February 2004 Issue:
In This Edition:
1) Coming Events - Including Party information! NABA's MISSION STATEMENT: 1. COMING EVENTS: Sunday, February 8, 2:00 p.m. NABA-St. Louis's holiday party will be held at the home of Torrey and Lee Berger. This event will be a potluck. Also, Jim Ziebol will show a butterfly video. Depending on time, a Quiz on "Missouri Spring Wildflowers" may also happen. Please RSVP to Lee Berger so that numbers of attendees and food can be arranged. Please call the above number for directions to the Berger's home. Thursday, February 12, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Native Landscaping Workshop, Maritz Inc. in Fenton. This one-day workshop is brought to you by Grow Native, Missouri Dept. of Conservation, Shaw Nature Reserve, the Horticultural Co-op of St. Louis, Alberici Construction, Ameren U.E., the American Society of Landscape Architects, Maritz Inc., and Patty Banks & Associates. The fee is $35.00. For more information, please contact Scott Woodbury at 636-451-3512 ext. 6078. There may be some good information about butterflies and native plants presented at this workshop. Thursday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. "How to Create a Bird & Butterfly Garden," by Richard and Susan Day. This program will take place at the Powder Valley Nature Center. See details in article below. 2. SPRING 2004 BUTTERFLY CLASSES: Our butterfly classes are expanding! We will be returning to Meramec Community College for our two-night class and we will be adding a one-session class at Florissant Valley Community College. Each class includes a video of local butterflies and a separate field trip. Florissant Valley: "Spring Butterflies" Meramec: "Local Butterflies: Habits & Habitats" 3. "HOW TO CREATE A BIRD & BUTTERFLY GARDEN" Richard & Susan Day Program Description: Backyard habitat specialists, Richard and Susan Day will present a slide show entitled "How to Create a Bird & Butterfly Garden" at 7:30 p.m. on March 10, 2004. It will take place at the Powder Valley Nature Center. The Days’ slide presentation will show you how to get started in landscaping your yard for birds and butterflies. They’ll include hummingbird gardening, butterfly gardening, choosing plants for seed-eating birds such as goldfinches and cardinals, selecting the best trees and bushes for food and shelter suitable for our area, and including water in the landscape. The program will focus on any sized yard—from decks to large lots—offering dozens of tips to improve your habitat. Susan will be available to personally autograph copies of her book, "The Wildlife Gardener’s Guide to Hummingbirds and Songbirds From the Tropics." Join them for a lively evening at this outstanding photo presentation! Biographical Information: Richard and Susan Day own Daybreak Imagery, a stock photography and writing business that they operate from their home near Alma, Illinois. Richard is the primary photographer of the pair, and his bird images have appeared in most national magazines and calendars—including Audubon, Birder’s World, Sierra Club, National Geographic, National Wildlife, and others. Nearly every bird book published in North America during the last ten years features some of his bird images. His work is represented by five stock photography agencies throughout the world. Richard also leads photo workshops for Frontiers North Adventures (www.frontiersnorth.com) and International Wildlife Adventures (www.wildlifeadventures.com.) In 2003, Richard spent more than 6 weeks leading workshops to Churchill, Manitoba to photograph polar bears and Northern Lights for Frontiers North Wildlife Adventures. Susan also photographs, but devotes most of her time writing articles about backyard wildlife for magazines such as Birder’s World, Bird Watcher’s Digest, and WildBird. She’s a contributing editor for The AGPix Marketing Report, a marketing newsletter for professional photographers. She’s co-authored a book with Jack Griggs and Ron Rovansek, "The Wildlife Gardener’s Guide to Hummingbirds & Songbirds From the Tropics" sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. The Days have both won national awards for their photography and writing—from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and Excellence in Craft Awards of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. They are active members of the American Society of Media Photographers, Garden Writers Association of America, Outdoor Writers Association of America, International Association of Panoramic Photographers and North American Nature Photography Association on which Susan serves on the Board of Directors. They’ve worked as book consultants for several birding books and teach nature and photography workshops. They present slide shows and speak about backyard habitats and wildlife to nature and civic groups—and do presentations for children and adults for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on ways to attract birds. At their home on 40 acres near Alma, Illinois, they’ve designed and created a sanctuary for wildlife where many of their photographs are made. They’ve received several awards for their wildlife conservation efforts. They hosted NABA’s 4th of July Butterfly Counts at their property in 2002 and 2003. Their personal and professional goals are to use their words and pictures to create an awareness of nature to help maintain and restore habitat for wildlife. 