Programs

Wednesday Warbler Walks in May (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, rain or shine) Hosted by Rye Nature Center, co-sponsored by CWAS. The Nature Center will open at 7:45 for coffee and tea. The walks will start promptly at 8 AM. Leader: Hank Weber. Loaner binoculars available. Rye Nature Center is a hot spot for warblers and the walk is easy.

Saturday, May 10, Birdathon. See below for details.

Sunday, May 18, Doodletown Rd. Meet 8 AM at Doodletown Rd. This is a hotspot for migrating songbirds. We should see a variety of warblers, flycatchers, indigo buntings, orioles, and perhaps cuckoos. The trail is a bit steep and rocky at the beginning, so sturdy shoes are a good idea. No facilities. Be sure to bring water. Co-sponsored with Bronx River/Sound Shore Audubon.

Saturday, June 28, 9AM, Muscoot Farm. Butterflies and Birds. Meet at the Farm. Sponsored by Hudson River Audubon. Leader: Mike Bochnik.

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.

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Birdathon 2008

Saturday, May 10, 7 AM
Rain Date, Saturday, May 17
Meet at 7AM at Education House for Carpooling

Or if you if you wish to join an exclusive club, meet the few early birders at 5:30 AM at Read Sanctuary to get a jump start on our list. Early birders will return to Education House by 7 AM to join the rest of us for car pooling.

Our first stop will be Forest Park in Queens where the air will be full of bird song. If things go as planned, the famed "water hole" will provide us with some spectacular warbler sightings, and along the paths we should tally several other migrants and residents. We will leave Forest Park around 11:30 and head for Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where we will have lunch. We will then bird the West Pond, where we should find ducks and shore birds, and the gardens for more warblers and other passerines, ending around 4 PM to tally our species count.

You should bring binoculars, a lunch and, most important, water for the Forest Park segment of the trip. It is always a good idea to dress in layers. Jamaica Bay has a new center with bathroom facilities and water.

We would like to emphasize that beginners are encouraged to take part and are most welcome. The experienced birders in our midst are eager to share their knowledge and get you "hooked" on birding.

By the way, if you don't wish to bird the whole day, you can choose either the Forest Park portion or Jamaica Bay. If you wish to join us at Jamaica Bay, you should arrange to be there between 11:30 and noon.

A Reminder: This is our most important fund raiser for the year, so whether or not you are able to join in the birdathon, please send us a generous pledge to benefit our scholarship fund by using the coupon below.

If you have any questions, please call Jeanne Alpert at 946-1780 or e-mail to jsalpert@optonline.net

Click here for our Birdathon 2008 Pledge Coupon

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Westchester County’s Action Plan
To Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Westchester County has an ambitious program to reduce greenhouse gases. The kickoff was an all-day seminar on February 26th at Manhattanville College. The goal is for “every resident, business, government, and school” (as stated in the Action Plan) to reduce its carbon footprint 25% by 2015.

The seminar was led by people actively working to improve their particular areas. A representative from the Scarsdale school system described not only how his district is switching to more efficient light bulbs, but also how they are moving to build conservation principles into the curriculum, in association with the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF). This is an organization that collaborates with public school districts and individual teachers to raise awareness of sustainable development and to help incorporate related principles into K-12 curricula and programs.

The Federated of Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) in its SNAP (Students for No Air Pollution) initiative is advocating measures to reduce the impact on public health posed by vehicle exhaust.

Representatives from colleges spoke about their efforts to reduce energy needs. For example at Vassar College, all of the food waste and other waste products are transformed into clean compost for use in gardening. Business planners spoke of “green” buildings, and government experts spoke of areas like waste management with dramatic possibilities for conservation. Recommended household actions are relatively easy and include steps like replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s), walking or biking or using mass transit, tips for saving water, and wasting less and recycling more. The effects of some of these conservation measures are amazing. Example: replacing just 1 light bulb with a CFL prevents about 150 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere each year. That is equivalent to not driving your car for 2 weeks! If every household in the County replaced just 1 bulb with a CFL, we’d reduce pollution by more than 400 million pounds over the lifetime of the bulbs—about 8 years.

For more information, go to: www.westchestergov.com/globalwarming. Whether you are interested in a general overview or details on what specific actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint, this website will help.

--Frank Alpert

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TogetherGreen Launched to Promote
Conservation and Leadership

The National Audubon society has received a $20 million grant from Toyota to fund TogetherGreen, a program to involve individuals and communities in conservation action over the next five years. This program will support and strengthen Audubon programs through innovation, leadership, volunteerism and results. TogetherGreen will include three program components:

· Conservation Leadership – Conservation fellowships will be awarded to empower current and future conservations leaders. The funding will allow the fellows to implement a conservation action program and participate in training and networking.

· Innovation Grants – Up to sixty grants per year will be awarded for local programs that provide creative solutions in conserving habitats, water or energy.

· Volunteer Initiatives – Funds will promote volunteer conservation activities at Audubon centers and community sites engaging a wide community network.

A TogetherGreen website will be created as a social networking site to engage people in conservation, to highlight volunteer activities and to honor local environmental heroes. RFP’s to apply for specific grants will be distributed to local Audubon chapters in mid-April.

--Catharine Raffaele, Conservation Chair

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News from Audubon New York

Protect Cerulean Warbler Habitat

In May we look forward to our field trip to Doodletown, a local site where we see the Cerulean Warbler. U.S. breeding habitat is threatened by logging and mining, while South American habitat is lost as trees are cleared for coffee plantations. Audubon New York and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are working to restore and preserve habitat in New York. Audubon and many grocery stores sell shade grown coffee to promote preservation of the winter habitat of the Cerulean Warbler and other South American species.

--Catharine Raffaele, Conservation Chair

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Mission Migration

The Audubon New York website features Mission Migration, an interactive video game that teaches children about the challenges faced by migrating birds and what they can do to create healthy habitats for birds. The link to the game is on the home page of Audubon New York.

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Have You Joined the Audubon Action Network?

With a few clicks of the mouse, you can let your voice be heard on the important conservation issues of the day. Here’s how:

· Log on to Audubon.org.
· On the Home Page, click “Issues and Action”
· Click on “Take Action Now”
· Sign up.

From time to time you will receive e-mails outlining an issue on which Audubon wants to take action. If you agree and want to participate, all you have to do is click as directed. Because you have given your address and zip code, the site will automatically send the letter to your members of Congress. You are also given the option of editing the letter if you wish. For State and local issues, log on to ny.audubon.org and follow the prompts on “Issues and Actions.”

After you have joined the Action Network, please let us know by e-mailing us at cwas@centralwestchesteraudubon.org.

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“From Earth to Fire: Sculpture from Wood and Bronze”

A Group Exhibition Featuring Artists Jackie Lorieo, Janet Castronuovo and Joseph Castronuovo.
April 13—May 31, 2008, Sheldrake Environmental Center.
For more information call 914-834-1443.