
nents to this campaign. The first
is pre-election tasks. We have
been seeking opportunities to
discuss climate change at public
forums, local candidate debates,
and other public meetings. On
October 15th, the “Feeling the
Heat Report” was also released.
Audubon Washington collabo-
rated on this report focusing on
rising global temperatures and
what implications temperature
trends might have for our state.
Another component of the cam-
paign is ongoing tasks. Our of-
fice has been sending letters to
three target audiences: grass-
tops leaders within our state,
state university presidents, and
local businesses. Through these
letters, we are urging participa-
tion in this campaign to encour-
age Congress to reduce carbon
emissions, invest in clean en-
ergy, and protect communi-
ties from the impact of global
warming.
continued on page 4

Birds in Flight: The Art
and Science of How Birds
Fly By Carrol Henderson
a book report
by Dianna Moore
We have all watched and mar-
veled at the flight of birds, but
how many of us truly understand
how that flight takes place?
Mr. Henderson has written a
lovely book that explains just
how birds fly, and shows us with
some unusual photos and with
diagrams that demonstrate the
physics of flight, lift, drag, and
thrust….and, he makes it fasci-
nating!
Carrol Henderson is a profes-
sional wildlife biologist working
for the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources in charge
of the Non-game Wildlife Pro-
gram. He minored in physics
at Iowa State University, was
an officer in the U.S. Air Force
from 1970 to 1973, and he is an
avid photographer.
He is the author of 8 books, and
he and his wife have led 45 bird-
ing trips around the world. He
uses all of that experience and
knowledge to explore the sub-
ject of bird flight.
Some of the more interesting
things I learned were the pur-
poses of the various feathers.
Soaring birds have more sec-
ondaries than, say, songbirds;
a Wandering Albatross has 32,
most songbirds have 9 to 11,
page 4
hummingbirds have 6, Great
Horned Owls have 14, and an
Osprey has 20.
Primary feathers are attached
to 2 fused bones that correspond
to the index and middle fingers
of a human hand.
Black-tipped primaries resist
wear better than white (and his
accompanying photo of a Sacred
Ibis in flight is breathtaking).
A Frigatebird’s feathers weigh
more than its bones; the bones
weigh just 4 ounces! Their neg-
ative dihedral wings prevent
them from landing on water to
feed. They cannot take off from
water, they do not feed on land,
and they get all of their food on
the wing from the water’s sur-
face or by theft from other birds
in flight.
We know most birds oil their
feathers to waterproof them; the
uropygial gland, located at the
base of the tail, secretes an oil
that birds use to coat each feath-
er as they preen. But herons and
bitterns have patches of feath-
ers on their back called “pow-
der down”. These feathers are
stripped off by the bill and they
crumble into a fine talcum-like
powder that helps to waterproof
the birds.
He demonstrates how birds
land by using the feathers of
their wings and tails angled to
create drag, and how their feet
can either drag or ski. Converse-
ly, he shows how some birds
have broad wings and sturdy
legs to quickly escape into the
air, while some need to drop
from a height so their wings can
generate lift. And he covers the
delicate beauty and amazing
dexterity of hummingbirds as
they feed; they are a real miracle
of flight and physics.
There are so many avian spe-
cialists, birds that have devel-
oped specific traits or physical
abilities to survive in their own
niche. This book shows some of
those. I consider it to be an ex-
cellent research tool as well as
a beautiful addition to any bird-
er’s library.
If you are interested in buy-
ing this book, Grays Harbor
Audubon has been given the
opportunity to offer bulk order
discounts to its members. For
more information, call Dian-
na Moore…360-289-5048 or
1-800-303-8498
Global warming continued
from page 3
The third component of this
campaign will occur post-elec-
tion. We are working to coor-
dinate meetings between legis-
lative members, local business
leaders, university faculty, and
other interest groups. The C-
Change group will also focus on
a “100 Days Campaign” urging
swift federal action for the envi-
ronment in the first 100 days of
the new Administration.
This is what the State office is
working on, but we still need
some help from chapters. We
can’t make an impact unless you
do. Audubon’s unique strengths
are its chapters and volunteers.
Here are some examples of how
you can get involved:
HWrite an editorial to your lo-
cal paper
HWrite a letter to the editor to
your local paper
HAttend meetings with local
congressional leaders
HMake sure you are signed
up to receive Audubon’s action
alerts, go to: http://audubonac-
tion.org/audubon/home.html
If you would like to get involved,
have questions, or would like
more information, please con-
tact Sara Kath at skath@audu-
bon.org or call 360-786-8020
ext. 205.
 Bottle Beach State Park
Nears Completion
By Jan McMillan
By the time the Grays Harbor
Shorebird Festival rolls around
at the end of April, the newly de-
veloped Bottle Beach State Park
will be nearly complete. I drive
by the park several times a week
on SR105 and it has been fun to
see the progress as the features
of the park take shape. My most
recent visit was on Wednes-
day, November 5th when Ann
Haarer and I met with the Daily
World photographer at the site.
We walked along the beach
the length of the park and back
again on the surfaced trail. On
our visit to the park we saw the
newly completed parking lot on
SR105, the vault toilet located
at the parking lot, the new pe-
destrian bridge across Redman
Slough, and the 4th bird viewing
platform at the far east end of the
property. This platform will give
birders a view of the bay to the
north, especially the water fowl
that congregate there. Work-
ers were busy completing an-
other viewing platform that will
provide a view to the west and
Redman Slough. Two additional
bay viewing platforms closer
to the west end and mid-point
of the park will provide great
views of migrating shorebirds
and raptors. These platforms
will be completed this winter
and spring. In addition the park
will include interpretive signage
with information about birds to
be seen in the park, the bird mi-
gration patterns, and birding eti-
quette. Plans for the park also in-
clude handicapped access trails
that will accommodate rolling
wheelchairs and benches where
people can stop and rest as they
explore the park.
Bottle Beach State Park is the
first Washington State Park de-
signed by birders for bird watch-
ing. Members of Grays Harbor
Audubon were involved in the
page 5
