4th quarter 2010 barred owl newsletters baton rouge audubon society

8/8/2019 4th Quarter 2010 Barred Owl Newsletters Baton Rouge Audubon Society

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B a t o n R o u g e A u d u b o n S o c i e t y

by Karen A. Westphal

T he mini-dredge was a concept born of need.The hurricanes Rita 2005 and Ike 2008 de-

stroyed thousands of acres of marsh in the Paul J.Rainey sanctuary and surrounding area, leaving be-hind shallow, open water areas. To dredge and pumpsediment back into these areas in a traditional wayfor marsh restoration would cost thousands of dollarseven if the work vessels could fit in the small water-ways. Paul Kemp and Melanie Driscoll of National

Audubon Society Louisiana Coast Initiative ap-proached a local construction company with an ideafor a more portable, small-scale dredge that could beused by landowners in limited access areas. Fundingthrough the Together Green organization made theconcept tangible. The construction company was soexcited by the idea, they decided to donate the fin-ished prototype to Audubon for testing rather thanhave us lease it.

On June 22, the mini-dredge was loaded onto a flat-bed trailer at the Javeler Construction, Inc in NewIberia. It was then trucked to Intracoastal City and off-loaded by crane at the Shell Morgan Landing. It took2 ½ hours to tow the dredge to the Paul J. RaineyWildlife Refuge headquarters. Preliminary testing andself-training (and numerous mud showers) were un-dertaken by Timmy Vincent and Karen Westphal ofAudubon when time permitted.

On July 27, 2010, we felt it time to honor the people

that helped to make it happen by holding a smallchristening party at the Rainey headquarters. TimmyVincent and Karen Westphal set up the porch anddredge with extra shade in preparation for the day'sactivities. Timmy left to meet everyone at the dock for8:30 while Karen stayed at the refuge headquartersto finalize food preparations.

The Audubon boat "Blue Goose" returned to the ref-uge headquarters around 9:15 with Paul Kemp andAhmet Binselam of the Audubon Baton Rouge office,and was followed by the Javeler Construction Co., Inc

boat carrying Les Cross (President), Brenda Cross(Vice-President), John Cross (their son, LSU gradworking on the marsh restoration project), LambertPullin (the electrician for the dredge), and HunterSoutherland (Javeler field tech and head of deep-water dredging).

The weather was perfect. The low in the Gulf createda partly cloudy sky with moderate temperatures and arather nice breeze. Since we had such a small group,the setting was relaxed and informal. The schedule

(Continued on page 8)

C h r i s t e n i n g o f A u d u b o n ' s m i n i - d r e d g e

The mini-dredge in the boat slip at thePaul J Rainey Wildlife Refuge headquarters.

The mini-dredge in the boat slip at thePaul J Rainey Wildlife Refuge headquarters.

Newsletter of the Baton Rouge Audubon Society

V o l u m e X X X V I I , N u m b e r 4 4 t h Q u a r t e r , 2 0 1 0

The

“John James” T h e



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T hough it's still to early to tell it seems as if we've avoidedcatastrophe. That being said, I believe that no one would say

that our coast and its' inhabitants "dodged a bullet." As I write thisthe BP Horizon response website lists 2053 birds collected alive,about half of which have been released and 5673 collected car-casses. It is not confirmed that all of these birds died because thespill but we can assume a vast majority did. Louisiana Wildlife andFisheries agents along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents are nowbeing allowed on the rookeries and we can expect this number togrow rapidly. In the last few days the numbers of dead birds beingcollected has increased dramatically. This will continue throughoutthe month while the dozens of bird islands from Venice to Co-codrie are searched.

What is has been particularly frustrating has been the lack of pub-lished scientific findings on the effects of the oil. It's my under-

standing that this is because of the upcoming legal wranglings.Thankfully there have been few massive fish kills or species-threatening deaths to our bird-life. What is still of particular con-cern to scientists is the web of life further down the ladder. It islikely that we will never know the extent to which the spill affecteda whole host of species from plankton, worms and other inverte-brates which live along our shores and are vital to the ecosystem.

