river with the jamestown current...executive director powell jones, recently solved my problem by...
TRANSCRIPT
Winter 2016 Points of Interest
Nature Mart
celebrating 10th!
On Nov. 29 ‘Giving
Tuesday’ and new
‘Explorers Club’
debut!
Christmas Bird Count Dec. 19!
Surprise gift
received!
River
Current
Newsletter for the Dungeness River Audubon Center—interpreting the natural history of the Olympic Peninsula in partnership with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, and National Audubon Society.
Inside this issue
Nature Mart 10th Exec. Director
Message 1
Center Board, Hours of Operation,
Nature Mart…
2
Sense of Board
President Message
Nature Mart...
3
Classes and Events 4
Classes and Events 5
Surprise Gift &
Memorial Giving Tuesday
President...cont.
6
Volunteering at the DRAC
Exec. Director Message...cont.
7
River Festival
Collage 8
Save-the-Date for
BirdFest 2017 Christmas Bird
Count
9
Memberships 10
Something that makes Railroad Bridge Park so wonderful is the uniqueness of how it exists and is taken care of. While most of the daily care of major parks and open spaces are supported by the public funds such as taxes, our park is not. That is not to say that our park has not received public funds through competitive grants for major projects like replacing the trestle.
Executive Director Message
—Powell Jones Our park’s daily operations are different though. Our park experience remains at a high level because people love it and take it upon themselves to improve it. For some people taking care of the park means making a donation or picking up trash. For others trimming brush, maintaining trails, or weeding a garden is their contribution. Some share their knowledge and love by volunteering in the Park and River Center to help people enrich their visit. For our Park Host,
Charlie Yozgott, it is providing a safe and enjoyable experience for park users.
Nature Mart
Celebrates
10th Year
Nov. 18-19—Julie Jackson
Nature Mart co-chairs (L-R) Tuttie Peetz and
Shirley Anderson hold some of the beautiful
items for sale and showcase Tom Butler’s
hand-made table made from old RR Bridge
decking. All proceeds will benefit River
Center education programs.
—Gretha Davis photo
(Continued on page 7)
If you’re searching for unique, high-quality hand-crafted gifts, come to the River Center’s 10th Holiday Nature Mart, Friday and Saturday, Nov.18 and 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Many of the Nature Mart items have been creatively crafted from natural, repurposed, or recycled materials. Selected items are already on sale in the Center’s new ‘Nature Mart Nook, where you can also see the rustic but beautifully finished table Tom Butler donated for the Nature Mart raffle. Tom used boards salvaged from the old Railroad Bridge decking to craft the 45-inch long table.
(Continued on page 2)
Charlie and Gracie.
—Gretha Davis photo
Board of
Directors
Officers to May 2017 Julie Jackson, President
Clare Hatler, Vice Pres.
Ann Sargent, Secretary,
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
Carl Siver, Treasurer
Other Board Members
Shirley Anderson,
Olympic Peninsula
Audubon Society
Nancy Bargar, Olympic
Peninsula Audubon Society
Sue Chickman
Dennis Dickson
Hansi Hals,
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
Annette Hanson
Les Jones
Annette Nesse,
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
Tuttie Peetz
Wanda Schneider
Greg Voyles
Ken Wiersema, Olympic
Peninsula Audubon Society
Affiliate
Powell Jones, Exec. Director
Center Hours November thru March:
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. TU-FRI
12 - 4 p.m. SAT
Closed Sundays & Mondays
April thru October:
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. TU-SAT
12 p.m. - 4 p.m. SUN
Closed Mondays
The Dungeness River
Audubon Center is a
charitable organization.
Membership fees and
donations are tax
deductible to the extent
of the law.
For tax purposes, our
501©3 Federal EIN is
91-1632949.
