www.jayhawkaudubon.

org

Volume 31, Issue 4 December, 2006

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WETLANDS FIELD
HOLIDAY
TRIPS PROJECT BOOK, FEEDER
WINS GRANT! & SEED SALE
Jayhawk Audubon Society and Kaw Valley Heritage
Alliance/StreamLink have been awarded a $4000 grant DECEMBER 9 * 10 A.M. to 1 P.M.
from the Elizabeth Schultz Environmental Fund for our
environmental education fieldtrips. High Interest in the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vermont
field trips from USD 497 4-6 grade teachers indicates
more need for busing than originally expected, so part of It’s all here ≈ food for your birds, books for your
this grant will help provide buses as well as materials for
loved ones, feeders for you to play with ≈ everything
preparing classroom teachers. The grant will also help
pay for KVHA/SL staff members to train a cadre of KU to make the holidays perfect. Stop by to support JAS
undergraduate life science students to conduct wetlands with your holiday shopping and birdfeeding dollars.
assessments and to help facilitate activities in the field with
the elementary students.
NEXT SEED SALE FEBRUARY 3RD
This grant is especially exciting because it shows

* * * * * * * * *
support for the joint efforts of JAS, KVHA/SL and several
KU Biological Survey scientists to create a variety of
meaningful activities designed to increase children’s
awareness and understanding of natural environments.

Lawrence Christmas
The history of the Wakarusa wetlands and the importance
of conservation and preservation in protecting wetlands
and other essential, yet fragile, environments will also be
emphasized.
Continued on Page 2 >>>>>>
Bird Count
December 16
This is citizen science at its most fun. Join in the
63rd Lawrence and 107th (!!)Audubon CBC to help
track bird population fluctuations and movements.
Neophyte birders are very welcome. You’ll go out
with experienced birders who love to share their
knowledge so it’s a great way to break in your new
binoculars-if you don’t have any we have extras.
Contact CBC Coordinator Galen Pittman:
gpittman@ku.edu(preferably) or call 785-843-8573
He will assign you to a team. Potluck compilation
dinner at Prairie Park Center at the end of the day.
© Irish Peatland Conservation Council.
Bogs in the Classroom project
See page 2 for info on the CBC at
 2 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY

Continued from Page 1

SLT ROUTE STILL <<<JAS WINS GRANT>>>

UNDECIDED The goal of the Elizabeth Schultz Fund is to encourage
new and innovative ways to support and understand the
ANOTHER CHANCE environment. The other award winners were:
- The Bonneville Environmental Foundation for a project
TO HAVE YOUR SAY: to install solar panels at Southwest Jr. High & teach
students the benefits of renewable energy
- KU Field Station and Ecological Reserves to buy land
WHEN: December 14, 2006 to protect wildlife diversity & an original prairie remnant.
- Ken Lassman for publication of Wild Douglas County,
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. a collection of seasonal guides, charts, maps, essays
WHERE: Ks Nat’l Guard Armory and other resources.

200 N. Iowa, Lawrence Many thanks to Beth Schultz, JAS member & KU
professor emeritus, for her generosity and positive action
WHO: Wendell L. Meyer in establishing this fund. Visit www.dccfoundation.org
Federal Highway Admin. to learn more.
- Sandy Sanders
WHY: To comment on the Federal Highway
Administration’s (FHA) draft report on the 32nd St.
vs. 42nd St SLT routes. This report can be seen at Short-eared owl. Steven D’Amato
www.ksdot.org/projects or at the Lawrence Public
Library. A final decision by FHA is expected by
spring or summer of 2007.

JAS prefers the 42nd St. route for many reasons
including the deleterious edge and noise effects that
will extend into the wetlands far beyond the margin
of the road and offset proposed mitigations, Native
American concerns, and the strong need to preserve
an existing wetland rather than trade it for a prom-
ise from a state agency whose funding is uncertain. premiere Christmas Bird Count at beautiful Perry
See www.commondreams.org/views01/0527-
05.htm for research notes by Sharon Collinge on
the pitfalls and inadequacy of many mitigations.
You can also
WRITE TO: Wendell L. Meyer
Asst. Div. Administrator
Ks Division Office FHA
6111 S. W. 29th St.
Topeka, KS 66614
HOOKED ON THE CBC?
InDULGE YOURSELF at
Beautiful perry lake
On Sunday, December 17, plan on attending the area’s
Lake. The day will begin at dawn and end at dusk in a
circle that encompasses the lake & portions of scenic
Jefferson Cty. At day’s end, a chili potluck will be held
at the Corps of Engineers office near Perry Dam, with
the coveted “Best Bird of the Day” prize awarded over
dessert. It is guaranteed to be a fun filled day.
You do not need to be an expert birder as inexperienced
and beginning birders will be paired with more experi-
enced individuals. The goal of this event is to have fun
and enjoy the outdoors & our fine feathered friends
while gaining valuable information for avian research
and birding trends

Join the 26th annual event by contacting Bunnie

Watkins, compiler, at the Corps office at 785-597-5144
(days) or 785-749-3581 home (evenings). Hope to see
Black-crowned Night-Heron you on the 17th.
Daniel Kilby
- Bunnie Watkins
 3 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KID’S PAGE

BRRRRR…IT’S COLD IN KANSAS!

