BEXAR
AUDUBON
SOCIETY
Tuesday, February 4, 2003,. San Antonio Environmental Network Issues Forum
Exhausting:
First Place, 2000 §.
2002! National
Audubon Society
newsletter contest
for large chapters
How our vehicles foul our air, affect our health,
and what we can .do about it.
6:30p.m. -Social Time; 6:45p.m. - Program
Free and open to the public-Parking adjacent to the Center
Auditorium of the Grossman International Conference Center of the University of the Incarnate Word
Northeast corner ofHwy 281 and Hildebrand
On February 4, Bexar Audubon presents its first San Antonio Environmental Network forum of 2003. "Exhausting" presents a panel of experts
to discuss how our motor vehicles pollute the air of South Texas. Often portrayed as a battle between the big, bad federal EPA and 'powerless'
communities such as San Antonio, the fact of the matter remains that more cars plus more driving equals more pollution. The last thing on most
folks' minds is what comes out the tailpipe as they go about their daily business. Children play beside busy highways and walk a gauntlet of SUV
tailpipes to enter their schools, raised in the obliviousness of their parents to exhaust. The idling motorist talking on a cell phone or stopped in a line
for an extended wait thinks nothing of the p9llutants swirling out his tailpipe and entering the lungs of people nearby.
The very young and the very old are the most at risk. Children's lungs are just developing and beginning to accumulate, like a sponge, the
pollutants in our air. The old are prone to respiratory problems as their immune systems wind down with age. In Bexar County, according to the
American Lung Association, there are nearly 340,000 children 14 and under. There are more than 145,000 people 65 and older. The total uumber of
Bexar residents with respiratory ailments, including asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema is over 140,000-one hundred forty thousand! These
numbers grow daily, lost in the rush of the 'improved' lifestyle we 'enjoy' as a result of our automobiles.
2003 will see the first in a series of area government measures to try and reduce exhaust and raise awareness of the problem. Come learn about
exhaust, what's in it, where it goes, how it affects our health, and what we can do as a community to clean our air. Representatives from the American
Lung Association, the Alamo Area Council of Governments, and other experts will present the science and the policy that will determine the future
of San Antonio's air quality.
NEW MEETING PLACE!
Our !lleeting place has changed! Our new home is the International Conference
Center, located at the Northeast corner of Hildebrand and 281. The forum begins
at 6:30 pm. There is plenty of parking adjacent to the Center.
International Conference Center
210.805.5700 -
'"
Bldg 37 is the ICC
Bldg 43 is the parking
garage
Spring 2003 South Texas Farm and Range Forum - February 28 - March 1, in Seguin
See insert inside for details of the program ,.
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.
OFFICERS
President Susan Hughes . (susan@wordwright.com) . 532·2332
Vice Pres. Harry Noyes ..... (harrynoyes@satx.rr.com). 490-3124
Treasurer Bill Barker ........ (barker@texas.net) ......... 308·5862
Secretary Bill Hurley......... (billhurley@satx.rr.com) .. 341-2676
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dean Bibles
Tom Wilson
Tony Wood
........................ (dbibles@aol.com) ........... 698-9264
........................ (SATXWilsons@aol.com) .. 492-4799
........................ (tmcawood@aol.com) ...... 493-4684
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Aud. Adven. Betty Minyard ... (mink@texas.net) ............ .. 344-61£8
Birdathon Marge Lumpe .. (birdwatcher@msn.com) ... 545·1822
Conserv. Harry Noyes .... (harrynoyes@satx.rr.com). 490·3124
Education ........... . ................................... available
Memb. ... .............. ............. . ............................... available
Publicity Harry Noyes ..... (harrynoyes@satx.rr.com) . 490-3124
SAEN Coord. Greg Pasztor ... (gpasztor)ix.netcom.com) .. 824-1235
Bexar Tracks Tom Wilson ...... (SATXWilsons@aol.com) .. 492-4799
Editors Jill Sandeen .... . .......................... 830-980-3277
Mailing
Usondeen@NetXPress.com) ........ Fax: 830-438-7393
.................................................................. available
Bexar Tracks is your newsletter.
We Welcome your contributions.
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.
l~ Printed with soy ink on
,. recycled paper. .• ;;
v.sit Bexar Audubon's
Web Site:
http://www.BexarAudubon.org
Visit San Antonio Environmental
Network's Web Site:
http://www.sa-naturecenter.org
Suggestions and contributions are welcome.
Please contact Bill Hurley at
billhurley@satx.rr.com
Never does nature
say one thing and
wisdom another.
