Camp Pollock Caretaker's Dwelling Destroyed

A valued partner in conservation and education, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy, needs your help. On July 3, an Alder tree fell, damaging the caretaker’s trailer and rendering it uninhabitable. SVC’s plan is to replace the trailer with a tiny house for their full-time caretaker.  

Sacramento Audubon Society partners with SVC annually to host the semifinals of Nature Bowl, one of SAS’s premiere educational efforts. Since 2018 Camp Pollock has been home to this event.

While SAS will be donating to this cause, your help is needed to meet the goal of raising $45,000 for a permanent tiny home. To learn more, visit the Sacramento Valley Conservancy.  A gofundme campaign has been established to raise funds for this project.

Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Available Now

Help support this vital federal program with your purchase of a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp known colloquially as the Duck Stamp. The program is an essential tool in purchasing refuge lands for consumptive and non-consumptive habitat conservation. Locally, Sacramento NWR, Stone Lakes NWR, and Merced NWR were 100% purchased with Duck Stamp funds. While waterfowlers are required to buy a stamp to hunt, birders who visit refuges should consider purchasing this annual stamp in support of conservation.

The Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp is for sale at refuges, sporting goods stores and US Postal Offices. Or, you can order your stamps online.

“This $25 purchase is perhaps the single simplest thing you can do to support a legacy of wetland and grassland conservation for birds,” Cornell University, All About Birds.

Hunters willingly purchase this stamp. It would be terrific if birders (and non-birders) would purchase Duck Stamps annually too. By increasing the base support of this program, the number of acres of wetland, grassland and other habitats conserved each year only increases. The funds are used to support the expansion of refuges system-wide and are used for non-consumptive, closed zones as well.  Funds from this program have been spent in all 50 states in support of refuge acquisitions. Some funds, such as in Hawaii, are used to conserve wetlands and forests for critically endangered species.

Rookery in Jeopardy

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron

22 years ago, the intent was to build a baseball arena.  When that plan fell through nature took over.  Now the area is a sanctuary for 100’s of Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons.

But the 200-acre area, owned by the Sacramento Kings, is under threat from development. Read more about the rookery and future plans for the area at Inside Sacramento.  Or to learn more about how you can help, visit the Sacramento Heron and Egret Rescue (SHER). 

Past experience has shown that if the herons and egrets are displaced they will likely move into local neighborhoods, creating a nuisance and mess for local residents as this story from the Sacramento Bee illustrates. 

Join in the fight to save these beautiful birds today.

Salmon Habitat Reconstruction at Ancil Hoffman Park

In an effort to restore habitat for salmon and steelhead, gravel restoration projects have been undertaken in the American River west of the Nimbus Dam.  A major project was undertaken last year at Sailor Bar that resulted in successful increases in salmon and steelhead nests in the restored gravel.  Another gravel restoration project is scheduled for Ancil Hoffman Park.  If all the permits are finalized there will be heavy equipment in and around the river at Ancil Hoffman Park for the month of September 2020.   While it is somewhat shocking to see heavy equipment in the river, steps are taken to assure the equipment is managed to eliminate contamination of the river.  More information about these habitat restoration projects can be found at:  https://www.waterforum.org/the-river/habitat-management/ .

Letter to Our Members

June 4, 2020

Dear Sacramento Audubon Chapter Members:

As the events of the past week have demonstrated, there are dangers facing our fellow birders, naturalists, and nature lovers who are people of color. Since Christian Cooper’s experience in New York City’s Central Park went viral, more people of color have come forward with their harrowing and heartbreaking stories sharing the lengths to which they must go to work, study, or just enjoy the outdoors.

We would like to draw your attention to National Audubon Society’s swift response in support of Christian Cooper::

“Black Americans often face terrible daily dangers in outdoor spaces, where they are subjected to unwarranted suspicion, confrontation, and violence,” said Audubon SVP for State Programs Rebeccah Sanders. “The outdoors – and the joy of birds – should be safe and welcoming for all people. That’s the reality Audubon and our partners are working hard to achieve. We unequivocally condemn racist sentiments, behavior, and systems that undermine the humanity, rights, and freedom of Black people. We are grateful Christian Cooper is safe. He takes great delight in sharing New York City’s birds with others and serves as a board member of the New York City Audubon Society, where he promotes conservation of New York City’s outdoor spaces and inclusion of all people.”

As board members of the Sacramento Audubon Society, we wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed by National Audubon. We applaud their efforts to work towards a more equitable society and we commit to doing the same as an organization. Through education, outreach, and collaboration we plan to expand our support of our fellow (and future) birders of color locally to ensure everyone has access to, and can enjoy birds and the natural world. We know there is much work ahead of us but we view these challenges as opportunities for positive change. We hope we can count on your support.

Sincerely,

Members of the Board, Sacramento Audubon Society

For more information on National Audubon’s response visit

https://www.audubon.org/ news/audubon-statement-incident-central-parks-ramble

For more information on #BlackBirdersWeek visit

https://www.audubon.org/news/ black-birders-week-promotes-diversity-and-takes-racism-outdoors