2007 Annual Report Potomac Valley Audubon Society

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P.O. Box 578

Shepherdstown, WV 25443

www.potomacaudubon.org

2007 Annual Report

Potomac Valley Audubon Society

Celebrating25Years

1982 - 2007

CHILDRENS PROGRAMS

At the beginning of the year, we hired Ellen Murphyto be our first Director of Childrens Programs.Ellen has years of experience working with youngpeople, and shes been a terrific addition to the staff.

As youll see in the paragraphs that follow, shes

already spearheaded some significant improvementsand expansions of our program offerings for area kids.

Our Watershed Education Initiative continuesto grow in size and popularity. We launched this

fourth grade school program four years ago to helpgive area children a betterunderstanding of one ofthe Panhandles mostpressing environmentalissuesprotecting water

resources. This year, underEllens leadership, thisprogram reached more than550 fourth graders in fiveschools in Jefferson andBerkeley counties. Next

year, thanks to a major newgrant from the State of

West Virginia, well be able to expand the programto include more children at additional schools. Thisgrant, which was awarded by the states Project

FLOW (Future Leaders of Watersheds) Program, willalso allow us to provide follow-up instruction for fifthgraders in participating schools, through reinforcingactivities and a service-learning project.

Largely because of Ellens efforts, area schools arealso now beginning to sign up for our other school

programsthe environmental education programsweve developed for all the other elementary grades

from kindergarten through sixth grade. Theseprograms are designed to engage children in learningabout various aspects of the natural world, from

the way animals adapt to their surroundings to theway forests work. Each of them involves a field tripexperience at our Yankauer Nature Preserve. You candownload a brochure that describes these programs in

detail from our website at www.potomacaudubon.org

Also underEllens direction,this summers

Audubon

Discovery Campat the Yankauer

Nature Preservewas a smashingsuccess by any

standard. Foropeners, all our camp sessions were fully booked bymid-April and we wound up hiring an additional

instructor to increase weekly enrollments in an effortto meet the demand! For the first time, we offereda new camp for preschool children that involved 4-and 5-year-olds and their favorite adult in discoveringand exploring the natural world together. We alsooffered a full six weeks of our traditional day camp

for 6-12 year olds, with each week focusing on adifferent theme. Each day the four outstanding staff

led activities like hiking, playing games, keepingnature journals, and creating nature crafts, all thewhile learning about the environment. Specialguests during the summer included Scales and Tails

presenters from Cunningham Falls State Park andNellie Adkins, who shared her Native Americanheritage with campers. During two camp sessions,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees from theNational Conservation Training Center (NCTC)

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2


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Childrens Programs Cont.

came out to teach campers about using the GlobalPositioning System (GPS). Each camper had the useof a handheld GPS rover and learned the basicsof navigating with the use of satellites. The grandfinale of the summer was the family campout where

several camp families came to Yankauer to enjoy a

campfire and the stars. In the end, we filled a totalof 238 camp slots this year100 more than the yearbefore! Next year, our Audubon Discovery Campwill mark its sixth year, and were looking for waysto expand our camp programs so even more children

can participate.

PVAS annually uses the proceeds from its fallbirdseed sale to provide summer camp scholarshipsto area children. This year, we provided 20 childrenwith scholarships to three different camps. Two

children attended Trout Unlimiteds Conservationand Fishing Camp near Shenandoah National Parkin co-sponsorship with Trout Unlimited. Onechild attended the Burgundy Center for WildlifeStudies, near Capon Bridge, WV in partnership withCamp Burgundy. Seventeen children were granted

scholarships to our own Audubon Discovery Camp.

