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Friends of the Savannah
Coastal Wildlife Refuges
May 9, 2013 |
Friends:
Spring is here, although cooler and wetter than usual. Even so, what better way to enjoy the outdoors than visit one of your National Wildlife Refuges? Better yet, consider becoming a volunteer on your favorite refuge! Interested? Contact us at webmaster@coastalrefuges.org.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friends 5th Annual General Membership Meeting
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Your Friends group held our 5th Annual General Membership Meeting on Saturday, April 6th, 2013 at the Savannah NWR Visitor Center. The more than 65 attendees were treated to a very informative and cautionary talk by Dana Beach, founder and Executive Director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League (SCCCL). Dana's talk, " Dredging the Savannah River: The Last Nail in the Coffin?" , was focused on the high cost and negative environmental impact of the project and questioned the pro-dredging arguments that have been repeatedly pushed at us by the local media and Georgia officials. Dana related this project to other port-related issues that his group has dealt with in Charleston. For more info on SCCCL's position, click HERE.
Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Project Leader Jane Griess gave her State of the Refuges update, emphasizing the successes of the past year and the impending fiscal challenges brought on by the "sequester" and proposed future budget cuts. Friends group President Rick Shields gave his annual report on Friends group activities which showed growth in membership and an improving financial position, and discussed upcoming Friends activities. See following articles in this issue for details of some of the projects.
Two amendments to our Bylaws that had been approved by the Board were discussed, but because of a procedural mistake, will need to be brought up again at a membership meeting for final approval.
Five positions came open on the Board of Directors this year as current director's two-year terms expired. Dot Bambach and Rick Shields were reelected, and Connie Terrell, George Cathcart, and Tracy Toogood were elected as new Board members to fill the remaining seats. At the next BOD meeting the following officers were chosen: Rick Shields will remain President; Allyn Schneider will remain Vice-President; Connie Terrell will take over as Secretary; and Dot Bambach will switch to the role of Treasurer.
As usual, lucky members walked away with many very nice door prizes. The meeting ended with a wagon ride through the refuge, and this year the weather was perfect.
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Friends Strategic Planning
The Friends group Board of Directors has been working on our Strategic Plan since our Retreat in September of 2012. At a meeting on April 25th, we approved the plan, pending some minor wording changes. This marks a milestones in the Friends history, as we now have a document that outlines our goals and objectives in eight broad areas and sets out a timetable over the next five years to reach those goals. The final document, very ably put together by Dot Bambach and George Cathcart, is still being tweaked, but will be available soon for distribution to Friends members. We appreciate all the time and effort put into this project by Friends members and FWS staff, greatly aided by the assistance of our facilitator, Joan Patterson from the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Special thanks to Allyn Schneider who has pushed us toward this process for years.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are you ready to help the Friends grow?
One item became very clear to us during the Strategic Planning process: we need to involve more members in the ongoing functioning of the Friends. Like many new organizations, we started out with a small cadre of "champions" who took on all aspects of forming and growing the group. However, there comes a point at which unless new people get involved in the leadership and maintenance of the group, growth sputters and energy wanes.
The Board believes that we have a wealth of passion and talent among our membership, and that we need to make a greater effort to involve more of you as we strive to make our Strategic Plan a reality. Especially now, with the Fish & Wildlife Service facing significant budget cuts, the need for volunteers is even greater.
If you would like to become active with the Friends, click on the link below to see the general areas in which we are in need of assistance. If you have the time and the inclination, we will find a way to match your skills and interests with our needs.
You do not need to commit to a fixed schedule or amount of time. Check out the info, and if interested,click on the email link to get started upgrading your Friends experience!
LIST OF AREAS OF NEED
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Friends lose a Friend
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Nancy and John Davis at the Grand Opening
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John P. Davis passed away peacefully on April 22, 2013, after a long illness. John retired from the US Fish & Wildlife Service after a long and distinguished career and had served as Project Leader at the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex from 1974 until 1996. Nancy Davis, John's beloved wife of 59 years, has requested that in lieu of flowers, remembrances take the form of donations in John's name to the Friends group. Condolences can be sent to Nancy at 3 Abbott Lane, Savannah, GA, 31411. There will be no local funeral service. Nancy and John were charter Life Members of the Friends, making their contribution in the very lean early days of the group when their Benefactor Level donation meant even more to us. They both made a point of being in attendance and demonstrating their support when the new Savannah NWR Visitor Center opened in March, 2010.
Our condolences to Nancy, the Davis Family, and those who knew and respected John. Pat Metz, one of John's "green peas", has written a brief tribute. Our condolences to Nancy, the Davis Family, and those who knew and respected John.
