THE AUDUBON
NEWSLETTER
222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-BIRD / http://madisonaudubon.org
Birding Peru
Pacific Shore, Amazon
Basin, & High Andes
Free Public Program
What: Kent Hall on the Birds of Peru
When: Tuesday, September 18
7:00 pm - Refreshments
7:30 pm - Program
Where: Bolz Auditorium, Meriter
Hospital, 124 S. Brooks St. Madison
Parking: Meriter Hospital paid
parking ramp across the street, on
the street, or Lot 51 north of Regent
and Mills St.
Parrots and macaws, giant
conebills, Andean condors, red
legged cormorants and
three different species of
flamingos — are you
ready for a trip to Peru
yet?
Peru has more than
1,700 bird species in an
area about twice the size
of Texas. Only the coun-
try of Columbia has recorded more
bird species. Professor Kent Hall
only managed to see about a quarter
of them on his August 2000 trip.
At Madison Audubon’s first meet-
ing of the fall, Professor Hall will
emphasize three major habitats: (1)
the Amazon basin represented by
habitat along the Tambopata River
(including the largest clay lick in
South America), (2) the high Andes
including Mt. Huascaran(the highest
mountain in any tropics of the
world) and the Cordillera Blanca (a
single mountain chain with 50
mountain peaks as high or higher
than all but three in North America,
including Mt. McKinley) and (3) the
Pacific Coast and Ocean at Lima and
Paracas (including Paracas National
Park and the Ballestas Islands). Other
major habitats he visited include
Lake Titicaca and the Uro’s Islands,
Machu Picchu, Lake Conochocha,
Laguna Salinas and
Marcopomachocha.
Professor Hall retired in 1998 after
30 years as a professor of biology at
the UW-Stevens Point. His
area of expertise is envi-
ronmental physiology and
avian biology. He is active
in a variety of programs
for the Aldo Leopold
Audubon chapter and the
Wisconsin Society for
Ornithology.
This program is co-sponsored by
the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Wildlife Ecology.
You are invited to meet with
Madison Audubon board members
and friends at the pre-program din-
ner at Paisan’s Restaurant beginning
at 5:15 pm. Please call the office at
608/255-BIRD (255-2473) if you have
questions.
Next meeting: October 16
OF THE
MADISON
AUDUBON
SOCIETY
SEPTEMBER 2001
Fun Fall Field Trips
Saturday, September 8: Fall
Birding at Picnic Point
Join trip leaders Roma Lenehan
and Willy Hutcheson for a pleasant
morning of birding on Picnic Point,
one of Madison’s birding hot spots.
With lots of shoreline, open water
and a variety of woods, wetlands
and open areas, including gardens,
Picnic Point is known for its diver-
sity of birds. On the lake we will
look for waterfowl, gulls and terns;
in the marshlands we will be look-
ing for blackbirds, wrens and rails;
in the woodland, we will look for
woodpeckers, thrushes and migrat-
ing fall warblers; in the fields and
gardens we will look for sparrows
and other open field migrants.
Trip leader Roma Lenehan has
over 20 years of birding experience
at Picnic Point and she recently
produced a Campus Natural Areas
Bird Checklist. Co-leader Willy
Hutcheson is an exceptional birder,
who has worked on summer
ornithology projects and is pursu-
ing this interest in graduate school.
Meet at 8:00 am at the 1918
Marsh parking lot across
University Bay Drive from the base
of Picnic Point, north of UW Lot 60
and north of the UW hospital. The
trip will last from 2 to 3 hours.
Bring binoculars, bird books, and
dress for the weather, which may
be cool by the lake in the morning.
If you have questions, call Roma at
608-238-5406.
continued on page 2
Fall Field Trips …
continued from page 1
Sunday, September 9: Hiking the
Kickapoo Valley Reserve
This is a joint trip with The Nature
Conservancy. Join trip leader Brad
Hutnik for a hike at the Kickapoo
Valley Reserve in lovely Southwest-
ern Wisconsin. This area, once slated
to be a dam site by the Army Corps
of Engineers, is now managed by the
state as a reserve. Participants will
tour pine relics and mature central
and northern hardwood forests
along the Kickapoo River. If time
permits, we will also explore some
ridge top savanna remnants. This is
a moderately strenuous 4-hour hike
with lots of hills.