This summer,for the secondyear in a row, we

partnered withNCTC and thePatuxent National

Wildlife Refugeto offer a special

digital nature

photography

camp forteenagers. Thissummers campwas supported

by Nikon, Inc.through its

Spirit Initiative

program which

not only helped underwrite the costs of the camp

but also loaned each of the 13 students a state-of-

the-art camera. After learning the basics of aperture,

shutter speed, and composition, students began

shooting nature! Photos were downloaded to NCTC

computers and participants learned to manipulatethe images for optimum presentation. High pointsof the week included a chance to photograph birdsof prey at NCTC; a trip to the Patuxent Refuge in

Laurel, MD, to photograph diving ducks and screechowls and learn about the research underway at therefuge; and a trip to the Smithsonian InstitutionsNational Zoo Conservation and Research Center in

Front Royal, VA, to photograph rare and endangeredwildlife and learn more about the research underway

there. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regardsthis camp as an important new tool for encouragingteenagers to become more involved in nature, andits encouraging others to replicate it. To facilitatethis process, the Service videotaped this years camp,and a training video is being prepared that will be

offered to wildlife refuges and conservation educationorganizations nationwide. A photo display of studentwork was displayed at this falls Potomac Arts Festival

and will also be displayed at Patuxent Refuge and theSmithsonians Front Royal Center. Special thanksgo to Matt Poole who planned, coordinated and

instructed the program; to Bill Wallen, an officialNational Wildlife Refuge volunteer photographer whoalso represents Nikon; and to Nikon for all its helpand support.

This November, we teamed up with three arealibraries and Cacapon State Park to provide anexciting new nature-education opportunity for area

childrenNature Explorer backpacks that kidscan check out and use to explore the natural worldwith an adult. The backpacks include books, fieldguides, activity ideas, supplies, and a list of suggested

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www.potomacaudobon.com | 3

Childrens Programs Cont.

natural areas where the packs can be used. Theyre

geared towards young children but their activities and

supplies can be easily adapted for older children as

well. Theyre an ideal resource for families who are

homeschooling their children. We developed these

packs with the assistance of a generous grant from the

Nora Roberts Foundation. The packs were designedand put together by Suzi Taylor, of Sharpsburg, MD,

whos a veteran Audubon Discovery Camp director,

and who has a degree in environmental education.

So far, two kinds of backpacks are available: one that

focuses on exploring the world of birds and another

that focuses on the world of insects. The packs are

available at the nature center at Cacapon State Park

and the childrens sections of the Shepherdstown

Public Library, the Martinsburg Public Library, and

the Morgan County Public Library. Over time,

we hope to expand the number of backpacks in

circulation and add new packs that focus on other

facets of the natural world.

Since 2001, PVAS has been an active partner in

the annual Spring Science Olympiad sponsored

by the Jefferson County Schools and NCTC. The

week-long Olympiad, which is held at NCTC,

involves all the sixth graders in the countys schools

in four different sets of science-related activities.

This spring we developed and presented two of theseactivity stations and trained volunteer instructors to

present them.

This spring, we also partnered with the Jefferson

County Parks and Recreation Commission to offer

some programs for preschoolers at Sam Michaels

Parkfor the first time. These programs, which

included sessions with titles like Birds of a Feather

and Incredible InsectsSplendid Spiders, were very

popular with this new audience.

Every year, both on our own and in partnership

with other organizations, PVAS also offers a variety

ofspecial events and activities for children.

Highlights this year included an Earth Day program

with the Martinsburg Public Library and numerous

school and scout tours through our Yankauer

Nature Preserve.

ADULT PROGRAMS

The local Master Naturalist Program chapter westarted this spring proved very popular. This yearstraining filled up rapidly, and people are alreadywaitlisted to take next years courses. The program,which is a project of the West Virginia Division ofNatural Resources, is patterned after the MasterGardners program but focuses on natural historytopics. After participants complete their training,theyre certified by the state as Master Naturalists andmust commit to substantial volunteer service eachyear to remain certified. PVAS sees this programas a good way to promote greater public knowledgeabout natural history and to train a strong cadre ofvolunteers for natural history education and research.

Our chapter is called the Potomac Valley MasterNaturalist Program. Each year, it will offer coursesmonthly from April through October, with thelocation of the courses roughly alternating betweenthe NCTC near Shepherdstown and Cacapon StatePark near Berkeley Springs. This year, Thomasand Sandra DOnofrio generously donated twoscholarships for the program.

