A Message From the President
Photo Credit: Leslie Scopes Anderson
July 1, 2016
Summer is here and Friends of Camas has been busy welcoming its arrival on several fronts. In late May, Friends and the Snake River Audubon Society, sponsored the first ever “Bucks for Birds”, an east Idaho refuge Bird-A- Thon. This was a success by any measure. We had over 40 participants (some active participants and some as sponsors of birders) and both organizations split nearly $2000 in net proceeds. At the awards potluck, the Pocatello team of Chuck Trost and Barb North selected a day behind the signs (refuge areas closed to the public) with Refuge Manger Briand Wehausen for their 110 species seen. Linda Milam received awards for both the most money raised (nearly $400) and the closest guess to the total number of species seen (146). A late entry raised the total species to very respectable 157!
Click here to see the list.
Ecologically, the refuge is now a maternity ward. Young birds and wide-eyed young animals are everywhere! Goslings have been about for over a month, and ducklings are now abundant, as are the young of all other wildlife species. Pronghorn fawns are already able to outrun a horse. The Refuge is alive! Come visit while the looking is good.
We continue to raise funds for the Peregrine Web Cam and the Pollinator Garden. The former is now over 50% of the way to our target (click here to see our success and help us out). For the Pollinator garden, we have over $22,000 in grants and donations from CHC Foundation, Miracle-Gro 1000, Idaho Native Plant Society, Portneuf Valley Audubon Society, and private donors. This will allow us this summer and fall to complete an ADA compliant walkway, install an automated sprinkler system, and prepare and plant most of the garden. We are still looking for funding for a water feature and a gazebo. You can help us help the pollinators by donating through PayPal in the top right of this page.
We welcome two new board members: Jacob Gray, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Manager of the Mud Lake Wildlife Management Area, and Zoe Jorgenson, an educator in School District 91. Their bios and head-shot will be on line soon. We are excited about the skills they bring to Friends and expect their active participation will help Friends better meet its goal of fostering environmental education, conservation and scientific study for the benefit of the natural resources of Camas NWR and the enjoyment of them by the public.
New Friends member Tony Boicelli submitted a photo of the month that is jaw-dropping beautiful. Friends is fortunate the many local and talented photographers are willing to share their photographs with us.
Be sure to check out the Activities Calendar. The summer is just warming up! It is a great time of year to visit your local National Wildlife Refuge
Tim Reynolds, President
Read Past Presidents Messages
Timothy D. (Tim) Reynolds, PhD.
President
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What's New - July 2016
Photo Credit: Errol Mobley
Peregrine Cam at Camas Update
The good news: There are THREE chicks in the Peregrine Nest Box; they hatched in early June.
More good News: We are over 50% of the way to our goal!!
Refuge News
The annual Butterfly Survey on the Refuge will be conducted in early July
It is unknown if the trumpeter swans successfully nested this year. Conditions for viewing the nest have not been good.
Snake River Audubon Society has been conducting bird surveys of the grass and agrictultural fields on the refuge in order to record the avian diversity in these habitats.
Water on the refuge appears stable for othe short term.
Waterfowl and water birds (e.g. Willits, Grebes, etc.) and their broods are abundant and, along with deer, elk, and antelope fawns, make for good viewing.
Photo by Patty Pickett