parks design and planning.
Many community residents,
including Audubon members,
Stanford Creek Correction Cen-
ter residents, State Park and
DNR staff have helped with the
removal of invasive plants like
Scotch broom and evergreen
and Himalayan blackberry from
the wetlands and wetland buffer
zones in the park. They have also
planted over 2000 native plants
and the plantings continue as the
park is completed.
The park is second only to
Bowerman Basin (Grays Har-
bor National Wildlife Refuge)
as a primary resting place and
feeding ground for migrating
shorebirds in the fall and spring.
It is considered an Important
Bird Area (IBA) of great inter-
national significance.
Autumn’s golden globes
by Janet Strong
And this year’s award for dra-
matic color and excellence of
appearance goes to… our own
local celebrity, Acer macrophyl-
lum, the big-leaf maple! Chilly
nights and sunny days, coupled
with little rain and wind in Oc-
tober, have brought out the flam-
boyant best in fall attire on this
magnificent native tree. Col-
ors ranging from yellow-green
through brilliant gold heading
for burnished ochre have greet-
ed our eyes nearly everywhere
we look, sometimes occurring
in the same tree.
As this newsletter goes to
press, the plate-sized flakes of
gold will have drifted to earth,
circling trunks like old-fash-
ioned crinoline skirts, adding a
muted glow to the surface of the
ground. But we won’t forget just
how ubiquitously this maple oc-
curs over the landscape. We find
it abundantly along rivers and
streams, in floodplains and del-
tas, often in dense, pure stands,
and also in open fields, cut-over
areas, on hillsides and within
forests. Its range extends from
northern California through Or-
egon and Washington and into
southern British Columbia, in
coastal areas from sea-level to
3,000 feet elevation. It also sur-
vives in moist canyons just east
of the Cascades, but reaches its
pinnacle of success along the
coasts of Oregon and Washing-
ton.
Here are the vital statistics of this
spectacular maple, the world’s
largest. Of the 115 maple spe-
cies in the Northern hemisphere
and the 13 in North America, 3
thrive in the Pacific Northwest.
Big-leaf maple is by far the larg-
est and the only one in the PNW
to achieve tree-size. Everything
about it shouts BIG. Leaves,
measuring 12 inches across,
grow on extra-long stems. Flow-
ers, in fragrant, hanging yellow
clusters, are large for maples.
The tree grows to 100 feet and
can live for 200 years. In open
areas, the trunk is rather short
but has huge branches any one
of which, stood on end, would
resemble a whole tree. Its crown
is dense, rounded and broad,
globe-like, often reaching 70-80
feet across. Multi-trunked spec-
imens are sometimes the result
of root-sprouts after the main
trunk has died or been cut down.
Within conifer forests, the trunk
usually is single, tall and clear,
with a small, narrow crown. The
Continued on page 6
 Golden globes continued from not just gracious hosts but were in hardness and density, being
page 5 extracting “rent” in the form of suitable for furniture and other
water and nutrients from their uses. People willing to labor
largest big-leaf maple has been tenants! Subsequent research can extract maple syrup from
recorded at Salem, Oregon, at 8 has discovered that many rain- its sap, although the concentra-
feet in diameter and 96 feet tall. forest trees in the world send tion is much less than that of
What are the survival strate- out feeding roots into their plant the eastern sugar maple. Na-
gies of this highly-successful mats. tive Americans and First Nation
competitor? First of all, the in- The habitat value of the big- peoples depended on the maple
sect pollinated flowers bring on leaf maple measures up to its for carved items such as pad-
prodigious seed production with great size. Its complex surface dles, spindles, spoons, bowls,
the wind dispersing the double- and especially its epiphyte gar- platters, cradle boards and other
winged fruits, beginning when dens provide food, nesting sites, household items. Some of the
the tree is as young as 10 years. hiding cover and shelter for a most beautiful carved efforts
Vegetative reproduction occurs multitude of animals – insects, of First Peoples involved wood
through root-sprouts, as men- amphibians, birds and mam- from the maple. Leaves were
tioned above. Although grow- mals – and their predators. This employed as temporary contain-
ing best in rich bottomlands, includes the flying squirrel and ers and to line cooking pots and
the big-leaf maple can thrive others who spend most of their baking pits, especially for ber-
in most soil conditions, even time in the upper canopy. In the ries. Some ate its sprouted seeds.
cracks in rocky ground. Neither “Maple Hilton” there are ac- Bark was woven into rope. The
full sun nor shade discourages commodations for all! The vast tree yielded medicines for sore
its growth, adequate moisture in amount of leaf matter nourishes throats and tuberculosis.
the soil being the more impor- the surrounding soil and forest- This is but a thumb-nail sketch
tant factor. floor insects and other inverte- of one of the northwest’s most
Our largest maple has one brates. Flowers feed the pollina- impressive trees. The author
more survival trick discovered tors and seeds store protein for hopes this short biography will
as recently as the 1980’s! Ev- small creatures. inspire readers to dig deeper
eryone has observed that the Finally, its usefulness to hu- into the history and ecology of a
large maples in the rain forests mans is also large. The wood tree so prevalent in our lives.
support enormous epiphyte gar- compares with other maples
dens, mosses, ferns, selaginella
and other hangers-on (130 spe-
cies in the Hoh trees), depend-
ing on branches for support and
for gaining more light exposure.
The common wisdom has been
that the tree provided a one-
way ecological service for these
plants. But UW graduate student
Nalini Nadkarni, using climbing
equipment donated by REI, set
out to explore the canopy of the
huge maples in the Hoh River
valley. When lifting up the moss
clumps, she unearthed – or
un-mossed – the maples’ care-
fully guarded secret. She found
whole networks of roots, large The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the
and small, emanating out of the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the
tree branches and winding in way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and
and out of the plant mass, some- some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the
times reaching to the ground. man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.
She found roots of greater than William Blake 1799, The Letters
20 feet long circulating within
the plant mats. The trees were