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IKEA makes another donation to the Friends
 IKEA has committed another $5000 to the building of an Environmental Education Building at the Kingfisher Pond Recreation Area of Savannah NWR. This was in addition to an unrestricted grant of $1000 that IKEA made earlier this year.
The Friends matched this donation, giving us a pool of $10,000 to get the project started. IKEA has also pledged to donate the furniture needed to furnish the building when it is complete. Additional cash donations might be available in the future.
A big Friends group thanks to Dean Peterson, Sustainability Developer for the IKEA Distribution Center in Port Wentworth, whose support has been critical in obtaining the donation.
We will be forming a Major Project Task Force to manage this project, our biggest yet. If you have skills in building, project management, architecture, or other related fields, please contact us. We will also be looking for other in-kind donations of building materials, so if you or someone you know is in a position to help with these types of donations, please let us know.
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Wildlife Drive Entrance gets a Make-Over.
 What a beautiful day for an outdoor project! On Saturday, April 27th, a group of Friends volunteers met at the entrance to the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive and set to work aggressively cutting back years of growth along the fence and gate that leads onto the drive.
While we didn't finish the entire fence, we did accumulate piles of branches and clippings that FWS staff carted away in the next few days. Later, the fire crew took down a number of trees and graded the entrance area.
Next project is to power wash and repair the brick pilings, then replace the wooden split rails and do some landscaping. Stop by and check out the new look, or view a photo gallery. A big thanks to Refuge Manager Russ Webb, and volunteers Cindy Groff, Mary Lutes, David Applegate, Rick Shields, and Joanne McMenamin who made it all happen!
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Puddles is on the Road!
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The Goose (photo by Sharon Lindsay)
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The Blue Goose has been the official symbol of the National Wildlfie Refuge since 1936. The Goose can be seen on publications, posters and refuge boundary signs all across the US.
In an effort to increase public awareness of the Goose and the Refuge System, our own Sharon Lindsay
has packed up the Goose and is driving it cross-country, visiting refuges and making appearances. Sharon is chronicling the trip for publication as a fund-raising book .
After starting in Florida, Puddles made a rest stop in Savannah (and was banded for easy identification). Then it was off to visit refuges across the west !
Sharon will keep us all informed of her adventures with the Blue Goose on her Blog on the Friends website. Check it out to follow the Goose on its journey!
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Photo Blind at Savannah NWR nears Completion
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Photo blind (photo by George Cathcart)
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George Cathcart and Irv Sevelowitz, with the able assistance of the F&WS staff, designed and constructed our first photography blind on Savannah NWR just off the Cistern Trail. The Friends purchased the materials.
There is still some site work to be done, but the next step for the Friends is do the staining to help preserve the blind and allow it to blend in with its surroundings. Join us on Saturday, May 18th, for "Stain the Blind Day".
DETAILS
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Harris Neck NWR Wood Stork Update
Byline - Twila Gray and Connie Terrell
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Wood stork family (photo by Sharon Lindsay)
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At the Friends group annual general membership meeting, Twila
won a door prize and chose the Harris Neck rookery tour. On April 22 we met Dot Bambach and Mary Ellen Urbanski, the volunteer wood stork nest monitors, to begin our adventure. The first order of business was to climb the 60-foot observation tower to get a "bird's eye" view of the nests. The vista from the top is amazing.
At the beginning of the season these two tower monitors map the trees then include the nests that will be monitored as they are built. Three days a week they ascend the tower to record the status of the 44 sample nests - whether there are eggs, chicks, and/or adults present.
On the day we went, we were allowed to help monitor nests and record data. We observed adults turning their eggs to keep the embryos from adhering to the shells; we saw chicks newly hatched. We even witnessed a hostile takeover of a nest. One wood stork starts the attack, and others join in. When the original wood stork was forced to leave, the winning pair tossed the two eggs from the nest and set up housekeeping.
The whole monitoring process seems like it would be fairly quick, but it is not. The monitors have to wait for the birds to stand up so they can see if there are eggs or chicks. On the cold, windy day we were there, it seemed like the birds took forever to cooperate.
We finished the day with a driving tour to see the whole refuge. The day was great, and we have a new appreciation for all the hard work that goes into the wood stork monitoring project.
Thank you to the Friends for this opportunity and thanks to Dot and Mary Ellen for escorting us.
FWS Wood Stork Species Profile
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Citizen Science Opportunity
 The Seabird Ecological Assessment Network (SEANET) is a citizen science program that brings together interdisciplinary researchers and citizen scientists in a long-term collaborative effort to identify and mitigate threats to marine birds. SEANET will be holding an all-day training project for volunteers interested in becoming a beach monitor in South Carolina. The session will be on June 13, 2013, at the SEWEE Visitor Center in Awendaw, SC. For more info, click on the Flyer link below. |
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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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