Matthew’s Musings, January/February, 2011

By Matthew Schautt, MRVAC President

Welcome to 2012. Glad we all made it! I trust you enjoyed sundry holidays, a Christmas Bird Count or two, and have seen one or several of the many Snowy Owls that have infiltrated the States. The joy of seeing Snowys in our neck of the woods is tempered by the knowledge that they are here because they are hungry, on the brink of starvation. The younger ones, especially, don‘t change their diet when they enter warmer climes. They learned to hunt lemmings, a largish rodent, and don‘t know to take advantage of more petite, local fare. I wish they would, I wish they could. Let‘s honor those who make it through the winter, and those who don‘t.

While there is no guarantee that humankind can actually desist from destroying every square inch of natural space on the planet – this ecological nightmare has played out to the very bitter end writ small on Easter Island, and is being writ large on a global scale today—there have always been wise voices urging moderation. Think Aristotle and the foundations of Western Philosophy! An argument can be made, and the Audubon Society should make it, that a great deal of habitat should be preserved simply because it should be preserved. We don’t have to use up everything just because we can! In fact, if we do then whatever we may imagine, we human beings will not survive too many more generations of eviscerating the natural world and natural processes – certainly not with our material well-being intact. We have to decide that enough is enough and choose to live within limits. In 2012, I hope we do a better job of this.

I‘ll close with the end of another Robert Frost poem which expresses what I am saying in stronger language. The poem begins by talking about gold, and the conquistador‘s unquenchable desire for more gold (sound familiar, oh Wall Street?). The ending rings bitter and true:

The Vindictives  by Robert Frost

The best way to hate is the worst.
‘Tis to find what the hated need,
Never mind of what actual worth,
And wipe that out of the earth.
Let them die of unsatisfied greed,
Of unsatisfied love of display,
Of unsatisfied love of the high,
Unvulgar, unsoiled, and ideal.
Let their trappings be taken away.
Let them suffer starvation and die
Of being brought down to the real.

Eagle Scout Paul Randall Completes Chimney Swift Tower

I want to thank MRVAC for your generous donation of $250 for chimney swift tower materials; my Eagle Scout project. Without it, I would not have had enough funding in time. Read more.

Highlights from the 2011 Audubon MN Annual Meeting 

The Audubon Minnesota annual meeting held at the Wilder Center in St. Paul on Nov. 12, 2011 was exciting. Two points especially stand out in my mind: 1. The strategic reorganization of all of the National Audubon‘s efforts based upon migration pathways; and, 2. How flyway health will be encouraged within Minnesota. Read more.

Successful Holiday Auction Raises Money for Educational Projects

Our annual auction, held November 17, 2011 at the Refuge Headquarters, brought in almost $2000. The MRVAC Board extends many thanks to all those who attended and bid so generously! Read more about the auction.

Audubon Adventures Provided to 17 Classrooms

MRVAC is continuing to provide Audubon Adventures materials to elementary school students in our area. In 2011, 17 classrooms in thirteen schools received the newspapers on the topics “Feathers, Fur, Fins and You”. Shannon Park Elementary School in Rosemount is enrolling for the first time. Their fifth grade class released monarch butterflies last fall. New Prague’s Falcon Ridge School students attend an outdoor classroom and will use Audubon kits to help with their projects. Funds raised at the November Auction and the spring Birdathon are used to pay for these kits. If you like to learn more about the newsletters and other classroom materials, check out http://education.audubon.org/audubonadventures.

Fire Codes Affect Seating in Refuge Visitor Center Auditorium

At upcoming MRVAC meetings (the 4th Thursday of the month, during the school year) you may be asked to fill up empty seats or move in towards the center to allow others to sit down in the auditorium. We cannot bring in extra chairs and sit in the back when the room starts to get crowded, due to fire regulations.

Please help us comply with the rules and allow us to continue meeting at the Visitor Center by switching seats if necessary and by not carrying chairs into the auditorium. Thanks.