-]uvenal (60?-140)
January/ March 2003
BENEATH THE GAVEL
BAS President details major changes
In Society outlook and activities
Our Tweutieth Year - The past year brought
many changes to the way Bexar Audubon
Society is operating. Your board has
struggled with the challenges of maintaining
a meaningful presence and appropriate
influence in the region's con·servation
agenda. It has been a busy year, fraught with
conflicts. BAS has had a successful year,
however, and 2003 marks the 20'"
anniversary of the founding of our
organization. An anniversary celebration is
planned, and we hope you will attend. More
information will follow soon.
Five SAEN Meetings in 2003 - We had a
number of very successful public issues
forums in 2002 under the banner of the San
Antonio Environmental Network (SAEN).
Your board has given this serious attention
and decided that issues-centered
programming is what your organization does
best. Therefore, we are shifting our
programming focus from natural history to
public issues. All of our public program
meetings in 2003-there will be five-will
be SAEN meetings, and we hope that we will
not only serve the region's public with these
provocative and informative forums, but also
broaden and increase the numbers of our
membership as well.
NEW Location - We decided to move our
meetings from the Witte Museum to the
auditorium of the International Conference
Center (Grossman Center) of the University
of the Incarnate Word effective February
2003. We hope you will ag,ree that the
facilities at the ICC auditorium are excellent.
The. auditorium-style tiered seating is
comfortable and provides excellent sight
lines, the good acoustics and audio-visual
equipment will enhance your enjoyment of
our programming. There. is convenient
covered parking in their new garage, as well
as additional open parking. The ICC is
centrally located on the northeast corner of
the intersection of 281 and Hildebrand.
BAS Active in Conservation- Harry Noyes,
your VP, has done an excellent job of briefing
meeting attendees-and others who receive
the conservation report via e-mail or
online-about the broad scope of issues from
national and international to regional and
local. Various members are active on
community boards, commissions,
committees, and ad hoc groups involved in
conservation issues ranging from water, open
2
space, clean air, river restoration, transportation .
planning, habitat preservation, and endangered
species issues to agriculture, agency reviews,
and the Land Heritage Institute. Sometimes
these responsibilities are carried out as direct
representation of Bexar Audubon, but
regardless, the goals and principles of BAS are
furthered and championed throughout the area
all through the year in many venues.
Farm & Range Forum Success - Because
there are very few active members 'in our
organization, despite our rather sizeable
membership numbers, we chose this year to
limit our participation in some outreach events.
We did not have booths at Viva! Botanica and
Earth Day, for example. We have, however,
experienced great success over the past three
years with our innovative South Texas Farm
& Range Forum, which you will see from this
issue's insert will be held again the end of
February and March I. We have had a
wonderful response to this cooperative effort
from the agricultural community, some of
whom are surprised that Audubon is
spearheading an effort to work positively with
farmers and ranchers. This seeming
phenomenon is very easy to explain, however.
With more than 97 percent of Texas being
privately owned-the 3 percent of public lands
includes highways and other such properties
that are not hospitable to wildlife-anyone who
is interested in protecting and preserving
habitat for wildlife MUST work with private
landowners and help make it possible for them
to engage in land management practices that
not only enable therri to make a living off the
land, but also to take wildlife and habitat needs
into consideration, as well. And the more we
work together, the more we find we have in
common-.
Attendance Worthwhile - We urge you to
carve a little time out of your busy schedule
and attend this year's Farm & Range Forum.
The opportunity for rural and urban dwellers
to spend some time together will be one you
will appreciate and find rewarding. Not only
that, but the food is always good, the program
content is interesting, and there are door prizes
and even a boot contest to add to the fun! A
review of the list of our sponsors and
cooperators will convince you that this
seemingly diverse community has many
common goals and a lot to gain from working
together. One of the most important
Continued on page 3
Bexar Tracks
I
Continued from page 2
opportunities for cooperation comes in the
form of the new Farm Bill, which will be
discussed in detail at the Forum.
The Texas Legislature in Session - Further,
with the state legislature in session this spring,
we will get updates on activities there. Rural
issues, which have heretofore been well
represented in the Texas Legislature will be
affected by the new distribution of members
as a result of the 2000 census results. I have
heard that there are now more representatives
from Harris County (Houston) than from all
the counties west of IH-35 combined.
Urbanites who care about wildlife and habitat
must communicate with their representatives
to ensure that rural issues that preserve, protect,
and support wildlife and habitat receive the
attention they deserve in the midst of the
myriad of issues competing for funding this
year.
Audubon Texas - At the state level of
Audubon, Audubon Texas, your chapter is well
represented, with Dean Bibles serving on the
board as an at-large member and conservation
chair. As a result of my service as regionally
nominated director (southwest region) on the
National Audubon Society board, I setve ex
officio on the state board, as well. Your
representatives to the regional caucus are Tony
Woods and Harry Noyes.