River Current Editor
Annette Hanson
360-670-6774
Page 2 River Current
2151 West Hendrickson Road P.O. Box 2450, Sequim, WA 98382
360-681-4076, 360-681-8060 Fax
Staff Powell Jones, Executive Director
Vanessa Fuller, Administrative Services & Development Coordinator
Jenna Ziogas, Education & Volunteer Coordinator
Roger Magee, Visitor Services Specialist
Park Host Charlie Yozgott and his dog “Gracie”
Our Mission
To inspire understanding, enjoyment,
and stewardship of the Olympic
Peninsula’s unique natural and cultural
resources, with emphasis on birds,
rivers, fish, and people.
Visit our website!
www.dungenessrivercenter.org
Dungeness River Audubon Center
This one-of-a-kind table with artistic inlays will look stunning in any home behind a sofa, or in an entry or hall. Raffle tickets are on sale at the River Center now and during Nature Mart. Only 100 tickets will be sold at $20 each. The winning ticket will be drawn at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, and you need not be present to win.
During Nature Mart, we will also be taking orders for custom signs that Tom has agreed to make, and we will be selling a limited number of boards from the Bridge – these are collector’s items!
Come join the festivities! Enjoy a cup of hot cider, browse, shop, and have fun as you: Make your own fresh wreath or purchase a wreath or fresh holiday
arrangement already made for you. Order a fresh flower holiday centerpiece to be picked up at a later date. Have your picture taken with one of the River Center’s special animals. Choose a handmade suet feeder or nest box for your feathered friends, or
homemade Buddy Biscuits for your dog. Sample our Sweet and Savory Bake Sale of freshly made pies, cookies, scones,
and breads.
Nature Mart Celebrates 10th Year
Nov. 18-19...continued from front page
Up for Raffle at Nature Mart— hand-crafted table from old bridge decking by
Tom Butler —Gretha Davis photo
(Continued on page 3)
—Sue Chickman photo
Page 3 Winter 2016
Our goal this year is to raise $10,000 for River Center Educational programs. Even if you can’t come to Nature Mart, you can contribute to its success by: Providing wreath-making materials of evergreen cuttings, two-feet or smaller in length (fir, cedar, salal, all colors of Oregon grape, etc., but no hemlock because it doesn’t keep). Put greens on the drop cloths on the River Center porch beginning Monday, Nov. 7. Making delectables—pies, cakes, cookies, breads, or candy for the bake sale, but please nothing that requires refrigeration.
Nature Mart celebrates 10th ...continued from page 2
Deliver your baked goods, labeled and wrapped in clear wrap or in clear bags, on Thursday, Nov. 17, between 1and 4 p.m. Please note ingredients, such as nuts, that may cause allergies. Taking a Nature Mart shift. Two- and three-hour shifts are available in the Center as well as outdoors, where the wreath-making, photo booth, and bake sale take place.
If you would like to help at Nature Mart, bake for the ‘Sweet & Savory’ sale, or donate greenery for wreath-making, please contact Julie Jackson at juliejackson@ wavecable.com or (360) 683-1355.
From the President…
“Inspiring Connections to
Nature”
—Julie Jackson
The River Center offers such a broad spectrum of
classes, activities, and events that I’ve long had trouble
characterizing the Center and Park succinctly.
Executive Director Powell Jones, recently solved my
problem by saying “Inspiring connections to nature.”
For me, that simple phrase says it all: it captures the
connections to nature that Railroad Bridge Park
inspires, as well as the connections to nature that the
Center and its varied programs inspire.
I hope that you share my pride in all that the River
Center accomplishes, on behalf of its members,
donors, and the broader community it serves. Facility
improvements the past three years included installing
concrete picnic pads; removing an unsightly concrete
abutment that was a magnet for graffiti; constructing a
much-needed storage shed; repairing the flood-
damaged Center; replacing the blown-out trestle; re-
decking the historic railroad bridge; and in October,
“Our goal this year is to raise $10,000
for River Center Educational
Programs!”
—The Nature Mart Committee
Why we do what we do from our love of Nature—
River Center Board member Sue Chickman feels that
the poem Hansi Hals shared recently at the opening
of our Annual Board Planning Retreat expresses a
“sense of what the Board thinks and does.” Here is
that poem:
"THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS"
by Wendell Berry
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
What do you think?
