What's Happening!
- Congratulations to Don Boucher and Lisa Millbank, 2012 Homer Campbell Award Recipients!
- Bicycle Birding is Back!
See more birds in a day than you though possible - and keep in shape at the same time. Click Here for more info.
- ASC Classes with Corvallis Environmental Center - Don Boucher and Lisa Millbank are hosting a series of field trips and classes in conjunction with the Corvallis Environmental Center. Click Here for more class description and dates.
- May Madness Wild Flower Weekend! Come on over to Hesthavn for tours of the flower beds! Click Here for more information.
2012-2013 ASC Speaker's Schedule
May 17 Tim Bodeen, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Manager
On August 12, 1908, the U.S. Congress established Malheur National Wildlife Refuge "to preserve the habitat values of [Malheur Lake] for migratory waterfowl, and especially, the colonial nesting species." The Refuge’s lakes and wetlands were world-renowned for their productivity and amazing populations of waterfowl and other birds. Then in the 1920s, the Common Carp was introduced into the local watersheds to control vegetation in irrigation canals. They soon entered the Refuge’s aquatic systems and since then have decimated the Refuge’s aquatic ecosystem productivity. It is estimated that carp’s aquatic degradation has reduced use by waterfowl/birds by several million birds per year as well as undocumented impacts to the endemic fish and mussels. The Refuge to date continues to be unable to fulfill its established purpose because of the carp infestation.
From the 1930s through the 1990s, rotenone treatments were used to control carp in the Refuge’s aquatic systems, which temporarily restored productivity and waterbird/fowl use on a short-term basis (2-4 years), before rebounding to pre-control levels. This non-selective method impacted native fishes (e.g., redband trout, suckers) and mussel populations. A variety of carp control strategies are needed to reduce their populations, which could include collection and passage deterrent structures, commercial harvest, chemical attractants/detractants, passive fishing, and reestablishment of nesting piscivorous colonial waterbirds such as herons, egrets, grebes, ibis, pelicans, terns, and cormorants as well ospreys.
Monthly Meeting Info:
Join us the third Thursday of every month, September through May, at the meeting hall of the First Presbyterian Church, 114 SW Eighth Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments and visiting. Chapter Meeting commences at 7:00 p.m. followed by the guest lecture at 7:30 p.m. Questions about the series can be directed to Dave Mellinger
David.Mellinger@oregonstate.edu
541-757-7953
Open Meetings of the Board of Directors
ASC board meetings are open to all ASC members, and the board encourages you to come and see what we do. Our monthly board meeting is on Thursday one week before the General Meeting. See the calendar on the last page of The Chat for the meeting location.
Audubon Society of Corvallis is starting a listserve -
Sign up and get email messages about meeting changes, special events,reminders for events, etc! Please send your email address to Karan Fairchild, alderspr@peak.org
