Heron Herald Sept 2016 - Rainier Audubon · His new book “Clean Disruption of Energy and...

The

Rainier Audubon Society September 2016

We are on the cusp of the most radical transformationin energy in a century. Exponentially improvingtechnologies such as solar, electric vehicles, and

autonomous (self-driving) cars are turning the industrial-eraenergy industry on its head and making the gasoline vehicleobsolete.

Tony Seba’s talk focuses on market disruptions caused byexponential technology improvement, business modelinnovation, and disruptive product design enabled by thisconvergence. His new book “Clean Disruption of Energy andTransportation” projects that by 2030:

● All new energy will be provided by solar or wind.● The architecture of energy will flip from centralized,

command-and-control, secretive, and extractive todistributed, mobile, intelligent and participatory.

● Electric Utilities as we know them will be obsolete.● Oil will be obsolete.● Nuclear will be obsolete.● Natural Gas will be obsolete.● Coal will be obsolete.● All new mass-market vehicles will be electric.

The technology and market trends that are leading to this $12trillion/year disruption are well underway.● The global solar market has grown at a CAGR (compound

annual growth rate) of 41% since 2000.● The cost of Solar PV has decreased by a factor of 222X

since 1970.● Solar has improved its relative cost position by 2,900X

relative to nuclear 3,200 relative to natural gas since 1970and 1,294 times relative to petroleum.

● Unsubsidized utility scalesolar is already cheaper thannuclear coal and diesel.

● Unsubsidized rooftop solar will be cheaper than the costof transmission making central generation obsolete.1

Tony Seba is the author of “Clean Disruption of Energy andTransportation”, “Solar Trillions” and “Winners Take All”, aserial Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and an instructor inEntrepreneurship, Disruption and Clean Energy at Stanford’sContinuing Studies Program. His work focuses on industryand market disruptions: the exponential technology trends,business model innovations, and product architectureinnovations that are leading to the disruption of the world’smajor industries, including energy, transportation,infrastructure, finance, and manufacturing.

We will show a 40 minute video presentation from YouTubeon Tony Seba’s disruptive projections, followed by a shortdiscussion period. This is about birds,and potential solutionsto the problem of Climate Change. These disruptions arelikely to have dramatic impacts on your investments, jobs, andlifestyles. Technology change is happening faster every day,and being prepared may save you a lot. It’s not about beinggreen. It’s simple economics.

Join us at 6:30 PM for snacks and conversation.

1 http://tonyseba.com/portfolio-item/clean-disruption-of-energy-and-transportation/

Rainier Audubon programs are held at 7:00 PM at the

Federal Way United Methodist Church29645 - 51st Ave. So. 98001 (in unincorporated Auburn)

“Clean Disruption of Energy andTransportation”

A video by Tony Seba

7:00 PM September 19, 2016How Silicon Valley will make Oil, Nuclear, Natural Gas, Coal,

Electric Utilities and Conventional Cars Obsolete by 2030

Rainier Audubon Society

September 2016

RAS Mission StatementTo conserve and restore natural ecosystems and protect birds and otherwildlife for the benefit of humanity and biological diversity in South KingCounty and the world we live in.

Position Name Board Member Phone emailPresident Heather Gibson Yes 253-856-9812 [email protected]

Vice President OpenSecretary OpenTreasurer Laura Lavington Yes 253-941-7372 [email protected]

Membership Chair Pat Toth Yes 206-767-4944 [email protected]

Education Chair Cindy Flanagan Yes [email protected]

Program Chair Dale Meland No 253-946-1637 [email protected]

Field Trip Chair Barbara Petersen Yes 253-941-4055 [email protected]

Publicity Chair Jay Galvin Yes [email protected]

Backyard Habitat Chair Marie West-Johnson Yes 206-817-8754 [email protected]

Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert No 253-796-2203 [email protected]

Newsleter Dan Streiffert No 253-796-2203 [email protected]

Webmaster Treesa Hertzel No 253-255-1808 [email protected]

Member at Large Stephen Feldman Yes 360-802-5211 [email protected]

Hospitality Sandra Embrey NoMailing Debra Russel No

Rainier Audubon Society Directory

Nothing beats climatechange for divisiveness.

