This meeting will be held at the Riverview Retirement Center . The Program will be the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) by Taldi Walter from National Audubon.
May 14, 2008 Audubon Program
From Black Gold to the Black Oystercatcher:
Challenges and Opportunities in Alaska
Taldi Walter
Alaska is the largest of our states, encompassing more than 600,000 sq. miles of rugged mountains, grinding glaciers, endless tundra, diverse temperate rainforest, and winding coast lines. From the Spectacled Eider and Yellow-billed Loon found in America’s Arctic to the Black Oystercatcher and the Kittlitz’s Murrelet found on the southern coastline, Alaska’s birdlife diversity is astounding. Alaska also has an abundance of other iconic wildlife species including grizzlies, caribou, Bald Eagles, humpback whales and wolves, many of which are endangered elsewhere. The current administration and some members of congress have advocated vastly accelerating the extraction of oil, gas, and mineral deposits in this important ecological area. Audubon seeks a balance between resource extraction and protecting internationally critical habitat.
Taldi Walter joined the National Audubon Society’s Public Policy Office in Washington DC as the Alaska Outreach Coordinator, after the completion of her Masters degree in Biology. Taldi’s research took her to Brazil were she studied the exotic invasive plant species, Lonicera japonica. During her first year with National Audubon Taldi traveled throughout the country taking Audubon members on a virtual tour to some of Alaska’s most stunning natural treasures through her multimedia presentation focused on top Alaska conservation issues. Taldi will present an informative slideshow showcasing some of the important natural areas and brilliant birds found in wild Alaska. The presentation will explore some of Alaska’s natural treasures set aside decades ago for the benefit of wildlife and the American public. She will highlight the imminent and compelling challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Tongass National Forest, Chugach National Forest, and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
Welcome Everyone!
Several new topics have been added to the General Birding Topics
in the forums that should be far more informative than the FAQs for
visitors seeking information. For those not familiar with forums the
best way to learn them is to jump right in and try them. Some of the
topics that are already in place are:
These topics as well other forums like Unusual Bird Sightings are open
to everyone. When someone uses the forum as guest it will show it as a
guest posting. When a Spokane Audubon member logins in first, their
posting will show their usernames (and a small photo of their choice if
they choose).
While most of the site is open everyone there are some areas reserved
for SAS members. These features will be updated on a Member Area page
that you will see after logging in. So, SAS members will want to get
registered to take advantage of these features and get in the habit of
logging in when they visit the site.
I have written several "threads" in the Website Basics forum on using new features on this site.
I will be adding more, so check there frequently. The biggest thing you
need to do, guest or member, is just to get involved. Try things and
actively use the website. If you have any questions you can contact us
and we will get you some assistance.
For website questions contact
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, for membership and general birding questions contact
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. Better yet, go to the forums and post your questions there, you will find it to be a great new addition to the SAS website.