page 6

photo by Jill McElderry-Maxwell
Project FeederWatch
Benefits Birds and People
Connection with nature pro-
motes wellness
by David Bonter,
Project leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
More than 100 studies have
shown that getting closer to na-
ture reduces stress and promotes
a feeling of well-being in chil-
dren and adults. So, filling feed-
ers and counting the birds that
visit may be just what the doc-
tor ordered! For more than 20
years, that’s what participants
in the Cornell Lab of Ornithol-
ogy’s Project FeederWatch have
been doing-­benefitting them-
selves and the birds.
"It is a great winter time activ-
ity for the whole family," says
Alaska FeederWatcher Nancy
Darnell. "If you have children,
they will come to love watching
the birds. All of this is fun and a
chance to contribute to scientific
studies, too!"
The 2008-09 season of Proj-
ect FeederWatch gets underway
November 8 and runs through
April 3. Participants count the
numbers and kinds of birds at
their feeders each week and send
the information to the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology. Participants
submitted more than 115,000
checklists during the 2007-08
FeederWatch season, docu-
menting unusual bird sightings,
winter movements, and shifting
page 7
ranges-­a treasure-trove of in-
formation that scientists use to
monitor the health of the birds
and of the environment.
Being a FeederWatcher is easy
and fun, and at the same time
helps generate the world’s larg-
est database on feeder-bird pop-
ulations. We are grateful for the
contributions our participants
have made for the birds and
are proud of the joy they say it
brings to their busy lives. Since
we started in 1987, more than
40,000 people have submitted
observations, engaging with the
wildlife beyond their windows.
“Project FeederWatch opened
up a whole new world for me,”
says participant Cheri Ryan of
Lockport, Kentucky. “It’s so in-
teresting to watch the activities
of the birds. I learn something
new each time I participate.”
Scientists learn something new
from the data each year, too,
whether it’s about the move-
ments of common backyard birds
or unusual sightings of rarely-
seen species. Highlights of the
most recent season include the
largest southward movement of
Red-breasted Nuthatches in the
history of the project­-part of an
expected influx of northern birds
that fly farther south when their
food supplies run short. Other
northern species showing up in
record numbers included Com-
mon Repolls and Pine Siskins.
Among the rare birds reported
was a Streak-backed Oriole in
Loveland, Colorado-­the state’s
first report of this bird, native to
Mexico. A December nor’easter
deposited a Dovekie in Newton,
Massachusetts, the first time
this North Atlantic seabird has
ever been reported to Project
FeederWatch. Long-term data
show some species increasing
in number, such as the Lesser
Goldfinch in the Southwest.
Other populations continue a
downward trend, such as the
Evening Grosbeak throughout
their range. Once one of the
most common species seen at
feeders in the northern half of
the continent, the grosbeaks are
declining for unknown reasons.
  Beyond the benefits to birds
and science, however, is the
benefit to participants. “Nature
is not merely an amenity; it is
critical to healthy human devel-
opment and functioning,” says
Nancy Wells, Cornell Universi-
ty assistant professor of design
and environmental analysis. Her
studies find that a view of nature
through the window or access to
the environment in any way im-
proves a child’s cognitive func-
tioning and reduces the negative
effects of stress on the child’s
psychological well-being. Wells
also notes that when children
spent time with nature early in
life it carries over to their adult
attitudes and behavior toward
the environment.
  Project FeederWatch welcomes
participants of all ages and skill
levels, from scout troops and re-
tirees to classrooms and nature
center visitors. To learn more
and to sign up, visit www.feed-
erwatch.org or call the Lab toll-
free at (800) 843-2473. In return
for the $15 fee ($12 for Lab
members) participants receive
the FeederWatcher’s Handbook,
an identification poster of the
most common feeder birds in
their area, a calendar, complete
instructions, and the Feeder-
Watch annual report, Winter
Bird Highlights.
  Many FeederWatchers echo
this comment from Mary Strass-
er of Wisconsin: “The greatest
reward for me as a participant
in Project FeederWatch these
many years has been observing
birds and behavior that I might
have missed had I not been part
of this project.”

