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BL/q Volume XVII, No. 7
July 1999
'
"--#>· .. ""TSA l arv <;eria!s I . . - -1 Your Water Comes from the Edwards Aqu~fer,
It Is Beautiful, ~ysterious, and Threatened
How Can San Antonio Preserve and Protect It?
7 p.m. - Social Time '
7:30p.m. -Speaker's Program
Free and open to the public
Ruble Center, 419 E. MagAo.lia (east of McCullough; take Mulberry_exit off 281)
For VIA public transportation: take Route 5 (St. Mary's/McCullough/ North Star Mall) to Magnolia
Only the obsti11ately illiterate are unaware of the critical role the Edwards Aquifer plays )n the lives of everyone in San Antonio. But
many more of us have only a vague notion of what we can do to protect this r\')source-vital to our continued existence in this particular
place and also possessing-above and below ground..:_some exceedingly beautiful scenery and a myriad of natural resources which
sustain many different life forms, including us. .
Beyond conserving and recycling water and protecting the recharge zone, many citizens have few ideas ·about protecting the aquifer.
This month, BAS members will have a chance to learn cif a major enterprise, sponsored by one of the m-ost effective environmental
organizations in the nation, to enlist San Antonio area residents and their personal and public resources to preserve and protect this largely
hidden treasure.
Paul B. Barwick, R.L.A., of the Southern Edwards Aquifer Project will describe how this project, a community based conservation
effort sponsored by the Nature Conservancy of Texas, can preserve and protect both this partially understood resource and the ecologically
significant natural resources in and above it.
Barwick will describe, and illustrate with slides, the three project areas involved in the total undertaking including the geographic areas
of the drainage zone, 'recharge zone and artesian zone of the aquifer. He will' also give a brief description of the Nature Conservancy of
Texas. . . . >
He will be pleased to answer questions at the end of the presentation.
With the slate of nominees for-the BAS Board of Directors nearly complete, we will hold the elections at the July meeting. That
means my term as your Presjdent is coming to a close. This will probably be my final Reflections column. It has truly been a pleasure
to serve in this capacity for the last 2+ years. I have ·served on thisBoard of Directors for more than 5 years and have been truly
blessed by my-association with this well-respected organization. I have done many things and met many wonderful folks. The caliber
of people that chose to involve themselves with Bexar Audubon is amazing and is only surpassed by their dedication to this organization
and its efforts to conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat and to promote environmental education througl:lout ·our community.
I want to thank everyone who has served on the board during my tenure as President as well as everyone who has volunteered
or supported BAS in some way. I appreciate all of your support and know that our community has benefited from our collective efforts.
I will, of course, continue to work on the Board filling the position of Immediate Past President. I am very confidant that the slate
of nominees presented elsewhere in this newsletter will lead this organization to' new heights. They face a number of challenges, but
I know that you as members will continue to support them in any way that you can .
..
It's 1999-2000 Bexar Audub~n Election Time.
'·
. See Page 3 for slate of Nominees. The election will take place at the BAS general meeting
. on Thursday, July 15, 1999 at 7:30p.m. Please come and participate in our future.
BEXAR AUDUBON- SOCIETY
Chapter of the National Audubon Society
P. 0. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209
21 0-822-4503
GOALS
The Chapter's primary goals are
to promote species and habitat
conservation and environmental education
in the community.
President
Vice Pres.
Treasurer
Secretary
Past Pres.
OFFICERS
Bill Sain (71634.230@compuserve.com) ... 408-7731
Mike Mecke ...... (mmecke@saws.org) ........ 344-3737
Betty Minyard ... (mink@texas.net) .............. 344-6128
·· Deborah Robinson ........................................ 493-4663
" ........................ (dlr2spirit@compuserve.com)
Susan Hughes . . ....................................... 532-2332
....................... (Susan@wordwright.com)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Term Ending 1999:
Kim Hoskins ...................................................................... 696-3780
Jane Nelka ....................... Osneal@texas.net) .......... 561-0313
Harry Noyes ........ ................ . ....................................... 490-3124
Term Ending 2000:
Chris Dullnig ............. .c ........ (cdullnig@juno.com) . 830-980-8156
Maria Elizalde ........... ............ . ....................................... 695-4256
Janis Merrit ......... ............... . ...................................... 698-1095
COMMITIEE CHAIRS
Adopt-a-Park Bill Woller ...................................................... 696-3186
Aud. Adven. Betty Minyard ... (mink@texas.net) .............. 344-6128
Birdathon Bill Sain (71634.230@compuserve.com) .... 408-7731
Conserv. Richard Pipes .. (rjpipes@flash.net) .... 830-281-2452
Education Mary Kennedy .. (mbkenned@aol.com)698-7175x267
Dwight Henderson (dhenderson@utsa.edu) 496-5934
Hospitality Nancy Johnson .......................... : .................. 655-1338
Memb. Deborah Robinson ........................................ 493-4663
Natural I nit.