Our Potomac Valley Nature Photographersgroup continued to thrive in 2007. Inspired by a

set of nature photography workshops we held in2005 with Wil and Donna Hershberger, this groupwas founded in 2006 under PVASs auspices. Itoffers a great opportunity for photographers of alllevels to get together on a regular basis and learnmore about nature photography from peers andprofessionals. This year the group hosted a seminarby internationally known nature photographer Art

Wolfe and continued their regular monthly meetings

at NCTC.(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4


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Adult Programs Cont.

Our always popular introductory birding course,

Birding 101, celebrated its 20th year in 2007! Once

again, the instructors were Bob Dean, Matt Orsie,and Wil Hershberger. This years course was offeredin April and 20 people participated. The courseincludes four classroom sessions at NCTC and four

trips to local birding hot spots.

Our monthly field trips were well attended thisyear, and included a wide variety of topics and sites.Especially popular were a new meteor-watching partywe sponsored in August, an early September Insect

Walk along the C&O Canal, and a late September

trip to the bird-banding station at the Dolly SodsScenic Area in Grant County, WV. Many thanksto Nancy Kirschbaum for coordinating the trips

and to the many trip leaders who make these fieldtrips possible.

As always, PVAS this winter is sponsoring an EasternPanhandle Christmas Bird Count in Jefferson andBerkeley counties as part of the National AudubonSocietys Christmas Bird Count program. Last winterPVAS volunteers also participated in other bird

surveys, including the Great Backyard Bird Countand the C&O Canal Midwinter Bird Survey.

PVASs regular monthly programs were alsowell-attended and varied this year. Topics coveredby presenters included fish kills in the Potomac and

its tributaries, green home construction, wildlifephotography, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, bird

songs, and reported declines in morel mushroom

populations along the C&O Canal. Starting in

September, we moved our monthly meeting location

from the U.S. Geological Surveys Leetown Science

Center to NCTC. PVAS thanks the Leetown Center

for its many years of hosting our meetings. And

of course were very grateful to NCTC for their

willingness to share their state-of-the-art facilities

with us.

This fall, we also began offering evening programsin Morgan Countyfor the first time to betterserve our growing number of members there. Sofar, weve offered two programs in the county: an

WILDLIFE RESCUE

PVAS continues to offer awildlife rescue andrehabilitation service, through which a speciallylicensed PVAS member, assisted by volunteers as

needed, takes calls and coordinates the transportof injured and orphaned wildlife to wildliferehabilitation facilities. In 2007, PVAS handledmore than 50 rehabilitation cases.


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October presentation on Songs of Insects, by WilHershberger, and a November presentation on greenhome construction, by Jeff Feldman. We look forwardto offering more such programming in the future.

Thanks to Cacapon State Park, and to Park NaturalistKelly Smith in particular, for providing us withexcellent meeting space at the Parks Lodge.

NATURE PRESERVES

Our new Eidolon Nature Preserve on Sideling

Hill in Morgan County is now up and running.

We spent last winter clearing and re-blazing the

preserves approximately four miles of trails and the

property was formally opened to the public on May

19. Since then there have been several other events

at Eidolon, including a Growing Native tree-seedgathering sponsored by The Potomac Conservancy

and another open house held in September as part of

the Morgan County Ecology Coalitions Ravishing

Raptor weekend. Were now in the process of

finalizing a land management plan for the preserve,

with technical assistance from Virginia Techs College

of Natural Resources. The West Virginia Division of

Natural Resources helped us establish a breeding bird

survey at Eidolon this spring, and next spring we hopeto survey the propertys plant species in preparationfor launching efforts to control the invasive speciesthere. The preserve now has a temporary kiosk with

trail maps and brochures, and plans are underway fora permanent interpretive sign to welcome visitors.Other near-term projects in the works include barriersto restrict ATV access to the property. The 354-

acre preserve was willed to The Nature Conservancy(TNC) by Mrs. Marguerite Zapoleon. TNC took title

to it in 2006, and enlisted PVAS to co-manage it thesame year. In the relatively near future, working withthe Morgan County community, we hope to constructa shelter and parking facilities on the property so wecan provide educational programming there.