Wear good hiking/walking shoes
and bring water and a snack to get
you through the noon hour. Call trip
leader Brad at 608-356-2801 with
questions. Meet at 9:00 am at the
Kickapoo Valley Reserve Office, 505
North Mill Street, in LaFarge. Take
Hwy 82 to LaFarge. In LaFarge, go
north on Hwy. 131 about 0.5 mile.
The reserve is on the left (west) side
of the road.
NOTICE
Saturday, September 15: Blue River
Sand Barrens - CANCELED
JOIN MADISON AUDUBON
Student/Senior: $15
Introductory membership: $20
Basic: $35
Foreign: Add $10 in US funds.
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP
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To have your name omitted from this list,
please check here.
Please enclose your check payable to
National Audubon Society and mail to
Madison Audubon Society, 222 S.
Hamilton St. #1, Madison, WI 53703.
Memberships are shared with National
Audubon and all members receive
Audubon magazine. Z02
7xCH
Saturday, September 15: Madison
Natural Areas Fall Birding
This birding trip will focus on the
Ho-Nee-Um and Nakoma Duck
Pond portions of the UW
Arboretum. The natural springs in
this area often attract migrant song-
birds, providing excellent looks for
birders. On this trip, we will sort out
some of the confusing fall plumage
of warblers and observe any other
migrants that cross our path. In
addition to warblers, trip partici-
pants should see a variety of fly-
catchers, vireos, thrushes and possi-
bly a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Trip
leader Aaron Stutz has frequently
birded this area and has been an
active birder in the Madison area for
over five years.
We will meet at 7:00 am in the
parking lot near the Ho-Nee-Um
pond area of the UW Arboretum, at
MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY
President: Joanne Herfel, 241-8009
Vice-president: Amy McDaniel, 238-0450
Goose Pond Resident Naturalists:
Mark and Sue Martin, 635-4160
Editor: Abbie Kurtz, 245-1758
abbiejkurtz@yahoo.com
Graphic design: Pat Ready
Printed by Roemer Printing
The mission of the Madison Audubon
Society is to educate our members and the
public about the natural world and the
threats that natural systems are facing, to
engage in advocacy to preserve and protect
these systems, and to develop and maintain
sanctuaries to save and restore natural
habitat.
CAWS Newsletter Subscriptions Available
I am not a member of National Audubon, but am interested in receiving
The Audubon CAWS newsletter to stay informed of chapter activities. I’ve
enclosed $10.00 payable to Madison Audubon Society to cover printing and
mailing for one annual year.
Mail to: Madison Audubon Soc., 222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1, Madison,
WI 53703
the corner of Arbor Drive and
Monroe Street. Expect the trip to last
approximately three hours. If you
have questions, contact Aaron Stutz
at 232-1756 or by e-mail at
agstutz@chorus.net.
Sunday, September 16: Tour of the
Ice Age Trail - Riverland
Conservancy
Join us for a stroll over the rolling
terrain of the Riverland Conservancy
in the Town of Merrimac, Sauk
County. Our walk along this 4 mile
segment of the Ice Age National
Scenic Trail will take us to the crest
of a large recessional moraine,
around deep kettle holes and across
a marsh to the eastern entrance of the
Devil’s Lake gorge. We will walk
through oak woodlands and savanna
and prairie restorations underway by
the Riverland Conservancy.
Meet at 8:00 am at the Kohl’s
Supermarket parking lot on Century
Ave. (City Hwy M) in Middleton to
carpool from Madison to the
Riverland Conservancy. Or meet at
9:00 am at the parking lot on Hwy
113 just north of the intersection with
Cty Hwy DL on the east side. To get
there from Madison, take Hwy 12
west to Sauk City, then turn right on
THE AUDUBON CAWS is published
September through July by:
Madison Audubon Society,
222 S. Hamilton St.,
Madison, WI 53703,
(608) 255-BIRD (2473).
Birding hotline, 255-BIRM.
