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2002 ANNUAL CONFERENCE - GREAT SPEAKERS. . . BAN's 8th Annual Bluebird Conference will be held on Saturday, April 20th at Nebraska City's Memorial Building. Chuck & Connie Finley have once again lined up a spacious conference facility, coordinated the pre-conference events, and reserved a block of rooms at a special rate at the very popular Lied Conference Center. BAN has always taken great pride in presenting a great slate of speakers, and this year is no exception. Here is just a little bit about each of this year's speakers: Julie Zickefoose from Southeast Ohio is a nationally known artist, author, and a well-known expert on natural history and bird behavior. She has presented lectures for nature organizations and festivals across the country and has exhibited her water colors of birds at universities, museums, galleries, and juried shows. Those familiar with Bird Watcher's Digest will recognize Julie as a regular contributor of both articles and artwork. Julie is also a bluebird lover. She has bluebirds at their home in Ohio and always has many interesting bluebird stories to share. She is also author of the book "Enjoying Bluebirds More." Julie will have her books and artwork for sale at the conference. Carrol Henderson has been supervisor of Minnesota's DNR NonGame Wildlife Program since its inception in 1977 and during that time has lead programs to help bring back bluebirds, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, river otters, and trumpeter swans. He has also served as the president of the Nongame Wildlife Association of North America. The state and national awards he has received are too numerous to mention. Carrol is author of the very popular "Woodworking for Wildlife," "Landscaping for Wildlife," and "Wild About Birds" which is one of the most extensive bird feeding book available. These books will be available for purchase at the conference and Carrol will be glad to autograph any book purchased. In addition to taking many of the great photos included throughout his books, Carrol was also the primary photographer for the book "Galapagos Islands - Wonders of the World which was published in 1995. Carrol is an annual speaker at the Minnesota Bluebird Conference and his talks are guaranteed to be as interesting as they educational. John McCarty a recent addition to the University of Nebraska-Omaha faculty, has been involved in research on birds since 1987. Much of that time has been spent working with birds breeding in nest-boxes; House Wrens, Black-capped Chickadees, Eastern Bluebirds, and especially Tree Swallows. He earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University, studying how changes in weather and food supply shape the ecology of Tree Swallows. McCarty also worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop the use of Tree Swallows as monitors of environmental conditions, applying this work to a study of the Hudson River ecosystem in New York State. Most recently, McCarty spent three years in Washington DC working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the USDA Forest Service to help bridge the gap between scientists and policy-makers working on environmental issues. In the summer of 2001, McCarty moved to Nebraska where he is an Associate Professor of Biology and the Director of Environmental Studies at UNO. McCarty is working with another ecologist, LaReesa Wolfenbarger, to begin a study of how changes in land use impact birds in the Great Plains. McCarty and Wolfenbarger are hoping to involve BAN members in a study of nest-box breeding birds. At the BAN annual meeting, McCarty will discuss what a changing environment means for Tree Swallows, Bluebirds, and other species. Keith Radel was the first speaker at the very first bluebird conference I ever attended. His trail monitoring experiences were so fascinating and told in such a moving way - and I was such a green horn and so full of questions - that I sought him out during each break the rest of that day. Meeting him had a lot to do with my agreeing to become a county coordinator a few months later. I wonder if Keith has any idea how many Northeast Nebraskans (that he has never even met) he has helped to find the joys of bluebirding -- because, whenever I give talks on bluebirds, I still retell some of Keith's stories. I just wish I could tell them as well as he does." -- Gene Gaddie, Stanton County Coordinator . Keith Radel, from Faribault, Minnesota, has shared his Bluebird Basics at two previous BAN conferences. Keith says "I guess they keep asking back me until I get it right." [Editor's Note: Be assured -- Keith has it right!] Omaha Raptor Team The Omaha Raptor Team is a committee of the Audubon Society of Omaha. The licensed team members have over 30 years of combined experience in bird of prey handling and education. Their focus is on educating the public about the beauty and importance of birds of prey. Raptors are some of the most majestic creatures found in nature. They provide valuable links in an intricate food web and help to maintain a necessary and desirable balance in natural systems. The live birds, including owls, hawks, and falcons, will be presented as the volunteers tell about each particular bird and the importance they play in our environment. The Raptor Team presentation is always a hit with people of all ages.
