Highlights from the April 4, 2022 Board of Directors Meeting

  • Pam Willison and Denny Olson completed a grant application to Flathead Conservation District to be used to purchase a classroom set of binoculars for use during school field trips.
  • Flathead Audubon will participate in the planning process for the State Park at Somers, the FWP Church Slough Working Group, and possibly a survey of bird strikes on local buildings.
  • In late March, 4 work days were held in Owen Sowerwine and Pam Willison reported that people volunteered over 140  hours to help cut the nonnative common buckthorn.  
  • Before the next Board meeting, the Education Committee will meet to complete the Education Strategic Plan for next year, and the Finance Committee will meet to complete the 2022-23 budget. 

Wings Across Big Sky Registration Open

 Registration for our annual festival is now open through Montana Audubon’s website. They have a PDF of the brochure and a physical registration sheet for those who want to print out a hard copy. Let Laryssa Rote know if you have any questions (contact info below).

Link:  https://mtaudubon.org/outreach/montana-bird-festival/

Laryssa Rote
Communications Specialist 
Montana Audubon
814-336-4739
laryssa@mtaudubon.org

Flathead Audubon’s new Endowment Fund

Flathead Audubon has established an Endowment Fund for the future of our chapter. The Fund is held at the Whitefish Community Foundation. This is a first step toward a goal of complete sustainability for Flathead Audubon. Watch your newsletter for a series of short articles explaining an Endowment Fund, beginning in our Fall issues. Meantime, if you have any questions, please talk to one of the board members or officers. 

Great Fish Community Challenge

Flathead Audubon is applying again this year to be part of the Great Fish Community Challenge. We will not know whether we have been selected for participation until mid-June, which is after the mailing of your last Pileated Post until fall. If we are chosen for the Great Fish Community Challenge this year, we will let you know by way of a Flathead Audubon Fly-by. So, make sure you are signed up to receive the Fly-by! To sign up, go to the the front page of our site, and fill in your information in the form under “Stay Updated…” way down the page. 

Flathead Forestry Expo

Flathead Audubon will be part of the annual Family Forestry Expo’s Family Day on Saturday, May 7th. Our exhibit will be located near the Wildlife station along with the live raptors from Wild Wings Rescue. The Expo is a week-long event for Flathead Valley 5th-graders, But on the last day,  families are invited to participate. This year, Audubon will be concentrating on activities about one of our most common and most amazing families of birds, our four kinds of Chickadees — and the amazing value of birds to human beings. The expo is located just over two miles north of the Highways 2 and 40 intersection, just off of Halfmoon Road on Tamarack Lane. It’s a great (and free!) all-day event.   

The 13th Birds of Prey Festival! – Save the Date!

Saturday, September 17th, 9 AM to 2 PM at Lone Pine State Park
(Finally, after missing 2 pandemic years!)