Madison Audubon Web Page:
http://madisonaudubon.org
E-mail: masoffice@mailbag.com
E-mail services donated by Berbee
Contribution deadline is September 3
for the October issue, for which items
may be sent to Abbie Kurtz, 313
Moulton Ct., Madison, WI 53704.
abbiejkurtz@yahoo.com
Hwy 78 (business Hwy 12) through
Sauk City and Prairie du Sac.
Outside of Prairie du Sac, when busi-
ness 12 curves left, go straight on
Hwy 78, following around the edge
of Lake Wisconsin for several miles
until it intersects with Hwy 113.
Turn left on Hwy 113 heading north
toward Devil’s Lake State Park for
about 3 miles, past the turn off for
Cty Hwy DL to Parfrey’s Glen State
Natural Area. Just past the intersec-
tion of Hwy 113 and Cty Hwy DL,
turn left into a gravel parking lot.
The hike will last about 3 to 4 hours.
Bring lunch, water, binoculars and
sturdy footwear. If you have ques-
tions, call trip leader Gary Warner at
249-7870.
Saturday, September 22: Fern
Ecology and Diversity
Join trip leader Jonathan Coop for
a glimpse into the ecology and
diversity of ferns in Southern
Wisconsin. A graduate student in
botany at UW-Madison, Jonathan
will take us through the Devil’s Lake
and Baraboo Hills area to find and
identify some beautiful ferns. Likely
finds include lady rattlesnake and
maidenhair ferns. We also hope to
see some resident and migrant
birds while hiking through the
scenic Baraboo Hills.
Meet to carpool at 8:00 am in the
parking lot of the Middleton Kohl’s
food store at the intersection of
Century Ave. and Allen Boulevard.
Or, meet at 9:00 am in the parking
area for the boat landing on the
southwest shore of Devil’s Lake. A
state park sticker is required to park
in Devil’s Lake State Park. Wear
sturdy shoes, as the trip will be mod-
erately strenuous. Bring a hand lens,
if you have one, binoculars, water
and insect repellent. Since we will be
there until around noon, you might
want to bring a sack lunch. If you
have questions, call Jonathan Coop
at 608-251-9434 or email him at
jonathancoop@hotmail.com
Sunday, September 23: Eagle Valley
Tour and Hawkwatch
Join TNC on this daylong trip, led
by Michael Anderson and Jon
Peacock. We will hike in the Eagle
Valley Nature Preserve, a 1,440-acre
preserve located on the bluffs of the
Mississippi River along a major fly- bridges. If you have questions, please
way. The trip is timed to coincide call Caryl at work at 256-0565.
with the peak of fall migration. Saturday, October 13: Mushroom
Expect to see eagles, ospreys, Meander (Note date change)
sharpies, turkey vultures, northern Trip leaders Tom Volk, Dan Lindner
harriers and much more. A round Czederpiltz and Diane Derouen will
trip walk of approximately 3 miles lead this 10:30 am field trip. See
on level ground is required to reach October 2001 newsletter for details or
the observation area and return to contact Diane at dcderouen@tds.net
the parking lot. Participants will also
have the opportunity to take a side Sundays, October 7, 14, 21 & 28:
trip to visit the preserve’s oak Scope Days at Goose Pond
forests, bluff prairies, prairie restora- Scope viewing days at Goose Pond
tions and a river corridor. This side will be held during the peak of the
trip will be on moderately steep fall migration season. Spotting scopes
trails and will add another mile to will be set up along the drive for visi-
the round trip distance. tor use on Sunday afternoons from
Bring your binoculars, drinking 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Members will be on
water and a lunch. The trip will last hand to help visitors locate and iden-
from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Call tify waterfowl. If the weather is
inclement, the scopes will not be set
Mike at 608-277-0774 if you have
up. Please see map to Goose Pond.
questions about the trip. Note: This
Volunteers are needed to help focus,
is a private nature preserve and can
spot and visit with guests. If you
only be visited with permission. This
have questions, call Dorothy Haines
trip is limited to 25 people. Call
at 221-1948 or the MAS office, 255-
Sandy Wolken at 262-363-0790 on or
BIRD.
after September 13 to register for the
trip and get directions to the meeting
place.
