A Message From the President
Bird-A-Thon Awards and Peregrine Cam Dedication 6.10.17
July 4, 2017
In my experience, in spite of the number of days, June is by far the shortest month of the year. As soon as we just get through the vagaries of May and endure a week of moody weather sometime in June, without any warning June is in the rear view mirror. It happens every year. This year was no exception; in fact June seemed to disappear faster than ever, sped along by Friends having a full plate for the month. Early in the month we hosted the Awards Pot Luck for the Second Annual Bird-A-Thon, and the dedication of the Peregrine Cam at Camas. The Bird-A-Thon was a great success: For the second year in a row the Pocatello team of Chuck Trost and Barb North saw the most species (110), and, also for the second year in a row, Linda Milam had best guess of the total number of species seen by all participants (guess = 135; actual = 138; view 2017 results). More importantly, we raised over $2,000 to be equally split between Friends and the Snake River Audubon Society to support environmental education, conservation, and scientific study. A big thank you to all the participants and the generous sponsors!!
The dedication of the Peregrine Cam was a teaching moment for many of the attendees. Four members of the Idaho Falconers Association made the trek from Boise to join the dedication, and put on an extemporaneous Q&A on falconry, falcons, and peregrine falcons in particular.
As part of the dedication, Friends Board member Mark Delwiche received an award for his persistence in getting the Peregrine Cam up and running, and Tim and Wendy Brockish were given a award in appreciation of their very generous support for the project—including hosting a Dutch oven cookout to help raise funds.
June was also a busy month for the Pollinator Garden. The sprinkler system was completed and the water feature installed. Several dozen potted plants were planted, and milkweed starts from the Idaho Museum of Natural History were put in the raised beds for the Monarch-Milkweed project. The garden is looking good.
Last, Friends of Camas experienced a true “Pinch Me” moment this month. Unbeknown to us, Miss Rita Poe was a true friend of Camas and other National Wildlife Refuges. When she died of cancer last fall, she directed the value of her estate, a whopping $800,000, be given to the organizations which are the keepers of her favorite places. Click here for the rest of the story: http://usfwspacific.tumblr.com/post/161739936525/no-obituary-no-tombstone-only-a-shining-legacy
June is gone, July is here. Now is a perfect time to visit your local refuge. Come and take a look.
Tim Reynolds, President
Read Past Presidents Messages
Timothy D. (Tim) Reynolds, PhD.
President
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What's New - July 2017
Watch the live Falcon Web Cam Now
Peregrine Cam Screenshot
Be sure to check out our annual wildlife calendar.
Our 2017 activity calendar is available here.
First Ever Friends of Camas Photo Contest ends August 31.
Click for Details
Refuge News
June 21, 2017
Water continues to flow in Camas Creek and reaching the Refuge. Flows have slowed significantly in the last few week and unless we get some major rainstorms in the upper part of the watershed, we will likely lose the creek as our water supplier for the year in the next week or so.
Wetland habitat still in good shape and plenty of waterbirds out and about. Seeing numbers of black-necked stilts, white-faced ibis, phalaropes and even some snowy egrets. Ducklings should be hatching soon, as typically around the first of July is when most broods will be visible on the wetlands. We do have some songbirds are the trees at headquarters but sheer numbers of birds certainly not as good as in the past. We have only found one Trumpeter swan nest of the Refuge this year and they are nesting on Big Pond, so hopefully we will see some cygnets soon from that pair.
We do have some white-tailed deer fawns now with some more to show in the next week or so. Elk should also be calving at this time, but really have not seen much of the elk herd in some time.
Refuge still in planning phase for the eclipse that will be happening in August. Volume of phone calls and e-mails increasing as we draw closer to that event. If the weather is good for viewing we are expecting quite a few folks to come the Refuge to view the eclipse.
Weather really starting to tell us summer is here and this will start to shrink the wetlands, so come out and see the Refuge while water is still plentiful. By the way, if you come to the Refuge do not forget bug spray just in case you need it!