If there is to be a silver lining from this event it might be that withmore national attention we might better address some of ourcoastal issues. It would seem almost a certainty that we will havesafer and cleaner drilling in the future. As was pointed out to meby our great nature photographer C.C. Lockwood, the size of theoil-slick at it's largest was still smaller than the amount of land wehave lost from our wetlands over the last eighty years. It is my sin-cere hope that our work (Audubon's along with many other organi-zations) can come to fruition now to implement large-scale restora-tion projects.

I would like to urge everyone to take part in some way to seize thisopportunity and spotlight for the future of our coast.

Best Wishes,

Eric Liffmann President,Baton Rouge Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 67016Baton Rouge, La. 70896225.937.3405

BRAS wishes to acknowledge

Downtown Kiwanis Clubof Baton Rouge

for their support of ourEducation Programs

Thank you so much!

Baton Rouge Audubon

Officers

PresidentEric Liffmann 225/766-8775

Vice-PresidentRichard Gibbons 225/578-6901

Past PresidentHarriett Pooler 225/291-0077

TreasurerJay Guillory 225/927-2794

SecretaryDonna LaFleur 225/892-4492

Committee Chairs

ConservationPaul Kemp 225/772-1426

EducationJane Patterson 225/753-7615

Fieldtrips

Jeff Harris 225/270-6141

SanctuaryDave Patton 337/232-8410

MembershipBeverly Smiley 225/383-0653

ProgramsJared Wolfe 707/980-9790

NewsletterSteve [email protected]

At Large Members…

Erik Johnson 225/252-8864Amanda Zellmer 734/276-7715

IBA ProgramMelanie Driscoll 225/578-6901

LSU Bird ResourceRichard Gibbons 225/578-6901

The Barred Owlis published quarterly by the

Baton Rouge chapter of the NAS.Submissions should be emailed to

[email protected]

Changes of address and other officialcorrespondence should be sent to:

Baton RougeAudubon Society P.O. Box 67016

Baton Rouge, LA 70896

A Message From Our President...



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F all migration is in full swing. Ruby-throatedhummingbirds are headed back to Mexico and

Central America for the winter. Now's the time to

have a feeder up to help the little guys fatten up fortheir long journey. They'll be gone by mid-October.But don't take down all of your feeders! Every win-ter a few western hummingbirds come to stay forthe winter on the Gulf Coast and a good many canbe found around the Baton Rouge area. The mostcommon of these is the Rufous hummingbird -- arusty little bird that breeds in Alaska and the Pa-cific Northwest. But you might also be lucky

enough to host a Black-chinned, Buff-Bellied, Calli-

ope, Broad-billed, Broad-tailed, or Anna's. If yousee a hummingbird in your yard after October, it'sworth reporting it! You can send an email [email protected].

You might also like to join the Humnet listservwhere humnuts from all over meet to talk abouttheir favorite birds. (send an email with the con-tent "subscribe humnet-l your-email-address YourName" to [email protected] to join the list).

HUMMERS ON THE MOVE!

A ugust/September means migration has be-gun. Those willing to brave the deer flies of

the season are usually rewarded with some of thelate summer specialties like Olive-sided Flycatcher(below) and Canada Warbler. Yellow Warblers areleading the way, along with some of the more chal-lenging flycatchers such as the Willow/Alder(right) . Early fall also brings a chance at the al-ways elusive Mourning Warbler. My August and

September visits rewarded mewith all these and more as wecut and groomed the trails forour human visitors. The ragweed has come up nicely aswell as other ground plants toprovide nice cover and winterfood for the birds. Many of ourtrees have continued thereslow demise following the ef-fects of Hurricane Ike anddead trees and branches con-

tinue to come down with eachstorm. However, the wet sum-mer has allowed the newtrees and ground plants tomake good progress in restor-ing our bird habitats. Octobershould be great for the fall mi-grants and early arriving win-ter residents in the sanctuary.

BRAS wants to thank KevinColley for fabricating and do-nating a new, heavy duty, contribution box forPeveto Woods Sanctuary. We are working towarda kiosk sign-in station that can also serve as loca-tion for the new box. I also want to give an overduethank you to Paul Fontenot of Lafayette, for giving

me a pile of old satellite dishes several years ago.These have come in handy as I set up wateringspots around the sanctuary.

