Recording of March 24 Program - Bird Song: Ten Lessons in Listening
The recording of the March MRVAC program from well-known author and ornithologist Donald Kroodsma is now available at the link below. Kroodsma one of the world’s leading experts on the science of birdsong and a retired University of Massachusetts biology professor, has researched and written on innate and learned songs, and the functions, evolution, and ecology of bird song.
Feb. 24 MRVAC Program recording: Spiders in Minnesota
Chad Heins, associate professor of biology at Bethany Lutheran College, used humor and great presentations skills to spin a tale about how a simple question about Minnesota’s spiders entangled him in spider research and how that work has ballooned into a bigger project that utilizes the web – the World Wide Web, that is. Here's the link in case you missed it.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/EZ25nhnqA00mmUAiAIbrZXCCPQahynPUYfD0jFF-JHoDOIS92lslTX0ZLYuFfGdU.tnuwh6ApRHpRipS6 (Passcode: VAS.5Q7V)
Recording of Jan. 27 program: Karla Bloem - Studying Owls with Sound
Here is the link to the recording of MRVAC's Jan. 27 program with international owl expert, Karla Bloem from the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/MIWkC4l6nygTtBSy6Fm30U5M4rC0FQD6uJ5peNcDRDIqbmWozx5UhHCv4lAhpCT6.Ku8yEsRrGhnhtMXV (Passcode: .1Zj+^8F)
Burnsville bluebirds could use some help
The city of Burnsville is looking for volunteers interested in building, installing, or monitoring bluebird boxes in select parks. The city has been turning about 10 acres of mostly turf grass to prairie, which is now a fine bluebird habitat. It's in five different units or sections within two parks. If you are interested in building the houses (there may be funding to purchase the materials), installing them or continued monitoring, please contact Caleb Ashling at caleb.ashling@burnsvillemn.gov.
November program: Recording of Alex Sundval, "Journey to Attu Island"
Alex Sundvall, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory
It's time to Give, MN! MRVAC needs your donation
By Bob Williams
Every year GiveMN.org has a special day for non-profits to raise money for their organization. This year that day is Nov. 18. MRVAC’s board encourages you to make a donation to MRVAC on that day.
It’s easy: Just go to the GiveMN website (you can find the link here https://www.givemn.org/organization/Minnesota-River-Valley-Audubon-Chapter). The advantage of making a donation on that day is that we could get a bonus if we are fortunate.
We already received $550 in donations, so you need not wait until the eighteenth. And because we are not able to have our Holiday Auction again this year, this will be our primary means of raising money at the end of the year. Much of the money that we raise is given in the form of grants to area organizations that have projects that further our mission of providing leadership in environmental awareness, education and advocacy, especially relating to the wildlife of the Minnesota River Valley. Please donate.
October program: Dr. Elena West and the Red-Headed Woodpecker Project
PLEASE NOTE: A RECORDING OF THIS PRESENTATION IS NOT AVAILABLE.
Find out what an intense study of Minnesota's largest concentration of red-headed woodpeckers has revealed about migration routes and wintering locations. Tracking devices on some of the birds and nest cameras are several of the tools researchers are using to discover some surprising stories. Join Dr. Elena West, the lead researcher, as she reveals some of these beautiful birds' secrets at the MRVAC members meeting Thursday, Oct. 28, 7;30-9 p.m.
Please join our meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/196812333
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (571) 317-3122
Access Code: 196-812-333
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/196812333
MRVAC-funded pollinator garden update: Jefferson High School
Update on MRVAC-funded pollinator garden at Normandale Hills Elementary
By Lee Ann Landstrom
Board member
The project manager says the plants are in “good shape overall”! There was some die-off from improper planting and heat stress, but she says at least two-thirds of the plants are still alive -- some are even flowering growing despite the drought. The stepping stones that the students painted look really nice and provide a good path for people to walk through the garden without compacting the soil.
September program: Biodiversity & Research in the Sax-Zim Bog
Research at the Sax-Zim Bog includes surveying Golden-winged Warblers and owls, and supporting those who study specific species in the bog. But it’s more than that, Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus, the bog’s head naturalist says. It also can include documenting biodiversity by citizen scientists through organized surveys such as the bog’s annual BioBlitz and Christmas Bird Counts, or reports on iNaturalist. Clinton will review the different research projects happening in the Sax-Zim Bog and share some of the interesting and exciting results. The Thursday, Sept. 23 program begins at 7:30 p.m. Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/497588413
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (408) 650-3123
Access Code: 497-588-413
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/497588413