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FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

Murie has balanced income and expenses for quite a few years.  We used to receive a share of the dues paid by our members to National Audubon Society.  However, as I said in the May Plains & Peaks, National has changed its policy and we don't expect to receive any dues share.  In addition, many of our costs have gone up over the last few years:  postage for the newsletter seems to go up almost every year, the phone charge for the bird hotline has increased and we are charged more for Audubon Adventures than we were a few years ago. Thanks to the efforts of past officers, Murie is in a very strong financial position, however, we cannot sustain the loss of the dues split from National along with increased costs without some changes.

The proposed budget shows our estimate of what our receipts and disbursements will be.  There are several things that need to happen in order for us to close balanced books next June 30. The Board will continue to closely monitor our costs.  One way the membership can help is to get the Plains & Peaks on the Internet rather than through the US mail.  We need to continue to do well on our fundraisers, and to receive donations to cover the cost of Audubon Adventures and the Bird Hospital. Murie's Board has initiated "Friends of Murie" membership at a minimum donation of $10/year. How much "Friends of Murie" will bring in is unknown, but we have high hopes (please note members and non-members can donate to Murie's various projects and also, become a "Friend of Murie" member.  Membership form is on page 7).  Murie members birding and getting pledges in next May's Bird-a-thon will raise needed monies if participation is great. 

Proposed Budget

Please call me if you have any questions regarding the proposed budget or have fund-raising questions or ideas.      Stacey Scott

FRIDAY OCTOBER 3RD GENERAL MEETING 

RED DESERT - ONE OF WYOMING'S UNIQUE AREAS 

This month's program features the Red Desert, one of Wyoming's unique areas, and  has been in the news for the past five years because of the proposed oil and gas development projects.  

The greater Red Desert encompasses over 8 million acres and contains a wealth of unique and rare resources.  There are seven wilderness study areas, a rare desert elk herd, an estimated 45,000 pronghorn antelope, several nationally important historic trails, sensitive plant species, and Native American spiritual sites. 

According to the Bureau of Land Management office in Wyoming "Oil and gas industry sources predict that southwest Wyoming will become THE major natural gas producing region in the United States by the year 2015."    It is projected that an estimated 6,000 to 11,000 conventional wells will be drilled over the next 20 years in the area.   Coalbed methane development may also occur. 

Erik Molvar with the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, our guest speaker, will present a slide show and an update on the status of development in the Red Desert area.  Erik has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, a M.S. in Wildlife Management and on-the-ground experience in moose population dynamics and salmon and steelhead recovery efforts.  Many of you may be familiar with Erik's wilderness guidebooks including Wild Wyoming, a comprehensive guide to Wyoming's roadless areas. 

Come join us on FRIDAY October 3 at 7 PM at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 777 W. 1st Street, to learn about Wyoming's Red Desert.  As always the program is free and open to the public. 

ATTENTION - Our meeting night has moved from the 1st Thursday to the 1st Friday of month.  There are little or no competing activities for the majority of our regular attendees for a Friday meeting night as there are now on Thursdays.   Hopefully there will not be too many conflicts with three-day weekends.      Bruce Walgren

FIELD TRIPS

Saturday, Oct. 25.  Meet at 7:00 AM at the east side Safeway for a trip to Lake DeSmet north of Buffalo, and other area and along the way birding hot spots. This should be the best time to see any odd waterfowl such as loons, scoters, long-tailed duck (old squaw) and other such birds. Bring a lunch and lots of warm clothes.  Call Chris Michelson at 234-8726 for  more information. 

Thank you to Ann Hines for leading September's field trip to EKW State Park. 

Gull Identification Workshop Offered in November

Doug Faulkner of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory will present a workshop on tips for identifying gulls in various plumages on Saturday November 8, 2003.  The workshop will begin at 8:30 AM at the Audubon Wyoming's Garden Creek  Center where we will have approximately 1 hour of classroom type instruction before heading to the field in search of gulls.  There will not be a charge for the workshop, however donations will be accepted to help defray travel expenses for Doug.  For more information about this workshop, contact Bruce Walgren at 234-7455.