(Continued on page 6)
A sense of what your
Board thinks & does
Backyard Birding Classes 2016-2017, All 10 a.m.—Noon The series of classes, hosted by members of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, is intended for residents of this area who are interested in knowing more about birds seen locally each season of the year and learning how to develop good habitats for wild birds. “Backyard Birding” can be taken either as individual classes or in a series. The cost of each session is $5 and is free for anyone under 18. After the completion of five sessions, participants will be offered free membership in OPAS for one year.
#2 Being a Birder Nov. 12, Saturday Time: 10 a.m. until noon Where: Dungeness River Audubon Center Second in the series of classes, Denny Van Horn is the featured speaker. So you're a birdwatcher! That's wonderful, but how about becoming a ‘birder’ instead. Birdwatchers watch birds, but a Birder knows birds! This class will introduce you to the overall basics of birding. We'll start with who birds are: e.g., what makes an American robin. You'll learn how to look at a bird, how to see a bird, how to describe a bird, and how to take notes on a bird—and then use these tools. We'll take a look at optics from the cheap to the mega-expensive and what you need to know to make these instruments work for you. We'll explore how to take field notes and draw stick-birds for ID purposes. You'll be exposed to 'basic' trials and tribulations you'll encounter as you begin your pathway to becoming a Birder,
RR Bridge
Park
Work Parties Call the Center Office for dates and times, 681-4076.
Weekly
Wednesday Morning Bird Walks Every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., free. Meet at the River Center and join us for a 2-hour bird walk to see and hear birds of Railroad Bridge Park. Adventure Club Every Thursday, 10 a.m.-Noon, Cost $5 suggested donation The Adventure Club is for children under 6 and their caregivers. Stop by the Park and find new ways to get your child involved in nature. Don't forget an extra set of clothing and a snack.
Nov. 12—“Being a Birder” class
Nov. 16—OPAS “Swans of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley”
Nov. 18 & 19—Nature Mart
Nov. 29—Giving Tuesday Nov. 29—Explorers Club Dec. 10—“Winter
Care & Feeding in the Garden” class
Jan. 14—“Inside Story” class
March 9—“Birding by Ear” class
Calendar of Events...www.dungenessrivercenter.org
For
Olympic Peninsula
Audubon Society
Events and Field
Trips,
go to
www.olympicpeni
nsulaaudubon.org/
events/field-trips/.
Page 4 River Current
Marymere Falls in May
2014. See ‘Explorers
Club’ on page 5.
—Patrick Motschenbacher photo
(Continued on page 5)
Snap-
Shot of
Events &
Classes
Looking for
nature-related
books, toys, and
t-shirts?
Visit the
River Center Gift
Shop
Proceeds support
our educational programs!
SEPTEMBER 2015
Page 5
and how to both overcome and use them to your advantage. Denny will provide information about getting started on a 'Birding Year.' A variety choices of both binoculars and field guides will be available, and use of websites describing species in the area and ways to keep records are included.
Swans of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley—OPAS Meeting Nov. 16, Wednesday
Time: 7:00 p.m. Where: Dungeness River Audubon Center The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society meeting for November will be a presentation on the magnificent Trumpeter Swan. Nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Trumpeter Swans now number several thousand in Washington during winter. In this presentation, Bob Boekelheide will try to answer some basic questions, like how do swan numbers change through each season, and where do the swans go while they’re here. OPAS swan volunteer Kendra Donelson will share how they collect data during their regular surveys.
Winter 2016
needs of the Anna's Hummingbird which has started staying here throughout the year. She will address specific questions from participants.
#4 Inside Story Jan. 14, Saturday Time: 10 a.m. until noon Where: Dungeness River Audubon Center Fourth in the series of classes, Ken Wiersema and Shirley Anderson are the featured speakers. Shirley and Ken will illustrate and lead a discussion about the unique anatomy, physiology, and behaviors of birds. Topics include bird eye structure, how they vocalize, plus feathers and bones. Call 681-4076 to register!
