Upcoming Meetings
September 9th: Dr. Albert Ike will discuss progress on the Oconee Rivers Greenway including new land acquisition along the North Oconee River. Information will be presented on the potential money available from the SPLOST 2000 package and Rivercare 2000 for the purchase of land on  the Greenway. Dr. Ike will also discuss the efforts of the Georgia Division of the Trust for Public Land to preserve the Charlie Williams Pinecrest Lodge land and river frontage from further development through a purchase of the property and development of a public land trust. Dr. Ike is a founding director of Sandy Creek Nature Center, founding member of the Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission, and chairman of the Oconee River Land Trust.
? We meet at the Princeton United Methodist Church at 7:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The church is located at 2390 S. Lumpkin St., where Lumpkin meets the Macon Hwy (US441/GA15).
 

Fall Bird Walks
Although it may seem like summer will never end, the Fall migration of birds starts in September. Oconee Rivers Audubon has planned several field trips to local migration hot-spots that will focus on the identification and natural history of birds. We  encourage nature enthusiasts big and small to join us and share in the excitement. For those beginners out there, the opportunities for seeing exciting new birds are great. Veterans, enjoy the possibilities that the Fall migration brings while sharing your birdwatching secrets with fledgling birders. Bird walks are open to all ages and skill levels and no pre-registration is required.  We generally maintain an easy pace and stop frequently. Waterproof footwear and raingear are wise precautions. For more information contact David Galewski, 543-1988.

11 September: Marietta's Kennesaw Mountain north of Atlanta. This is the peak time for migratory birds in Georgia and Kennesaw Mountain is a well known hot-spot, especially for warblers. Meet at 6:00 a.m. at the BiLo to carpool.
18 September: Sandy Creek Nature Center, 8:00 a.m., Allen House parking lot.
25 September: Botanical Garden, 8:00 a.m., Callaway Building.
9 October: Whitehall Forest, 8:00 a.m., intersection of Milledge Ave. and Whitehall Rd., meet at the gate.
23 October: Botanical Garden, 8:00 a.m., Callaway Building.
6 November: Lake Herrick, 8:00 a.m., at the end of the road past the UGA sports fields.

Other Events and Walks:
1-3 October: Georgia Ornithological Society semiannual birding weekend at Jekyll Island.
28 August: The Broad River Watershed Association will hold it’s annual meeting at 9 a.m. in the group pavilion at Watson Mill State Park of GA Hwy 172 near Comer. A business meeting will be held at 10 a.m. and at 11 a.m. historian John Seawright will talk about the history of oil exploration in the Broad River Valley. For information contact Victor Johnson at 706-795-2184.

Sightings
Gary Crider, Maggie Nettles, Tim Homan, and Page Luttrell saw an Osprey on the Chattahoochee River on both 7/25 and on 8/1. Marianne Happek sighted a Hairy Woodpecker on 8/9 and a Northern Parula on 8/13. At the Botanical Gardens on 8/14, Gary Crider witnessed a Ruby-throated Hummingbird fly off its perch to snap up a small insect in mid-air!

Meeting Reports:

July 1, 1999
   The July meeting was held in the sanctuary of the church due to a church scheduling conflict. Carl Enter of Memorial Park Zoo provided another of his popular programs on birds of prey with four owls from the zoo.  He gave an interesting talk on raptors and demonstrated with a Great Horned Owl, a Barred Owl, a Screech Owl, and a Barn Owl.
    Peggy Lowe’s departure from Athens was discussed, and a decision was made to present her with a plaque of appreciation.
    Bill Van Eseltine donated a 3rd edition of the National Geographic Guide to North American Birds to ORAS. An impromptu auction was held, and the highest bid brought $21.