ATTENTION BIG GAME HUNTERS SAVE A HEART...HELP THE BIRDS

Murie needs big game hearts for our raptor rehabilitation program. The rehabilitation program has been in operation for over thirty years. Long time Murie Audubon members Lois and Frank Layton along with several volunteers, care for the birds in the hospital until they are ready to be released. Birds that cannot be released are either kept and used for educational purposes or are placed in other facilities. One of the major expenses of the program is the purchase of beef hearts. Heart meat is very lean and is the ideal food for meat-eating birds. In previous years, big game hearts donated by hunters have reduced the expense of buying food by up to one-third.  

Hearts should be treated just as you would care for the rest of the meat. If possible, please freeze the hearts if you cannot make arrangements for prompt pickup. Some area meat processors co-operate with the program by collecting hearts from hunters; please check with your processor before taking any hearts to them. You may also call any of the volunteers listed below to make arrangements for pick up. Frank Layton - 472-7009, Merlyn Herold - 234-0196, Bruce Walgren - 234-7455, or Gloria Lawrence - 266-2574.

JACQUES PERRIN PRESENTS

WINGED MIGRATION

The first movie of the Wyoming Cinema Club, Winged Migration, a 2003 nominee for Best Documentary, will be shown in Casper on Oct. 1st  & 2nd  at 7:00 PM at the Fox Theatre.  Season ticket holders get first crack at seats and single tickets holders will have to wait to see if there is seating available.

This film follows a variety of bird migrations through forty countries and each of the seven continents covering landscapes that range from the Eiffel Tower and Monument Valley to the remote reaches of the Arctic and the Amazon. Three years (1998 - 2001) of shooting by five crews using planes, gliders, helicopters, balloons, and numerous innovative techniques and ingeniously designed cameras to fly alongside, above, below and in front of the birds created a film of staggering beauty that opens one's eyes to the ineffable wonders of the natural world.

Internet users can view a trailer and more information about the production and filming techniques at Sony Classics - Winged Migration            Peg Cullen

BIRD NOTES 

Ah......the challenges of fall migration are now upon us - immature and fall plumages abound!!  Brown, streaky sparrows, yellowish-greenish warblers, brown ducks, and of course, shorebirds and gulls.  Warbler migration, always a favorite of birders, intensifies in September.  Yellow-rumps and Wilson's have been numerous in the last few weeks, and now the less common migrants are starting to pass through.  At Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park - Black-throated Blue, Nashville, Tennessee, American Redstart, Townsend's and Pine Warblers and vireos - Cassin's, Blue-headed, and Yellow-throated.  Rick Steenberg still had a Calliope Hummer after Green River's freezing weather.  Jean Adams reported hundreds of birds in migration at Bearlodge - warblers, sparrows, kinglets, hawks, etc.  Jean also relayed a report of 2 Blackburnian Warblers at Bearlodge.  Gloria Lawrence noted juncos starting to come down from Casper Mountain to feeders.  And for those willing to travel afar for their ticks, a Kelp Gull was sighted in northeastern Colorado at Jackson Reservoir in Morgan County.

Here is one more bit of birding trivia - the American Ornithologists Union has officially changed the name of the Rock Dove to Rock Pigeon (the name the Brits use).

If anyone has their county life lists through 2002 tallied up, get those that are 125 or more (for each county) to me.  I'm going to send them out on WYOBirds before long.  We have already received a few.  We got a great list for Washakie County from Delores van Dusen.  Actually we don't need the annotated list, just the number - you can refer to your documentation if anyone has questions about species to find in a particular county.

Wyoming Best Backyard Birds - We received 179 yard bird selections from 19 states and the Yukon for August.  The top bird again was the Rufous Hummingbird, followed by White-breasted Nuthatch, with Pileated Woodpecker in third place.  Six species of warblers were reported, but August, like July, usually goes to the hummers, while September, as noted above, is usually the month for warblers. 