How are you keeping warm and dry?
>Are you staying inside with the furnace turned up??
>Wearing a big coat, a hat & mittens??? Chickadee -Kirsten Munson

>Eating hot soup and drinking hot chocolate???

How do you think wild animals, birds and insects stay warm and fed?
>Do animals have houses with heaters and cupboards full of food like
people do?? NO, but they DO have special ways to survive the winter:
*Most furry animals grow an extra thick coat as the fall days get colder.
>Pet your dog or cat and feel their thicker winter coat.

*In autumn, animals eat as much as they can to put on extra fat because if they eat plants, fruit or
insects there is little food for them in winter. Some animals store seeds and nuts for winter food.
>Think hard...Have you seen any bugs crawling or flying outside this week?

*Skunks, groundhogs, snakes and badgers use dens or burrows in the ground-even under houses-
for shelter from wind and wet. Often several snuggle together to slow the loss of body heat.
>Cuddle with Mom, Dad, Grandma or a pet. Warms you up doesn’t it??

*Hibernating animals appear to be in a deep sleep, but their breathing and heart beat have slowed
way down & their body temperature drops very low so that they don’t need any food. Otherwise
they could starve to death over winter. True hibernators do not wake up until spring. Kansas
winters are not always cold enough for animals to fully hibernate. Earthworms, frogs, toads,
mud turtles, bats, badgers, groundhogs, prairie dogs, raccoons and bumble bees are hibernators.
Torpor is like hibernation but things don’t slow down as much. Animals in torpor often rouse on
warm days and come out of their dens to look for food or eat food they stored in the den. Some
scientists say bears do not hibernate but instead enter a state of torpor. Others disagree.
>Maybe YOU will become a scientist & solve this question some day.

*BELIEVE IT OR NOT> In Finland (a country in the far north of Europe--check an

atlas) good dens can be so scarce that toads, frogs, grass snakes, lizards, bats, slow worms &
adders (a kind of snake) may all share the same den to survive the very cold Finnish winters.
>Guess where reindeer come from??? Do reindeer mind the cold?
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY KID’S PAGE 4

SLEEPY SNAKE SEZ:

TRY THE WINTER WILDLIFE QUIZ CHALLENGE
1. Which animals never hibernate?
A. Birds B. Reptiles (snakes, lizards) C. Fish D. Amphibians (frogs, toads)

2. Some animals wake up for snacks during the winter while hibernating: TRUE or FALSE

3. When groundhogs hibernate their heartbeat slows to: Painted Turtle. USFWS

A. 1 beat a minute B. 5 beats a min. C. 10 beats a min. D. 15 beats a min.

(Did you know the average human heart beats 72 times a minute?)

4. When painted turtles hibernate their heartbeat slows to:

A. 1 beat in 10 minutes B. 1 beat in 5 minutes C. 1 beat a minute
D. 5 beats a minute

5. Some reptiles and amphibians can freeze solid and still survive. All 4 of these animals can freeze
solid, thaw out, and live to tell the tale, but which can survive being frozen the longest?
A. Wood frog B. Spring peepers C. Painted turtles D. Garter snakes

6. How much weight do raccoons typically lose during the winter?

A. They don’t lose weight B. 1/4 of their autumn weight C. 1/2 of their autumn weight

7. Which animal slows its breathing the most during hibernation?

A. Chipmunks B. Black bears C. Painted Turtles D. Box turtles
Answers at bottom of page 3.

Birds don’t hibernate and they burn up a LOT of food keeping their little bodies warm. You can
help by giving them food and shelter AND recycle Christmas trees too! Here’s what to do:

>> Pick a tree in your yard that you can see from a window-an evergreen is best-and hang suet,
peanuts in the shell, popcorn, marshmallows, fruit chunks or cranberries threaded on a string.
You could also tie yarn around the top of a pinecone, then dip it in melted suet (get an adult to
help with the melting) or spread peanut butter on it and then
© Bird Watchers General Store.com
roll it in birdseed - small seeds are best for this.
A bird magnet!!

