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Friends of the Savannah
Coastal Wildlife Refuges
October 27, 2012 |
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Friends:
This is the second newsletter this month, but a lot has been happening that needs reporting, with more activities on the way.
You will also notice that we are using a new format this issue. Some of the entries will be an introduction to the story, with a link to the entire piece. This allows you to browse the newsletter, pick out the items you are interested in, then read a more comprehensive version of the article or an internet link.
Let me know what you think of the new format and send in articles, links, and photos that you think would be pertinent for Friends members. You'll get your own byline and photo credit.
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Refuge Week on Wassaw Island NWR
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TR regales the crowd
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The focus for this year's Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Refuge Week activities was Wassaw Island NWR. This 10,000 acre coastal barrier island is only accessible by boat, so the Service arranged a small flotilla of vessels to transport about 90 people to the island for a day of outdoor activities.
New Friends group member Gerry Tucker posted lots of photos on the FWS Flickr site and provided the photo for this article and the following one.
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Refuge Week Cruise on the Savannah River
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TR on the Cruise
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What better way to appreciate Savannah NWR, a true "water refuge", than by boat on a beautiful fall day? And who better to accompany you on that voyage than our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, the founder of the National Wildlife Refuge System?
More
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Kayak Trips Raise Donations for the Friends
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Refuge week paddle
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For the 10th straight year, Swampgirls Paddle Club, now led by Friends Board member Linda Etchells, has sponsored kayak trips on the Savannah River through a portion of the Savannah NWR during Refuge Week. Linda and her supporters donated all the over $1200 in donations raised to the Friends group.
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Friends Group Photo Contest 
This is our first photography contest, with 6 winners in three categories and two age groups and an overall "Best in Show", for a total of 19 prizes. Winners will be announced on December 8th and the winning entries will be on display at the Savannah NWR Visitor Center.
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FWS Photography Workshop with Sharon Lindsay
On Saturday, November 3rd, FWS will hold a nature photography workshop at Pinckney Island NWR. Led by Friends group Board member and newly-published author Sharon Lindsay, participants will be shown the tricks of the trade of an experienced nature photographer with the aid of the natural beauty of Pinckney Island.
Registration is required as seats are limited. |
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Historic Preservation
 | | Preserved Alaskan cabin |
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for managing millions of acres of land and water to preserve and protect wildlife and wildlife habitat. Did you know that the Service is also active in managing cultural resources as well? Find out more at the Service's Historic Preservation web site and read their newsletters.
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New Refuges Announced
 | | Rio Mora NWR (Tami Heilemann-DOI) |
The number of National Wildlife Refuges has grown to 560 with the addition of two new refuges in New Mexico: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge near Albuquerque and Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in northern New Mexico.
In addition, Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area was established in southern Colorado, thanks to a large easement donation in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains by conservationist Louis Bacon. Bacon, a proponent of landscape and wildlife conservation, donated an easement on nearly 77,000 acres of his 81,400-acre Trinchera Ranch. He previously announced his intention to donate an easement on 90,000-acre Blanca Ranch, bringing the total amount of perpetually protected land to nearly 170,000 acres. More |
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EBird Trail Tracker Coming Soon
 | | Tracker in use at Santa Ana NWR |
The eBird Trail Tracker, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a real-time, online system used to gather information and track sightings of birds.
Several national wildlife refuges now have eBird Trackers through which visitors are able to learn about species they might see and report their own observations. Savannah NWR staff have received their tracker and are in the process of installing it. The Friends group has taken on the yearly licensing fee for the tracker.
More
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Bird Banding Demonstration
 | | Refuge Ranger Peter Range in his element |
On October 19, 2012, Refuge Ranger and bird bander extraordinaire Peter Range demonstrated his techniques to the public at the Savannah NWR Visitor Center.
The birds are captured with the aid of fine mesh nets, which do not injure the birds. The captured birds are quickly transported to the banding station and given leg bands which are sized according to individual bird species.
The age of the bird is estimated by examining the skull and wing feathers. The birds are also weighed before they are released. All the data is recorded along with the unique tag number. The information gathered helps with the scientific study of birds' health as well as the health of their environment.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Holiday Celebration at The Gator Hole
Be sure your holiday plans include a visit to the Savannah NWR Visitor Center on Saturday, December 8th, 2012.
The Friends group book and nature store, The Gator Hole, presents its annual Holiday Sale with 20% off all merchandise, with a number of items marked down even more substantially. Also, the winners of our First Annual Photo Contest will be announced and prizes awarded.
As a special treat, there will be a Reptiles Alive! exhibit and presentation with friends members and reptile experts Dave Chafin and Wasil Khan. More details in the next newsletter. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nests Set Record
 Loggerheads laid at least 2,218 nests in Georgia this summer. That's the most documented during the 24 years the state's coastline has been closely surveyed for sea turtle nesting. The new high capped three consecutive summers of record totals, including 1,760 nests in 2010 and 1,992 in 2011.
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Quick Links...
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| Contact Information
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E-mail: webmaster@coastalrefuges.org
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