Sunday, September 30: Surface
Water Runoff Problems
We will visit the Black Earth Creek,
west of Madison, to learn about
some of the surface water runoff
problems this watershed has experi-
enced. Black Earth Creek is listed as
one of the top one hundred trout
streams in the United States, yet its
future as a high quality trout stream
is threatened by the mismanagement
of the surface water running into this
stream. Trip leader Caryl Terrill,
long time water quality advocate,
works for the Sierra Club in
Madison. She will show us examples
of proper stream management, as
well as examples of pollution runoff.
We will learn how to determine the Directions to Goose Pond: From the
stream’s water quality from observ- east — Take Hwy. 51 north into
Columbia County, turn left (west) on
ing the aquatic insect life and other County Hwy. K; after two miles turn
indicators of water quality. right on (north) on Goose Pond Road,
Meet at 9:00 am at the Kohl’s then turn left on Prairie Road, which is
Supermarket parking lot in the driveway into the Sanctuary. From
the west — Take County Hwy. Q north
Middleton at the intersection of
to Waunakee, then continue straight
Century Ave. and Allen Boulevard.
north to County Hwy. V; turn right (east)
The trip will last about three hours.
on V; after four miles go north (left) on
Bring footwear for hiking short dis- County Hwy. I for about four miles and
tances across fields and roadside turn right (east) on County Hwy. K. After
vegetation. We will be viewing Black one mile turn left (north) on Goose
Pond Road.
Earth Stream from a number of
MAS Assists with Land
Acquisition at Rose Lake
by Mark Martin
Madison Audubon Society assist-
ed with the acquisition of 20 acres
adjacent to a 175-acre prairie wet-
land located about 1 1/2 miles
northwest of Fort Atkinson in
Jefferson County. Rose Lake is a
deepwater marsh with about 50%
scattered emergent vegetation such
as soft-stemmed bulrush and cat-
tails, along with several mats of
wiregrass sedge. It contains a wide
variety of breeding marsh birds
such as pied-billed grebes, Canada
geese, wood ducks, mallards, blue-
winged teal, Virginia rails, sora,
common moorhens, American coots,
sandhill cranes, marsh wrens and
yellow-headed blackbirds. Black
terns, a species of special concern in
Wisconsin, also nest on the wetland
in large numbers. Past surveys have
recorded nesting ruddy ducks and
redheads. Many migrating water-
fowl use the area. Freshwater
sponges are present, as well. Due to
the quality of the wetland and
heavy use by wildlife, the
Department of Natural Resources –
Bureau of Endangered Resources is
evaluating the area for State Natural
Area designation.
MAS coordinated a $12,000 grant
request to the Ducks Unlimited
MARSH program that provides
funds for wetland restoration and
land acquisition in Wisconsin. The
MARSH grant provided the final
piece of the funding puzzle. Other
partners included Jefferson County
Land Trust, Department of Natural
Resources Stewardship Fund, Fort
Atkinson Wisconservation Club,
Carol Liddle and Kitty Welch.
The 20-acre Hinstorff parcel con-
tains about 6 acres of oak savanna,
14 acres of old field (future prairie
restoration site) and 528 feet of
frontage on Rose Lake. A home site,
with a road, well and underground
electricity, was constructed on the
parcel. The property would have
been developed if it had not been
acquired.
This parcel is adjacent to 58-acre
Dorothy Carnes County Park, which
borders the west side of Rose Lake.
It was acquired earlier by Jefferson
The public is invited to an
County through a very generous
open house at Rose Lake
donation from Carol Liddle and
(Dorothy Carnes County Park)
named after her mother. Madison
on Tuesday, October 2 from 4:00
Audubon will assist with 25 acres of
pm to 7:00 pm. Take Hwy 12
prairie restoration there. Karen Etter
west out of Fort Atkinson. The
Hale, MAS Executive Secretary, has
park is north on Radloff Lane,
been serving on the citizen advisory
one mile west of the Hwy 26
committee to develop the park mas-
bypass.
ter plan.