Outings
Programs
Publicity
" ........................ (dlr2spirit@compuserve.com)
Tom Wilson ...... (twilsond@AOL.com) ........ 492-4799
...................................................................... available
Chris Dullnig .... (cdullnig@juno.com). 830-980-8156
..................................................................... available
SAEN Coord. Mike Mecke ...... (mmecke@saws.org) ........ 344-3737
Daniells Milam . (pererik@txdirect.net)
Waya& Means Bill Sain (71634.230@composerve.com) .•... 408-7731
Bexar Tracks Tom Wilson ...... (twilsond@AOL.com) ........ 492-4799
Editors Jill Sandeen .......................................... 830-980-3277
Mailing
Osondeen@NetXPress.com) ........ Fax: 830-438-7393
Betty Minyard ... (mink@texas.net)· .............. 344-6128
Bexar Tracks is your newsletter.
We welcome your contributions.
Next deadline: July 16, 1999
Please fax Jill or email Tom as above; diskettes
and hard copy should be sent to Tom Wilson,
13227 Hunters Spring, San Antonio, TX 78230.
Printed with soy ink on
. recycled paper . .
Visit Bexar Audubon's
Web Site:
http://www.audubon.org/chapter/tx/bexar/
Suggestions and contributions are welcome.
Please contact Bill Hurley at
BILLHUR@aoi.com
July 1999
CHAPTER/ LOCAL NEWS
June 17. 1999, Chapter Meetin~: Recap: A Look at Costa Rica
A Land of Contrast, Surprises: an Environmental Puzzle
What does an inquiring environmentalist find in Costa Rica? A land of lush natural
beauty with a myriad of plants animals to admire. And, a land that is head and shoulders
above the rest of Latin America in c~eating national parks and forests and yet a land
with the fastest rate of deforestation in the world.
These were some of the impressions that Andy Balinsky, an Austin computer
programmer and Sierra Club board member, shared with BAS members at the June
monthly meeting. · Balinsky, who spent six months volunteering in environmental
prdtection jobs in various Costa Rican locations, illustrated his talk with slides which
proved his glowing descriptions of the beauty of the country and its plant and animal
inhabitants.
Balinsky hailed the Costa Rican conservation effort which has placed 12 percent of
the country in national parks and 13 percent in national forests yet suggested that the
Central American nation is losing the environmental wars because of population
pressures exacerbated by a flood of refugees from neighboring Nicaragua,
Despite the ominous future, the picture presented by Balinsky was one of opportunity;
both for those who are able to visit Costa Rica and for an evolving conservation ethic
that could yet stem the developmental tide.
-Tom Wilson
Junior Audubon
Birds, Colorful ·and Fascinating, Help Kids Learn and Grow
Editor's note: this story was written by Tatjana Terauds, who has been nominated for BAS
President.
On Wednesday, June 23, 1999, I spent an hour talking about birding with the children
in the Youth With High Potential Program. We started with an exercise on observation:
Could they remember what their camp director Connie Hargrove was wearing? We then
moved to making quick observations about the appearances of some ~cut-out birds.
Next, the kids picked through some old International Wildlife magazines in search
of birds to describe. They chose penguins, parrots, harpy eagles, and other exotic birds
and stood before the other children describing the plumage, eyes, beak shape, and
posture of their group's birds.
We're having a little contest to win a Peterson's guide-a short paper on the parakeets
that the program keeps as pets. These are great kids and a this is a great ~pportunity for
Bexar Audubon to make a difference in sharing our love of the outdoors. Contact me at
<tatjana@wordwright.com> or 210-532-2332 to find out how you can spend one hour
sharing the fun of birding.