OurYankauer Nature Preserve, which we alsoco-manage for TNC, has seen many improvements

this year thanks to incredible efforts by volunteers.The NCTC Employees Association and Eldon

Winston helped eradicate invasive Autumn Oliveplants from parts of the preserve. Members of the

Shepherdstown Presbyterian Churchs MissionCommittee also helped with invasive-plant removaland other projects. Young people from St. JamesSchool came to help with some spring cleaning atthe preserve. Later on, Shepherd University studentsdonated a Day of Service as part of freshman

orientation and the United Ways annual Day of

Caring turned out 90 volunteers in spite of heavyrain all that day. These groups weeded and expandedthe Gardening for Wildlife demonstration project,pulled Japanese stilt grass, mulched trails, repairedbenches, and completed many other projects. New

interpretive signs have been installed along theKingfisher Trail and additional benches have beeninstalled at the bird feeding station by Eagle ScoutThomas Neville. Thomas has also created raptor



Old Cabin at Eidolon

Overlook at Yankauer Preserve


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Nature Preserves Cont.

silhouette cutouts for the pavilion ceiling to helpwith bird identification in our educational programs.

The pavilion now has electricity, thanks to volunteerWes Dilley of W.D. Maintenance. Wes has alreadyinstalled lights and outlets in the pavilions storagearea which makes an enormous difference. By next

summer, well have ceiling fans in the pavilion forthe comfort of our summer camp participants and

summer concert attendees. Well also be able to runLCD projectors for presentations and have coffeepots for special events. The delivery of electricityto the preserve also paves the way for the futureinstallation of a well and bathrooms, projects we hopeto undertake soon.

SPECIAL EVENTS

We held our third annual Wildflower Festival

and Earth Day Celebration at the Yankauer Nature

Preserve on April 21. More than 150 people came

to enjoy guided wildflower walks, artists works,

childrens activities, and displays by partnering

environmental groups. The weather and wildflowers

were perfect for visitors to explore the preserve

and learn about a variety of environmental

organizations in the area with which they can getinvolved. The event would not have been possible

without the help of dedicated volunteers leading the

walks and activities.

We held our sixth annual This Race is for the

Birds 5K trail run and walk at NCTC on April

28. Nearly 100 runners and walkers ages 4-65

participated. The event raised approximately

$5,000 for PVAS education programs.

As was noted previously, the formal opening of the

Eidolon Nature Preserve took place on May 19.

About 50 people attended a morning ribbon-cutting

ceremony and another 50 stopped by to visit during a

day-long open house that followed. Thomas Minney

of The Nature Conservancy presented a plaque thatwill be mounted at the preserve and Bill Belton

cut the ribbon. Representatives of many fellow

conservation organizations attended the opening

ceremony along with community leaders like Morgan

County Commissioner Brenda Hutchinson and Bath

Town Council member Nancy Harvey.

U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito sent a

letter of congratulations.

Eidolon Opening



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Special Events Cont.

PVASs 25th Anniversary Celebration was held atthe Yankauer Preserve over a picnic supper onJune 2. More than 70 PVAS members and friendsattended to celebrate the organizations very activelifetime. Susan Brookreson compiled a timeline ofPVASs historic highlights with the research help ofKeith Alexander, Wayne Braunstein, and Jean Neely.Members shared stories and memories of funny,favorite, and impressive activities, from hackingospreys to helping establish the Canaan ValleyNational Wildlife Refuge. Jean Neely was recognized

for founding PVAS, and for her tireless work onbehalf of the organization ever since. Bill Belton wasrecognized for his many years of dedicated serviceand his role in involving PVAS in the Eidolon NaturePreserve. Leetown Science Center director BillPalmisano was given a framed Wil Hershberger photoas a token of appreciation of the Centers willingnessto host PVASs meetings for so many years.