Dave PattonSanctuary Chairman

Autumn in Peveto Woods...

BRAS SANCTUARY REPORT

Watch your feeders and yard for rarities like theCalliope Hummingbird in late fall and winter

Watch your feeders and yard for rarities like theCalliope Hummingbird in late fall and winter

Ruby-throated Hummingbird migrationis in full swing in September

Ruby-throated Hummingbird migrationis in full swing in September



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by Jared WolfePrograms Chair

This is the first of two installments detail- ing the cultural and scientific importance of monitoring our local bird communities.

I ntrigued, the teenager stoodover the dead Armadillo. “How

long have you lived in Louisiana?” Iinquired. “Sixteen years, my whole life.” He could sense my amaze-ment, “and you have never seen an Armadillo, dead or alive?” Sheep-ishly, he looked at his shoes, “well, I don’t leave Baton Rouge much.” Further inspection of the carcass

was interrupted by our leaders -LSU graduate students – beckoningus to begin the Henslow’s Sparrowsurvey. A few minutes later wefound ourselves immersed in fieldbiology: identifying birds, capturing,marking, recording body-conditionand safely releasing Henslow’sSparrows. “I can feel its heart beat- ing” the young volunteer excitedlyobserved as he prepared a bird forrelease. In a Louisiana forest tworare species, one human and theother avian, enriched each other’s

existence: an inner-city teenagerexited about nature, helping monitora declining songbird species.

Preventing future degradation of ourbird populations requires a new, in-terested and dedicated generationof bird lovers. Unfortunately, twofactors may hinder the establish-ment of Baton Rouge’s next genera-tion of bird advocates: the inability to

access natural areas and the failureto create formative associations be-tween oneself and nature. Unfamili-arity with nature can foster an apa-thetic and uninformed conservationethic often referred to as ‘naturedeficit disorder.’ Recognizing a criti-cal need to provide our communitywith quality environmental outreachopportunities, Baton Rouge Audu-bon Society, Louisiana State Univer-sity and Recreation and Park Com-mission for the Parish of Eastern

Baton Rouge (BREC) initiated thefirst year-round bird banding projectin some of the last vestiges of ma-ture Bald-Cypress Swamp in BatonRouge called the Bluebonnet BirdMonitoring Project (BBMP).

Since March 2010, BBMP hasworked with partners to provideunique environmental education

opportunities for young people inBaton Rouge. For example, a visit-ing group of kids typically receive abrief lecture addressing the impor-tance of preserving habitat for themigrants which annually cross theworld’s oceans, winter in exotic loca-tions and breed in our backyards.Next, visitors come face-to-face withwild birds and observe profession-ally trained biologists collecting im-

portant demographic data. The datacollected by BBMP is used to moni-tor the health of resident and mi-grant bird populations in BatonRouge. Visitors leave the station un-derstanding the importance of moni-toring bird populations through allphases of the avian life-cycle. BBMPstrives to connect kids with birdsand the natural areas required forthe birds’ persistence. Within thefirst year of operations BBMP hasbrought over 150 kids to experiencebird banding in Baton Rouge. Byworking with partners BBMP contin-ues to work towards educating thenext generation of conservation am-bassadors in Baton Rouge. Formore information please visit ourwebsite at: http://www.braudubon.o r g / b l u e b o n n e t - s w a m p - b i r d -monitoring.php.

BRAS Programs in Action

USING BIRDS AND SCIENCE TO PREPARE THE NEXTGENERATION OF BATON ROUGE CONSERVATIONISTS



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by Jane Patterson(information paraphrased from

LA Wildlife and Fisherieswebsite: www.wlf.louisiana.gov)

T he Louisiana Department ofWildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)

and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) will attempt to establish

a non-migratory flock of Whoop-ing Cranes in southwestern Lou-isiana. The proposal is to reintro-duce the endangered whoopingcrane into habitat in its historicrange on the state-owned WhiteLake Wetland Conservation Areain Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.

