General Meeting

Tiny and Intriguing  

Dr. Thomas Powers, Prof. of Plant Pathology, will speak at our general meeting Thursday, October 9, 7:30 p.m. at Hanscom Park Church, 4444 Frances (1 block south of 45th & Center).

Dr. Powers thinks small, microscopically small. For the last 32 years, he has devoted his working hours to the examination of minute worms called nematodes. He has a degree from Purdue University and a degree from the University of Florida where he studied deep-sea nematodes off the coast of the Dry Tortugas.

He earned a Ph.D. at the University of California-Riverside where he focused on a group of plant parasitic nematodes feeding on the roots of the tallest trees in North America.

Powers joined the faculty at UNL in 1985 where he explores new applications for molecular diagnostics and examines communities of soil nematodes to assess environmental disturbance. A current project uses nematodes to evaluate the biology of soil in restored and native prairies.

As a Fulbright Scholar in Ireland, Powers worked on biological control of insect pests with nematodes that inject a lethal bacterium into the insect gut. He and his wife spent 2007 in Costa Rica studying nematode biodiversity in the lowland rainforests. He teaches courses in Invasive Species, Environmental Issues, Plant Pathology, and Nematology; plus a seminar, "Biological Invaders." He explains, "As we travel more, so do our associated pests and pathogens. West Nile Virus, Emerald Ash Borer, Zebra Mussels, Phragmites, Snakehead Fish—it seems that every month we hear about a new threat to our environment and our health. Where are they coming from? How quickly will they spread? Can we control their expansion?

"These are some of the questions faced by a wide variety of life-science professionals including conservation biologists, health and quarantine officials, park rangers, agricultural consultants and weed scientists. We will examine some of the historical and current invaders threatening Nebraska and other high profile ecosystems around the world."

Field Trip

Oct. 18 Field Trip to Spring Creek Prairie

On Sat, Oct. 18, Elliott Bedows will lead a trip to Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center south of Denton, NE. Wachiska Audubon is invited to join us. After lunch we may stay and bird a few spots close to Lincoln.

To carpool, meet at the south end of Southroads Mall at 6:30; we will meet at the Prairie at 8:00 a.m. Bring a lunch if you wish to remain for the afternoon.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and students. Watch the weather and dress accordingly. Last year we had 80-degree weather and over 40 participants; the year before we had sleet and no participants.

Depending on interest, a second field trip may be held Sunday, October 12, for the annual Big Sit! at DeSoto NWR to collect data on birds. To join, contact Elliott at 292-5017. Leave a message if you wish, and he will get back to you about the details.

Schramm Park Field Trip

By Loren and Babs Padelford

Despite dense fog, nine intrepid birders showed up for the ASO field trip at Schramm Park Saturday, September 7. Birding was minimal in the morning, but picked up after lunch when we visited the hiking bridge over the Platte River.

In Schramm Park we found a Yellow-billed Cuckoo; Yellow-throated, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos; a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; 3 Black-and-White Warblers; an American Redstart and a Scarlet Tanager.

Except for Monarchs and a very cool, wet Great-Spangled Fritillary, flying insects were no-shows.

However, other noteworthy creatures we found included a Pelecinid Wasp, orb weaver spiders, several funnel spiders with egg sacs, Woodhouse Toads and a Northern Cricket Frog.

The most interesting plant sighting of the day was a single Indian Pipe.

After lunch the highlights were 40 American White Pelicans, an Osprey, 3 Bald Eagles, a Cooper's Hawk, a Peregrine Falcon, a Semipalmated Plover, 2 Piping Plovers, a Yellowlegs species, a Spotted Sandpiper, 5 Sanderlings, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 25 Least Sandpipers, 2 Baird's Sandpipers, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 12 Franklin's Gulls and 5 Black Terns.

Bird Seed Orders Due Soon

Bird Seed Sale
October 25 & 26

By Kathleen Crawford-Rose

The deadline for bird seed orders is October 10; sale dates are October 25 and 26.

Order forms have been mailed to all members and former customers. If you would like extra order forms to share with friends and neighbors, please call Carole and Dick Rasmussen at 731-3939 or Kathleen Crawford-Rose at 292-8912.

Our supplier has warned us that prices are up and will skyrocket in late fall or early winter, not because growing conditions have been poor in the Midwest but because the grain markets have been disrupted by the high demand for corn by the ethanol producers.

Be sure to order extra seed at current prices as they will rise. Stanley, our seed buyer, highly recommends it.

More hands are needed for loading the bags of seed for customers on October 25 and 26. To volunteer, call Jerry Toll at 453-9239.

Bird Seed Sale Descriptions and Order Blank

Recycle Your Old Cell Phones

If you are like most of us, you hate to throw your old cell phones in the trash. The concern is the sheer numbers of them taking up space and adding hazardous waste.

On the other hand, you may be reluctant to drive them around town to a recycling business that may not dispose of them properly. Some recyclers, maybe taking them for free, use disposal methods that are harmful to the environment, so it is a good idea to refrain from using these businesses.

Now ASO is prepared to collect old cell phones and drop them off at a local recycler that complies with EPA regulations.

We have two pickup sites: one is at our office in the Center Mall, first floor, near the west entrance. Covered parking is available on the 1st level, accessible from 42nd Street or Center Street. The phones may simply be pushed through the mail slot if we are not present.

The second site is at our general meetings on the second Thursday of each month September through April, at the Hanscom Park Methodist Church, 4444 Frances Street, 1 block south of 45th & Center. You are invited to stay and enjoy our fine programs. See first page, each issue of The Meadowlark, for complete information about the programs.

