Annual Meeting Agenda -
Potluck supper 6:00, Annual Business Meeting 7:30, Program 8:00
There are two very important matters to be voted on by the membership of Highlands Plateau Audubon Society at the annual business meeting scheduled for 7:30 PM, June 13. In order to help us complete the meeting in a timely manner before the evening's program by Curtis Smalling, we are reminding you of these matters in advance, so that discussion can be kept to a minimum.
First, the Board is asking the members to approve a Revision of the Chapter Bylaws. The February newsletter included a detailed discussion of the changes. The full Proposed Revised Bylaws, as well as the current bylaws, are available on the web site. If you have not already done so, please review them prior to the meeting. If you have questions or comments, contact Avary Doubleday, Chair of the Bylaws Committee (avaryd@juno.com, 526-8414) or any Board member (telephone numbers are included in this newsletter) to discuss your concerns prior to the June 13 meeting.
Briefly, the principal proposed changes are as follows:
- The Board of Directors will be elected by the members at the annual meeting.
- There will be a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 16 elected Board Members.
- The Board will serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, so that 1/3 are elected each year. Directors may not serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
- This year, the full slate will be elected: 1/3 to three-year terms, 1/3 to two-year terms, 1/3 to one-year terms.
- Officers will be elected to two-year terms by the Board of Directors from among the elected Board of Directors and may not serve more than three consecutive terms.
- The Committee structure has been reworked and formalized.
- To be eligible to serve as Directors (hence as Officers), candidates must be members in good standing of both the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society and National Audubon Society.
Second, members will elect Directors as provided by the new Bylaws. The slate nominated by the Nominating Committee is as follows:
Nominations - Board of Directors*
Brock Hutchins, Highlands (1) Cathi Mead, Highlands (2)
George Kaye, Franklin (1) Mary Lou Waas, Cashiers (2)
Ann Campbell, Cashiers (3) Donald Shure, Scaly Mtn. (1)
Romney Bathurst, Highlands (2) Pat Strickland, Cashiers (3)
Avary Doubleday, Highlands (2) Michelle Styring, Cashiers (3)
Michael Kaiser, Highlands (2) Glenda Zahner, Highlands (3)
Edwin Poole, Highlands (1) Russ Regnery, Highlands (3)
*Staggered terms of office (years) are initially being used to achieve a smooth transition in future elections. All Board positions are renewable for a full 3-year term of office.
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Annual Meeting Program
The speaker at our annual meeting June 13 will be Curtis Smalling, Mountain Region Biologist for Audubon NC. Curtis began keeping bird lists in elementary school, and he's been going gangbusters ever since. He has used his birding skills to survey Golden-winged Warblers (a WatchList species) in the NC mountains for Audubon as part of Cornell University's Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project. Curtis has also done extensive research on these warblers on the wintering grounds in Nicaragua, and his program will feature pictures of these beautiful birds as well as other warblers of our North Carolina mountains. For the potluck dinner we will furnish drinks and eating utensils, so bring your favorite dish and join us for food and fellowship.
Colorful Birds of the World
Our July 11 program, which is being sponsored by the Mountain Garden Club, will be presented by Dr. David Redfield, professor emeritus of Florida State University's science education faculty. Since 1992, David has been committed to serious birding and "mammaling," traveling in all of the United States, plus 103 other countries! He set a goal for himself to see a representative of every mammalian family possible. And in 2006 he went to southeast Asia and captured the first photographs a Laotian rock rat, an animal thought to have been extinct for more than 11 million years! Dr. Redfield's visit with us will concentrate on birds, and we will be treated to his program entitled Colorful Birds of the World, through photos and movies of birds from over 36 countries, as well as some rarely seen mammals.
2011 Calendar of Events
Programs
Programs are held at the Highlands Civic Center. Join us at 7:00 p.m. for
conversation & refreshments, with the program beginning at 7:30 p.m.
June 13 - Potluck supper (6:00 p.m.), annual meeting (7:30 p.m.), and program (8:00 p.m.) by
Curtis Smalling, Audubon NC Mountain Region Biologist. An important agenda
item will be a vote to approve revised bylaws for the chapter. Please see our
web site for further information. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org
June 16 - Owl Prowl at The Highlands Nature Center - 8:00 p.m.
July 11 - Colorful Birds of the World by David Redfield, Tallahassee, FL
Sponsored by the Mountain Garden Club
July 15-16 - Mountain Wildlife Days - Sapphire Valley
August 8 - Program by Andy Wood, Educational Director for Audubon NC.
Subject will be announced later.
August 14 - Annual Picnic - 5:00 p.m. - Place to be announced later
September 12 - Program by Simon Thompson of Ventures Birding Tours, Asheville, NC.
Subject will be announced later.
October - Doris Mager, The Eagle Lady, time and place to be announced later
Field Trips
Meet in the Parking Lot next to the Highlands Town Hall at 7:30 a.m. (unless otherwise noted)
We will carpool to the various areas.
Beginners are always welcome on any of our field trips.
We will do our best to help you enjoy birding even more than you do now.
June 4 - Birding hotspots around Highlands
June 14 - Birding around Highlands with Audubon NC biologist Curtis Smalling
September 17 - Highlands Biological Station and Sunset Rock for fall migrants
September 20 - Highlands School for Chimney Swift roosting spectacle
Meet at the Town Hall parking lot at 7:15 p.m.