The species was on the verge ofextinction in the 1940s and eventoday has only about 395 indi-viduals in the wild (550 world-wide). A small non-migratorypopulation exists in the eastern U.S.The only self-sustaining wild popula-tion of Whooping Cranes migrates be-tween Canada and Texas and re-mains vulnerable to extinction fromcontinued loss of habitat or natural orman-made catastrophes. Multiple ef-forts are underway to reduce this riskby increasing populations in the wild,including ongoing efforts to establish amigratory population in the easternUnited States.

USFWS proposes the new, reintro-duced, non-migratory population ofWhooping Cranes be designated as anon-essential, experimental popula-tion (NEP) under the provisions of theEndangered Species Act. This pro-posed designation and its implement-ing regulation are developed to be

more compatible with routine humanactivities in the reintroduction area.The designation allows for take ofWhooping Cranes when such take isaccidental and incidental to an other-wise lawful activity, including agricul-ture practices, recreation, and hunting.The intentional take (including killingor harm) of any NEP-designatedwhooping crane would still be a viola-tion of federal law punishable under

the Endangered Species Act and theMigratory Bird Treaty Act.

There are approximately 1.3 millionacres of marsh, open water, and che-nier habitat in southwestern coastalLouisiana. The cranes would be rein-troduced to the White Lake area and

are not expected to be affectedby the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. Whooping Cranes histori-cally occurred in Louisiana inboth a resident, non-migratoryflock and a migratory flock thatwintered in Louisiana. The pro-posed release area is the locationwhere Whooping Cranes werehistorically documented raisingyoung in Louisiana. Studies havebeen done to document that foodsources are readily available forthis new crane population.

If this proposal is approved, the rein-

troduction effort could begin duringearly 2011.

To allow adequate time to conduct thisreview, USFWS requests that informa-tion be received on or before October18. 2010. For more information, con-tact Carrie Salyers at 337-538-2276 [email protected] or Bill Brooks at904-731-3136 or

[email protected]

Scar Baby, the Whooping Crane

Photo by Richard Gibbons

Whooping Cranes Coming Back to Louisiana

A udubon staff, both nationally and in Louisiana, pouredtremendous energy into Audubon's BP Deepwater Ho-

rizon oil disaster response - an unprecedented response

for an unprecedented threat to birds and habitats.

Many people wanted to help the birds affected by the oilspill, and Audubon staff identified opportunities for non-governmental organization and volunteer involvement inthe official disaster response (no easy task in a climate ofchaos and mistrust), and, in partnership with national out-reach staff, mobilized hundreds of volunteers across south-ern Louisiana to assist with the bird rescue and rehabilita-tion effort and other needs. Thousands of volunteers arenow available to begin to transition from immediate crisisresponse into a more sustained effort that will include long-term monitoring of the bird populations and habitats acrossthe Gulf Coast, as well as habitat restoration and protection

efforts.

Audubon advocated for birds, other wildlife, and the habi-tats on which they depend, throughout the oil spill. Stafffrom Texas to Florida were in the field, assessing oil dam-

age and the wildlife rescue and habitat protection andcleanup efforts, and working with federal and state agen-cies on recommendations for improving those efforts andreducing the impacts on birds and on our fragile coastalenvironments. Local and national staff also provided credi-ble information to the press to help the public understandnew threats from the oil spill, as well as to transform ournation's understanding of the vital role Louisiana's seafood,transportation, and oil and gas industries play in our na-tional economy. Expert opinion from these scientists airedon NBC Nightly News, CNN, and NPR's All Things Consid-ered, as well as in the New York Times, USA Today, andmany other media outlets.

(Continued on page 9)

N a t i o n a l A u d u b o n S o c i e t y : R e s p o n s e a n d R e s t o r a t i o n

Rapid Response to the

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill



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T h e B a t o n R o u g e A u d u b o n w e b s i t e h a s h a d a f a c e l i f t !

V i s i t t o d a y t o s e e w h a t ' s n e w ! w w w . b r a u d u b o n . o r g

Bird Diversity in Lowland Amazonian Forests-Can it be Saved?