"It's more politically polarizing thanabortion," says Anthony Leiserowitz,director of the Yale Program on ClimateChange Communication. "It's morepolitically polarizing than gay marriage."

So I have really struggled with how to dealwith this topic. I have thought for sometime that simply talking about theeconomics of clean energy would motivatepeople. Amory Lovins has been pushingthis approach for some time. It seems towork with some business people, but mostfolks just don’t get it. One of the bestinvestments one can possibly make todayis to replace your old light bulbs with LEDs.Yet most folks have not even taken thisstep.

Clean Disruption - the end offossil fuelsA few weeks ago, a friend put me on toTony Seba’s website and his book on“Clean Disruption of Energy andTransportation”. This is pretty amazingstuff! He is essentially looking at current

trends in Solar Panels,Electric Vehicles, batteries,autonomous vehicles, andprojecting these trends outto 2030. His conclusion isthat Electric Vehicles willvirtually replace all gas carsby 2030, and that all newelectric generation will comefrom solar and wind. One ofhis main points is that solarand wind energy are not likeother resources, in that thereis no fuel that must beextracted from theenvironment. They aretechnologies, not fuels, andas a result, they tend to follow Moore’sLaw for exponential growth. That is, theywill continue to get cheaper, every year,and are not limited by fuel availability orpolitical disruptions.

So his predictions are for growth on theorder of what we’ve seen for smartphones. In particular, the economicadvantage of owning and driving ElectricVehicles is overwhelming. This isdisrupting the auto industry,and the energyindustry and means you should really thinktwice before you buy your next car. You

might end up with something like a Kodakcamera, with no film available for it.

If you can’t make it to our meeting, go towww.tonyseba.com and watch the videothere. For more information, get his book.

This may be the technology fix for CO2,but the politics will still need a great deal ofwork…

Dan Streiffert

“GM thought it killed the electriccar in the 1990s, but the electriccar may well end up killing GMand all its internal combustionengine siblings as soon as 2025.”- Tony Seba

Solar Power at the Streifferts

Seen & Heard by Calen Randall

Bio: Calen is a 17 year old birder entering his sixth year writing the Seen and Heard. Currently attending Highline College, Calenenjoys birding in the Green River Valley and around Ithaca, New York.

In some aspects, summer birding canseem like a stagnant time of year, withthe absence of winter favorites like

many waterfowl and several winteringshorebird species. However, this summerwas a season of new adventures andexperiences for me, largely due to mybiggest trip of the year, a flight to the eastcoast to attend the Cornell Young BirdersEvent in Ithaca, New York. The trip wasunique as it marked the first time that I’dtraveled a long distance specifically forbirds. While the east coast birds did notdisappoint, the most unique part about thetrip was meeting fifteen other bird-passionate youths, exploring careeropportunities in the field of ornithology,and networking with professionalsespecially those behind the scenes of themassive birding data base, eBird. The in-depth overview provided by the eventhighlighted how cutting edge the massivecitizen science project is. eBird isunrivaled in its ability to blend the work ofnumerous types of professionals, frompopulation monitors, conservationists, bigdata computer scientists, to quantitativeecologists. However, the most incredibleaspect of eBird not only lies in theenormous amounts of data available forthe general population to access, but thatthe general population itself, everydaybirders, are the ones fueling the entiresystem of data.