Bexar Tracks - No discussion of BAS would
be complete without recognizing the excellent
newsletter you are reading now. Twice in a row
Bexar Tracks has been selected as the best
newsletter in the large chapter category of the
National Audubon Society's biennial
newsletter contest. Our editors strive to bring
you notices and announcements, current news,
and interesting stories in an easy to read format.
We appreciate both Tom and Jill and
congratulate them on their achievements on our
behalf.
BENEATH THE GAVEL
Birds, Wildlife, & Habitat - You might
wonder where in this list birds fit into the
picture. BAS has not given up birds just as
National Audubon has renewed its commitment
to them. Instead, your board has determined
that in our region, and with our limited
resources, we must focus on what we do best
and try to avoid duplicating efforts. Bexar
Audubon continues to sponsor the monthly
Second Saturd.ay programs at Eisenhower Park
in association with the San Antonio Parks &
Recreation Department. San Antonio Audubon,
the Sierra Club, the San Antonio Zoo, the Witte
Museum, the Botanical Center, Friends of
Friederich Wilderness Park, Mitchell Lake
Wetlands Society, and other organizations do
frequent nature-oriented programs and outings.
We believe that our SAEN issues forums will
support and further our goals in providing and
protecting habitat for birds and wildlife, and
people, too.
Funding- Actions by the National Audubon
Society over the past two years have re.sulted
in a new arrangement for the funding of
chapters. In the past, chapters received an
annual dues share from NAS of $15 for new
chapter-generated members and $5.50 for
members generated by NAS (e.g., responses
. to direct mail) and for renewing members. This
has now changed. As an over-simplified
explanation, this year chapters are receiving a
"safety-net" payment from NAS of a portion
of our historical dues share. Effective next year
there will be no automatic dues share, but the
chapter will receive I 00 percent of the
revenues from new chapter-generated
memberships-typically a few hundred dollars
per year. Unless we generate many new
members locally, our distribution from NAS
memberships will be significantly reduced. The
remainder of our operating funds must now be
raised locally. We look to you, our members
and friends, to demonstrate your appreciation
of our programs in the greater San Antonio area
by including Bexar Audubon in your charitable
giving over the next year. As a 50l(c)(3) non-profit
organization, your contributions are tax­deductible
to the full extent of the law.
Please Attend - We hope you will make a
special effort this year to attend SAEN
Meetings, the Farm & Range Forum, the
upcoming 20'h Anniversary Event, and our
annual meeting of members and holiday party.
We hope to generate new members among
SAEN attendees and the Forum, and the
anniversary event will have a fundraising
component, as well- perhaps a silent auction.
If you are interested in helping us plan and
execute this event, we would welcome your
volunteering.
Your Responses Welcome- We welcome your
response to this review of BAS's plans and
focus and an expression of your interest in
getting involved. The best way to do that is to
attend one of our board meetings and learn
about the workings ofthe group. Jobs available
range from tiny to as much as you want to do­from
half-a-day every other month to an
ongoing and less predictable commitment. We
need volunteers who are willing to take
responsibility for jobs like mailing the
newsletter, hospitality, membership, education,
bookkeeping (assistant to the treasurer),
community outreach, etc. The more people
who are willing to step up, the more effective
your organization will be. In the meantime,
your board and active volunteers pledge to you
that we will do our best to represent our
members' common interests in this community
and our region. And we will appreciate your
support, whether from your time and personal
involvement or from your checkbook.
Peace - May 2003 be a year of happiness and
fulfillment for your and your loved ones, and
may be earth we share benefit from the care
and commitment of you, our members, and
others like you across the planet. And may
peace prevail for the good of all.
-Susan Hughes
GrmterM~~· Online shoppers can
Help Bexar Audubon
January/ March 2003
When you shop online, you can benefit Bexar Audubon with a portion of your purchase price by starting
at www.greatergood.com. At their home page, choose "find a cause." On the next page, enter "Bexar Audubon"
and choose the state of TX. Click on "search," and the system will return one match: "Bexar Audubon
Society, Inc." From there, click on "shop."
You'll choose from merchants like Amazon, LL Bean, PetSmart, e-bay, OfficeDepot, OfficeMax, Dell
Computers, Apple, Sharper Image, Brooks tone, Land's End, Eddie Bauer, Sierra Trading Post, GardensA!ive!,
and thousands of others to satisfy your purchasing needs. As much as 15 percent will be returned to Bexar
Audubon to carry on our work in your community. Take a look ... and thanks for supporting Bexar Audubon.