. . . AND MORE
FUNdraising Raffle & Auction -- The annual raffle featuring a large variety of donated items will be held throughout the day and the afternoon will conclude with BAN's annual auction. Thanks to the generous donations of our members, this annua fundraiser is both profitable and fun. If you are planning to donate an item this year and are able to get the item to a BAN meeting or officer before the morning of the conference, it would help the volunteers setting up the raffle tables. Donated items can also be mailed to Connie Finley, 6732 K Rd., Nebraska City, NE 68410. Of course, we'll be more than happy to accept your donation the morning of the conference if that's what works best for you. Special Raffle -- For the third year in a row, Jackie Howe, past Statewide Directory Chair and BAN's 1997 Bluebirder of the Year, has generously created and donated a beautiful hand-made queen-size quilt as a special raffle item. Although Jackie and husband Jon now reside in Livermore, Colorado, Jackie continues to be a very active and supportive member of Bluebirds Across Nebraska. If you won't be able to attend the conference but would like an opportunity to win this beautiful quilt, it is on display at Backyard Birds in Omaha where Sandy Seibert has raffle tickets for sale. You "need not be present" at the conference to claim this raffle prize. Morning & Afternoon Breaks - There are several breaks scheduled throughout the day which will give you a chance to visit with old and new friends, look over auction and raffle items, and buy raffle tickets. This year we can once again bring cookies into the conference facility. So if you would like to share a dozen or so of your cookies at morning or afternoon breaks, cookie donations will be gladly accepted! Friday Evening Festivities - The preconference dinner, a tradition that began as a relaxing get-together for volunteers who helped set up the night before the conference, has become an annual dinner open to all that can attend. The very casual Friday night dinner will be held at the Ember's Restaurant with "cocktails" at 7:30 and dinner at 8:00. Needless to say, it's more than a dinner -- it's a time to get together with fellow bluebirders for fun and conversation. In addition, the entertainment in past years has been a special treat and this year will be no different. A block of rooms has been reserved at The Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City at a special discounted price. Just ask for the Bluebirds Across Nebraska discount when you register. See the enclosed registration sheet for contact information on the Lied and other area motels. If you have any questions about the conference or the registration form, feel free to contact the Finleys, Ostens, Seiberts, or Enos - all phone numbers are on the back of this newsletter – or e-mail your questions to info@bbne.org. As you can see, this year's conference promises to be one to remember. Hope to see you there. Bring a Friend!
From our President:
What's in a Number We should all enjoy the success BAN has experienced lately. Each individual involved in Bluebirds Across Nebraska has a right to be proud of the history of this organization. It matters little if you joined last year or were a founding member or if you monitor one box or hundreds. We are all committed to the same purpose, Bluebirds. If the numbers go up (Which we all hope they do) or go down, this organization will continue. Our strength lies in the people, their persistence, their commitment, and their camaraderie, not just the number of Bluebirds we fledged. We are all members of a very special organization and have the right to stick our chests out just a little. The fact that we fledged 17,722 Bluebirds in 2001 is not the only reason we should stick our chests out. I hope we continue to increase the Number of Bluebirds in Nebraska and Iowa but; if one year we don't show a growth I will still be proud to be in the organization with people like you.
In addition to the bluebirds fledged in Nebraska, Western Iowa members fledged
840 bluebirds - an increase of 35% over the reported numbers last year.
Way to go Iowa! That brings the total number of bluebirds fledged to:17,722
BLUEBIRDS AND KIDS -- IT'S MORE THAN PUTTING UP A BOX Steve Eno shares the following: I've had limited personal experience working with kids but here is a good example of what can happen when youth groups put up unmonitored trails: Over a period of several years, approximately 200 poorly located boxes were put up by various youth groups at Chalco Hills, a wildlife area just west of Omaha. Those boxes were never monitored. They were cleaned out at the end of each season, but there was never any evidence that bluebirds fledged from any of the boxes (and the trail was overrun with sparrows). Each youth group that put up bluebird boxes in Chalco Hills did so with the best intentions; but without the education that goes with it, they actually did more harm than good.