No other professional study in the worldfeatures such an immense quantity of datato be analyzed at global and regionallevels, while also maintaining high qualitydue to multiple checklist reviewers suchas our own Charlie Wright. At the YoungBirder Event, John Fitzpatrick, theExecutive Director of the Cornell Lab ofOrnithology gave a speech about “HowBirds Can Save the World.” In his talk,Fitzpatrick referenced the 1880’sextinction of the Passenger Pigeon as anexample of a species whose populationdecline could have been identified andhalted with a population tracker like eBird.His presentation can be viewed atwww.cornell.edu/video/john-fitzpatrick-

birds-can-save-the-world.Currently, eBirdplays animportant role inidentifying recentpopulationdeclines andoverseeingthreatenedpopulations. Asthe developmentof the massivedatabasecontinues toimprove, manyeBird expertspoint to theimpact that eBirdwill have on asmaller regionalscale. Severalnotableprofessionals are making the site moreusable for newer birders. As eBird is aprime opportunity for analysis andunderstanding and has high hopes in itsfuture, I seek to add some eBirdcomponents into the Seen and Heard andRainier Audubon. I encourage you to signup to eBird, check out what’s being seenin the area, and enter your own reports,even if the report is simply what you see inyour backyard. Every sighting makes adifference and contributes to betterunderstanding the patterns of our region’sbirds.

Recent Bird Sightings:April 20th Marie West-Johnson had a bigsighting to start her spring. Mixed amongsta handful of American Goldfinch was aCode 5 (Rare) Lesser Goldfinch. Onlyfive other reports of Lesser Goldfinch inKing County are on eBird! Great spotingMarie and fantastic photos!

April 23rd Lisa Mesplay’s greenbelt washome to a couple of spring nesting birds.A pair of Pileated Woodpeckersconstructed a nest and were often heardcalling out from the cedar trees in Lisa’sDouglas firs. Across the street from Lisaseveral crows built a nest. Luckily, Lisaclaimed “so far a truce seems to be ineffect—I don’t bother them and they don’tbother me. Yet.” Hopefully the placidcoexistence remained undisturbed.

Notable eBird Sightings: In late July andearly August a retention pond in Fifeplayed host to a Snowy Egret, a pair of

Great Egret, an Eastern Kingbird and aBlack Phoebe all at the same pond! Inmid-July Kent Ponds also had its firstChipping Sparrow sighting. A Slaty-backed Gull also turned up along thePuyallup River in early August.

What to Look for in theMonth of September:September, the month of migrationmovement is marked by a plethora ofshorebirds heading south or wintering inthe area. Our summer warblers,flycatchers, swifts and swallows also headout.

● Many of our great duck species returnfrom mating in the mountains,including wigeon, pintail, and scaup.Look out for the return ofCanvasbacks in late September andearly October too. Some great sites tosee Canvasback includeWeyerhaeuser Pond, Cedar Riverdelta, around Lake Sammamish, andthe northern bays of LakeWashington.

● You might also catch a coupleglimpses of bird species like TurkeyVulture, Caspian Tern, and LeastSandpiper as they start theirsouthward migration too.

● September marks the month of theVaux’s Swift winter migration.Monroe’s (Continued on page 4)


September 2016

Field Trips - Barbara Petersen

Weekly Birdwalks atNisqually

Wednesdays 8 am to 11 amLeader: Phil Kelley

Join Phil Kelley on his weekly bird walksas he counts the birds at NisquallyNWR. The group walks over to an areanear the visitor's center to view the entryroad estuary, and then takes theboardwalk/trail loop out to the TwinBarns, and the Nisqually overlook area.From there, the group walks the dike,and back to the Riparian Forest.

Bring: Good walking shoes or boots,rain gear, water, snacks, and $3 forentry fee unless you have a pass.Scopes are welcome.

Meet: At the Visitor's Center PondOverlook.

Directions: Take I-5 south from Tacomaand exit to Nisqually NWR at exit 114.Take a right at the light.

Sign-up is not necessary. Call or emailPhil Kelley if you have questions.Phil Kelley, Lacey, (360) 459 1499,[email protected]___________________________________

Chelan Ridge HawkMigration Festival

Saturday, September 17th, 2016

Join the Methow Valley Ranger District,HawkWatch International, and NorthCentral Washington Audubon Societythis fall for the 7th annual Chelan RidgeHawk Migration Festival. This freefamily event combines activities inPateros, WA with shuttle trips to the

Chelan Ridge migration site to learn aboutand celebrate raptors as they journey towinter territories. This all happens atMemorial Park in Pateros, Washington, onSeptember 17, 2016 from 8 am to 3 pm.