Of course, if you wish, you may drop off the phones as well as other items at the recyclers: Electronic Disposal Technologies, 4815 South 115th Street. There is a small fee per pound, which ASO will pay if you leave the phones with us.

Electronic Disposal Technologies recycles the following items as well, which ASO does not handle: bar coders, circuit boards, copiers, CD/DVD drives, desktops, DVD players, Fax machines, hand held devices, keyboards, laptops, modems, monitors, printers, scanners, and televisions. Call them at 402-733-7297.

To call ASO re drop-off, call Laurine at 451-3647.

Fun at Prairie Festival

By Laurine Blankenau

The 40 or more persons who experienced our Prairie as it appears on a hot day in late August responded with almost-equal warmth to the great guided hikes, the refreshing cool drinks and cookies, and the company of Audubon volunteers and fellow visitors.

The occasion was Audubon Society of Omaha's first Prairie Festival held Sunday, August 31.

The 90-degree temps didn't deter three of our members from conducting hikes nor the numbers of visitors, including some children, who joined them. Those attending were free to explore the prairie on their own, but most joined guided tours.

Glenn Pollock introduced hikers to the unique value and characteristics of prairies. Two birding hikes, pleasingly productive for this time of year, were led by Clem Klaphake. Eric Scholar, leading a prairie flower walk, enabled visitors to learn about and enjoy the beauty of the flowers.

We are especially indebted to these Audubon members who succeeded in making our first Prairie Festival a success.

¨ Eric Scholar for making the Festival his brainchild and for leading a prairie flower hike and sharing his wildflower expertise;

¨ Glenn Pollock, who maintains the prairie, for lending his support of the Festival and sharing his encompassing knowledge of prairies;

¨ Clem Klaphake for leading bird hikes and sharing his knowledge about these and other creatures on the prairie.

Assisting with preparations, greeting the visitors and dispensing the treats were Jackie Scholar, Nelli and Randy Falzgraf, and Laurine Blankenau. Konney Larwood directed traffic at the roadside throughout the event.

Assault on the Endangered Species Act

When you see a Bald Eagle or a Whooping Crane winging its way overhead or observe a grizzly bear or a gray wolf in the wild, you have the Endangered Species Act to thank that these creatures are still around. But now the Endangered Species Act (ESA) itself is endangered.

One of this nation's strongest safeguards against the extinction of animal and plant species, the ESA has worked well for over 30 years. It has successfully protected the Bald Eagle, the gray whale, the grizzly, as well as Peregrine Falcons and Whooping Cranes. But for more than a decade, Congressional Republicans have been trying unsuccessfully to rewrite the Endangered Species Act. Since that effort failed, the Bush administration is now attempting to use administrative powers to make broad changes to the ESA.

The proposed new rules, subject to an unusually short, 30-day comment period, would give federal agencies the power to decide whether protected species would be harmed by agency projects.

For the past 30 years, agencies had to submit any plans that potentially could affect endangered birds and animals to an independent review by scientists from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Under the new proposal, road building, dam construction, and other federal projects could proceed immediately if the agency in charge decides that they would not harm imperiled species. Environmental groups view with dismay this proposed elimination of an independent scientific review.

Most federal agencies do not have biologists on staff, says Bob Irvin of Defenders of Wildlife, so for them to be making decisions regarding how their projects will affect birds and animals, is "clearly a case of the fox guarding the chicken coop." The National Audubon Society has asked for an extension of the comment period and has requested that its activists oppose the rules changes.

When the Bush Administration was forced in May to list the polar bear as endangered, Secretary of the Interior Dick Kempthorne said he would seek changes in the ESA. According to a Washington Post article, the Interior Department stated that even if a federal action such as allowing a power plant would lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions, the decision would not trigger a federal review "because it is not possible to link the emissions to impacts on specific species such as the polar bear."

In fact, the new rules would prohibit agencies from assessing emissions from projects that contribute to global warming and the effect on species and habitats.

Clearly, the proposals by the Bush administration are a back-door attempt to gut the Endangered Species Act. The comment period for the rule changes ended September 15, and the administration would have enough time to impose the rules before the November election. A new administration could freeze or reverse the rules, but that process could take months. It would take even longer for Congress to overturn the rules with legislation.

Representative Nick Rahall, Chair of the House Resources Committee, said it best in referring to the new proposals for the Endangered Species Act. "I am deeply troubled by the proposed rule, which gives federal agencies an unacceptable degree of discretion to decide whether or not to comply with the Endangered Species Act. This is not the type of legacy this Interior Department should be leaving for future generations."

Certify Your Yard Through National Wildlife Federation

Create your own Certified Wildlife Habitat™ through National Wildlife Federation. All you need is to provide the essential elements wildlife need to survive: food, water, cover and places to raise young.

Get started now to receive these great benefits.

Contact info@nwf.org, 800-822-9919, National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Dr, Reston VA 20190.

Check-off for Wildlife in Nebraska 

Please consider donating part or all of your state tax refund to Nebraska Game & Parks Non-game and Endangered Species Fund.

An important source of state funding for conserving nongame species, the check-off is spent for diverse species of animals and plants. Look for the Peregrine Falcon symbol neasr the botton of your state tax form. Or donate anytime at www.outdoornebraska.org/ or mail to Nebraska Game & Parks, Box 30370, Lincoln NE 68505-0370.

Wanted: Photos of ASO Events

Kathleen Crawford-Rose, ASO Historian, would like photos of our activities for the history scrapbook.

Recently she has not received any photos/records of our field trips, Spring Banquets, Garden Walks, or other events. These would make fine additions to our records, so please consider bringing your camera with you to help Kathleen with her work as historian.