Birding By Ear
March 9—1st class Thursday Dates: Eight Thursday mornings -- subsequent classes on March 23; April 6 & 20; May 4 & 18; June 1 & 15. Leader: Dave Jackson Times: All sessions 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Where: Dungeness River Audubon Center (first session). Limit: 16 people. Costs: $60 for River Center partners; $80 for non-partners. This eight-session class is designed for intermediate birders. Master the principles of birding by ear, mostly birding outdoors at Railroad Bridge Park and trips elsewhere. In early sessions, become familiar with the sounds of local residents and winter visitors before the arrival of spring migrants. In later sessions, we focus on the songs of spring migrants. Extensive use of mobile bird apps (smartphone or tablet) and recordings. Pre-registration: Please register with the River Center at 360-681-4076 or E-mail rceducation@ olympus.net. For further information: E-mail Dave Jackson ([email protected]) or call 360-683-1355.
Explorers Club - 1st Trip! Nov. 29, Tuesday
Time & Where: 9 a.m. @ DRAC (or 10:15 a.m. @ Storm King Ranger Station), until 2 p.m. Cost: $15 per person (pre-registration requested) * Transportation provided for first 6 people If you are looking to get out and explore, learn, and enjoy more of the amazing Olympic Peninsula while connecting with like minded people, then the Explorers Club is for you! The Explorers Club will be visiting different places every month. The first trip will be out to Lake Crescent, one of the most awe-inspiring, pristine, and memorable areas of Olympic National Park. This adventure will include a stroll around Moments in Time trail to discuss the rich history of the area as well as a short hike to the breathtaking Marymere Falls. Enjoy the peace and calm of the lake while learning more about this natural wonder. Please Contact Jenna Ziogas for more information at [email protected] or 360-681-4978.
Pre-Christmas Bird Count Warm-up Field Trip Dec. 10, Saturday Time: 9 a.m. Starting at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, view land birds at RR Bridge Park, then travel to Dungeness Bay to observe water birds. Please join us! (Please see CBC article on page 9)
#3 Winter Care & Feeding in the Garden Dec. 10, Saturday Time: 10 a.m. until noon
Where: Dungeness River Audubon Center Third in the series of classes, Christie Lassen is the featured speaker. Her presentation will cover general bird feeding, including types of feeders and different feeds for attracting specific birds with an emphasis on our over-wintering species. She will include specific ideas for providing continuing winter water supplies and meeting the
#2 Being a Birder continued #3 Winter Care & Feeding
in the Garden continued
Page 6 River Current
“Is the
Dungeness River
Audubon Center
in your will?
We’d like you to
know more
about the
Center’s Legacy
Circle!”
Please call
360-681-4076.
—Sue Chickman
Surprise Gift &
Memorial
Recognition
—Sue Chickman
Imagine yourself sitting at the desk at the Dungeness River Audubon Center and opening the mail to find a ‘surprise’ gift check for $5,000. That is just what happened one day this past August. Ruth Delores Durfey’s membership dated back to 1995 – more than 20 years ago. The Port Angeles resident sadly passed away in April, 2016, but at some earlier time, she made a provision in her will to bequeath a $5,000 gift to the Center. Those types of planned gifts are placed into the Legacy Fund, which helps support both current operations and the long-term sustainability of the Center.
In addition, many River Center volunteers and friends were recently surprised and saddened to learn that Nell Backus swiftly and peacefully passed away on Sept. 13, 2016, at age 91. Her obituary stated: ‘Memorial interests can be expressed to the Dungeness River Audubon Center, Sequim, WA. www.dungenessrivercenter.org.’ With kind appreciation to Nell’s family for recognizing our organization, your memorial gifts sent to the Center to honor Ms. Backus will also be directed to the Legacy Fund.
The Center is blessed with so many wonderful people who believe in its mission and care enough to support its long-term sustainability. It is greatly appreciated.
GIVING TUESDAY is a powerful national day of giving, raising funds, and generating awareness after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The Dungeness River Audubon Center will be participating in GIVING TUESDAY on Nov. 29. Our goal is to raise $40,000 for the fall fundraiser, within which the Giving Tuesday will be associated. Then we can ramp up our school field trips, in-school visits, and presentations for many more learners of all ages next year.