3 Bexar Tracks
LOCAL AND CHAPTER NEWS
November Chapter Meeting Recap
Spiders are all around us, but
Don't despair. If you're as cautious
As they are, nobody gets hurt
There are a great
many interesting facts
about daddy long legs
and venomous spiders.
Now those BAS
members who attended
the Nov. 5 chapter
meeting at the Witte
Museum know more of
them than most people.
Providing us
with answers to
questions we didn't know enough to ask was
Cary Guffey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of
Biology at Our Lady of the Lake University.
Beginning with the ubiquitous daddy long legs,
Dr. Guffey noted that their long legs contain
no muscles and that while the loss of one or
two legs doesn't slow a daddy long legs (DLL)
much, "losing three or more inhibits their
mobility.· Further, there are many members of
the DLL family that have really short legs.
DDLs like to congregate in large clumps
for a purpose which is not clearly understood.
They don ' t suffer much from predation
because, as Dr. Guffey can testify to from
experience, they have a "pungent" chemical
taste which seems to turn off most vertebrate
predators, although some invertebrates have
developed a taste for them.
DLLs don ' t have fangs or venom and are
omnivorous scavengers. They live just one
year, smell through hair on their legs, have
simple, two part, eyes and survive, but not well,
in the laboratory on baby food. Last, but not
least, male DDLs, almost unique in their class
of insects, have a penis.
Most spiders, on the other hand, have both
fangs and venom and will use same for both
hunting and self defense. While nearly all
spiders are poisonous, Dr. Guffey said we are
fortunate that "only 20 to 30 are dangerous to
humans." Indeed, most swelling, painful, itchy,
skin eruptions blamed on spiders were caused
by other insects and, statistically, spider bites
are much less of a problem than bee stings.
That said, Dr. Guffey said Texans should
exercise caution when encountering spiders,
especially two varieties-the black widow and
the brown recluse. You probably have a few
brown recluse spiders in your house, he said,
since they like to hide in seldom disturbed
places, such as the back of your closet. So,
look sharp when burrowing back among the
January/ March 2003
old quilts and golf clubs. The obvio~s thing to
do if you see a medium sized brown spider with
fiddle shaped markings is to keep your
distance.
Brown recluse spider bites contain
cytotoxins and a hemolytic enzyme that can
cause tissue to dissolve in the best horror movie
fashion. Some unfortunate victims have had
long and involved convalescent periods
following a brown recluse bite. People bitten
on the hand have lost fingers.
The nice thing about black widow bites
is they don't start to hurt up to an hour after
you have been bitten. Dr. Guffey suggests you
use this time to get to the doctor. The black
widow venom causes muscle paralysis­including
breathing muscles-so medical
attention is a useful precaution, although black
widow bite mortality is about I percent. If it
is any comfort, horses, cows and sheep are
much more susceptible to black widow bites
than are humans.
Black widows are a black spider with a
red hour-glass marking.
Dr. Guffey pointed out that most spiders
eat things you would rather not have around­other
insects for example-and if you respect
their space they will respect yours. Further,
they produce a silk that is a marvel of strength,
the formula of which has been the goal of
scientists for many years. While artificial
spider silk is not yet on the market, he said
that scientists have succeeded in transplanting
spider silk genes into goats which then produce
milk containing spider silk. Many uses are
predicted for spider/goat silk.
-Tom Wilson
4
Volunteer opportunity
San Antonio zoo
Offers members a
Chance to know
Parrot family
In March of 2002 the San Antonio Zoo
opened a new and exciting interactive feeding
exhibit - LORY LANDING. Even the staff is
surprised at how popular it has become. We
have found, as most of you know, that people
love birds and people especially love
interacting with these incredible animals.
After managing this exhibit for the last
year I have come to appreciate what a unique
opportunity we have to educate our visitors
about birds in general and parrots specifically.
Our goal is to present these creatures in a
responsible manner and to truly impact how
people think about birds.
This can be done only with
knowledgeable staff and volunteers to run this
exhibit. This is where you come in. We need
people who can volunteer their time as
educational interpreters in our exhibit. We look
to Bexar Audubon because of our long time
association with your group, knowing that your
members have a better understanding of the
rewards and problems associated with pet
ownership. We want people to leave our exhibit
more informed than when they walked in. We
also need people willing to commit to the safety
of the birds. Anytime you invite thousands of
people to experience something new you run
the risk that it may be more than they expected.
It is especially important that would-be
parrot parents select captive-bred birds, such
as those in Lory Landing. Positive educational
interactions will help us discourage the practice
of buying caught birds that have been illegally
smuggled into the U.S.
We see approximately 120,000 school
children every year and over 800,000 visitors
of all ages. Some of those children are going
to go home and say, "Mommy I want a parrot!"