-Tatjana Terauds
1\vo Free Publications from Texas Parks & Wildlife
Editor's note: Another posting from TEXBIRDS listserv.
You can get two new TPW publications on birds and birding simply by sending me
(see address below) a self-addressed, $0.77 stamped, 6x9" clasp envelope for these
FREE publications. You will get both publications-''all or none."
The first publication is a tri-fold pamphlet that lists 13 festivals and outdoor events
where birding and birds are a huge component. Texas continUElS to lead the nation in
birding festivals. There is bound to be an event or two for you. There is one festival/
event in the following months: July, Oct, Nov, Jan, Feb and May. The following months
have more than one:. two in Sept and five in April.
The second piece is a 36-page booklet called "Migration and the Migratory Birds of
Texas: Who they are and where they are going' by Edward R. Rozenburg, W. Chuck
Hunter, Mark W. Lockwood and myself. It is very readable and very informative. It is
intended as an introduction to bird migration.
This publication is broaght to you FREE by Texas Parks and Wildlife's Wildlife Diversity
Program and Natural Resource Program, Texas Partners In Flight, Exxon and the U.S.
F-ish and Wildlife Service. Please send in your SASE ASAP. Enjoy!
-Clifford E. Shackelford, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road,
Austin, Texas 78744-3291.
2 Bexar Tracks
Treasurer:
Rita Banda
I have been a member of Bexar
Audubon for the past three years. I am
active in water issues as a member of the
Edwards Aquifer Authority board. As an
avid Mother Earth News reader for 30
years I have incorporated the concerns
for the environment, habitat and all living
creatures into my lifestyle.
Thus I am an organic gardener;
wildlife rescuer and do whatever I can do
in my life to protect the environment. A
self professed lover of mathematics, I was
the bookkeeper for an explosive company
in New Braunfels for 15 years. For the past
12 years, I have run a home repair service
along with my husband Arthur.
2-Year Board Member:
Available
Please come to the July 15th meeting
and put your name in from the floor.
Working with these great people for
our worthy causes will be a very
rewarding experience.
1999 - 2000 ELECTION
Pr~posed 1999-2000 Bexar
Audubon Officers
A well-rounded slate of experienced environmentalists has been proposed for
the 1999-2000 term. The election will take place at the BAS general meeting on
Thursday, July 15, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. Please come and participate in our future.
If you cannot attend the meeting, but wish to vote by mail ballot, please mark
and cut out the ballot and mail it in time to be received by July 13th.
As mentioned in last month's newsletter, two members have agreed to stand for
another term in their present positions: Vice President Mike Mecke and Board Member
Harry Noyes. The other candidates ~ are new to the Board, but not new to Bexar
Audubon: for President, Tatjana Terauds, and for At-Large Board Member; Bill Barker
and Bill Hurley. And there is a candidate who is assuming a new position: Secretary
Susan Hughes (former President).Their biographies appeared in the last newsletter.
We are pleased to announce that one of the two remaining positions on the
proposed slate has been filled. The candidate for the position for Treasurer is Rita
B~mda. See her biography at left. The position for the remaining 2-year Board Member
is still available.
You are encouraged to write in your own candidate for any postion .. Write-in
candidates mus1 be current members of BAS. Ballots with write-ins must be
accompanied by a statement signed by the candidate indicating willingness
to serve if elected.
Your name and address as it appears on your newsletter label (on the back of
this page) must be clearly marked on the outside of your mailing envelope in order to
validate your vote. To protect your privacy, however, you may enclose your ballot in
another envelope inside your mailing envelope and it will be opened without being
identified with you.
r----------------------------------------~
BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY BALLOT
1999 ELECTION
_ Circle proposed candidates or write in your own:
President. ............................ Tatjana Terauds Write-in
Vice President.. .................. Mike Mecke Write-in
Secretary ....... ~·- ... ~ ............... Susan Hughes Write-in
Treasurer ............................ Rita Banda Write-in
Board Member-2 year ..... Harry Noyes Write-in
Bo<ard Member-2 year ...... Bill Barker Write-in
Board Member-2 year ...... Available Write-in
Board Member-1 year ...... Bill Hurley Write-in
Mail Ballot to BAS Elections, PO Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209.