>>Recycle the Xmas tree by propping it up in a corner of the

yard for birds to shelter in at night and during storms. If
Christmas is not your holiday, maybe a neighbor will agree to let
you have theirs. You could also decorate this tree with food so
the birds make it to Spring. ...Whooo’s hiding in this tree?
 5 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY

IT’S TIME
TO RAISE YOUR VOICE
KANSANS MUST DECIDE WHETHER TO FEED
THE COAL DINOSAUR OR
LOOK TO THE RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE

Sunflower Electric Power plans to build 3 new 700 Megawatt coal fired power plants at its Holcomb site
where there is already a 360 MW coal plant. They still need an air pollution control permit from the
Kansas Department of Health and Environment to proceed with the expansion. KDHE has extended the
public comment period to December 15th so there is plenty of time for you to send in a statement.

Many issues are at stake here. The Sierra Club has several excellent papers detailing environmental and
economic concerns: www.kansas.sierraclub.org. Here are just a few reasons this is important to ALL of us:

*This plant will have a life of 50 TO 75 YEARS. This matters for our great grandchildren.
*MERCURY POLLUTION: This plant is expected to lead to a 60% increase in
mercury emissions blowing east over Kansas. Every river and stream in Missouri already has a
mercury advisory and northeast Kansas streams are showing excess mercury levels too.
Remember the devastation caused by mercury poisoning in the children of Minimata, Japan?
Mercury in the air comes down in rain as the incredibly toxic compound methyl mercury.

*GLOBAL WARMING: This plant will be the largest new source of carbon dioxide
emissions in the U.S.: 13 million tons of C02 per year for 50 to 75 years. This is a distinction
Kansas does not need. There is no current plan to sequester any of this carbon.

*WATER: We all know the Ogallala aquifer is in trouble. The 8 BILLION GALLONS/year
this plant will use goes against all water conservation wisdom.

*OPPORTUNITY: Rural Kansas needs jobs and economic development. State agencies
and the legislature should be enacting policies to support development of renewable energy
alternatives to benefit farmers and small companies. Wind generated electricity produces NO CO2,
NO mercury emissions, NO particulates, uses NO water, and the
fuel is free. This power plant would mean there would be little
interest in developing wind power in the western part of our state
ranked 3rd in the U.S. in potential for wind power development.

*MORATORIUM: Kansas needs to take the time to determine

the best course for the future of the entire state and the planet.
Turn page over for decision makers to contact with your input.
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 6

SEND COMMENTS ON AIR QUALITY CONCERNS

FOR THE SUNFLOWER HOLCOMB PLANTS TO:
Rick Bolfing Governor Kathleen Sebelius
KDHE Bureau of Air and Radiation Office of the Governor
1000 S. W. Jackson 300 S. W. 10th Avenue
Suite 310 Suite 2125
Topeka, KS 66612-1366. Topeka, KS 66612-1590

SEND COMMENTS ON A NEW DIRECTION FOR STATE

ENERGY POLICIES AND A COAL MORATORIUM TO:
The Governor, your state legislators, and the Kansas Energy Council. Selected members of the
KEC are listed below. For a full list call Director Liz Brosius at 785-271-3264 or go to
http://kec.kansas.gov. The KEC is next meeting on December 13th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the
KS Corporation Commission 1500 S.W. Arrowhead Rd. in Topeka.

Ken Frahm, KEC Chair
Renewable Energy Resources
410 N. Grant
Colby, KS 67701
785-462-1432 kfrahm@st-tel.net
Richard Anderson Roderick Bremby, Sec’y, KDHE
League of KS Municipalities Curtis State Office Bldg.
1416 Briarwood Lane 1000 S. W. Jackson
McPherson, KS 67460 Topeka, KS 66612
620-245-2531 rick@mcpbpu.com 785-296-1500 RBremby@kdhe.state.ks.us

Carl Holmes, KS House Gregory Krissek Janis Lee, KS Senate

Speaker of the House Appointee Energy production/Agriculture Senate Minority Leader Appointee
P.O. Box 2288 ICM, Inc. 310 North First St. 2032 90th Rd.
Liberal, KS 67905 Colwich, KS 67030 Kensington, KS 66951-9745
785-296-7670 repcarl@aol.com 316-977-6549 gkrissek@icminc.com 785-296-7366 jlee@ink.org

Adrian Polansky, Sec’y Agriculture
KS Dept. of Agriculture
109 SW 9th St., 4th Floor
Topeka, KS 66612-1280
785-296-3902
apolansky@kda.state.ks.us
Tom Sloan, KS House
Speaker of the House Appointee
772 Hwy 4
Lawrence, KS 66049
785-296-7677 glsloan@prodigy.net
Josh Svaty, KS House
House Minority Leader Appointee
1355 Hwy 156
Ellsworth, KS 67439
785-296-7680 svaty@house.state.ks.us