4. FOREST SERVICE ATTEMPTS TO EXPAND OFF-ROAD VEHICLE USAGE IN MARK TWAIN NATIONAL FOREST The U.S. Forest Service, steward of the Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozarks, has proposed adding significantly to the number of miles of off-road vehicle (ORV) trails in the forest. Under the guise of a "study", the Forest Service has invited written comment on its proposal to greatly expand the usage of ORVs in the Mark Twain. February 20 is the deadline for submitting your comment (see details below). It’s your forest, too! Tell the Forest Service how you want Missouri’s natural resources managed. Two areas of the Mark Twain National Forest are already open to ORV use and serious problems have been created. In fact, just four months ago, the Forest Service stated that it would have to close some existing ORV trails because of soil erosion and damage to vegetation! To see photos of damage caused in the forest by ORV usage, go to this web site: www.mmor.com/tr0303.htm The comment period ends on February 20. I would encourage you to submit a comment letting the Forest Service know how you feel about additional ORV trails in the Mark Twain National Forest and how you feel about their "study" of a subject that has already been well-documented. It is difficult to understand why the Forest Service needs to sacrifice new, undisturbed areas to conduct a "study" of the impacts of ORVs when the impacts from existing usage are well known (soil erosion, destroyed vegetation, destroyed habitat for ground-nesting animals and birds, disruption for wildlife, interference with other people’s usage of the forest). Wouldn’t it be better to conduct any such study in an area where ORVs are already allowed? An additional concern is the decision by the Forest Service not to conduct an environmental review prior to opening the new trails. A federal law known as NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) requires an Environment Impact Statement (EIS), yet the Forest Service has stated that no EIS will be prepared. You can send your comments to: Katie Stuart, District Ranger Or you can submit your comment by email: comments-eastern-mark-twain-potosi@fs.fed.us. If you want more information, feel free to call me at (314) 963-7750. FOREST SERVICE OPEN HOUSE The Forest Service will hold an Open House for the public on Tuesday, February 17 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Powder Valley Nature Center near I-44 and I-270. This is an important opportunity for NABA members and friends to talk to Forest Service personnel and let them know how YOU want YOUR Mark Twain National Forest managed. The Forest Service wants to increase the amount of logging in the forest and also wants to greatly expand the miles of ORV trails (see related article). A forest with barren clearcuts that extend for hundreds of acres is not much of a forest and doesn’t provide the right kind of habitat for wildlife that depends upon mature trees, intact canopy and shaded undergrowth. Some woodland butterflies that inhabit the Ozarks include the showy Baltimore Checkerspot, hairstreaks (their caterpillars eat oak leaves), and the rare Diana Fritillary. The Forest Service has most of its meetings in rural areas, so a good turnout on February 17 will bring home the message that urban residents use and care about the Mark Twain National Forest, too. An Open House is a casual, drop-in event where people can talk with agency personnel individually or in small groups. So you can arrive at any time before 8:00. Please attend this very important meeting - it will be worth the effort. Directions to Powder Valley: From Watson Road, go north on Geyer and turn left onto Craigwold Road - just past the I-44 overpass. From Big Bend, go south on Geyer and turn right onto Craigwold; if you cross over I-44 you’ve gone too far. Follow Craigwold about ½ mile or so until you see the Dept. of Conservation sign at the entrance on your right. 5. AND MORE... NEWSLETTER ARTICLES WELCOME: YOUR OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: If you have questions or suggestions, e-mail Ann Earley (aee623@prodigy.net). Our webpage is: www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/stlouis.htm MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION: If you would like to join NABA, please fill out this application. You will become a member of both NABA and the local St. Louis Chapter, if you live within the St. Louis metropolitan area or nearby Illinois area: Name ____________________________________________ Dues are $30 (regular) and $40 (family) per year. Please make check payable to NORTH AMERICAN BUTTERFLY ASSOCIATION. Please mail this form with your check to: Scott Marshall, Membership, 609 West Lockwood, St. Louis, MO 63119. |
Editor: Dave Larson
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