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~ububon ~pplau~e
At the San Antonio Environmental
Network meeting held Tuesday, June 1,
1999, San Antonio Mayor Howard Peake
presented Susan Rust with a Certificate of
Commendation from the City of San Antonio
for distinguished service as Chair of the Open
Spaces Advisory Board. ·
Susan Rust was also presented a
Certificate of Appreciation for her 16 years
of dedication to Bexar Audubon Society.
Recurring E;ve~ts
*First Saturday of Each Month-Friedrich
Wilderness Park offers a free guided general
natural history hike. Call 698-1057 for more
information.
*Second Saturday of Each Month-Bexar
Audubon sponsors the "Second Saturday"
program at Friedrich Wilde~ness Park. · $2
donation requested. For more information and
reservations, call 698-1 057.
*Second Saturday of Each Month-San
Antoni.o Audubon Society's Beginners'
Birdwalk. Meet at the Judson Nature Trail in
Alamo Heights at 8:00AM. (except in the
summer, June through August, when it is 7:30)
Visitors are welcome. Membership is not
required and we have a few binoculars to lend.
For more information, call at 342-2073.
*Fourth Saturday of Each Month-Birding at
Mitchell Lake. Meet at the gate at 8 am. Led
by Ernie Roney of the San Antonio Audubon
Society. Call 656-4239 for more information. r------------., Membership/Donation Form 1
National Audubon Society 1
Bexar AudubonSociety 1
(Chapter Code W19) · 1
New memberships to Nationall
Audubon Society and Bexar Audubon, are
$20 ($15 for seniors or full-time students). I
Name I
A~~ I
-c-~------------------------~-----------~-·1
State-.,------Zip_____ 1
Phone: ) ___________ I
For a new membership, mail this coupon 1
1 and your check-payable to "National 1
I Audubon Society, Chapter W19" to: . I
Bexar Audubon Society
I P. 0. Box 6084 I
I San :Antonio, TX 78209 I
1 If you would like. to participate as a 1
I checkbook activist locally, please fill out your I
name and address and make your check
I· payable to "Bexar Audubon Society". I! I I W19, 7XCH I .. ____________ ..
July 1999
Bexar Audubon Society, Inc.
P. 0. Box 6084
San Antonio, rx· 78209
Address Servic~ Requested
Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
San Antonio
Permit #S90
UNIV Of TEXAS NWO19V 99 l LIB S£ff.IALS
6900 N LO OP 1604 W
SAN ANTONIO TX 78249- 1130
San Antonio Environmental Netwo~k. June 1, 1999, Recap:
Learning from the Past to Create a Better Future
The nearly 70 people who attended the SAEN meeting on the Medina River Land
Master Plan were treated. to a fascinating overview of the plans for this new city park.
Ron Lacewell, Alston Thoms, Malcolm Matthews, and Chris Powers presented various
aspects of the unique "Land Heritage Institute of the Americas", a joint venture by Texas
A & M and the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department.
Limited space prevents much detail from being given, but don't miss the Medina
River Site Tour which has been postponed until this fall to see what Mike Mecke (BAS
Veep who manages this property for SAWS) rightfully calls "this very beautiful, historic
and culturally significant southside jewel". And if you can catch the slide presentation
that Alston Thoms gives on the proposed Institute, you will really be awed by this project.
I' have not yet visited this site, and when I· saw one of the first slides of what looked
to me like a typical road-cut which was to be the dam/ spillway trench of the defeated
Applewhite. Dam project, I thought, "they're making a park out 'of yet another blight on
the Central Texas lp.ndscape?" But this turned out to be an archeologist's dream. No
less than 16 archeological sites are present, spanning 9000 years of human habitation,
. earning this area the designation of a World Class Archeological Site. In fact, the findings
go back to 13,500 years-before humans were present in this particular area. Thoms
showed examples of hearths which were very well preserved because "the floods that
occurred at this site were so gentle, they didn't pick up the rocks" used to make the
fires; this is a ra:re find in th'e archeological world and those in the know can see the
progression of tooling of the various points found in each layer of silt.
The other areas at the Medina site-the river and former ranch land, will be used
for recreational uses ahd the Land Heritage Institute "to demonstrate how knowledge
about past land-use practices and environmental conditions can be productively used
to create a better future". What an asset to San Antonio this will be.
-Jill Sondeen
No fi~ld trip in July-take advantage of our recurring events (see above left). 1
Upcoming Chapter Meeting-August-Annual Planning Meeting
4 Bexar Tracks