MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
NOTE: OUR MEETING LOCATION HAS CHANGED! Unless noted otherwise below we will meet at the Oxford branch of the Lebanon Citizens National Bank, 30 Park Place West. This is on Main Street between Church and High IN OXFORD!
Car Pool--Bring A Friend!

Monday, September 2, 2002, 7:30 PM. Ron Austing, “Stalking Birds: Some of My Favorite Video Clips.”
World-renowned photographer Ron Austing’s still and film work has appeared in numerous magazines, books and movies. In the search of the very best material to represent the wonderful world of birds and nature Ron has braved the elements to capture photographically aggressive nesting Great-horned Owls, threatened and secretive Cerulean Warblers, and elusive Least Bitterns. His bird videos are not to be forgotten.

Monday, October 14, 7:30 PM. Hardy Eshbaugh, “The Amazon: Paradise in Peril.”
Hardy Eshbaugh, retired Professor of Botany from Miami University, currently serves as vice-chairman on National Audubon Society’s Board of Directors and on the Board of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Locally he is involved with the Three Valley Conservation Trust. During the past twelve years Hardy has taught about, researched in, and led numerous trips to the Amazon basin in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Hardy has witnessed the many problems facing the Amazon--the richest biodiversity region anywhere in the world--and will share some of his thoughts about these problems.

Hefner Lecture at Miami University. Watch the newspapers for announcements!
Friday & Saturday, October 25 & 26, 2002. Bird Seed Sale Pick-Up at the Whistle Stop. Watch for our sale flyer and help support OAS’s conservation projects!

Monday, November 4, 2002, 7:30 PM. Agricultural Extension Office, 1810 Princeton Road, Hamilton. Chuck Holliday, “Liberty Township Parks: Green Spaces for a Population Explosion.”
Chuck Holliday is vice-president of the Liberty Township Parks Committee, Liberty Township representative to the Mill Creek Watershed Council, and Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors of OAS. His presentation is a study of problems a township faces balancing community development with the need for greenspace. Liberty Township is projected to be the largest “city” in Butler County by the year 2030 with a population of more than 80,000 people. As developers build new homes, they are more than eager to donate lands for community parks and greenspace. How do you pay the bills?

Tuesday, November 5, 2002. Election Day. Are you registered? Butler County voters will decide whether to support the BCRTA public transportation system with a small sales tax. Let your voice be heard, VOTE!

Monday, December 9, 2002, 7:30 PM. Bill Hegge, “The Fish and Wildlife Service and Present Directions and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Ohio.”
Bill Hegge is the Ohio Lands Coordinator for the Department of the Interior. He will discuss the role of the Fish and Wildlife Service in conserving important lands in Ohio with special emphasis on the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Ohio.
 

MORE CALENDAR:

Saturday, December 14, 2002. Christmas Bird Count.

January 15, 2003. Rosie Bloom Scholarship application due. Interested teachers contact Kathi Nickel at 524-4027.

Monday, February 3, 2003, 7:30 PM. Thane Maynard “Tales from the 90-Second Naturalist.”

Monday, March 3, 2003, 7:30 PM. Sarah Karpanty, “Aiza Biby’s Planting for the Future Project: Kids, Trees, and a Vision for International Conservation Projects.”

Monday, April 7, 2003, 7:30 PM. Laura Busby, “Audubon Centers in Ohio.”

Monday, May 5, 2003, 7:30 PM. Dave Russell, “Spring is Here! Are You Ready?”

FALL 2002 WEEKEND SPECTACULAR

The Indiana Audubon Society’s Fall 2002 Weekend Spectacular will include special presentations by best-selling author and world-renowned birder Kenn Kaufman. Programs will be held September 27-29 at Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary near Connersville, Indiana. Other events include: Michael Homoya, Heritage Botanist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, speaking about rare and elusive wildflowers of Indiana; bird hikes, bird banding demonstrations, live hawks and owls presentation, and book signings by Kenn Kaufman. Registration for adults is $15 while those under 18 are free.

For directions call 317-767-4727 for pre-recorded information or 317-823-7296 or 765-296-2065 with specific questions. The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary is located at 3499 S. Bird Sanctuary Road, Connersville, IN 47331.

BUTLER TRANSPORTATION STUDY UPDATE

The Northwest Butler Transportation Study has not held public meetings so far this summer. The most recent newspaper article reported the committee is looking forward to getting further funds for the study and will soon be narrowing down the various alternatives identified for western Butler County, including an Oxford by-pass. Keep informed at the Butler County Engineer’s Office’s website: <<http://www.bceo.org>>.

OUR EARTH IS FOCUS FOR MIDFEST INTERNATIONAL

Are you interested in world understanding, friendship, and peace? Then don’t miss Middletown’s MIDDFEST INTERNATIONAL, September 29 to October 6 at One Donham Plaza, downtown Middletown. For more information call 513-425-7707; e-mail <<middfest@siscom.net>>; or visit <<www.middfestinternational.org>>. If you are interested in singing for the Earth and peace along with 999 other uplifted voices , contact Chris Parker at 513-422-8642 or <<crsprkr@infinet.com>>.

