INDEX

• President's column
• Hearing butterflies
• FLCV releases Environmental scores for 2000
• St. Marks NWR Events

     The first weekend in November is an pivotal moment for Audubon of Florida and our chapter.
     The inaugural Audubon Assembly will convene in Fernandina Beach November 2-5 to form our conservation priorities for Florida's future.  Members from 44 chapters, key leaders and Audubon staff will set their sights on what is important to our state's wildlife and habitats. An example important to our area is taking action to preserve 1,000,000 acres of North Florida forests.  Other potential Audubon priorities include enhanced growth management laws to protect sensitive areas and increased public participation. You need to be there to speak up for Tallahassee and the Big Bend.
     The first Audubon Assembly will be more than priority setting.  Expert birders will lead trips to wildlife hotspots on Amelia Island, Cumberland Island, Fort Clinch and Guano River, catching the hawk and pelagic migration.  Workshops will accent conservation, education and science.  Nationally-respected ornithological leaders, such as John Fitzpatrick, will speak.

     Historic downtown Fernandina offers wonderful local restaurants and a variety of places to stay, such as quaint inns and a new hotel overlooking the river.  Fort Clinch State Park and the coast are near. Audubon Assembly is a great beginning for our second hundred years as Florida's premier environmental organization.  Conservationists, scientists, birders and educators from all over our state will share issues, dreams and concerns as we focus on the important work ahead.
     For more information or to register call Audubon's office in Tallahassee at 850/224-7546 or e-mail Eric Draper at edraper@Audubon.org.

     Be there or be square.

Jim Crews, President
 

Index

   Have you ever heard butterflies? I have. And they were Monarch Butterflies just like the ones we see each year at St. Marks.

   Seeing and hearing these things are but a few of the highlight images of my week-long trip to the central highlands of Mexico last week. Our tour began in Mexico City. What a city - 30 million people, heavy smog, dirty streets - in all very uninviting. Thirty million people, that's three quarters of the population of Mexico. We spent the night at the airport hotel and left before daybreak for Angangueo (state of Michoacan) birding along the way. After spending the night there, we went on to a very special place.

   Picture it. A hillside field twice the size of a football field bordered by a forest of spruce trees. The tree limbs are so heavy from resting Monarch Butterflies that they simply hang vertically. The sky over the hillside field is alive with flying Monarchs. There is the soft "swish" sound of their wings for there are over twenty million of them. That's a lot of butterflies. Most of the Canadian and United States population of Monarchs migrates to this particular field for the winter. This location was reportedly discovered in 1975. It is up over ten thousand feet in the mountains. Access is a climb from a tortuous dirt and rock road (about an hour and a half one way) followed by a fairly steep climb on foot for another hour and a half. Boy did I huff and puff! But the climb was worth it. What a beautiful, ethereal sight.

A couple of footnotes about the Monarchs:

Amazing is the fact that Monarchs leave this place, migrate north, reproduce, and die; offspring continue to reproduce, migrate and die; and finally five to seven generations later, Monarchs return to this very hillside field from which their great, great, great, great grandparents came.

At the end of our central Mexico venture, we flew over five hundred miles north to Monterrey (state of Nuevo Leon). Our target was to see the endemic Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Worthen's Sparrow. And we did see one of each well. Our Monterrey driver reported that she banded 320 Monarchs last fall. There was great excitement because four of her banded Monarchs were found this year at the wintering site. Talk about finding a needle in a haystack!
 

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   The Florida League of Conservation Voters today released the 2000 Environmental Legislative Scores and announced awards acknowledging the pro-environmental leadership of nine individual legislators.

   "Florida's 2000 Legislative Session was the worst ever with the most dangerous legislation being seriously considered. Florida's fragile environment cannot tolerate more weakening of our state environmental laws,"  explained FLCV President Nancy Brown, of Tallahassee...."
   For detailed information on the scores, you may visit the Florida  League of Conservation Voters  website at:
http://floridalcv.org/

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Oct. 21 (Saturday) - All day: Monarch Butterfly Festival, St. Marks

The keynote speaker for the Festival is Richard RuBino who has organized tagging research projects at the refuge and other Gulf coast areas as well as developing local Monarch Gardens.  This event will include tours, tagging demonstrations, and lots of free information.  Cool butterfly T-shirts and other gifts will be available.  Please register for the talks and tours at 925-6121.

Nov. 19 (Sunday) – 9 AM or 1 PM: First Fall Bird Tours, St. Marks Refuge pools

Join birder/biologist Don Morrow for guided tours to view arriving migratory birds.  Call the refuge at 925-6121 to reserve a space on the 9 AM or 1 PM tour.  Tours will depart from the St. Marks Visitor’s Center.

Dec. 9 (Saturday) – 9 AM or 1 PM: Second Fall Bird Tour, St. Marks Refuge pools

Join birder Jim Cox for guided tours to view arriving migratory birds.  Call the refuge at 925-6121 to reserve a space on the 9 AM or 1 PM tour.  Tours will depart from the St. Marks Visitor’s Center.

Jan. 13 (Saturday) – 9 AM or 1 PM: Winter Bird Tours, St. Marks Refuge pools

Join birder/biologist Don Morrow for guided tours to view migratory birds.  Call the refuge at 925-6121 to reserve a space on the 9 AM or 1 PM tour.  Tours will depart from the St. Marks Visitor’s Center.
 

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