You will get to visit vendors, see raptordemonstrations, listen to live music, andtake a trip to the spectacular ChelanRidge raptor migration site. During theday, shuttles will run from Pateros toChelan Ridge where visitors can seeraptors such as Cooper’s Hawk up closewhen they are banded and released.Chelan Ridge sits 5,675 feet above sealevel along the flyway of migrating raptors.HawkWatch International field crew wholive at the Ridge during the migrationseason will offer insight into what it is liketo live and breathe raptors and show howthe birds are banded and tracked. This isan amazing experience withenvironmental education andinterpretation conducted by on-siteeducators, Forest Service personnel, andvolunteers.(www.hawkwatch.org)

Discovery Park,Seattle

Sat. Sept. 17th

Water birds, land birds, scenery andcoffee shops. Need I say more? Wecould possibly see Common Terns andParasitic Jaeger (if luck is with us) aswell as late summer gulls like Herman'sand California Gulls as well as asmattering of early arriving grebe, ducksand acids. There are always a nicevariety of resident songbirds in the parkand perhaps a few late to leavewarblers.

Time: 6:30am to early afternoon.

Call Jim Flynn at 206-399-6418 or [email protected] to sign upand get the meeting place.

___________________________________

Dumas Bay, FederalWay

Sun. Oct. 23rd

Dumas Bay is a hidden gem of a park. Anice walk (about 1/4 mile) through thewoods to a quiet bay and you almostfeel like you're far away from the city.The bay attracts a variety of water birdsfrom ducks, gulls, a few shorebirds andmore. It has also produced a surprisingnumber of rarities both major and minorsuch as Franklin's Gull.

Time 8 AM to Noonish.

Call Jim Flynn at 206-399-6418 oremail [email protected] to signup and get the meeting place.

Frank Wagner Elementary andSelleck Old School House are greatspots to see Vaux’s or Black Swifts inthe region as they roost in chimneyson route to Mexico. Tahoma Audubonis looking for swift counters (not justquick ones haha) to volunteer atJBLM chimney a 2013 IBA August tothe end of September. If you areinterested, [email protected] to watchswifts at the JBLM.

How to Explore eBird Info:1. Search eBird.org online

2. At the top of the screen there will be alist of tabs. Click on Explore Data

3. From there another list of options willshow up. Select Explore Hotspots

4. Zoom in or enter King County into thearea tab

5. The more bird species seen at thesite, the larger the red hotspot will appear.

eBird QuizQuiz: Which hot spot in the RainierAudubon circle has the most speciessighted and how many species have beenseen?

Hint: There have been over 200 sightingsat this hotspot in south King County.

Answer on last page.

Send your sightings/hearings [email protected] I love readingyour reports!

Sean & Heard (Continuedfrom page 3)

mailto:[email protected]


www.hawkwatch.org

www.RainierAudubon.org

September 2016

In MemoriamRoss Tabor

May 4, 1930 - April 2, 2016

The Rainier Audubon lost awonderful, dedicated member thispast April with the passing of RossTabor. A friendly hello and a warmsmile, followed by a good bird story,a question about a birdingobservation, or a passionateconversation about an interestingbirding topic was always how RossTabor greeted new and oldmembers at Rainier Audubonactivities. For over 38 years—sincethe inception of Rainier Audubon—Ross shared his passion for birdingand conservation with many RAScomrades.