The Earth Charter is the central theme for the science/technology sustainability exhibit as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Special Charter activities and displays include a dance rendition of the elements, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, smart growth, and waste reduction technology. The Earth Charter preamble and its sixteen basic principles will be displayed with copies available for endorsement.

Travel the world without leaving Middletown! See art and dance, hear music and lectures, and taste foods from Mexico, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Gambia, Senegal, South Africa, India, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and Canada.
--continued next page--
Local residents of all ages will showcase their own works of art and words to highlight their dedication to the principles of the Earth Charter. From September 30 through October 4, 1500 school children, whose teachers have received educational packets including the Earth Charter, will visit the exhibits with docents. On October 5 and 6 speakers and panels will discuss “Report on Rio + 10” and “The Earth Charter and Earth Covenant.”
--Chris Parker, OAS Member
See also<<www.Ark-of-Hope.org>> and <<www.earthcharterusa.org>>.

Thanks to Shirley Hall for investing in
Cheep Homes, the project that helps bluebirds find homes and kids find that they can make a difference.

BACKYARD WILDLIFE

At 28 bats I quit counting. Had worried a bit about whether there were any at all because last year the honeybees wanted to set up housekeeping in the same drainpipe hole under the second-story house eaves. We had dutifully sprayed ammonia, alcohol, etc., repeatedly to discourage the honeybees. Seemed like the bat activity slowed then, so I wondered if they had flown out - never to return. Everyone TOLD us we should plug up the hole entirely, but we couldn't bring ourselves to do that.

And here they are making their little twittering sounds. I've always been interested in what they are communicating. Is some bullybat trying to push another out, or is a parent scolding one for having not come home last night? Maybe they're letting each other know where they found abundance the night before. Do they all go outside at the same time . . . I mean, are there many more still up there waiting their turn to fly later, tomorrow, or next week?

No doubt my questions could be answered by some one or some book. I'm just really glad they're there.
--Debra Bowles, OAS Member
Got a wildlife tale to share? Contributions welcome: Newsletter, Oxford Audubon Society,
P.O. Box 556, Oxford, Ohio 45056
or e-mail <<sledward@brecnet.com>>.

POLLUTERS DON’T HAVE TO PAY

For more than 20 years, the ‘polluter pays’ principle has been a cornerstone of environmental policy. Not only has the principle made possible the cleanup of hundreds of the worst toxic waste dumps across the country, it also caused private industry to better manage its pollution and waste. . . .

Remarkably, that principle is now under attack. The Bush administration has announced that it will not seek reauthorization of the taxes levied on oil and chemical companies that go into the Superfund trust fund that is used to pay for cleanup of toxic waste sites.”
--Carol M. Browner, U.S. EPA 1993-2001
For complete article see <<NYTimes.com>> “Polluters Should Have to Pay,” 4 Mar 2002.

ASK FOR THE FSC LOGO

Going to remodel, build a house, or buy furniture? Help protect forests and the life they support by buying wood products from sustainably managed forests. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo certifies such wood. Also, salvaged wood from condemned buildings and demolition landfills can be of higher quality than from recent timber. Chipboard and other engineered wood products often have superior strength and can replace more aesthetic sawn wood in concealed areas.
--Condensed from Union of Concerned Scientists, GREENTIPS. Look under “Features” at <<http://www.ucsusa.org/index.html>>.

Thanks to all who responded
to the readers’ survey.
IF BIRDS COULD VOTE . . .

Maybe birds do vote--with their wings. As the climate changes, wildlife will move to where temperatures, rainfall, and food sources suit them. For instance, animals and some plants will move up mountains to survive. Of course, when there’s no more mountain to go up and the temperature is still too warm, the species is extirpated or becomes extinct. In flat country, species migrate latitudinally and depend upon reaching suitable habitat rather than being trapped by roads, subdivisions, and shopping malls.

Here are some species which may disappear from Ohio in the summer because of global warming:

• Flycatchers, alder, willow, least
• Swallows, tree, bank, cliff
• Chickadee, black-capped
• Nuthatches, white- and red-breasted
• Wrens, winter, house
• Catbird, gray
• Vireos, blue-headed, warbling,
• Warblers, blue-winged, yellow, chestnut-sided, magnolia, black-throated green, Blackburnian, cerulean, black-and-white, mourning, hooded, Canada
• Redstart, American
• Ovenbird
• Waterthrush, northern
• Tanagers, summer, scarlet
• Grosbeak, rose-breasted
• Sparrows, vesper, savannah, song, swamp, white-throated
• Junco, dark-eyed
• Bobolink
• Oriole, Baltimore
• Finch, purple.

GOOD EARTHKEEPING HINTS
Today’s broken flower pot or bowl is welcomed by a toad in tomorrow’s garden.
--Debra Bowles, OAS Member

THANKS TO . . .

Hardy Eshbaugh for getting this great meeting series lined up and to Dave Barrett for handling the details while Hardy is deep in a rain forest! OAS is extraordinarily fortunate to have access to such high-powered speakers. Bring a friend to share these opportunities to experience the wild world, and all it takes is getting to Oxford!