Speaker: Erik Johnson

Date: Tuesday, October 19Time: 6:30-7:00 p.m. social and cash bar,

7:00 p.m. banquet, 8:00 p.m. programPlace: The Imperial Room of Five Happiness Restaurant,3605 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118

Cost: $28.00 per personReservations: Mail a check payable to “Orleans Audubon Society” to

Michael Crago, OAS Treasurer, 801 Rue Dauphine, Ste. 304,Metairie, LA 70005 and please include names, addresses and

telephone numbers for each person’s reservation.Reservations must be received by October 14th.

Menu: Egg roll and chicken wing appetizers, entrees include MandarinChicken, Shrimp with Honey Roasted Pecans, General’s Chicken, Beef

with Black Mushroom, Snow Peas and Bamboo Shoots, Triple Dragon inHot Garlic Sauce, combination fried rice, fortune and almond cookies,

soft drink or iced tea.

OAS/Crescent Bird Club Joint Banquet

(excerpted from festival website by Jane Patterson)

B uilding on the success of last year’s festival, Yellow Rails and Rice Festival 2010 is scheduled to begin Thursday, 4 November 2010, and

will run through Sunday, 7 November 2010.

The festival is designed with fun in mind. Its primary goal is to provide par-ticipants a unique venue to view Yellow Rails while at the same time bring-ing birders and farmers together to realize the value to birds of the area’s“working wetlands.” The festival schedule is casual and participants canattend all events or come and go at their leisure. We will have leaders atfield sites to help spot birds and provide information. We will also offer localfield trips, and two trips farther afield to the pineywoods and Cameron Par-ish coast. Based in Jennings, participants will be positioned in the heart ofCajun Country in Louisiana’s SW prairie region, an area known for greatbirding, local cuisine, and a rich history and culture.

Vis i t the websi te at h t tp : / /snowyegretenterpr ises.com/ Snowy_Egret_Enterprises/YRARF_2010.html to register

View video from last year's event at: http://vimeo.com/7408572

Yellow Rails and Rice Festival

BRAS EMAIL LIST

If you would like to be informedof upcoming Baton Rouge

Audubon events via email, senda request to Jane Patterson at

[email protected] andyou’ll be added to the

BRAS email list.

Baton Rouge Audubon Societywill be premiering “Ghost Bird” ,the critically acclaimed documen-tary which tells the story of theIvory-billed Woodpecker's miracu-lous rediscovery in 2005. Thebird’s resurrection was heraldedaround the world as proof thatconservation efforts on behalf ofthreatened species were makingthe critical difference between lifeand death. While the fate of Ivory-bills remains uncertain, there is noquestion the vital role local con-servation efforts play in reversingthe planet's extinction crisis.

Please join us at the BluebonnetSwamp Nature Center at 7pmThursday, November 4th, for thepremiere Baton Rouge screeningof “Ghost Bird”.

“Ghost Bird”

Premiere

November 4th!



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by Jane Patterson

O n October 9, BRAS Membersare invited to come to Sher-

burne Wildlife Mgt Area South Farmto help complete the construction of

a wildlife observation platform. TheArmy Corps of Engineers is fundingthis great project. They will beginthe construction soon, but would liketo give the public an opportunity tobe involved by asking volunteers tohelp with the completion of thedecking, screening, and railing onthe day of the event.

The ACoE and LA Wildlife& Fisher-ies asked for input from the birdingcommunity for this platform, and itpromises to be a great resource to

birders who visit South Farm. Theplatform will be centrally located inthe compound, and will offer 360degree views. It will be on a dead-end levee, and no ATV traffic is al-lowed on this particular levee. The

overall dimensions of the platformare 15'x15'. It will be two story, withramp access to the lower level andstairs to the upper. The lower levelwill be 3 feet above the crown of thelevee and the upper level will be 13feet above the crown of the levee.The side railings will be trimmedwith lattice to provide air flow andscreening. There will be stainlesssteel (or aluminum) railings for thestairs as well as the ramp to assistusers in addition to the regularwooden side railing. There will be

perimeter ledges (shelves) andsome benches (with backs) on bothlevels -- this will enable users to sitwhile facing out and use the ledgesfor stability of binoculars, scopes,and cameras.