Please click on the logo to the right to make your on-line donation, or follow the link from the DRAC website. Please include the words “Giving Tuesday” in the Notes box.
Giving Tuesday—November 29—SAVE THE DATE
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=75750
Inspiring
Connections to
Nature
...continued from page 3
2016, replacing pavers near the bridge and picnic shelter– all while seamlessly implementing its programs.
You can look forward to more improvements in programs and facilities in the coming months. Note that the updated membership form on the last page includes a lifetime member category ($500) and a line for donations to the Building Fund. Although a tremendous amount of work lies ahead, the Center will be enlarged, and we can look forward to eventually having ample room for exhibits, activities, classes, meetings, and events – such as Nature Mart (see cover, and pages 2-4-5).
You also deserve some of the credit for the River Center’s accomplishments to date. Your commitment and support, along with our other members, donors, volunteers, and partners—the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe—make it possible for the River Center to continue “Inspiring Connections to Nature.”
—Julie Jackson, President
SEPTEMBER 2015
Page 7 Winter 2016
Volunteering at the River Center
—Jenna Ziogas, Education & Volunteer Coordinator
Thousands of people each year visit the River Center and Railroad Bridge Park to explore nature, walk, bike, picnic in the park, and enjoy the scenic beauty. Keeping the Center and Park open and operating requires the help and time of many individuals. We are lucky here to have so many dedicated volunteers that spend their own time to sustain this wonderful community resource. Dungeness River Audubon Center is looking for new volunteers to help us continue to support our mission. Just this month, we welcomed two new volunteers to our team. Emily Stone, a young volunteer who moved to the area from the Midwest three years ago, is looking for a way to get more involved in what the area has to offer. Linda Falcone, an east coast native that moved to the area about a year ago, is excited to learn more of the west coast birds and interact with our curious visitors. We are very happy to have them join the team! The Center is always in need of greeters to welcome visitors, answer questions, and share knowledge. There are also other opportunities and projects to get involved in if you are looking for a short term commitment. Listed below are a few projects that we would greatly appreciate some extra hands on!
Adopt a piece of our Native Garden—green thumbs and creativity
welcomed. Adopt a kiosk—painting, and keeping information up-to-date.
Pre-Winter clean-up crew—help get the Park ready for winter. Exhibit cleaning—looking for delicate and detail oriented people to
help clean the birds. Presenter—if you have something to teach or want to share with
others, volunteer to teach a class or lead a presentation.
Operating the Dungeness River Audubon Center would not be possible
without the help of volunteers! If you are interested in becoming a greeter or helping with any of the projects above, please contact Jenna Ziogas, Education and Volunteer Coordinator, [email protected].
A recent improvement made possible by a regular park visitor, Judith Newman , is a great example of people identifying a need and taking initiative. Judith and her dog Sasha believed that a real improvement could be made if people picked up their dog waste more often. Judith recognized that we had signs but no stations with bags, so she donated the money to buy three stations.
Thanks to people like Judith, our park experience keeps improving! Thanks to all the supporters who make this a very special place and please come down and visit our community treasure!
—Powell Jones, Executive Director
Exec. Director’s Message…continued from front page
“Operating the
Dungeness River
Audubon Center
would not be
possible without
the help of
volunteers!”
—Jenna Ziogas,
Education and
Volunteer
Coordinator
Page 8 River Current
A Collage of Dungeness River Festival “Moments”
Photos by Sue Chickman
More than 2,500 adventurous students and adults attended the Dungeness River Festival on Sept. 23-24.
SEPTEMBER 2015
Page 9 Winter 2016
Olympic BirdFest, April 7-9, 2017—Enjoy guided birding trips, boat tours, live auction & raffle, gala banquet, and more. Our featured speaker is noted nature photographer Bonnie Block. Join our festival pre-trip: a three-day, two-night birding/sightseeing cruise of the San Juan Islands, April 4-6, 2017. Register separately at www.pugetsoundexpress.com/audubon. Extend your festival with our Neah Bay post-trip on April 9-11, 2017: two days exploring northwest coastal Washington. BirdFest registration at www.olympicbirdfest.org. BirdFest is jointly sponsored by the partners of the Dungeness River Audubon Center with support from the Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau and the City of Sequim.—to benefit the Center.