This is our opportunity to send them home as
informed individuals and our chance to
influence children and parents alike so that they
can make informed, responsible choices. This
is also our opportunity to hangout and play with
Lories all day; which is by far the most amazing
and memorable experience you can imagine.
Please come by the education center and ask
for Liz. I will be more then happy to take you
out and show you what a great volunteer
opportunity Lory Landing offers. Or, if you
prefer, call or email me for more information.
-Liz Haskins , Volunteer Supervisor, San
Antonio Zoo, 210-734-7184 ext 157,
volunteers@ sazoo-aq .org
Bexar Tracks
LOCAL NEWS
Citizens' Tree Coalition presents an analysis
Of San Antonio's Tree preservation ordinance
Editor's note: the following analysis is presented by Richard Alles, President of the Citizens' Tree Coalition, an amalgam of about 40 conservation
and civic organizations-including BAS-joined to protect San Antonio's trees.
This is your classic good news I bad news Region," you'll see satellite images of San
story. First, the good news; our San Antonio Antonio's diminishing tree canopy along with
area trees are enormously valuable "green sophisticated mathematical analyses of the air
infrastructure," functioning like lovely quality, stormwater management, and energy
machines producing clean air, reducing savings values of our urban forest (log onto
storm water runoff, and air conditioning our www.americanforests.org/resources/rea/). This
city. On this basis alone, they are presently report summarizes the first phase of a $200,000
worth $3,332,000,000. study. When completed, this analysis of our
Now ... the bad news. Development is urban forest will be integrated into citywide
destroying our trees at an alarming and GIS systems on a "green data layer" to be used
dangerous rate. Our city lost nearly 40 percent for informed land-use planning that will enable
of its heavy tree cover over the past 16 years. our city to grow "smarter."
The associated economic loss to Greater San That brings us to the Tree Preservation
Antonio area residents is $487,000,000. Ordinance. In order to maintain a healthy
How can we reverse this environmental ecosystem, researchers are recommending 25
and economic devastation? According to percent tree canopy cover for San Antonio.
American Forests, by planting 11 million new Currently, we have approximately 20 percent.
trees and by conserving existing tree canopy Our current ordinance ensures that new
cover. In their recently released study, "Urban development will outstrip tree-planting efforts
Ecosystem Analysis: San Antonio, TX and that tree cover will continue to decline.
But we will soon have the opportunity to
change that. A draft tree preservation ordinance
was presented to the Urban Affairs Council
Committee on January 15'h. Although no details
were available at press time, we have been
assured by Councilwoman Conner's office that
the new ordinance is an improvement over the
old one. However, any strengthened tree
ordinance faces formidable opposition from
developers, and its adoption is by no means
assured. Conner emphasizes that vocal public
support will be required to get it passed. Please,
contact your City Council member and Mayor
and ask them this question: "Can I count on
you to vote for a stronger tree ordinance?"
Keep up the pressure until they do.
For more information contact: Richard
Alles; 210-494-2088; TreeCoalition@att.net
Taking a stand on San Antonio tree ordinance
Editor's note: the following op-ed piece was sent to the San Antonio Express-News by BAS Vice President Harry Noyes.
Sometime in the next month or two, San
Antonio's City Council is supposed to consider
an ordinance to reform the city's Tree
Preservation Ordinance. We urge all citizens
to encourage their Council members to vote
for strengthening tree protection.
At present the tree ordinance is so weak
that tree lovers joke bitterly that a developer
who wants to violate it has to hire an expert to
find something it actually prohibits.
The ordinance has not prevented new tree
massacres of the same kind that sparked public
outrage in the late 1990s and led to passage of
this ordinance in the first place.
The law was supposed to be reviewed in
2000. The city is years behind schedule, thanks
to the same factor that blocked a strong law
the first time - developers' inordinate
influence.
Instead of exercising leadership, Council
names committees to find a "consensus." It
sounds democratic, but it's not...because the
city always packs these committees with
developer majorities.
The developers have dragged out the
review process to allow the maximum number
of trees to be cut down in the interim.
Now, however, we may be near a
breakthrough - thanks to a persistent battle
against-the-odds by the Citizens Tree Coalition
January/ March 2003
(CTC ... dozens of environmental, civic and
neighborhood groups),
The city's Development Services staff has
worked out a "compromise" package of tree­ordinance
reforms.
Frankly, this compromise is not strong
enough. It too often splits the numerical
difference between developer and CTC goals.
But CTC goals are based on science and
science cannot compromise. If a tree needs a
certain space to grow, it cannot "compromise"
and accept less just because that would be
convenient for humans.