We're very excited about this project! Sherburne South Farm is per-haps the best overall birding sitewithin a 30 minute drive of BatonRouge. It is on the eastern edge ofthe Atchafalaya Basin and has largewater impoundments which attractwading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. For those of you who may notbe familiar with it, it is located off theRamah-Maringuoin exit (135) on I-10. Travel the levee road about 1.5miles north and you'll see a signpointing over the levee to the park-ing area. Only off-road and foot traf-fic is allowed in the compound. Aswith other LDWF-managed proper-ties, you must have a hunting/fishingor WildLA stamp to enter and com-plete a self-clearing permit.

If you would like to volunteer to helpwith the platform building, pleasecontact Jane Patterson at 225-278-0667 or via email at [email protected].

Wildlife Observation Platform Planned for Sherburne

Baton Rouge Audubon thanks

for their sponsorship ofour education programs!

What Our Friends Are Doing

Louisiana Ornithological Society Fall meetingOct 29-30, 2010Cameron/Creole

Friday evening @ First Baptist Church6-7 pm - Registration, snacks7-8 pm - Evening program featuring Melanie Driscoll

"National Audubon Society's Response to the Gulf Oil Spill"

Saturday7 am - Field Trips in Cameron Parish

6 pm - registration6:30-7:30 pm - Gumbo dinner

7:30 pm - Evening program featuring Randy Lactot of the LouisianaWildlife Federation: "Quest for a Louisiana State Seashore"

Platform will offer 360 degree view of South FarmPlatform will offer 360 degree view of South Farm



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(Continued from page 1)

was thrown out and we let things flow. We set up a pic-nic table on the porch overlooking the boat slip, partiallyunder the sun awning we had installed, and brought mi-mosas outside.

After everyone had a chance to visit, look around thegrounds, and sip on a mimosa, Paul started the chris-tening ceremony. Les, Brenda and John joined Karenon the deck of the mini-dredge. Paul stayed on shorefacing the bow of the dredge, and conducted the chris-tening ceremony. The crew onboard repeated the wordsafter him. Ahmet took the pictures.

The christening ceremony was written by Karen, read byPaul, and was as follows:

"We are here today to celebrate the creativ- ity in thought and design between Javeler and Na- tional Audubon Society, expressed here in the form

of this mini-dredge."

"For thousands of years, we have gone to sea. We have crafted vessels to carry us, to lighten our burden, and to help us in our endeavors; and we have called them by name. Today, we come to name this vessel and send her out to do good works."

While Karen poured dirt and seeds into the water, Paulcontinued: "Mighty and enduring, mother Earth, Fa- ther Sky, and Lord of All; grant us permission to use your providence -- the rich, nurturing substance of your existence -- to promote the diversity and abundance you crave. Grant this vessel the power and

ability to create new land to display your gracious and generous bounty for all to celebrate and enjoy."

"Most gracious Lord, we beseech you to consecrate this boat to righteous work in your name. Watch over her crew and bring them to a safe return. May your blessing be upon this vessel and all who come aboard, this day and forever. Amen"

"We name this vessel in honor of one who nurtured love for nature and the great outdoors, and who is the namesake of our own organization."

Karen poured champagne over the bow as Paul and theothers said: "We name this ship JOHN JAMES, -- may she bring good fortune and a safe, successful out-

come to all endeavors for those who sail on her."

Then Paul raised his glass and toasted "TO THE JOHN JAMES!" and everyone followed suit.

As the christening crew disembarked, Paul met them infront of the dredge. He then presented a plaque to LesCross, representing Javeler Construction, Inc., to showour appreciation for their design, construction and dona-tion. It read:

We then brought more mimosas and the food outside toshare. The menu included crawfish/mushroom quiche,fruit tray and pull-apart cinnamon bread.

The day continued with a boat tour onboard Audubon's"Blue Goose" down to the "pig-trap" to overlook some ofthe best marshland in Louisiana. The cruise was re-warded with an abundance of bird life and a rather largealligator. By request, the tour went by the Chenier auTigre landing where Lambert has ancestral connections.After a brief pause at the headquarters for refreshments,the tour continued over to Deep Lake where we plan todo the first marsh restoration. Karen had helped Timmyextend the boardwalk the day before, so there wasplenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy theview.

