Central Westchester Audubon Society
	Elmsford, Greenburgh, Harrison, Purchase, Rye, Rye Brook, Port Chester and White Plains
	P.O. Box 359, White Plains, NY 10602 email: cwas@centralwestchesteraudubon.org

Programs

The Great Swamp
New York's Bayou in Our Backyard
Thursday, May 20, 2004
7:30 PM in the Cafeteria
Church Street School
295 Church St., White Plains

Speaker: Dr. Jim Utter

New York's Great Swamp is one of the little known treasures of the New York metropolitan region. Dr. Jim Utter, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at Purchase College SUNY, will provide a visual tour of this remarkable wetland complex located only 35 minutes north of White Plains. Dr. Utter has conducted field research in the Great Swamp watershed on migratory birds, turtle populations, and a rare species of lily. He is now deeply involved in an effort to protect this unique resource as Chair of Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) and a Board Member of the Bedford Audubon Society. FrOGS has developed a 13-partner coalition of government bodies, NGO's, and Purchase College resulting in a $3.2 Million project preserving 1000 acres in the "Heart of the Swamp." This coalition includes a $940,000 federal grant under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and a $1.2 Million pledge from New York State.

Dr. Utter, a graduate of SUNY Oneonta with a biology major, received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University. In 1971 he became one of the founding faculty charged with developing an Environmental Science program for Purchase College..

Please join us to learn about one of the most important wetlands in our area.

Schedule of Field Trips

Following is a listing of upcoming field trips. Unless otherwise indicated, all trips will start at Education House, 5 Homeside Lane in White Plains. Car pooling will be available. If you have questions call Jeanne Alpert at 914-946-1780 or Victor Ramos at 235-3088. Although appreciation of nature transcends all languages, if requested, our trip leader, Victor, can provide Spanish translations. We strongly encourage beginning birders to take advantage of our field trips which are free and open to all. A few loaner binoculars will be available.

In general, for all of our trips you should dress in layers and bring water.

Directions to Education House. Homeside Lane is located off North St. in White Plains. Going south on Mamaroneck Avenue from downtown White Plains, make a left turn on Ridgeway. Go down Ridgeway to the traffic light (firehouse on the left) and turn right on to North Street. Homeside Lane is the third right and Education House is the first building on the left. Parking is available in the circular driveway..

Saturday, May 1, 8AM, Nicole Kelisky/John Ferone Memorial Walk. Meet at Ed House to carpool to the Ferone farm in Millwood. The Ferone family has graciously offered their home for this outing. Since space is limited, advance reservations for this walk are required. Please call Lois Steirhout at 948-1026 prior to May 1st if you wish to attend.

Saturday, May 8 (Rain Date-May 15), 7AM, Our Annual Birdathon. Meet at Ed House. See front page article for details.

Sunday, May 16, 7:30AM, Central Park. Meet at Ed House for carpooling. Central Park is one of the primary migrant traps in the New York area and should offer the opportunity to spot many species, especially warblers. This will be a half-day trip so bring a snack if you wish.

Sunday, May 23, 7:30AM, Doodletown Road, Meet at Ed House for carpooling to the site which is about an hour away. Bring lunch and water. This is a beautiful spot during spring migration. The climb is a bit steep at the beginning of the trail and levels out after that. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes.

Spring iz sprung
Da grass iz riz
Do you know where
Da boidies iz?

The CWAS birdathon team leaders can answer a resounding "yes" to this bit of doggerel. Not only do they know where the birds are, they are eager to identify and point them out to you. We invite everyone to join in the fun. Just bring your binoculars, spotting scope (if you have one) and a picnic lunch. Dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes. Early risers can join the advance team at Read Sanctuary at 5:30 AM. The rest of us will meet up with the early birders at 7AM at Education House to arrange for carpooling, first to Forest Park in Queens where we all look forward to standing around the "water hole" to watch the many species of warblers, which seem to pose and preen just for our pleasure. After Forest Park we drive to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where we have our lunch and then bird the ponds and gardens for waterfowl, shorebirds and passerines. Around 4PM we do a tally of species seen and then, exhausted but exhilarated, we drive on home, birding all the way to catch a few extra species to add to our list. Last year we spotted 107 species - we have seen as many as 125!