Originally, Annette and Ross Taborbelonged to the Tahoma Audubon.In 1978, when Tom Shaver andThais Bock founded the RainierAudubon Society, Ross and Annettejoined so that they could bemembers in a chapter in theirneighborhood. Ross was very activein all RAS activities—participating in

meetings, outreach, fieldtrips, and Christmas BirdCounts. Ross’ favoriteoutings were the Owl Prowlsand Christmas Bird Counts,of which he especiallyenjoyed spending time withJim Tooley and the Cooper-Juchems family of Alex,Sue, and their children Sara

and Mathew.

It’s no surprise that Ross wassuch a committed birder andnaturalist. In his youth, Rosswas fortunate to have afamily that engaged him inthe world of nature. Hismother Blanche did a fine jobteaching him about the birdsof Washington. He earnedEagle Scout honors and hisBirding Merit Badge was avery special component—especiallyhaving his mother coach him on thebirds. As an adult, Ross merit-badgedTroop #474 (Lake Meridian area) andhelped many scouts earn their Birdingbadge. He was an outstandingteacher and enjoyed working withyouth.

There is a well-known phrase that “Amoment lasts all of a second, but the

memory lives on forever.” Rosscreated many special moments withso many at the Rainier Audubon andcreated many lasting memories--apillar of the Rainier Audubon. Hewas a committed citizen scientistwho cared deeply about birds andtheir habitat, and enjoyed learningand sharing the bird world with somany.

Cindy Flanagan

Welcome to Rainier Audubon’s38th year! I’m excited to be theRAS Education Chair. Thank

you to Annette Tabor for her years ofservice as the Education Chair. Our RASis very active in many outreach events forboth adults and children. In addition toour outreach program, our goal this yearis to offer educational birdingopportunities for both children andadults—birding classes, youth bird club,and a Christmas Bird Count for Kids.

YOUTH - NEW! Rainier AudubonYouth Birding Club October-June(Ages 7-13) with accompanying adult

Inspire a fledgling bird watcher withthe new Rainier Audubon YouthBirding Club. Children will learnabout birds and their habitat. Youthbirders will meet twice a month:once for a monthly meeting (weekdayevening TBD) and once for a monthly

fieldtrip (weekend morning TBD) toexplore birds in the Rainier Audubonarea.

The Rainier Audubon Youth BirdingClub is open to children aged 7-13and their parents (or grandparents)interested in birds and birding—noexperience necessary. An adult maybe accompanied by up to threechildren.

Meetings and field trips are free.Rainier Audubon SocietyMembership required.

Email Cindy Flanagan for moreinformation. [email protected]

ADULTThis year we plan to offer basicbirding classes in the late fall, winterand spring. Look for more informationthis October on the Rainier AudubonWebsite and in the Heron Herald!

Interested? Contact Cindy [email protected]

OUTREACHShadow Lake 20th Frog FrolicSeptember 10th, 20161pm-5 pm21656 184th Ave SE, Renton, WA98058

Frog Frolic is a communitycelebration and benefit for continuedwetland & habitat preservation,restoration, & environmentaleducation in South King County.Come join us!

Education Matters - Cindy Flanagan



www.hawkwatch.org

Audubon Washington believesInitiative 732 provides swift andeffective action to reduce carbon

pollution.

Climate change is the biggest threatfacing birds today, and we must act nowto reduce carbon pollution. The impactsof climate change to people and birds inWashington state—and throughout thePacific Flyway—are already being feltthrough drought, intenseforest fires, and changingocean conditions.

Audubon Washington believesInitiative 732 provides swiftand effective action to reducecarbon pollution.

Throughout history, birds havebeen indicators of human andenvironmental health.Canaries were used in coalmines to detect fatal carbonmonoxide and make sure themines were safe for humans.Eagles were among the first tolet us know the detrimentaleffects of DDT. Now it is timeto pay attention to how birdsare responding to a shiftingclimate.

Audubon’s groundbreaking Birds andClimate Change Report details howrising temperatures influence the rangeof 588 North American bird species,finding that 314 of those are threatenedor endangered by climate change. InWashington state, 189 species of birdsare at risk. Birds have specific sets of

environmental requirements governed byclimate and, during the past 50 years,more than 60 percent of wintering NorthAmerican bird species have shifted theirwinter ranges northward. Soon, they mayhave nowhere left to go.