Also, the staff proposal does not protect
the small understory trees needed by the birds
that people love to see.
Nevertheless, this proposal is an
improvement. Passing it now is better than
passing a perfect ordinance five years from
now - or the more likely outcome of passing
nothing at all.
The officers and board of Bexar Audubon
Society support quick action. We also urge
Council to check carefully to ensure that the
ordinance they get actually reflects the
compromise proposal and has not been
sabotaged to favor developers.
We urge citizens to make their views
known to the Council, forcefully, soon and
often. A recent CPS-funded study showed that
5
San Antonio does not have nearly enough trees
for health or energy efficiency. Surely this is
unacceptable. Speak up!
There is one thing politicians need even
more than campaign donations: votes. If the
public makes it clear that tree-killing is a vote
loser, developer money will be less persuasive.
Bexar Tracks
NEWS AND LOCAL EVENTS
r-------~------------~~--~ The secret lessons of animal poop Are Texas stars really
Bigger and brighter? Revealed at Second Saturday Program
Editor's note: the many denizens of San Antonio's natural community leave lifestyle clues that
make for fascinating learning experiences. Check this newsletter for future outings, held, as you
might guess, on the second Saturday of each month.
Fifteen adults and 10 children attended the all that appealing, the participants learned that
December Second Saturday program, "Where scat can be useful in animal identification and
have all the animals gone?" Judit Green in determining what an animal eats. After
opened the program with an introduction to the these presen-tations, Judit and her group
various types of animal signs one might find conducted a hike to look for examples of
such as tracks, scat, nests, bones, partially eaten material discussed in the sessions. All enjoyed
food and tree rubbings. scouring the areas surrounding the trails for
She and her interns then facilitated a scat, tracks and various seeds and fruits that
series of activities based on the introductory could provide food for animals. The
material: making stamps of tracks, examining participants agreed that although no animals
animal skins and skulls and viewing realistic were seen on ,the hike, there was ample
models of animal scat. Although a evidence of their presence in the area.
consideration of 'animal poop' doesn't seem -Judit Green
Get ready to duck:
New FEMA guide helps
You prepare for disasters
The Federal Emergency Management
Agency has a new publication to help
individuals prepare themselves and their
families for disasters. "Are You Ready? A
Guide to Citizen Preparedness" (FEMA
publication H-34) brings together facts on
disaster survival techniques, disaster-specific
information, and how to prepare wr and
respond to both natural and man-made
disasters.
Feb. 21-23 in Port Aransas
Whooping crane celebration
The Annual Celebration of Whooping
Cranes and Other Birds is scheduled for Feb.
21-23 in Port Aransas, Texas. Attendees will
have a chance to see wintering migratory birds
in amazing quantities and an·ay as they flock
along the shores of Mustang Island.
Festival visitors can join birding tours by
land and sea as well as numerous seminars from
noted avian experts, including presentations by
the International Crane Foundation.
Additional information on the Festival
may be obtained at www.portaransas.org/
cranes. asp.
Find out at the Second Saturday program
presented by the San Antonio
Astronomical Association , on February 8,
2003, Eisenhower Park 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Editor's note: this Second Saturday program
was scheduled for January but the rains
came and it has been rescheduled for
February (www.sanantonioastronomy.org)
Are the stars at night really big and
bright in Texas? Ever seen the 'man in the
moon'? The City of San Antonio Parks and
Recreation Natural Areas and the Bexar
Audubon Society invite you to satisfy your
curiosity about these and other night sky
questions. This program is designed to give
people with little knowledge of astronomy
an opportunity to view features of the winter
sky through telescopes operated by their
knowledgeable owners.
For this event, it is recommended that
participants observe a few suggestions:The
use of white light is highly discour­aged.
Please bring flashlights with red bulbs
or covered with red cellophane (will be pro­vided).
Children are welcome but must be
attended at all times. No smoking or insect
repellant near telescopes, and do not ap­proach
or touch telescopes without permis­sion-
they are very expensive!Reservations
are recommended for this event. Please call
Natural Areas 210.698.1057. There is a sug­gested
individual donation of $3.00 per in­dividual
or $5.00 per family. Walk-ins will
be accepted on a limited basis.
"Are You Ready?" provides a step-by-step
outline on how to prepare a disaster supply kit,
emergency planning for people with
disabilities, how to locate and evacuate to a
shelter, and even contingency planning for
family pets. Man-made threats from hazardous
materials and terrorism are also addressed in
detail. The guide details opportunities for every
citizen to become involved in safeguarding
their neighbors and communities through
FEMA's Citizen Corps (www.citizencorps.gov)
initiative and Community Emergency
Response Team training program.