I want to thank Madison Audubon Nolen in
Society for helping to preserve the the New Century
Hinstorff property on Rose Lake. We 1000 Friends of Wisconsin is
will preserve, protect and enhance sponsoring “Nolen in the New
this special natural area. This land Century,” a conference explor-
would not have been saved without ing the relevance of John
your help. Nolen’s 1911 plan for Madison
to the modern Dane County
Sincerely, region. National speakers
Joe Nehmer include Professor William
Director, Jefferson County Parks Cronon, David Rusk (former
major of Albuquerque and
author of “Cities Without
Suburbs”) and Jeff Speck,
author of “Suburban Nation.”
The conference will take place
Friday and Saturday,
September 28-29 at Edgewood
College. The $55.00 cost
includes a Friday evening
reception, breakfast, lunch,
breaks and a bus/walking tour
of the east rail corridor.
Registration deadline is
September 21. For more infor-
mation, contact 1000 Friends at
259-1000 or www.1kfriends.org
Audubon Center
of the North Woods
Autumn Open House and 30th
Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, October 6
Join us for a full day of Natural
History Hikes, Tours of ACNW, High
Ropes and Climbing Wall, Silent
Auction, Cookout Dinner, Bird
Programs, and Folk Dance. Limited
overnight accommodations will be
available.
For more information, please contact:
Audubon Center of the North Woods
P.O. Box 530
Sandstone, MN 55072
Phone: 320/245-2648 or 888/404-7743
FAX: 320/245-5272
Email: audubon1@ecenet.com
www.audubon-center.com
Tax Rebate? Remember
the MAS Land Fund
by Sue Martin
What do you give a person who has
everything? Just about all of our
needs have been met so when our tax
refund check came in the mail the
other day, we decided that we want-
ed to make a statement with it.
Would we buy a bigger car? Do I
need a new diamond ring? Do the
dogs need waterbeds? I think we can
do better than that.
Does Goose Pond need more land
so prairie and wetland habitat can be
restored for wildlife? Do the young
bobolinks that fledged at Erstad
Prairie need additional habitat? Do
the orchids at Faville Grove
Sanctuary need room to expand to
reclaim their stake in the once vast
Crawfish River Prairie? Do the green
frogs at Otsego Marsh need clean
water and undeveloped shoreline to
protect and insure their futures? A
resounding YES to all of those ques-
tions!
With pen in hand we will sign over
our tax refund check to the Goose
Pond Campaign, and be happy that
we did. It will be the gift that keeps
on giving, for many generations to
come.
On behalf of all of the wild things
that live on our properties, thanks in
advance for your contribution to the
MAS land fund!
Prairie Seed Collectors
Needed
by Mark and Sue Martin
Help is again needed to collect
prairie seed. We will be planting 20
acres at Goose Pond and helping
Jefferson County plant 18 acres at
North Park on the west side of Rock
Lake in Lake Mills.
Seed quality and quantity are
impacted by temperature and rainfall.
We hopefully will find a good seed
crop this year. Grass seed will be col-
lected with the seed stripper and
many hands are necessary to collect
the forbs. Groups such as Scout
groups are welcome.
SEED COLLECTING DATES
Saturdays
September 15 – November 3
GOOSE POND 9:30am-noon
and 1-4 pm
608-635-4160 - Mark or Sue
LAKE MILLS 1-4 pm
920-648-4392 – Sue Pech
Summer Donations
Shine on Sanctuaries
ACRE MAKER
Madison Community Foundation
Philip Miles
In Memory of John Caldwell
Caldwell Family
ADOPT AN ACRE
In Honor of David Musolf
Mary Ellen Perry
HALF-ACRE MAKER
Mark and Sue Martin
Carol Poore
MY OWN VISION
In Memory of Susan Bergquist
John Bergquist
Harvey & Ruth Halvorsen
Sue & Mark Martin
Robert & Sue Wallen
William & Lana Wheeler
In Memory of Jay Julson
Louise & Jack Rowe
YES, I want to make the
Goose Pond vision a reali-
ty. Here is my contribution
to the Goose Pond
Campaign.