Membership and
nominating committee
report
By Dianna Moore
Membership Chair
At our December 7th Mem-
bers Meeting we will hold elec-
tions for the Board of Direc-
tors. We are very pleased that
our present officers have all
agreed to serve again this year.
But, if you know someone you
think would make a good board
member, please contact me at
(360) 289-5048 or by e-mail
at dlmoor2@coastaccess.com..
Nominations may also be made
from the floor. Just make sure
that you have the agreement of
the person being nominated.
page 8
GHAS Board of Directors
Steve Hallstrom 273-9280 toltfarm@jps.net
Theressa Julius 537-4386 tmjulius@tss.net
Arnie Martin 612-0437 arnold6.martin@comcast.net
Dianna Moore 289-5048 dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Mary O’Neill 533-9833 deed2et2et@yahoo.com
Linda Orgel 648-2476 ldotorg@olearycreek.com
Renee Prine 268-0485
Diane Schwickerath 495-3101 dschwick@techline.com
Janet Strong 495-3950 strongjan@centurytel.com
Chapter Officers
President Arnie Martin 612-0437
arnold6.martin@comcast.net
Vice President Mary O’Neill 533-9833
deed2et2et@yahoo.com
Treasurer Diane Schwickerath 495-3101
dschwick@techline.com
Secretary Theressa Julius, 537-4386
tmjulius@tss.net
Committee Chairs
Newsletter R.D. Grunbaum, 648-2476
rd@olearycreek.com
Membership Dianna Moore 289-5048
dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Conservation Janet Strong, 495-3950
strongjan@centurytel.com
Education Renee Prine, 268-0485
Field Trips Dianna Moore 289-5048
dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Program Chair Dianna Moore 289-5048
dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Hospitality Linda Orgel 648-2476
ldotorg@olearycreek.com
Publicity Vacant
Habitat Vacant
Other Audubon Contacts
GHAS voice mail (800) 303-8498
State Audubon (360) 786-8020
National Audubon (212) 979-3000
GHAS Website http://www.ghas.org
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ANNUAL GRAYS HARBOR AUDUBON

CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

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check payable to Grays Harbor Audubon Society and return it with your check to:

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Montesano, WA 98563

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above the Sandpiper category provide financial support to our Chapter. The Grays Harbor Audubon
Society is totally self-supporting.

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above and send it in to keep your membership active and keep receiving the newsletter! Thanks!

page 9

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Saving ANWR & Tongas
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News & Editorial
send materials to
P.O. Box 1044
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or email to
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Copy deadline December
30th
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WA 98563
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P.O. Box 470
The Sandpiper
Board Elections
Pearsall Building
Inside this Issue
1:30 - 3:00 pm
December 7, 2008 Plover update 1
President’s Perch 2
New coordinator 3
December meeting 3
Global warming 3
Birds in flight 4
Warming continued 4
Bottle Beach 5
Autumn’s leaves 5
Autumn continued 6
FeederWatch 7
Nominations Note 8
Board & Officers 8
Member Application 9