Never before have birds provided such aclear and urgent message: they need ourhelp.

Initiative 732 is a positive step inaddressing climate change. The tax thatwould be imposed on fossil fuelsconsumed in our state is a provenmethod of reducing carbon emissions,as demonstrated by our neighbors inBritish Columbia. The initiative alsoprovides financial protections for themost impacted communities, includingannual rebates of up to $1,500 for

400,000 low-income workinghouseholds and thereduction of the state salestax by a full percentagepoint. Finally, it enlists stateindustry in the fight byeffectively eliminating theBusiness & Occupation(B&O) Tax formanufacturers.

The cost of inaction isunacceptable. We cannotstand by while birds, as wellas people, already feel theimpact of this environmentalcrisis. The effects of climatechange are bornedisproportionately by low-income working families andcommunities of color. The

most important way to avert the worstimpacts of climate change is to reducecarbon pollution as soon as possible.

The futures of birds and of people in awarming world are intertwined. Whenbirds thrive, we all thrive. Let’s takeaction now for future generations ofpeople and birds

Why We Support I-732

Fall colors and Seasonal Birds12:30 PM Wednesday Sept. 23, 2016

Soos Creek Botanical Gardens

RAS Board member Jay Galvin will be givinga presentation on "Fall colors and SeasonalBirds" at the Soos Creek Botanical Gardensin Kent. Jay will discuss the importance offeeding migrant as well as wintering birds inyour backyard.


September 2016

Bird of the Month:The Great Blue HeronReprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

The Great Blue Heron is amajestic sight whether it isstanding motionless at a river

bend or cruising along the coastlinewith slow, deliberate wingbeats. Thisstately bird with its beautiful blue-grayplumage will poise without moving,scanning for prey or wade belly deepwith long, deliberate strides. GreatBlue Herons may move slowly butthey can strike like lightning to snag afish or grab a frog.

Great Blue Herons live in bothfreshwater and saltwater habitats.They usually hunt alone eating fish,reptiles, insects and other birds. Theywill also forage in grasslands andagricultural fields looking for frogs andsmall mammals.

When building a nest, the male GreatBlue Herons collect much of thematerial, gathering sticks from theground, shrubs, trees and unguardedor abandoned nests. They presentthe sticks to the females. If the sticksare accepted, the females proceed toweave a platform and a saucer-shaped nest cup. The nest is linedwith pine needles, moss, reeds, drygrass and small twigs. Building the

nest can take from 3 days up to 2weeks. Each female will lay 3 - 6 pale,blue eggs.

Great Blue Herons nest mainly intrees but will also nest on the ground,on bushes and on structures such asduck blinds, channel markers ornesting platforms. Males arrive at thecolony first and select a nest site.They then begin to court the females.Large, successful colonies may havehundreds of nests.

Great Blue Herons are monogamousduring a breeding season but choosenew partners each year. They displayelaborate courtship and pair-bondingbehaviors including a ritualizedgreeting, stick transfers and a nestrelief ceremony in which the birdserect their plumes and clap their billtips together.

Great Blue Herons defend theirfeeding territories with much drama,approaching intruders with headthrown back, wings outstretched andbill pointing skyward. Offendinghumans may also witness thisbehavior.

OTHER COOL FACTS ABOUTGREAT BLUE HERONS

Great Blue Herons are the largestheron in North America.

Great Blue Herons can curl theirneck into an S shape for moreaerodynamic flight and to quicklystrike prey at a distance due tospecially shaped neck vertebrae.

Great Blue Herons have specializedfeathers on their chest that continuallygrow and fray. The herons comb this"powder down" with a fringed claw ontheir middle toes, using the down likea washcloth to remove fish slime andother oils from their feathers as theypreen. The powder protects theirfeathers against the slime and oils ofswamps.