September 22 - Blue Ridge Parkway for fall migrants (rain date on the 24th) Meet at 7:00 a.m.
December 16 - Christmas Bird Count
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Audubon NC Annual Meeting
Those of you who didn't attend the Audubon NC annual meeting in Blowing Rock May 20-22 missed a great weekend. The weather was gorgeous, food fantastic, field trips super, and meeting fellow birderes from all over the state was lots of fun!! We don't know where the annual meeting will be next year, but wherever it is, you should try to be there!
Franklin Bird Club
Here are some more events that would be fun for us to participate in.
For further information you may contact Jean Hunnicutt at 828-524-5234.
June 6 - Franklin Bird Club Meeting; 7:00 p.m. - Macon County Public Library. Speaker will be Mark Hopey of Southern Appalachian Raptor Research who will discuss volunteer opportunities available with citizen science projects operated by the non-profit, organization: MAPS, Migration Stopover Ecology, and Owl migration monitoring. Presentation will include lots of bird pictures and even a bird quiz!
June 12 - Simon Thompson of Ventures, Inc. will lead a Bird Songs Workshop. Meet at 7:30 am at Beaver Lake Sanctuary parking lot on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Workshop will start at Beaver Lake in lower elevations and them climb slowly into the Blue Ridge. More info/register at 828-253-4247 or http://www.birdventures.com. $45, includes lunch.
June 15 - Ventures, Inc. will lead a day of birding at the higher elevations of Roan Mountain, TN. Meet at 9:00 am in front of Rose's Store at the Weaverville Plaza shopping center, just off 19/23 North at the Weaverville Exit #19. More info/register at 828-253-4247 or http://www.birdventures.com. $45, includes lunch.
July 11 - 6:00 - 8:00 pm "This Place Is for the Birds!" Visit to John and Cathy Sills' NWF-certified wildlife-friendly backyard. The Sills will give hints on how to attract a diversity of birds in all seasons. Bring binoculars. Meet at K-mart parking lot at Westgate Plaza in Franklin to carpool. Sponsored by Friends of the Rickman Store.
July 17 - 3:00 - 5:00 pm "Create a Wildlife Habitat Using Native Plants" at Rickman Store. Led by Karen Lindauer, team leader at Georgia Perimeter College Botanical Gardens. Sponsored by Friends of the Rickman Store.
August 8 - Franklin Bird Club meeting; 7:00 pm at the Macon County Public Library. Carolyn Krueger will give a program called "Hummingbirds / Butterflies: Comparison of Similarities and Differences."
June 15, 23, 30, July 10, 23, 31 - 2011 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) / bird banding at Tessentee Bottomland Preserve. Volunteers needed dawn until noon. Directions to Tessentee Bottomland Preserve at: http://www.ltlt.org/images/stories/docs/tessentee_farm_-_color.pdf For questions, contact Mark Hopey at bigbaldbanding@gmail.com.
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HPAS Board Meetings
June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4, December 15. Board meetings are open to all. If you would like to attend, contact any board member for the time and place.
Officers & Directors
President - Don Shure, 526-2641 Field Trips - Brock Hutchins, 787-1387
Vice-President - Brock Hutchins, 787-1387 Hospitality - Pat Davis, 526-0252
Secretary - Cathi Mead, 787-2227 Membership - Avary Doubleday, 526-8414
Treasurer - Mike Kaiser, 526-5071 Newsletter - Edwin Poole, 526-2775
Conservation - Russ Regnery, 404-558-1085 Publicity - Brock Hutchins, 787-1387
Education - Webmaster - Jean McCormick, 526-8297
Black-throated Blue Warbler courtesy of Steven D'Amato
Franklin Bird Club
Here are some more events that would be fun for us to participate in.
For further information you may contact Jean Hunnicutt at 828-524-5234.
April 13 - Bird Walk in Franklin led by Simon Thompson of Ventures Birding Tours
April 15, 8:30 a.m. - Bird walk on Tessenttee Bottomland Preserve, Otto. For more information or to RSVP
contact Jill Wiggins - 828-524-2711, ext. 209 or outreach@ltlt.org
April 16, 8:30 a.m. - Birding & kayaking expedition led by Jack Johnston on Lake Emory. For more
information contact Sharon Willard at 828-369-6402
April 29 - Jack Johnston will lead a bird walk in the Needmore area
May 7 - Bird walk in the Standing Indian area. Led by John & Cathy Sill.
May 27 - Birding and looking at flora & fauna at Queen Branch off Highway 28. For more information or to
RSVP contact Jill Wiggins - 828-524-2711, ext. 209 or outreach@ltlt.org828-524-2711
June 6 - Meeting at 7:00 p.m. - Macon County Public Library. Speaker will be Mark Hopey of the Southern
Appalachian Raptor Research.
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It's Time to Renew Your Local Membership
Annual membership in Highlands Plateau Audubon Society runs from May 1 through April 30. Several of you have already renewed for 2011/2012 - as indicated by "Loc Exp May 1, 2012" on your mailing label. If you have not renewed, please complete the form below and mail with you check to:
HPAS, P O Box 833, Highlands, NC 28741.
* Memberships at the levels of Friend and above include (unless you prefer not) our payment of your membership dues
for the National Audubon Society, which helps protect birds, other wildlife, and their habitats nationally and
internationally, therefore increasing the impact your membership has on the environment. National membership
includes six issues each year of Audubon magazine.
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