From our President-The Many Opportunities of LCAS

The arrival of September means back to school for some, planning for fall activities, and refocusing energies after the summer fun. I invite you to start here. Read through this newsletter, look on our website (laneaudubon.org), and check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/pages/Lane-County-AudubonSociety/330177413824?ref=hl) to see what we are all about. We offer so many opportunities to get involved, and hopefully enjoy yourself at the same time!

Looking through the pages of The Quail, you will notice that Lane Audubon members are involved in a variety of activities with varying levels of responsibility and expertise. Audubon, as a group, includes many types of people. Our functions bring beginning and expert birders together. Through participation in community events we find ways to share our interest in birds and nature. And we also present educational programs and talks at schools and for other community groups. 

The opportunity to network and share the outdoors is a big appeal for many members. I always enjoy meeting new and old friends at Audubon events. Some are not expert birders, but love birding. We also have members that are among the best birders in the state. Many are happy to offer birding tips and advice, share stories, give encouragement and listen attentively to bird sightings. That’s one of the most fun parts for me—getting together with others who are involved and excited, not just about bird watching, but about nature and life in general!

Some of our activities include:

• Program meetings eight times a year 
• Audubon Adventures educational kits for school classrooms
• Audubon in the Schools: our own drawing instruction modules using bird specimens to teach children both art technique and natural history
• Monthly bird walks offer opportunities to share the fun of outdoor birding with others 
• Swift events at Agate Hall chimney twice a year during spring and fall migration
• Christmas Bird Count annually at year’s end
• Booth events where we interact with the community, answer questions, and provide bird and natural history handouts
• On-going conservation activism focused on preserving habitat diversity, efforts that can make a difference in the long-term survival of the birds we enjoy watching
• Our Lane Audubon phone (541-485-BIRD), answered by volunteers who can give birding advice and help people with bird ID and other questions
• Our monthly newsletter, The Quail, provides the Field Notes report of interesting bird sightings in Lane County, announcements of Lane Audubon activities, and a community calendar announcing other groups’ activities

If you are interested in getting involved with one or more of these activities, do get in touch with us! As an all-volunteer group with no paid staff, we always welcome newcomers. The more people who join our efforts, the more powerful we become as advocates for birds. Assuring future habitats for wild birds benefits us humans as well!