A fond farewell to our friends
"Everyone needs to know how to respond
to any disaster that could occur in their
communities. That includes both natural
disasters such as floods, hurricanes,
earthquakes and tornadoes - as well as
manmade disasters such as terrorism and
accidents involving hazardous materials,"
FEMA Director Joe M. Allbaugh said.
For more information and an online copy
of "Are You Ready," visit www.fema.gov/
areyouready. Also, for more information on
preparedness, visit www.fema.gov/library. The
online emergency checklist is another way
FEMA is working to make America "A Nation
Prepared."
January/ March 2003
Rufus Stevens and Mike Mecke at their going-away party.
(This photo was received after the last issue went to press. )
6 Bexar Tracks
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Wildlife camp '"1
Kids can sign up now for a
Crash course in growing up
SAN ANGELO * Recruits are now being
mustered for the 2003 "Texas Brigades," a
group of wildlife-oriented youth camps
targeting 13-17 year-old cadets.
Bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer,. and
wild turkey form the nuclei for the award­winning
camps that equip participants with
communication skills, leadership development,
and a healthy dose of wildlife management.
"The core curriculum at these camps is
leadership development and conservation of
our natural resources," said Dr. Dale Rollins,
Texas Cooperative Extension wildlife
specialist and founder of the Brigades. "We
meld and disguise those principles into fun and
interesting activities dealing with quail, turkey,
or deer. The result is a 100-hour crash course
in growing up.
The two Buckskin Brigade dates and
locations are: South Texas, 4th Battalion, La
Pryor, June 1-5, and North Texas, 2nd
Battalion, Lueders, July 20-24. Dates and
locations for the two Bobwhite Brigades are:
Rolling Plains, 11th Battalion, Lueders, June
21-25, and South Texas, 6th Battalion,
Campbellton, July J3-17.
The East Texas "Feather Forces" Brigade,
7th Battalion, July 27-31 at Broadus, centers
around quail and turkey. Rollins said
combining the turkey with the quail curriculum
in this single instance was a real boost to the
camp. It also allowed the camp to add a strong
new sponsor in the National Wild Turkey
Federation.
"This marks our 11th year of the camps,"
said Rollins. "The past ten years have seen this
idea grow from one camp to five. I continue to
be pleased and amazed at the show of support
for these camps by the various volunteers,
sponsors, and parents.
January/ March 2003
In addition to recruiting cadets, the
Brigades are also seeking adult volunteers to
serve as "Covey" or "Herd" leaders. These
positions don't require any training in wildlife
management, just the willingness to help the
cadets 'be all they can be.' Many of the adult
leaders consider this to be a watershed week
in their own lives. After their tour of duty at
the camp, many sign on to continue service on
the camp's steering committee. And for those
who would like to expand their knowledge of
quail, deer, or turkey management, there's no
better short course than a Brigade camp.
The camps' sponsors include: Texas
Cooperative Extension, Texas Wildlife
Association, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, USDA-Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Quail Unlimited,
National Wild Turkey Federation, local Soil
and Water Conservation Districts, and
numerous private businesses and landowners.
Tuition for all camps is $200 per cadet
per camp. Organizers are willing to help cadets
find scholarships for at least half the tuition.
Applications are available in .pdf format at
http://texnat.tamu.edu or www.texasbrigades
.org. Applications are due by April 15. Send
them to Helen Holdsworth, 401 Isom Rd., Suite
237, San Antonio, TX 78216.
Each camp is limited to 30 participants
per session.
For further information contact Dr. Dale
Rollins at (915) 653-4576 or e-mail him at d­rollins@
tamu.edu or contact Helen
Holdsworth, San Antonio-based Texas
Brigades' executive director, at (210) 826-2904
or e-mail her at h-holdsworth@texas­wildlife.
org.
7
Pioneer Web-based Count
Sixth annual Great
Backyard Bird
Count needs all
Birdwatchers
New York, NY- All across North America,
our birds face survival challenges ranging from
loss of habitat to introduced predators and
diseases such as West Nile Virus. The Sixth
Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (February
14-17) promises to add important new
information to our understanding of birds'
movement and overall health by focusing on
our common birds and birds of special concern.
Once again, the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology and theN ational Audubon Society
call on birders of every age and skill level to
make the count possible. "We need every
birder to join us," said Audubon Senior Vice
President of Science Frank Gill. "The Great
Backyard Bird Count has become a vitally
important means of gathering data to help
birds, but we need people to take part."