As a reminder, in addition to spotting birds, the purpose of this day is to raise funds for our scholarship program. So if you haven't already done so, please use the coupon on the last page of the newsletter to make a generous pledge. All contributors and pledgors will receive a list of the birds seen and an invoice for the amount owed, based on their pledge. Don't forget to tap friends and family - just send their names and pledges to our PO Box and we will do the rest. If you have questions call our Birdathon Chairman, Herb Ruskin, at 949-4429 or Gladys Goldmann at 949-3486.

---JSA

FrOGS (Friends of the Great Swamp) is offering canoe trips, led by a naturalist, into the Great Swamp. The dates are Saturday or Sunday, May 1, 2, 29, 30, starting at 8:45, 10:45, 12:45, or 2:45. The cost is $18 per person and reservations are required as space is limited. For more information call Evelyn Chiarito (845) 877-6498 or E-mail echiarito@aol.com .

THANK YOU
I had a fun time at nature camp. It was a great experience. The things I liked most [were] taking a walk at A.B.C. forest, and seeing bugs we do not see at home. I made two friends. I saw creatures I had never seen. I had a really fun time. Maybe I will see you next year. Bye.
Your friend
Daniella Scinto

---Journal News, 2/23/04

We congratulate Connie on this honor and thank her for distributing our newsletter so dependably and efficiently.

--JSA

"Long Island Sound, an Owner's Manual" has been released by Wainwright House, located on the Sound in Rye. The fold-out leaflet is loaded with suggestions for us homeowners, and apartment owners too, to help clean up the Sound and keep it clean. First, it suggests safer alternatives to the harsh chemicals in our household cleansers: use boric acid to kill roaches, table salt with baking soda and water to clean ovens, lemon oil with linseed oil as furniture polish. Detergents with phosphorus are to be avoided (read the label again). Paper diapers, sanitary napkins and plastics belong in the garbage, not the toilet. Most important there is a warning against putting acids of any kind, such as oven cleaners, paints and paint cleaners, wood preservatives, pesticides, etc. down the drain or in the garbage; take those, and batteries, to the twice yearly Hazardous Waste collections at WCC or Playland. "Toxics in the House" is available from the Westchester County Health Dept. at 914-285-3072.

To feed our gardens the suggestions include using composted vegetables, grass clipping and leaves, which also reduces landfill garbage. Biodynamic gardening information can be had by calling the Cooperative Extension or Biodynamic Gardening Association at 215-3227-2420.

For more information about the Sound check out tne Long Island Sound Study's web site at http://www.longislandsoundstudy.net . The site highlights new Sound projects and other programs of interest to the environmental community.

---Louise Jones

In the April-May magazine of the National Wildlife Federation, there is a warning about the butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) which can grow to 10 ft and is commonly planted to attract butterflies. This is a non-native species that can become invasive. Better choices include asters, phlox, goldenrod, milkweed, coreopsis, dianthus, blazing star and joe-pye weed, all perennials. Annuals include nasturtium, marigolds, cosmos and zinnias.

At our open meeting on May 20th, we will elect a Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary. The slate is as follows: Treasurer - Nancy Moore
Corresponding Sec'y - Lois Steirhout

As is true of most volunteer organizations, we are always in need of new faces, new energy and new ideas. Several board positions are currently open and some of our committees could use more members. If you wish to take advantage of any of the following volunteer opportunities or have any questions, please call Jeanne Alpert at 914-946-1780.

Hospitality Coordinator: Coordinate the schedule for refreshments at the 7 open meetings.

Newsletter Editor: This is an important and fun job. Writing and editorial skills are helpful and a computer makes the job a lot easier. 5 issues a year.

Recording Secretary: Take the minutes of our board which meets September through November and January through June for a total of 9 meetings. This job could be shared by 2 people.

Fund Raiser: Join an already formed committee and bring your ideas.

Conservation: If you are you passionate about conservation issues, join this committee to bring these issues to the board and the public.

Whatever position you volunteer for, you will have the complete cooperation and support of the present board.

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