However, when education is added to the experience, introducing kids (and often their
parents) to bluebird conservation can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved,
as demonstrated by:
The Bluebird Project of the Weeping Water Third Grade Class: One of my yearly teaching goals is to guide my students toward a better appreciation of the natural world around them. Many facets are covered in the course of the school year. In the spring of 2001, my students studied the Eastern Bluebird. Ron Eaton was the coordinator for my project. Through his guidance and suggestions, I developed a unit of study that was appropriate for my students. We began with a discussion of the Eastern Bluebird: appearance, habitat, range, etc. A video provided by Ron assisted with developing the next step. (The remark about the cat having a nice spot on the hill went right over the students' heads so I did not have to explain exactly what happened to the cat.) The second big step was the construction of the Troyer houses. Enlisting the help of dads and moms (also my not so willing husband), we scheduled a day when the houses could be assembled. Ron had the kits ready for the students to assemble with a parent assistant. The school secretary asked if she could assemble one for her yard too. Every student completed a house and with a promise to place them properly, carried them proudly home. Some boxes were delivered by me (and my not so willing husband) if the student had no way to get their box home. Each student was given a small spiral notebook to enter information about the happenings of their box. Daily reporting was a part of our daily school routine. Parents took as active a part as possible. Some monitored a short trail that was made in the cemetery because of lack of space in some yards. One mom made a special trip to the cemetery every day even though she lived a good distance from town. When I complimented her on her dedication, she replied that her daughter was so excited that she was infected with the bluebird fever too. For parents who were confusing the bluebird with a bluejay, a copy of the video and a copy of the The Bluebird Book by Don & Lillian Stokes was sent home in a brown envelope so any misconceptions could be cleared up immediately. We had joyful reports of nests and eggs. We had mournful reports of "nothing" and "something happened to my eggs," or "my nest was taken over by some other bird." It wasn't long before the students were conversing about those darn sparrows and those pesky wrens. One boy reported that he had "chickatees" in his box. We had requests for houses from the computer teacher, the cook in the school kitchen, the brother of the school secretary, and several other people who read about our project in the Weeping Water Republican. I firmly believe that my students were very faithful and loyal birders. I believe that their houses were monitored as carefully as any of those of a veteran birder. Using her monitoring notes and a report about bluebirds, plus pictures that we took of the house construction, one student received a purple ribbon on her bluebird project in her 4-H division at the fair. Ron has agreed to help us with boxes again this year. I know that my students are already asking, "can we make houses for those bluebirds, too?" Last year's students will bring their notebooks to me during the next few weeks and I will be able to talk to them about their summer experiences as bluebirders. --Sharon Nielsen, Third Grade Teacher
Minutes of BAN Fall Meeting-November 18, 2001 Vice-president Chuck Finley opened our Fall Meeting upon the absence of President Bill Seibert. Approximately 49 people were present. Minutes were approved from the August 8th meeting. Chuck asked the those present to introduce themselves and to identify county coordinators. Elva Osten presented the Treasurer's Report followed by Committee Reports. Connie Conover reported the following in regards to Box Production: 3 kiosks, 10 oak bird sign frames, 920 conduit poles, 2 feeders, 6 robin, 6 flicker, 6 wood duck, 6 screech owl, 4 log cabin, 2 Troyer martin houses, 1 martin pole, 6 Troyer martin houses, 24 martin cleanout trays, 11 membership boxes, 2 butterfly boxes, 153 tree swallows, 12 bluebird silhouettes. No reports were heard from the Education or Research Committees and Steve Eno stated that we needed a Publicity Chair. Fundraising report included a variety of items that could be used as gifis including notes cards and Christmas cards featuring the art work of award-winning artist and BAN member Deb Gengler-Copple of Hubbard, Nebraska. Deb has also donated the stunning original pastel artwork of the bluebird to be auctioned at the National Conference, 2003. Sandy Seibert, Membership and Statewide Directory Chair reported that BAN's membership continues to grow with 92 new members. Renewals continue to come in and currently BAN has 1242 members. Sandy distributed packets to county coordinators with county members who reported and those whose memberships will expire. To date, the recorded number of bluebirds fledged for 2001 is 13,998. Although down from last year's of 15,619, Sandy feels that reports not sent in yet may close this gap. Members are encouraged to have people report, even if they may not be members. All people reporting will receive a directory. Newsletter Chair, Cheryl Eno reports that due to the increase in memberships, the task of correlating the large number of newsletters has become a major task and that we have outgrown the use of members homes. She feels the use of a conference room would be helpful to facilitate this work and asked if anyone knew of a facility that might work. It would be greatly appreciated. Old Business included the State Fair Booth which continues to bring in new members, sales and a lot of interest as people "look for our booth". The fact that our booth is next to the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund helps show the good things we do as the NETF contributed $4,000 to BAN which was used to purchase lumber for our nestboxes. Merlin Wright reported that the Steam Boat Trace hiker/biker trail which is part of the TNBT included 40 nestboxes which includes the towns of Brownville and Peru. New Business highlighted the 2002 BAN Conference to be held in Nebraska City. Connie and Chuck Finley Statewide Conference chairs, said that Friday night activities will be held in a private room at the Embers Restaurant and the Saturday events will be held at the downtown Memorial Building. A tour of Arbor Lodge will be held on Friday. Connie encouraged early drop-off of auction/raffle items on or before Friday to make set up much easier for Saturday. Steve Eno gave highlights on each of the speakers and said it is a top notch group of speakers that will interest all birders. He then briefly addressed the NABS/BAN 2003 Conference being held in Kearney which will include a host of excellent speakers such as Al Batt and a variety of activities planned for Friday including sandhill crane viewing trips, tour of the Arch, Pioneer Village, Art Museum, Cabelas, Bird Exhibits, etc. The Nebraska Games and Parks and the Lower Platte South (NRD) will be among our Corporate Sponsors. A number of BAN members plan to attend the 2002 NABS Conference in June in British Columbia and will promote the conference being hosted by Nebraska in 2003. The December issue of Nebraskland Magazine will feature bluebirds and our organization. It was suggested to purchase at least 500 magazines for members wishing to purchase extra, as well as for the 2003 NABS Conference. After the meeting was adjourned, a tape of Steve Gilbertson's "Bluebird Blues" banjo performance from the 2001 State Conference, was viewed.
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