Oconee Rivers Audubon Society

Welcome to the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society! We are an active community of birders, ecologists, gardeners, and people who just love wildlife and the outdoors in general. Many birding trips, nature walks, and environmental programs are hosted by us throughout the year. People of all ages, walks of life, and experience are welcome to attend any of our functions.

Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the Sandy Creek Nature Center. Our meetings include door prizes, refreshments, and guest speakers who discuss a great variety of topics.

What's coming up next?

19 October 2011: Please visit the Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary page for the newest article by our Conservation Chair, Robin Woodroof. This month she talks about how plants get around by dispersing their seeds in interesting and unique ways!

6 Aug. 2011: Please welcome our 4 newest Backyard Wildlife Sanctuaries! Congratulations to Lorene Winter, Deb Weiler and Loren Hunt, Judy and Richard Newton, and Chuck Murphy, who have all received Backyard Wildlife Certifications this summer! Since our program began on May 1st, we have certified 5 properties (with one additional property pending). A total of 34.27 acres in the Athens area is now certified as backyard wildlife habitat!

26 Apr. 2011: The Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program is now up and running! We are certifying our first property this Sunday. If you would like to get your backyard certified as a wildlife sanctuary, you can download the application here! If you are interested in learning more, or would like to be a volunteer certifier, please contact our Conservation Chair, Robin Woodroof.

10 Feb. 2011: We have ordered the signs and fliers for the backyard wildlife sanctuary program! We should be ready to get this program rolling by spring. If you are interested in getting your backyard certified as wildlife habitat, please contact our conservation chair, Robin Woodroof.

18 Nov. 2010: Thanks to generous donors, ORAS was able to award two conservation grants this fall. Congratulations to Ben Emanuel of the Altamaha River Keepers and Cody Jordan, an undergraduate at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. We have also decided to sponsor the Memorial Park Weed Warrior project for a second year, and this sponsorship is independent of the conservation grant. Click here for more information on the winners and their projects.

25 Oct. 10: There is a free film at 7pm Nov. 18 at Athens-Clarke County Library on Baxter in auditorium: "Deep Down" This is an one hour documentary on mountaintop removal and the environmental consequences. What happens to the humans, birds and other wildlife in these areas once the coal mines do their work?

10 Oct. 10: WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! Scary Oozy Slimy Day is a special event held by Sandy Creek Nature Center that helps visitors appreciate creepy, crawly, scary things in nature. In the past, ORAS has held a booth about owls (thanks to Liz Conroy!) but it is time to update and refurbish the materials. We're looking for volunteers to help lead the booth at the event and/or to help create a new booth. If you are interested in helping, contact Kate Mowbray. The event is Saturday, Oct 23rd, 3-6pm. Don't get scared to help represent ORAS!

21 Sept. 10: Thanks to donations raised during our monthly raffles, ORAS donated over $200 to the Georgia Important Bird Area Program (IBA) last week. The Georgia IBA program actively promotes bird conservation activities in Georgia through public outreach and cooperation with state conservation agencies. The IBA program just received a $44,000 grant through the GA Dept. of Natural Resources (nongame division) and is seeking funds to match it. If you'd like to donate time or money to this amazing program, please visit http://www.atlantaaudubon.org/iba/ or contact Charlie Muise, Georgia's IBA Coordinator.