Fall migration continues - watch your yard for new visitors.  Send your pick for your favorite bird species seen in, over, or from your yard for the month of September to Donna Walgren (ph. 234-7455), 4311 S. Center St., Casper  82601, or email Donna Walgren.  And call Murie's Wyoming Bird Hotline to find out what has been seen and other conservation news and events:  265-BIRD or 1-888-265-BIRD outside of Casper.      Donna Walgren

NOTES FROM SEPTEMBER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

1. Murie's two CD's will mature shortly; it was decided to change the 8-month CD to 12-months, and roll over the 18-month CD.  It was also decided to put the operating budget in the October newsletter to keep the membership informed of Murie's financial situation.

2. Doug Faulkner from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory will conduct a Gull Identification workshop on Saturday, November 8.

3. Murie's annual Banquet/Fund-raiser will be held on February 7, 2004 at the Radisson in Casper.  Our guest speaker will be John Acorn (aka The Nature Nut), a naturalist from Edmonton, Alberta.  It was also agreed that we need to start canvassing for silent auction items.             Donna Walgren, Recording Secretary

BLACK OIL SUNFLOWER SEED FUNDRAISER

We are offering 50# bags of black oil sunflower seed for $15 per bag, the proceeds going to defray the costs of operating Murie's Bird Hospital and Rehabilitation project.  You need not pre-order your seeds unless you wish.  We can make arrangements for later pickup if you will be out of town on the day of distribution as well as delivery for anyone unable to handle the 50# bags.  Just Let Us Know! 

Seed distribution will take place from 8 AM until 2 PM on October 11.  We will be at a different location this year, still at Noland Feed, but at a different storage area.  Look for a large overhead door at the south side of the Arrowhead Meat Processing building (see map below). 

For more information, or to order seeds, please contact Bruce Walgren at 234-7455 or Bruce Walgren

RECYCLE YOUR PRINTER INK CARTRIDGES

AND on the subject of fund-raising endeavors - I received an email from a representative at US Recycling about buying empty inkjets and laser cartridges for $1.00- $2.00.   Mary Waddell wrote "There would be absolutely no cost for your organization to participate in our programs.  US Recycling pays for all of the freight and does all of the sorting.  We also write checks for the cartridges every fifteen days."  In the packet of information I received there were indeed prepaid shipping labels and US Recycling would even send mailing boxes (no charge) upon request. 

Businesses are encouraged to donate their empty cartridges to non-profit organizations such as Murie and will receive a letter from US Recycling showing their tax-deductible charitable gift. 

I would like to encourage all of you printer owners to save your empty cartridges and bring them to the monthly meetings or call me to pick them up.  Also, if you own a business or are part of an office using computer printers, ask for the used cartridges.  I will even provide a box at the office location with US Recycling's promotional poster. 

Alone we can't make much of a difference but together we can amass a significant contribution to our coffers to further our programs........Rose-Mary King (Internet site at US Recycling)

AUDUBON ADVENTURES

What a great response you have given to this program once again this year.  So far I have received sponsorship for thirty-five classrooms.  All of the teachers who received Audubon Adventures last year have not yet been contacted, but this will probably cover at least one third of the classrooms involved.   

Those sponsoring two or more classrooms are:  Mrs. Liz Rea, Mrs. Jacqueline Warburton, Mr. & Mrs. Jim Lawrence, Mrs. Grace Jenkins, Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Parson, Mr. Bart Rea, and Mrs. & Mrs. Jim Bailey. 

Those sponsoring one classroom are:  Women in Wyoming Wilderness, Dr. and Mrs. Jim Haden, Ms. Barbara Brown, Mr. Whitney Bradley, Mr. & Mrs. Herb Waterman, Mrs. Marilyn Robinder, Mrs. Phyllis McDaniel, Mrs. Bonnie Lombardo, Mr. Chris Michelson, and Mr. & Mrs. Wilmer Hines.

This is a big item in Murie's small budget and ALL that you do is GREATLY appreciated.     Ann Hines, Education Chair

To find out more about Audubon Adventures visit Audubon Adventures

WYOMING OUTDOOR COUNCIL

 GOES ON OUTINGS

Please sign up for an outing at least 1 week prior to event; Call Tova Woyciechowicz at (307) 332-7031 ext. 21 or TOVA

For complete information go to Outdoor Outings

BECOME A "FRIEND OF MURIE"

"FRIEND OF MURIE" MEMBERSHIP FORM

Murie Audubon Board and Directors

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