About 40 people attended aMorgan County PVAS picnic atCacapon State Park on June 24.The event helped us to boost ourMorgan County membership rollsand to recruit additional volunteersto help with the Eidolon Preserve.PVAS this year also participated in

the Morgan County Fair and theApple Butter Festival.

Our summertime Music in theCedars concerts at the YankauerNature Preserve continue to be apopular community event. Theconcerts were expanded this year toinclude Tuesdays in September inaddition to Tuesdays in August. Aspecial thank-you goes out to the

performers who donated their timeand talent to this summers concertseries: Satch Alwin, Daryl Bryarly,Steve Cifala, Michael DeLalla,The Dilletantes, Grigorio Lacerdaand friends, Betty Jo and ScottRockwell, and Steve Warner andthe Rolling Coyotes.

The Third Annual Potomac ArtsFestival: A Celebration of Nature and the Arts

was a hit again this year. The festival, which washeld November 2-4, featured more than 40extremely talented artists and craftspeople whosework is influenced by the natural world. About1,200 visitors attended. Everyone who attendedwas impressed with the level of talent present at thefestival. The National Conservation Training Centergenerously hosted the event again this year in their

spacious gymnasium.



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FINANCES

Last years annual appeal yielded a record-breaking$26,500twice as much as weve raised in previousappeals. Our ability to grow our programs in 2007was a direct result of this generous support frommembers and friends. The years budget was also

our largest ever, with income totaling $148,900 and

expenses totaling $121,907. The surplus was investedin short-term certificates of deposit at locally ownedbanks for future capital use.

The income breakdown was very balanced between

various funding sources this year. Special eventsaccounted for 29% of our income. Revenues fromprograms accounted for 26% due to more programofferings than ever before. Grants accounted for 21%,and donations accounted for 20%. The remainder ofour income came from membership dues (3%), earned

interest (0.6%), and a few miscellaneous areas.

The majority of the organizations expenses were forprograms (47%), a category that includes staff salaries.Another 14% went to support special events, manyof which are mission-related. Administrative costs,

which include payroll taxes and workers comp amongother administrative expenses, accounted for 11% ofexpenses, and preserve maintenance accounted for9%. Fundraising expenses accounted for only 1%of expenses, and miscellaneous expenses, including

inventory, accounted for 0.6%.

PVASs overall financial position is strong. We haveno debt and are able to maintain a cash reservethat meets the best-practice standards for nonprofitorganizations of our size. This reserve is prudentlyinvested in short-term certificates of deposit at

local banks.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society Fund hasnow reached over $11,000. This endowment was

created in 2004 through the Eastern West VirginiaCommunity Foundations Spirit of the Panhandle

award program, in honor of PVAS founder JeanNeelys many contributions to the community. TheBank of Charles Town, which provided $5,000 inseed money for the endowment, has generouslyoffered to continue supporting it by matching futurecontributions of up to $500 annually. The endowment

is controlled by the Foundation and managed by

the Banks Trust Department. In addition to addingnew money to the endowment each year, PVAS isreinvesting all proceeds from it to facilitate its growth.

Because PVASs budget is continuing to growand becoming increasingly complex, we this yearhired on a part-time basis Elizabeth Lowe, a highlyexperienced bookkeeper. Elizabeth is assisting our

treasurer with disbursements, payroll, tax reports, andmonthly financial statements. This year weve also

commissioned our first professional audit to ensurethat our books are in order and our procedures are in

keeping with best-practice standards.


GOVERNANCE

PVAS this year continued to implement thecomprehensive plan we adopted in 2006 forreorganizing our management structure, andour membership by mail ballot approved aset of constitution and by-laws changes that

formalized this reorganization. We greatlystrengthened our staff lineup by hiring anew Director of Childrens Programs andby promoting Kristin Alexander to be PVAS

Executive Director so she can focus herattention on the organization as a whole.