Great Blue Herons can hunt day andnight due to a high percentage of rod-type photoreceptors in their eyes.

Even though Great Blue Herons areimpressive standing about 4 feet talland having a 6 foot wing span, theyonly weigh 5 to 6 pounds because oftheir hollow bones.

Great Blue Herons on the coast anbe seen poised atop a floating bed ofkelp waiting for lunch to swim by.

On March 17, 2003 the Seattle CityCouncil named the Great Blue Heronthe official bird of Seattle.

Based on banding records, the oldestGreat Blue Heron was 24 years old.

Fish farmers worry about Great BlueHerons congregating at fishhatcheries, but a study found that thebirds ate mostly diseased fish thatwould have died shortly anyway. Thesick fish spent more time near thesurface of the water where they weremore easily snagged by the herons.

It is quiet now but come spring alocal heronry will be stirring to life.More than 30 nests were accountedfor last year at the colony behind theKing County Animal Shelter at 2161564th Ave. S. in Kent. Visit, observeand be awestruck by thesemagnificent and interesting birds


September 2016

Hello and welcome back to mymusings!

Happy birthday to the U.S. NationalPark Service (NPS) which turns 100years old this month! In 1916President Woodrow Wilson signed thebill that created the parks with thepurpose "to conserve the scenery andthe natural and historic objects andthe wild life therein and to provide forthe enjoyment of the same in suchmanner and by such means as willleave them unimpaired for theenjoyment of future generations."

The parks wereactually createdin reaction tothe wiping out ofthe once greatbison herds thatroamed theGreat Plains.This decimationprompted theestablishment ofYellowstoneNational Park in1872, thenation's firstdesignatedwildlifesanctuary.However,poachers paidno heed to thepark's boundaries. Even theU.S. Calvary was sent in butthe army had no authority toprosecute violators. Finally, SenatorJohn F. Lacy of Iowa had had enoughand pushed a bill through congress in1894 making it a misdemeanor to killanimals in the park, punishable by afine up to $1,000 and two years in jail,and one of the nation's earliest federallaws protecting wildlife was enacted.Some 4,000 bison now roamYellowstone and in all, some 30,000bison now graze in public herdsacross the West.

The number of success storiescontinued to grow as parks werecreated to protect our naturalwonders. In 1909, PresidentTheodore Roosevelt designated

Mount Olympus National Monument,precursor to Olympic National Park, toprotect the shrinking herd of hisnamesake Roosevelt Elk. A fewyears later, Rocky Mountain Elk andpronghorn were reintroduced to SouthDakota's Wind Cave National Park. InHawaii, the native nene goose haddwindled to a population of 30 by the1950s. It was saved after heroicreintroduction efforts in HawaiiVolcanoes and Haleakala nationalparks in the 1960s and 1970s. Todaymore than 2,000 nene exist on theislands.

More and more, parks are becomingimportant wildlife laboratories whereresearchers are learning to protectspecies on a larger scale. Perhapsthe most ambitious research project inthe nation is the All Taxa BiodiversityInventory in which scientists andcitizen volunteers are attempting todiscover all of the estimated 60,000 -80,000 species thought to live withinthe Great Smoky Mountains NationalPark along the North Carolina -Tennessee border. After 18 years andnearly 20,000 species discovered ithas become one of the largestnatural-history inventories in theworld.

Today the NPS employs more than20,000 people and oversees 409parks, as well as historic sites andscenic shorelines.

Even though these sites receive morethan a quarter-billion visits each year

the NPS is concerned aboutcreating the next generationof advocates for parks andother public lands. The"Find Your Park" campaigntargets milennials and"Every Kid in a Park" givesall the nation's fourth-graders and their families afree pass to national parksfor a year. To find out morevisit the "Find Your Parkand "Every Kid in a Park"websites.

There are a variety of freeor discounted passesavailable for senior citizens,current military membersand citizens with disabilitiesand on August 25, 26 ,27

and 28 all entrance fees to thenational parks will be waived.