A project of the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology and Audubon, with sponsorship
from Wild Birds Unlimited, the GBBC
combines high-tech web tools with an army of
citizen-scientist bird observers. The GBBC
asks fam11ies, individuals, classrooms, and
community groups to count the numbers and
kinds of birds that visit their feeders, local
parks, schoolyards, and other areas during any
or all of the four count days. Participants enter
their sightings at BirdSource, www.birdsource
.org/gbbc. The state-of-the-art website was
developed by Audubon and the Cornell Lab.
The site invites beginners and experts
alike to participate, providing useful
information to make participation easy and
enjoyable. There is a vocabulary section, bird­watching
and bird-feeding tips, bird
vocalizations, and more, including information
about House Finch eye disease. Educators will
find the bibliography and geography sections
especially handy; as well as suggestions on
how to conduct the count with groups of kids.
For those tired of winter and ready for spring,
there will be tips about planning and preparing
for the spring bird garden.
Instructions for participating can be found
at www.birdsource.org. There's no fee or
registration. Those who would like to
participate but aren't online can try their local
library. Many Wild Birds Unlimited locations
also accept reports. For info, contact the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology at 800/ 843-2473;
159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850,
or the National Audubon Society at 212/979-
3083; 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.
Bexar Tracks
Mark your 2003 calendar
February 4 - SAEN Issues Forum:
Exhausting: vehicles & local air quality
February 8 - "Winter Skies" Second
Saturday Program
Feb 28- Mar 1- Farm & Range Forum,
Seguin
March 1 -Deadline for AJ2ril-MaJ:
Newsletter to Tom Wilson
March 4 -BAS Board Meeting
March 8- Second Saturday program
April 1 - SAEN Issues Forum
May 3 - Deadline for June-Jul1 Newslet-ter
to Tom Wilson
May 6-BAS Board Meeting
June 3 - SAEN Issues Forum
July- No meetings
Bexar Audubon Society, Inc.
P. 0. Box 6084
San Antonio, TX 78209
Address Service Requested
Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
San Antonio
Permit #590
July 5 - Deadline for Aug - Oct Newslet-ter
to Tom Wilson
August 2- Annual Planning Meeting '
August 23-20th Anniversary Celebration
September 2 - SAEN Issues Forum
October 4- Deadline for Nov- Dec
Newsletter to Tom Wilson
October 7 -BAS Boatd Meeting
November 4 - SAEN Issues Forum
December 2 - BAS Annual Meeting,
Election, & Holiday Party
; f!l 'a () 'i\ "" ':"!, ~
SECOND SATUHLiAt
PROGRAM
MlifCHELL LA~E
ACCESS , . . .. Second Saturdays are co-sponsored by the •
· San Antonio Parks & Rec and BAS.The The Mitchell
program on Feb. 8 will be Winter Skies. See
story on page 6. The program on Mar. 8 will
be on "Let it Rot: Com12osting." 9-11 a.m.
Eisenhower Park, 19399 Northwest Military
Drive. $3/person or $5/family. Reservations
recommended. 698-1057.
AUDUBON
APPLAUSE
Thanks to Betty Minyard for arranging for
the mailing of the November-December newsletter.
Kudos to Tom Wilson, Harry Noyes, Bill
Barker, Bill Hurley, and Susan Hughes for
donating a Saturday morning to cleaning out and
organizing the BAS storage room.
Our appreciation to the Witte Museum staff
for their hospitality over the past years as the site
of our BAS and SAEN meetings.
Lake Wetlands
Society web site is
www.mlws.org.
Dates will be
available on the
San Antonio
Audubon Society
website at <www. saaudubof!. org>.
Additional access can be arranged by
calling in advance to Georgina Schwartz at
210-342-2073.
RECURRING EVENTS
San Antonio Audubon Society's
Beginners' Birdwalk. Meet at the Judson
Nature Trail in Alamo Heights at 8:00AM.
Visitors are welcome. There are binoculars
to lend. 210-342-2073.
,-4~'.,.
·J·'.l· Earth Share OF TEXAS
Earth Share ' of Texas represents the Audubon
Foundation of Texas and the National Audubon Society
in payroll deduction plans for charitable giving. For
information, call 1-800-GREENTX or email
<estx@earthshare-texas.org>.
January/ March 2003 8
r------------., Membership Form
National Audubon Society
Bexar AudubonSociety
Membership rates are:
Student/Senior $15 Basic $35
Introductory 1~year $20 (2-year: $30)
Name __________ _
Add~~-----------------
City ____ State _ Zip. ___ _
Phone: } _____ _
Email:. ___________ _
For a new membership, mail this coupon
and your check-payable to "National
Audubon Society, Chapter W19" to:
Bexar Audubon Society
P. 0. Box 6084
San Antonio, TX 78209
W19, 7XCH D Opt out for ot~er mailings .. ____________ ..
Bexar Tracks f l