We returned to the headquarters, packed everything up,and both boats headed back to the Intracoastal Citypublic dock. And so ended a wonderful day christening

the new dredge, showing our appreciation to an impor-tant donor, and showing off what Rainey has to offer. Ifyou weren't there, you missed a fun day - if you werethere, thanks for participating and making it a greatevent!!

Now, let's make some marsh!

Karen A WestphalNational Audubon Society Gulf Coast Initiative

6160 Perkins Road, Suite 215Baton Rouge, LA 70808

225-768-0921 phone

Left to right: Karen Westphal, Paul Kemp, Les Cross,Brenda Cross, and John Cross

Left to right: Karen Westphal, Paul Kemp, Les Cross,Brenda Cross, and John Cross

Certificate of AppreciationPresented to

Javeler Construction Co., Inc

With Sincere Thanks for the donation of the "John James" Given this 27th day of August, 2010

By AudubonSigned: G. Paul Kemp, VP Louisiana Coastal Initiative and

Karen Westphal, Atchafalaya Program Director

Christening of Audubon's mini-dredge, The “John James”



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(Continued from page 5)

Science staff, led by Dr. Paul Kemp,Vice President of the Louisiana CoastalInitiative, provided scientific advice tostate officials on proposed mitigation

efforts, and designed and promoted ascience-based solution to keep oil at bayby changing the management of the OldRiver Control Complex. Though theWhite House and the Corps of Engi-neers failed to act on the proposal, it didelevate the issue of Mississippi Rivermanagement - an Audubon priority - tothe national level, including coverage onCNN, an op-ed published on CNN.comand coverage by National Geographicand other science and news organiza-tions. Staff also commented on myriadproposals, among them the sand bermproposal.

Melanie Driscoll, Director of Bird Con-servation for Audubon's LouisianaCoastal Initiative, testified on behalf ofthe "living resources of the Gulf" at awell-containment hearing held by theBureau of Ocean Energy Management,Regulation and Enforcement. http:// gulfoilspil l.audubon.org/newsroom/ news-stories/2010/audubon-testifies-living-gulf-resources

Timmy Vincent, our sanctuary manager,conducted daily monitoring of Audubon'sown Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary,

which experienced very light oiling, andworked with parish officials to integrateinto the emergency planning efforts.

Since the oil has been stopped, the fo-cus is shifting away from crisis re-sponse. It will be years until we knowthe full extent of the damage to the GulfCoastal ecosystems and the wildlife theysupport. Implementation of Audubon'snewly developed Gulf of Mexico conser-vation plan will move us from disasterresponse to long-term renewal and re-covery in the months and years to come.

Working Collaboratively to Createa Vision for Coastal Restoration

Audubon, the Environmental DefenseFund and the National Wildlife Federa-tion published Common Ground: AShared Vision for Restoring the Missis-sippi River Delta in July. This white pa-per outlines Audubon's federal policypriorities for Mississippi River Delta res-toration and calls on the federal govern-ment to take several specific steps,

including the establishment of short-term

and long-term funding streams, the ini-tiation of several large-scale restorationprojects authorized by Congress in2007, and the reorganization of govern-mental oversight and planning efforts inthe region. The white paper attractedsignificant media attention, includingcoverage on NBC Nightly News the dayof its release, and it will serve as an im-portant tool for science, conservation,policy and communications staff as wecontinue our mission to engage the fed-eral government and the American peo-ple in the restoration of one of America'sgreatest - and most abused - wetland

ecosystems.

Restoration of Hope:Habitat Restoration

Gains Momentum at Rainey Marsh

Audubon's Paul J.Rainey Wildlife Sanctu-ary is the crown jewelin the National Audu-bon Society sanctuarysystem - her oldest andlargest sanctuary. Yetthis landscape of rela-tively intact marsh in

the Chenier Plain Im-portant Bird Area (IBA) has lost land inrecent hurricanes, and is at risk fromchanges in hydrology, and, this summer,the threat of oil. Yet the nearly 26,000acres of intermediate marsh provideshome to populations of several bird spe-cies of conservation concern, includingSeaside Sparrows and Clapper Rails, aswell as abundant fish and other seafoodspecies. Situated on the coast, receiv-ing some sediment from the AtchafalayaRiver,

and out of the area of influence of the

worst of the oil spill, Rainey has pro-vided safe harbor for many birds duringthis season of stress and uncertainty.

