Orange Audubon Society Inc

ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY PROMOTES PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF AND AN INTEREST IN WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT THAT SUPPORTS IT.

CITIZEN SCIENCE, CONSERVATION AND NATURE EDUCATION PROGRAMS: DESPITE ABRUPT COVID SHUTDOWNS IN EARLY 2020, ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY (OAS) SAFELY CONTINUED TO SERVE ITS MEMBERSHIP BASE OF 2,000-HOUSEHOLDS AND APPROXIMATELY 11,000 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN FISCAL YEAR 2020-21 BY OFFERING EDUCATIONAL CLASSES, FIELD TRIPS, A BIRDING AND WILDLIFE FESTIVAL AND A HOST OF ONLINE GUEST SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS THAT INCLUDED THE INTERACTIVE WEEKLY 'BIRD CHATS WITH OAS' SERIES. THE HALT OF IN-PERSON EVENTS NECESSITATED EXPANSION OF VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING THAT CONTINUES TO INCREASE OAS' ABILITY TO SERVE A BROADER AUDIENCE, UNCONSTRAINED BY PHYSICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES. PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDED: 1) BEGINNERS' BIRD WATCHING CLASSES-BEGINNERS LEARNED BASIC IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES AND PRINCIPLES INCLUDING FIELD ETHICS AND USE OF HABITAT AND ANATOMY AS CLUES. 2) DRAGONFLY IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOP-PARTICIPANTS LEARNED ABOUT FLORIDA'S NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE DRAGONFLY SPECIES. 3) FIRE ECOLOGY IN FLORIDA'S RED HILLS REGION AND THE NW FLORIDA PANHANDLE-PARTICIPANTS VISITED TALL TIMBERS RESEARCH STATION AND LAND CONSERVANCY (TTRS) AND LEARNED ABOUT LAND STEWARDSHIP AND THE NECESSITY OF FIRE FOR A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM; THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO ST. MARKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND THREE OF FLORIDA'S STATE PARKS: BALD POINT, DR. JULIAN G. BRUCE ST GEORGE ISLAND AND WAKULLA SPRINGS STATE PARKS. EDUCATION WAS ENHANCED BY LEADERS OF FOUR DAILY EXCURSIONS THAT INCLUDED THE RESEARCH BIOLOGIST/VERTEBRATE ECOLOGY DIRECTOR OF TTRS, LOCAL EXPERT BIRDING AND WILDLIFE GUIDES AND PARK RANGERS WHO IDENTIFIED BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND PROVIDED INTERPRETIVE, NATURAL HISTORY PRESENTATIONS. PARTICIPANTS TOURED THE ICONIC OLD FLORIDA LODGE AT WAKULLA SPRINGS AND WITNESSED THE RETURN TO ROOST OF CHIMNEY SWIFTS TO A DESIGNATED, ABANDONED CHIMNEY MAINTAINED BY THE LODGE FOR THAT PURPOSE. 4) BIRD MIGRATION WALKS-FIRST-TIME AND EXPERIENCED BIRDERS ALIKE TOOK LEISURELY MORNING WALKS DURING SPRING MIGRATION AT MEAD BOTANICAL GARDEN, AN URBAN PARK AND MIGRANT BIRDING HOT SPOT IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. 5) 33RD ANNUAL CHERTOK FLORIDA NATIVE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION-PARTICIPANTS GAINED ENHANCED KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN FLORIDA'S NATIVE FLORA, FAUNA AND NATURAL AREAS BY ADHERING TO THE PRIMARY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: SUBJECT MATTER IS NATIVE TO FLORIDA, IMAGES DO NOT INCLUDE HUMAN ARTIFACTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS PRACTICE NORTH AMERICAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ASSOCIATION'S PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL FIELD PRACTICES TO PROTECT THE LOCATION, SUBJECT MATTER AND THEMSELVES WHEN TAKING THEIR PHOTOGRAPHS. 6) CREATING BIRD-FRIENDLY YARDS PROGRAMS-OAS' NEWSLETTER INCLUDED ARTICLES RELATED TO PLANTING FOR NATURE, THE GUEST SPEAKER LINEUP INCLUDED DOUG TALLAMY, WHO PRESENTED 'CREATING A HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK' AND NASH TURLEY WHO PRESENTED 'LAWNS TO WILDFLOWERS' THAT WERE BOTH AIMED AT SHOWING HOW INDIVIDUALS CAN CREATE BIRD AND WILDLIFE FRIENDLY YARDS TO SUPPLEMENT THE SHRINKING NATURAL HABITATS THAT WILDLIFE NEEDS TO SURVIVE. OAS' CO-SPONSORED BACKYARD BIODIVERSITY DAY AT MEAD BOTANICAL GARDEN THAT OFFERED INTERPRETIVE WILDLIFE IDENTIFICATION HIKES AND WORKSHOPS WHERE ATTENDEES LEARNED HOW TO HELP BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS. 7) GUEST SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS-NINE EVENING PROGRAMS FEATURED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS WHO SHARED THEIR EXPERTISE ON SUBJECTS INCLUDING CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE, THE STATUS OF CERTAIN ENDANGERED SPECIES, THE BENEFITS OF HABITAT RESTORATION AND OTHER TOPICS ON CONSERVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 8) WILDLIFE SURVEYS AND CITIZEN SCIENCE EFFORTS-OAS AND ABOUT 100 OAS VOLUNTEERS INCREASED SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE THAT IS HELPING TO SOLVE CONSERVATION PROBLEMS BY RECORDING DATA COLLECTED DURING WILDLIFE SURVEYS, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS AND THE 4TH OF JULY BUTTERFLY COUNT CONDUCTED ON CITY, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS AND A PRIVATE PRESERVE TO DETERMINE BASELINE INVENTORIES AND MONITOR WILDLIFE POPULATIONS; HELPED WITH AUDUBON FLORIDA'S EAGLEWATCH AND JAY WATCH PROGRAMS; AND OAS PROMOTED AND VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED TO CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY'S BACKYARD BIRD COUNT, FEEDER WATCH AND NEST WATCH PROGRAMS.