So, get out there and enjoy ourfabulous national parks and when youdo, shout out a tremendous "ThankYou!" to the National Park Serviceand all it does for our country's naturalwonders, wildlife and historical places.Oh, and Happy Birthday, too!

Until next time,

Millie, the Muse of Mews

Mewsings from MillieReprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

Sunrise at Sunset - Dan Streiffert


September 2016

Would you like toparticipate in the

largest citizenscience-

driven seabirdcensus in the Pacific

Northwest?!

The new season of Seattle Audubon’slandmark Puget Sound Seabird Survey(PSSS) kicks off on October 1��, 2016,and we are currently recruitingenthusiastic, skilled, and dedicatedvolunteers to help us monitor thestatus of our local wintering seabirds.This truly regional effort provides asignificant data set on marine birdpopulations from the south end ofPuget Sound all the way across theStrait of Juan de Fuca. Your work willstrengthen Seattle Audubon’s birdcensus database and serve as afoundation to support theimplementation of new strategic plan,Seattle Audubon 20/20, during ourorganization’s 100�� anniversary year.

Volunteers should be able to identifyPuget Sound’s seabird species and beavailable on the first Saturday of eachmonth, October through April, to conducta 30-minute seabird survey. Training onsurvey methodology will be offered atnumerous locations in September. If de-termining between Eared and HornedGrebe is a challenge, we’ll team you upwith more knowledgeable surveyors. Ifyou love birding and want to help ensurewe’re doing all that we can to support

Puget Sound’s seabird populations, thisis your opportunity to make a lastingcontribution to Seattle Audubon’s workin our second century of conservationachievements.

Learn more, including training dates, atwww.seabirdsurvey.org and email TobyRoss, Science Manager([email protected]) if youwould like more information or to takepart.

© Doug Schurman

Western Field OrnithologistsYouth Scholarships for Calif.

Conference

Western Field Ornithologists is pleased to announcethe availability of youth scholarships for the WFO 2016conference to be held in Humboldt County, Californiafrom Sept. 28 through Oct. 2nd. Eight scholarships areavailable for youth between the ages of 12 and 22, withsix scholarships for youths in Grades 6 through 12 andtwo scholarships for collegiate youths working toward aBachelor's degree. The application deadline is May 15,2016. The annual WFO conference is a four day eventthat includes scientific presentations, workshops, field

trips, experts' sound and visual identification panels,and social activities. For additional details about thescholarships and conference, visit the WFO website athttp://www.westernfieldornithologists.org.

Please share this information as soon as possible withyour Audubon membership and youth organizations.This is a great opportunity for motivated youth to meetthose who earn their living and/or volunteer in the fieldornithology, bird conservation, biology and otherdistinguished fields.

Joyce MeyerRedmond, WA

[email protected] Member

Answer - Kent Ponds (GRNRA ) - 250 species

Rainier Audubon Membership Subscription or Renewal Form

One-year Membership in Rainier Audubon$25—Individual Membership / $30—Family Membership

Circle one New / RenewalFor new members: How did you hear about Rainier Audubon Society? _________________________________________

To join or renew, mail this application with your payment to:Rainier Audubon Society - MembershipPO Box 778Auburn, WA 98071

Name:_______________________________________________________________________Address ______________________________________________________________________City ______________________________________ State ______________ Zip _____________Email __________________________________________________ Phone________________

RAS Chapter membership includes 9 issues of the Heron Herald annually but does not include AUDUBON magazine.

The

Rainier Audubon SocietyPO Box 778Auburn, WA 98071

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidKent, WA 98031Permit No. 441

“GM thought it killed the electric car in the1990s, but the electric car may well end upkilling GM and all its internal combustion enginesiblings as soon as 2025.” - Tony Seba

Heron Herald Sept 2016 - Rainier Audubon · His new book “Clean Disruption of Energy and...

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Transcript of Heron Herald Sept 2016 - Rainier Audubon · His new book “Clean Disruption of Energy and...