Ongoing habitat stabilization and resto-ration efforts at Audubon's Paul J.Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary are protectingthousands of acres of fragile coastalmarsh habitat. Audubon continues lev-eraging its relationships and funds toeffect conservation not only on Raineyitself but on neighboring lands, all part ofthe Chenier Plain Important Bird Area(IBA). Specific activities include the re-cent completion of repairs on five major

water control structures on the property,which will help restore a more naturalwater flow regime to approximately2,500 acres of coastal marsh; the con-tracting of levee repair work; the receiptof a small dredge, valued at $100,000,which was designed and donated by alocal business and will begin restoringstorm-damaged marsh habitat this fall; aplanning effort and the acquisition offunds with partners to pursue the"Christian Marsh" project, which will re-establish vegetated wetlands and slowwave fetch and erosion; and the secur-ing of a $730,000 National Fish and

Wildlife Foundation grant to conductlevee repair work that will help maintainand enhance existing brackish marsh toprovide bird habitat and forage and toreduce saltwater intrusion. Coastalmarsh habitat is in significant declinethroughout Louisiana, but this work con-tributes to the health and resilience ofAudubon's land and neighboring proper-ties and also serves as a platform to en-gage other landowners throughout Lou-isiana.

Rapid Response to the

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Rehabilitated juvenile Pelicans released on Rabbit Island, LA.

(green on bills identifies the birds as rescued birds)(green on bills identifies the birds as rescued birds)



www.braudubon.org B a t o n R o u g e C h a p t e r o f t h e N a t i o n a l A u d u b o n S o c i e t y


P . O . B o x 6 7 0 1 6

B a t o n R o u g e , L o u i s i a n a 7 0 8 9 6

“ A d d r e s s S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d ”

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDBaton Rouge,

LA

Patches Extra sanctuary patches or patches for NAS members are $10

each and can be ordered by mailing the form below. If you are joiningBRAS and want a free patch, you must put "1" in the blank.

BRAS and NationalAudubon Membership

You may join NAS by going to theirwebsite (audubon.org) and you

automatically become a member ofboth NAS and BRAS. You will re-ceive the quarterly award-winningAudubon magazine as well as thequarterly BRAS newsletter, The Barred Owl.

BRAS Only Membership

If you want all of your dues to sup-port local conservation and educa-tion, join BRAS only. You will NOTreceive the Audubon magazine.You WILL receive The Barred Owl and a free sanctuary patch. Youmay join on-line at any level by vis-iting our website www.braudubon.org, or send this form with yourcheck to: BRAS, P.O. Box 67016,BR LA 70896.

Baton Rouge Audubon Society (BRAS)

Please enroll me as a member of BRAS! Enclosed is my check for:

$25 Individual Membership

$30 Family Membership

$50 Wood Thrush Membership

$100 Rose-breasted Grosbeak Membership

$250 Louisiana Waterthrush Membership

$500 Painted Bunting Membership

$1000 Cerulean Warbler Membership

$ Additional Contribution

# of patches (indicate 1 which is free with BRAS membership;

additional patches $10 each; NAS member patches @ $10 each; no patch willbe sent if there is no indication.)

Name: Ph:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

E-mail:

MAIL COMPLETE FORM TO:Baton Rouge Audubon Society; PO Box 67016; Baton Rouge, LA

Keep Your Membership Current!

If your membership expires, you will no longer receive The Barred Owl . Well, eventually we take your nameoff the list. It is expensive to produce and membership dues help to cover that cost. Please see the expirationcode on the first line of the label above your name. The month and year in which your membership expires areindicated after your membership organization (e.g., BRAS DEC 09 for BRAS-only members and NAS DEC 10for NAS members).

Keeping your membership current is important!

4th quarter 2010 barred owl newsletters baton rouge audubon society

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