We have also further modernized andstrengthened our management practicesby adopting new policies concerningconflict of interest, document retentionand destruction, and whistle-blowerprotection. The conflict of interest policy

follows the recommendations of theInternal Revenue Service and the other twopolicies are based on models developed

by the National Council of NonprofitAssociations. We are also, in consultationwith a professional accountant, developing a

new Fiscal Operations Policy Manual. In allfacets of governance, we are committed totransparency and adherence to the highestbest-practice standards for nonprofits.


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LOOKING AHEAD

There are several projects that we are looking

forward to in the next year:

Continue to expand our education

programs for children and adults,

especially our school programs.

Finalize land management plans for the

Eidolon and Yankauer preserves and

begin facility improvements at both

properties such as drilling a well and

building bathrooms at Yankauer, and

finalizing a site plan for construction of

educational facilities at Eidolon.

Continue to expand our programs

and services to Morgan County both

at the Eidolon Preserve and in the

county at-large.

Continue to implement our reorganization

and complete a new 5-year strategic plan

to enhance our ability to deliver projects

and programs.

Program expenses $69,276(includes staff salaries)

Savings $26,993

Special event expenses $20, 623

Administrative costs $16,162(includes payroll taxes, workmen's comp, not salaries)

Preserve maintenance $13,470

Fundraising expenses $1,616

Misc. $860(includes inventory)

PVAS EXPENSESJuly 2006-June 2007

Special events $43,351

Program Income $38,671

Grants $31,007

Donations $29,302

Membership income $4,077

Earned interest $880

PVAS INCOMEJuly 2006-June 2007

OVERALLJuly 2006-June 2007

Overall income $148,900

Overall expense $121,907


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IN CONCLUSION

2007 proved to be the busiest program year in PVASs history with a full summer camp, an expanded slate ofschool programs, and a new Master Naturalist Program chapter. The staff was doubled to meet the demand forour programs and if this fall is any indication, next springs program season will likely be busier still. Even witha full-time Director of Childrens Programs, our challenge has beenand will continue to bemeeting theconstantly increasing demand for our programs. We continue to write grants to fund projects and programs

with some success. However, the most meaningful and reliable source of funding continues to be from our

members and friends in the communities we serve.

As has been the case during all of PVASs 25 years, the dedication and commitment of our volunteers is trulyremarkable. The organizations strength lies in our members and friends who support our efforts throughgenerous gifts of time. Without fail, they pull us through every program and project with great success and

without complaint.

Our efficacy is also the result of strong partners. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services National Conservation

Training Center continues to be a most supportive partner by contributing space, professional expertise,volunteers, and many other services. We are, of course, closely involved with The Nature Conservancythrough our co-management of the Yankauer and Eidolon nature preserves, which they own, and we are

grateful for all their help and support. This year, weve also received invaluabletechnical assistance fromVirginia Techs College of Natural Resources,which has assigned graduate students to help draft the land management plan forEidolon. The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources was instrumentalin helping us establish our Master Naturalist Program chapter, and also helpedus set up a breeding bird survey at Eidolon. Cacapon State Parkgenerously

hosted several Master Naturalist courses and two evening programs this year. The

Conservation Funds Freshwater Institute partners with us on the WatershedEducation Initiatives rain gardens and lends their expertise on other projects as

questions arise. The Izaak Walton League of Berkeley County also consistently helps with the WatershedEducation Initiative as a host for the field trips as fourth graders test the health of the Potomac River, and the

Shepherdstown Wastewater Treatment Plant and Berkeley County Public Service Sewer District offerenlightening tours of their plants as part of the program as well. The United Way of the Eastern Panhandleoffers guidance in nonprofit administration, supports our efforts financially, and helps organize and recruitvolunteers and donations for their annual Day of Caring.

If you have any questions about this report or any of the activities outlined here, please contact us. We enjoyhearing from our members and friends.

Sincerely,

Peter Smith Kristin AlexanderPresident Executive [email protected] [email protected] 304-676-3397

Eidolon Preserve

2007 Annual Report Potomac Valley Audubon Society

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