Brian J. Moline, KCC Chair Mark Taddiken, KS Senate Michael J. Volker

KS Corporation Commission Senate President Appointee Energy Economist St. Educational Inst.
1500 Arrowhead Rd. 2614 Hackberry Rd. 504 W. 40th Street
Topeka, KS 66604-4027 Clifton, KS 66937 Hays, KS 67601
785-271-3166 785-296-7371 785-625-1476
b.moline@kcc.state.ks.us taddiken@senate.state.ks.us mvolker@mwenergy.com

YES, IT’S THE HOLIDAYS AND YOU’RE TOO BUSY….BUT THIS NEED
ONLY TAKE AN HOUR AND IT WILL BE A GIFT OF HEALTH TO ALL KAN-
SANS FOR YEARS TO COME!
 JAYHAWK AUDUBON SOCIETY 7

EAGLES’ DAY 2007 JAS officers & Board Members

President Chuck Herman
Vice President Pam Chaffee
Recording Joyce Wolf
SUNDAY, JANUARY 21 Secretary
Corresponding Susan Iversen
Secretary
Treasurer Jennifer Delisle
SAVE THIS DAY… Member Chapter Chuck & Ruth Herman
MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW so you Change Report
Membership Dayna Carleton
don’t miss out on the fun, the learning and the thrill of seeing Promotion
eagles in the wild. Admission, field trips, programs are all Newsletter Susan Iversen
FREE!! Here’s what we have planned so far: Editor
Conservation Michael Fraley
*FIELD TRIPS: at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Program
Education
Jennifer Delisle
Rex Powell
Field trips will be led by Clinton Park Field Trip VOLUNTEER NEEDED
Rangers. Meet at the Clinton Lake Corps Publicity Dayna Carleton
Electronic Karyn Baker-Riney
of Engineers Headquarters. Dress warmly! Communications
*PROGRAMS: Bird Seed
Sale
Linda Lips

>Woodsy Owl: Bunnie Watkins Birdathon Richard Bean

Coordinator
>Wildflowers of Douglas Cty: Kelly Kindscher Christmas Galen Pittman
>Monarch Butterflies: Chip Taylor Bird Count
>Bald Eagle Nesting in Kansas: Mike Watkins Migratory VOLUNTEER NEEDED
>Prairie Park Nature Center: Marti Burrell Bird Count
Eagles Day Ed & Cynthia Shaw
*EXHIBITORS: No room here-see Jan. newsletter. Hospitality
Historian
Esther Smith
Ron Wolf

*FOOD: Delicious Cook’s Barbeque for purchase. Books and

Feeders
Joyce & Ron Wolf

Board Member Sharon Ashworth

Volunteers are still needed to help with publicity by distributing Board Member Lisa Grossman
posters, etc. and to work on the 21st. Call the Shaws at 785-842 Board Member Bunnie Watkins
-0475 or e-mail eishaw@ku.edu. Help Jayhawk Audubon give Board Member Ed Shaw
this gift to Douglas County. -Cynthia & Ed Shaw Board Member Cynthia Shaw
Board Member Jake Vail

Bald Eagle standing.

North Platte National Wildlife Refuge

The mission of the Jayhawk

Audubon Society is to encourage
enjoyment of, to promote
understanding of, and to advocate
conservation of the natural world.
 Jayhawk Audubon Society Nonprofit Organization
P.O. Box 3741 U.S. Postage
PAID
Lawrence, KS 66046 Lawrence, KS
Return Service Requested Permit No. 201
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Kid’s

Application for New Membership in both: National Audubon Society and Jayhawk Chapter
___$15 Student; ___$20 Introductory for NEW members; ____$15 Senior Citizen.
(Make check payable to National Audubon Society.)

Application for Chapter-only Membership (Jayhawk Audubon Society). No Audubon magazine.

___$7.50 Chapter-only (Make check payable to Jayhawk Audubon Society.) Those with National Audubon
memberships are encouraged to support the chapter by voluntarily paying these dues. Chapter membership
expires annually in July.

National Audubon Society members receive four issues per year of the Audubon magazine and are also
members of the Jayhawk Chapter. All members also receive 10 issues of this newsletter per year and are
entitled to discounts on books and feeders that are sold to raise funds to support education and conservation
projects. Please send this completed form and check to Membership Chairs at the following address:
Ruth & Chuck Herman; 20761 Loring Road, Linwood, KS 66052; e-mail contact:
hermansnuthouse@earthlink.net . {National Members Renewing: please use the billing form received
from National and send it with payment to National Audubon Society in Boulder, CO}.

Name __________________________; Address ___________________________________________;

City ___________________________; State ______; ZIP Code (9) digit _______________;

Telephone (with Area Code) ___________________

J02: 7XCH