March 2004 Issue:
In This Edition:
1) Coming Events NABA's MISSION STATEMENT: 1. COMING EVENTS: Wednesday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. "How to Create a Bird & Butterfly Garden," by Richard and Susan Day. This program is being held in conjunction with the St. Louis Chapter of Missouri Native Plant Society, and will take place at the Powder Valley Nature Center. See details in article below. Friday, April 16, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Our NABA chapter will have a display table at the St. Charles County "Earth Day Extravaganza." This event is for both county employees and the general public and will be held in front of the county courthouse on North Second Street in St. Charles. St. Charles County will provide free native trees and other give-aways to attendees. Jeannie and Jim Moe will be staffing our display table and will look forward to seeing you there! 2. SPRING 2004 BUTTERFLY CLASSES: Florissant Valley College: "Spring Butterflies" taught by NABA-St. Louis members Meramec College: "Local Butterflies: Habits & Habitats" taught by NABA-St. Louis members Missouri Botanical Garden: "The Terrific Butterfly Garden" taught by Tom "Terrific" Krauska Shaw Nature Reserve: "The Terrific Butterfly Garden" taught by Tom "Terrific" Krauska Tesson Ferry Library: "Butterfly Gardening" taught by Tom "Terrific" Krauska 3. "HOW TO CREATE A BIRD & BUTTERFLY GARDEN" Richard & Susan Day Program Description: 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 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. PLANT MILKWEED FOR MONARCHS! Those Monarchs that manage to survive this winter (see "Monarch Problems in Mexico Continue") will be returning to eastern North America in the spring. More than ever, it is important to plant Milkweed in your home gardens. Swamp, Common, and Butterfly (orange flowers) are readily available through native plant nurseries. With the decrease of milkweed plants along roadsides and in agricultural fields, our home gardens play an ever greater role in helping the Monarchs survive. Plant Milkweed and spread the word to your gardening friends. Where can you find milkweeds? The "Grow Native" program (www.grownative.org) has a list of state-wide nurseries that sell native plants, including several in the St. Louis area. Missouri Wildflowers in Jefferson City (http://mowildflowers.net) will ship to your house or you can pick up your order at the Kirkwood Market where they have a stall on weekends in the spring. 5. MONARCH PROBLEMS IN MEXICO CONTINUE Two problems continue to beset the overwintering population of Monarchs in the oyamel fir forest of Mexico: cold rainy weather and illegal logging in the protected Monarch areas, known collectively as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Once again, rain followed by below-freezing temperatures knocked Monarchs off their perches. There is no firm estimate at this time of how many Monarchs have frozen to death on the ground. Global climate change is making the winters in the Monarch areas wetter and colder, and illegal logging is creating more holes in the forest canopy and destroying the protection afforded by an intact forest canopy. Although the Mexican government has legally protected the overwintering sites, unauthorized logging remains unchecked. Unlike the die-off in January 2002, when 80% of the Monarch population perished in similar circumstances, this die-off has not, to my knowledge, been reported in the media. The Monarch population did rebound during the summers of 2003 and 2004, but the crisis of whether Monarchs will survive in the long term has not been resolved. For more information, check out the Feb. 16, 2004 issue of Monarch Watch, available online at: www.MonarchWatch.org. 6. LETTERS HAVING AN IMPACT ON FOREST SERVICE The U. S. Forest Service has responded to a limited extent to concerns expressed about its plans to expand Over-the-Road-Vehicle (ORV) use in the Mark Twain National Forest. When it first announced its decision to allow ORV users to ride on hundreds of miles of new trails, it stated that it would not conduct any environmental study. It has now decided that it will conduct a limited study known as an Environmental Assessment (EA). The last time this issue surfaced, the Forest Service prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a full-blown environmental study. Environmentalists claim that even an EA is not enough to satisfy federal law. But the fact that the Forest Service changed its mind at all on the subject – from "no study" to "EA" – is due in large part to hearing from concerned citizens interested in preserving the health and integrity of the forest. But the underlying problem remains. The Forest Service wants to build 70 miles of brand new trails and authorize the use of even more miles of illegally created trails, in a "study" to determine the impacts of ORVs on habitat. This seems like a smokescreen for giving in to ORV interests, because there is already a large body of evidence proving that ORVs destroy vegetation and habitat, create soil erosion, foul Ozark streams, and disturb wildlife. Thanks to all NABA members who wrote in by the Feb. 20, 2004 public comment deadline. 7. NABA MEMBERS ENJOY WINTER PARTY! NABA members and guests enjoyed the post-holiday, winter party held on February 8 at the home of Torrey and Lee Berger. Jim Ziebol and Yvonne Homeyer showed a video on local butterflies, birds and other interesting creatures, and Dale and Nancy Delaney shared video from their travels to Ecuador of the many hummingbirds found there. The food was delicious, and it was good to get together after the recent snowy and icy weather forced us to postpone the party from January. Many thanks to everyone who participated in this event, and a very special thanks to Torrey and Lee Berger for their generous hospitality in hosting the group. 8. 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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