Tsache Pool at Montezuma
The Onondaga Audubon Society hosted this year's
NYSOA Annual meeting the weekend of October
22nd—24th in Auburn, NY. Onondaga Audubon and
the Montezuma Audubon Center cooperated to provide
NYSOA delegates, members, and friends the
opportunity to accomplish NYSOA business, hear informative
speakers, see great birds and enjoy the camaraderie
of fellow bird enthusiasts.
Friday evening events included presentations by Kristin
France from The Nature Conservancy on a Migratory
Stopover Project collecting data along the southern
regions of Lake Ontario. Bill Evans held a Night
Migration Workshop at the Montezuma National Wildlife
Refuge Visitors Center.
Several regional field trips were held on Saturday.
Always a bird magnet, the vicinity of Montezuma
NWR went the extra mile and gave some birders the
opportunity to see a vagrant Gray Kingbird!
Field Trip to Happy Bee Heirloom Farm
sponsored by Owasco Valley Chapter of the Audubon Society
Saturday morning included the Annual Meeting of the
corporation where delegates heard reports from NYSOA
Officers, Committees, and the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation. The
delegates elected officers for 2011, three directors,
and the members of the Nominating and Auditing
Committees.
Officers for 2011 are: Carena Pooth, President; Gail
Kirch, Vice President; Joan Collins, Recording Secretary;
Mike DeSha, Corresponding Secretary; and
Andy Mason, Treasurer. Directors elected for 2011-
2012 are Victor Lamoureux, Shai Mitra, and Bob
Spahn.
The elected Nominating Committee consists of Valerie
Freer, Jerry Lazarczyk, and Berna Lincoln. The
Auditing Committee members are Irving Cantor, John
Cairns, and Peter Capainolo.
Gathering for the Night Migration Workshop
The Paper Session organized by Kathy Schneider
and Guy Baldassarre provided the audience with informative
presentations. Speakers and topics included
John Confer on California Condors, Stefan
Karkuff on avian distribution in shrublands, Jeremy
J. Kirchman on pitch pine—scrub oak migration
stopover, Jeffery S. Bolsinger on vegetation management
for birds at Fort Drum, Valerie Freer on
Northern Saw-whet Owl banding, Gregory Russo on
Eastern Wood-Pewee song repertoire, Joel R. Ralson
on effects of climate change on boreal birds,
and Shaibal Mitra on changes in status and distribution
in New York State birds.
This year's meeting culminated with the Saturday
evening banquet at the Springside Inn in Auburn.
Attendees were addressed by Hope Batcheller,
founder, and Benjamin Van Doren, President, of the
New York State Young Birders Club (NYSYBC).
The young birders are an impressive group of enthusiastic,
and knowledgeable birders who bode
well for the future of birding and bird conservation in
New York.
Several awards were presented this year. Awards
Chair, Gail Kirch introduced the Lillian Stoner
Award winners: Carolyn Sedgwick from Cayuga
Bird Club, Hope Batcheller, from the NYSYBC,
Jacob Drucker, from the NYSYBC and the Linnaean
Society of New York, and Benjamin Van Doren
from the NYSYBC. Kirch presented the Gordon M.
Meade Award for distinguished service to NYSOA to
Tim Baird. Bob Spahn presented the John J. Elliott
award for an outstanding article in The Kingbird to
Shaibal Mitra for his article "Regular Inshore Occurrence
of Non-breeding Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisea)
During Summer on Long Island, NY".
(Kingbird, Vol.59, No1, March 2009)
Banquet Keynote Speaker Richard Crossley
The comedy team of Schneider and Mason provided
an entertaining skit during the drawing for the
raffle prizes (see related note on page 4).
The banquet speaker was Richard Crossley, coauthor
of The Shorebird Guide, who gave an entertaining
and visually impressive talk on novel ways to
look at bird identification and the importance of
popularizing birding as an outdoor activity.
NYSOA is grateful to Gerry Smith, President of
Onondaga Audubon Society, his co-chair Frank
Moses, director of the Montezuma Audubon Center,
and Committee members Carol Adams, Maryanne
Adams, Diane Emord, Shanti Shoemaker, and Liz
Williams. Their willingness to step forward as hosts for this meeting, and their hard work resulted in a
great weekend.
Carena Pooth announced that the Ralph T. Waterman
Bird Club will host the 2011 Annual meeting in
Dutchess County. Hosts for future meetings are
needed. The NSYOA Annual Meeting weekends,
hosted by member organizations, are invaluable as
a unifying force for NYSOA. Please consider having
your group host a meeting. Contact any officer or
board member for more information and assistance
in this endeavor.
Published
in New York Birders, October 2010
Photo Gallery - see more photos taken during
the NYSOA 2010 Annual Meeting |