—Save the Date—
for BirdFest 2017
Christmas Bird Counts!
—Bob Boekelheide The annual Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird
Count (SDCBC) will occur this year on Monday,
Dec.19. If you are interested in participating,
please call Bob Boekelheide at 360-808-0196 or
email [email protected] to sign up.
Other local counts include the Port Townsend CBC on Saturday, Dec. 17; the Neah Bay CBC on Sunday, Dec.
18; and the Port Angeles CBC on Saturday, Dec. 31. The compiler of the Port Townsend CBC is Dan Waggoner
(contact [email protected]), the compiler of the Neah Bay CBC is Charlie Wright ([email protected]),
and the compiler of the Port Angeles CBC is Barb Blackie ([email protected]).
Christmas bird counts occur over a 15-mile diameter count circle. For example, the center of the SDCBC circle
is near the intersection of Brown and Port Williams Roads, so it includes Dungeness Spit, Dungeness and Sequim
Bays, Protection Island, Diamond Point, and some of the Olympic foothills south of Sequim. The PACBC center is
in the Olympic foothills south of Port Angeles, so it includes Port Angeles Harbor, several miles of the Elwha River
on the west, Morse Creek on the east, and all the way up to Hurricane Ridge.
This is an auspicious year for the SDCBC, because last year we set an all-time record for Washington State with
154 species seen. It was only the third time that 150 or more species have been recorded on a Washington CBC,
and the only others were our very own SDCBC in 2007 and 2011. Hopefully the weather and birds will cooperate
for another excellent count.
CBCs need lots of participants to cover as much ground as possible. Even if you can only count your feeder or
stroll around your neighborhood for an hour or two (assuming you live in a count circle), you can help out. We
also have field parties assigned to specific areas of the count circle. If you are an experienced counter, you may be
able to help with areas not covered by others. To prepare, please spend time this fall studying the birds of our
area, and go on OPAS field trips and Wednesday morning bird walks at RR Bridge Park.
We will have our annual pre-CBC warm-up field trip on Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at the Dungeness River
Audubon Center at 9 a.m. We view land birds at RR Bridge Park, then travel to Dungeness Bay to observe water
birds. Please join us!
River Current P.O. Box 2450
Sequim, WA 98382
MEMBERSHIP FORM: Dungeness River Audubon Center and Railroad Bridge Park
Name____________________________________________________________________Date_____________________
Mailing Address______________________________________________ City ___________________________________ State______ Zip___________ Phone_____________________________ Cell ___________________________________ Email address ________________________________________ Signature _______________________________
Please circle your membership donation category below. Is this is a new membership ____or a renewal____?
$35 Annual Membership $500 Life-time Membership
Here’s my additional gift to support the Center and Park $ _______, Legacy Fund $_______ and/or Building Fund $________.
The River Current quarterly newsletter is delivered via E-mail (as a pdf). To receive a paper copy by U.S. Mail, please check this box and | add $10 to cover printing and postage.
My check for $____________ made out to Dungeness River Audubon Center (or DRAC) is enclosed.
I prefer to charge my membership/donation to: MasterCard VISA Amount $___________________
Acct. Number ___________________________________Expiration Date _________ 3 Digit Security Code __________
I would like information about volunteer opportunities for the Center and Railroad Bridge Park.
Please send completed form and payment to: Dungeness River Audubon Center, P.O. Box 2450, Sequim, WA 98382
THANK YOU!! Your contributions to the Dungeness River Audubon Center are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.
Rev. 10-01-2016
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID Olympic Mailing
Services —Sue Chickman photo
The Dec. 10 “Winter Care & Feeding in the Garden” class taught by Christie Lassen will feature general information on attracting specific birds that over-winter in our area. —Clip art photo