[ ] Acre Maker. $1,000 or more to
buy and restore another acre of
land at Goose Pond.
[ ] Half-Acre Maker. $500-$999 to
buy and restore another half-acre
of land at Goose Pond.
[ ] Adopt An Acre. I pledge $100 a
year for three years ($300 total)
toward Goose Pond restoration.
Here is my first installment.
[ ] Nest Egg. I pledge $50 a year for
three years($150 total). Here is
my first installment.
[ ] My Own Vision. $ to help as
much as possible.
Name
Address
In Memory of
In Honor of
For Gifts Honoring Another: Send
Acknowledgement to (name and
address)
Contributions will be acknowledged
near the Goose Pond Information
Board as follows: $1,000 or more-
name to appear on a permanent
plaque; $250-$999-name to appear
on engraved paving brick.
Acknowledge in Madison Audubon
Society Newsletter
Do not acknowledge in Madison
Audubon Society Newsletter
Make checks payable to Madison
Audubon Society and mail to:
Madison Audubon Society, 222 S.
Hamilton Street, Suite #1, Madison,
WI 53703
Tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law.
Madison Audubon Society’s finan-
cial statement is available upon
request.
Mercury Contamination:
What Can You Do?
by Karen Etter Hale,
Executive Secretary
Each year, more of Wisconsin’s
lakes and rivers are added to the
Fish Consumption Advisory because
of mercury pollution. In addition to
the 341 currently on the list, the DNR
and Wisconsin Department of
Health recently extended their warn-
ing for pregnant women not to eat
any of the larger game fish from any
Wisconsin waters, even those not yet
tested, because of the potential for
mercury poisoning. The amount of
mercury entering our lakes and the
number of lakes added to the
Advisory will only increase unless
mercury emissions are reduced.
Besides being a human health risk,
especially for children, mercury has
been linked to lower reproduction
rates in fish and wildlife. The com-
mon loon is the species at greatest
risk from mercury exposure, accord-
ing to the DNR, with tissue samples
averaging as high as 16.5 ppm of
mercury. Ospreys had levels of 5.3
ppm and bald eagles 2.8 ppm. All of
these fish-eating birds had mercury
levels 3 to 12 times higher than levels
found in the fish they were eating.
Madison Audubon Society, Inc.
Joanne Herfel, President
222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1
Madison, WI 53703
Birding Peru
see page 1
The largest sources of mercury are MAS Calendar
coal-burning power plants and waste
incinerators. If a rule that the DNR has at a Glance
written passes, Wisconsin will be the
(See pages 1, 2, & 3 for details)
first state in the nation to require coal-
Sat., September 8: Fall Birding
fired power plants to reduce mercury
at Picnic Point
emissions by 90%. Many technologies
Sun., September 9: Hiking the
already exist to do this, and more are in
Kickapoo Valley Reserve
the works. The estimated cost of reduc-
Sat., September 15: Madison
ing emissions by 90% is less than one
Natural Areas Fall Birding
dollar per month for an average house-
Sun., September 16: Tour of the
hold. While much of the mercury in
Ice Age Trail - Riverland
Wisconsin comes from out-of-state, and
Conservancy
the federal Environmental Protection
Sat., September 22: Fern
Agency is working on its own rules,
Ecology and Diversity
Wisconsin should set an example by reg-
Sun., September 23: Eagle
ulating its own utilities.
Valley Tour and Hawkwatch
Please take a few minutes to write in
Sun., September 30: Surface
support of a mandatory 90% reduction
Water Runoff Problems
in mercury pollution from coal plants by
the year 2010. Write to Jon Heinrich,
DNR/AM-7, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 1321 E. Mifflin St.
53707-7921 by the deadline of October
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 256-1066
12. You may also testify at a hearing in
Madison on Wednesday, October 3 at
the DNR GEF 2 building at 101 S.
Webster St., Room 027, starting at 4:30
pm. For more information, including the
complete rule and listing of meetings
and hearings, see the DNR web site
(look under “Environmental Protection”
then “Mercury”) or call Karen Etter Hale
at the Audubon office, 255-BIRD.
Non-profit organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 1831
Madison, Wisconsin
9/01