Board Meeting Report
   A retreat for the ORAS Board and any interested members was held at the home of Minnie and Wally Crider at Lake Hartwell on July 17, 1999.  The meeting was well attended, and the main agenda involved the coming year’s schedule of events.  President Elizabeth Little led a discussion of the mission of ORAS and what people thought about the direction of the organization.  A fall bird walk schedule was planned including local and out-of-town trips.  David Galewski, the new field trip chair, expressed views that more emphasis should be put on beginning birders and that efforts should be made to guide and encourage them at our local bird walks.  A list of potential speakers for monthly meetings was drawn up, and various conservation projects were discussed.  Everyone agreed that the main focus of our conservation efforts should be community-oriented.  Projects such as Adopt-a-stream, Audubon Adventures, and contributions to local groups such as the Zoo or the Athens-Clarke County Library were discussed.
   Page Luttrell announced that a plaque and new T-shirt were sent to Peggy Lowe in appreciation for her dedication to ORAS.  A renewed call was made to continue bird profiles at the monthly meetings.  Elizabeth covered the annual report ORAS must make to the National Audubon Society and gathered input and information on the various requirements.  ORAS treasurer, Tom Shelton, was unable to attend, but sent copies of the 1998-1999 financial report for everyone to review.  The current composition of the ORAS Board also was discussed.

Letter from the President – Elizabeth Little
    After the relative quiet of the summer, I enter my second full year as president of ORAS with a hope for new directions and continued member support. On July 17th, a retreat was held at the home of Wally and Minnie Crider on Lake Hartwell with the purpose of not only discussing the usual routine business matters, but also to redefine the mission of ORAS. I was delighted with the turnout. In addition to our board members and chairs of committees we had several additional members in attendance who were interested in the future of ORAS. I was greatly heartened by the interest and active participation in discussions that ensued over the course of this Saturday afternoon. What was agreed on was that the primary goals of ORAS should be greater involvement in local environmental issues, a continuation in providing high quality bird walks and field trips, and an increase in educational programs and outreach as a way to enhance the depth and breadth of ORAS and to connect to a larger audience in the Athens area. In the coming year, ORAS has plans to reestablish our involvement in the Adopt-a-Stream program, to increase our participation in the Athens Environmental Coalition, and to broaden the scope of our bird-related educational outreach. As with any volunteer organization, ORAS survives only with the donation of the precious time of our members. Over the past year, thanks to the efforts of our program chair Gary Crider, we have obtained quality speakers on a variety of topics including important environmental issues. Our conservation co-chairs, Marta Daniell and Carrie Straight, have kept the membership informed of important legislative bills and we have had several write-in campaigns to our representatives to express our views on issues that would impact wildlife habitat. We recently saw the departure of Owen Kinney as our field trip co-chair for the past year as he completed his masters degree at UGA and moved on to a good job in Rome, GA. We were sad to see him go but happy for Owen and his family. However, we are fortunate to have David Galewski bring his boundless energy and enthusiasm to the job of field trip chair. David has plans to increase the scope and number of our trips as well as add more of an educational component for beginning birders. In addition, we owe our thanks to David, Page Luttrell, Maggie Nettles, and Tim Homan for organizing our enjoyable weekend birding trips over the past year. This year has also seen the change of our newsletter editor. Garnett Stokes, who did a splendid job for the last few years, retired from the job and we all feel fortunate that a very qualified new member, John Posey, stepped forward to take over. A round of applause should go out to John for getting out the newsletter this month after the arrival of his fourth child, Lydia Allison, on August 4th. As always, ORAS would be lost without the help of Mary Case who works behind the scenes to fold, label, and mail 500 newsletters each month, provide the delicious  refreshments  for  our  meetings,  and  step  in whenever extra help is needed. Another departure over the summer was that of Peggy Lowe to a new position in Rome, GA (maybe Peggy and Owen can start a Rome Audubon chapter). As pastor of the Princeton United Method Church, ORAS board member, enthusiastic birder, and friend she helped the progress of ORAS in innumerable ways. Thanks also to Tom Shelton, Sarah Cliett, Eugenia Thompson, Deirdre Allen, Jim Hanna, Glyn Hatchell and all the other active members who have helped out over the past year to keep ORAS afloat and to make my life a little easier. I look forward with enthusiasm to the possibilities of the coming year.
 
 

Oconee Audubon Society

P.O. Box 48132

Athens, Georgia 30604-8132
 

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