BIRDING, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ECOTOURISM ON THE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE: ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY (OAS) PROMOTES THE ECONOMIC VALUES OF BIRDING ECOTOURISM AS A MEANS OF HELPING TO CONSERVE THE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE (NORTH SHORE) RESTORATION AREA, A GLOBALLY IMPORTANT BIRD AREA, IN ITS NATURAL STATE. IN 2016 OAS BEGAN A BIRDING EVENT NOW KNOWN AS THE NORTH SHORE BIRDING FESTIVAL (NSBF) WITH TWO GOALS: TO SHOWCASE THE 20,000-ACRE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE'S RICH BIRDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS, AND DEMONSTRATE ITS ECONOMIC VALUE AS A BIRDING "ECOTOURISM" DESTINATION AS DEFINED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ECOTOURISM: "RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL TO NATURAL AREAS THAT CONSERVES THE ENVIRONMENT AND IMPROVES THE WELL-BEING OF LOCAL PEOPLE." ALTHOUGH PARTICIPATION WAS MORE LIMITED DUE TO COVID CONCERNS, OAS' DECEMBER 2020 NSBF ATTRACTED 200+ PARTICIPANTS AND LEADERS FROM 7 STATES (INCLUDING 50+ FLORIDA CITIES) WHO TRAVELED TO CENTRAL FLORIDA TO ENJOY THE NATURAL WONDERS OF THE NORTH SHORE. NSBF PARTICIPANTS BOOSTED THE LOCAL ECONOMY, LEARNED THE HISTORY OF THE NORTH SHORE'S ECOLOGICAL DECLINE THAT LED TO ITS ACQUISITION BY FLORIDA TAXPAYERS AND CURRENT RESTORATION EFFORTS, AND WERE INTRODUCED TO ITS LESS WELL-KNOWN AREAS AND INCREASINGLY POPULAR LAKE APOPKA WILDLIFE DRIVE, THEREBY HELPING TO FULFILL OAS' CONSERVATION AND NATURE EDUCATION MISSION. AMBASSADOR PROGRAM AT LAKE APOPKA WILDLIFE DRIVE: SINCE 1998-99 WHEN FLORIDA TAXPAYERS ACQUIRED THE 20,000-ACRE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE (LANS), ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY (OAS) HAS WORKED TO SECURE PUBLIC ACCESS FOR BIRDING AND OTHER NATURE PURSUITS. A BIRD PESTICIDE-KILL IN WINTER 1998-99 PUT HOPES OF QUICK PUBLIC ACCESS ON HOLD, BUT AS PESTICIDE RESIDUES WERE REMEDIATED, OAS COLLABORATED WITH ORANGE COUNTY TO RAISE PUBLIC INTEREST THROUGH A FAMILY-FOCUSED BIRDING FESTIVAL FROM 2013-17. THE INCREASED INTEREST LED ORANGE AND LAKE COUNTIES TO DEVELOP A HIKING/CYCLING TRAIL ALONG THE MAIN LEVEE SEPARATING LAKE APOPKA FROM THE FORMER FARM FIELDS. IN 2015 THE ST JOHNS RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (SJRWMD), WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF LANS, SWITCHED TO A REDUCED, 4-DAY WORK WEEK AND AN 11-MILE LAKE APOPKA WILDLIFE DRIVE (LAWD) WAS OPENED TO THE PUBLIC ON FRIDAYS, WEEKENDS AND SOME FEDERAL HOLIDAYS. NO LOCAL TOURISM DOLLARS WERE SPENT TO PUBLICIZE LAWD. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRDING AND OPEN SPACE TO RESIDENTS AND VISITORS, OAS STEPPED UP ITS EFFORTS TO SHOWCASE LAWD THROUGH A DEDICATED FACEBOOK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, LAUNCHED THE NORTH SHORE BIRDING FESTIVAL USING THE 2013-17 FAMILY-ORIENTED FESTIVAL AS SPRINGBOARD, AND SPONSORED MYRIAD OTHER NATURE PURSUITS ON THE NORTH SHORE AND LAWD. BY MARCH 2020 VISITATION TO LAWD HAD GROWN TO ABOUT 100,000 PER YEAR. DEMANDS FROM ITS INCREASED POPULARITY AND LIMITS OF SJRWMD RESOURCES LED TO OAS TAKING CHARGE OF A PROPOSED LAKE APOPKA AMBASSADOR PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED WHEN LAWD REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC FOLLOWING A MARCH 2020 COVID SHUTDOWN. SINCE THE JULY 2020 ROLLOUT OF THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM, OAS VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN GREETING VISITORS TO LAWD-AN EFFORT THAT GREATLY RELIEVES THE BURDEN OF SJRWMD, A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY, AND ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE OF VISITORS WHO REPRESENT AN INCREASING ETHNIC DIVERSITY FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY PLUS OUT-OF-STATE AND FOREIGN VISITORS. SUMMARY: THE INTERRELATED, MISSION-DRIVEN PROGRAMS-NORTH SHORE BIRDING FESTIVAL AND THE LAKE APOPKA WILDLIFE DRIVE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM-ARE ENHANCING THE LIVES OF MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BENEFITTING WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND DEMONSTRATING THE POSITIVE FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF ECOTOURISM TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.