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

More than 90% of Ohio’s wetlands have already been destroyed, yet the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new water quality rules that would allow further wetland destruction by letting developers “replace” established wetlands with artificial ones even when dry sites are available.

Call Governor Taft at (614) 466-3555 and urge him to support strengthening, not weakening, wetland protection. Wetlands provide homes, nurseries, and rest stops for migrating and resident wildlife, reduce flood damage, prevent soil erosion, release water to rivers during dry weather, and remove sediments and pollution from our drinking water.

Wetlands are "waters of the state,” and to destroy one some kind of social and/or economic justification must be shown. The Ohio EPA is proposing to eliminate this protection for most wetlands, enabling developers to buy cheaper wetlands for private gain while the social benefits of the wetlands are lost to all Ohioans for all time. Requiring developers to build new wetlands to replace the old is a mere pretense, as both national and Ohio research shows that man-made wetlands are poor substitutes. The most recent national estimate is that 80 percent of "mitigation" wetlands fail to replace natural wetlands destroyed by development.
--Condensed from National Wildlife Federation’s July, 2002, Action Alert. For more information see <<www.nwf.org/wetlands>>.

WEBS OF THE WEEK:

The new website Audubon at Home gives simple ways to protect our environment by starting with our own impacts in our homes and yards. See <<http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/>>. Current topics include “Reduce Pesticides,” “Rethink Your Lawn,” and “Learn How to Garden for Birds and Other Wildlife.”

Watch out for Butterflies!

Report your monarch butterfly sightings at <<www.learner.org/north>>.

Clip this and discuss it with a young person you care about:
IS SMOKING WORTH THE COST?
A Center for Disease Control report released in April, 2002, concluded that:
Tobacco addiction kills 442,000 Americans yearly.
On average, smokers lose approximately 14 years of life (not to mention enduring years of pain before death).
Smoking costs society $7.18 per pack in health care costs and lost productivity.
For more info, see <<www.smokefree.org>>.

BIRD SEED SALE

Buying your bird seed from OAS will support our conservation and education projects. Watch for the flyer to come to you if you are a past customer, or contact Marlene Hoffman at (513) 523-3074. Pick-up dates are October 25 and 26 at the Whistle Stop, 304 West Collins, Oxford.

Help OAS continue to improve the birdwatching area at the Hueston Woods Nature Center, showcasing to hundreds of visitors a year simple options for creating wildlife habitat at home. Don’t need bird seed but want to help anyway? Keep our new treasurer busy by sending donations to John Blocher, Oxford Audubon Society, P.O. Box 556, Oxford, Ohio 45056.

LIZ WOEDL ELECTED

OAS will have to share our Liz Woedl with the National Audubon Society as she has been elected to represent the Great Lakes Region on the NAS Board of Directors. Congratulations, Liz, and THANK YOU for all you do on the local, regional, and national levels!

GUESS WHO

They build in such creative places, like the motorcycle helmet hanging in the garage or under the deck on a suspended canoe. They’ve built their nest now in the bushel basket hanging from a rafter of the lean-to.

There was a pair which built there year after year, but then the snake took both that nest of eggs and the row of robin nests nearby. For a couple of years I had none and I missed them. Both adults bring bugs now so they must have little ones even though it’s only April 8. When I milk morning and eve, they sit close on the fence with their pert stature and striking white eye stripe. If I’m very early or very late, one may still be at the nest and will cling to the rim of the bushel basket and chatter away.

They have such distinctive habits. Often they flit about the wood pile and will actually dart between the logs. Same with the bird feeder made of horizontal gallon jugs--I see them squeezing their chubby little bodies between the jugs. And they are not satisfied to eat sunflower seed which flows out of the jugs but must scrape at the seed and pick through it as it moves by them. They are so personable. What would my world be without CAROLINA WRENS?
--Debra Bowles, OAS member

SEA WHAT YOU CAN DO
to protect the ocean and its residents at http://www.audubon.org/campaign/lo/index.html
13 SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO T TO AVOID HARMING WILDLIFE:

• 1. Raise your cat indoors and supervise your dog when off-leash, particularly in spring.
• 2. Hang streamers, place bird silhouettes, or allow window glass to be a little bit dirty wherever bird kills have occurred or where large expanses of glass may confuse them.
• 3. Educate children to respect and care for all wild creatures and their habitats. Children need to learn that wild animals are not playthings and should be allowed to go about their lives unmolested. Start with very young children by showing them nests, burrows, and other homes and explain how these are as important to the animals as the child’s home is to him or her.
• 4. Pick up trash, including fishing line.
• 5. Be alert when driving, especially near wildlife refuges and in rural areas. Rescue turtles (and snakes) when safe to do so by moving them off the roadway.
• 6. Leave uninjured young wildlife alone! Leave the area to let the parents continue their duties. If the young do not have their eyes open, return them to the nest if possible. See last issue of Fox Tales for details.
• 7. Place caps over all chimneys and vents on your roof to prevent critters from entering.
• 8. Do not leave fishing line, fish hooks or kite string. (Watch out for hooks when removing line, and watch out for electric lines at all times.)
• 9. Walk the area before mowing or rotortilling to locate rabbit or ground bird nests. It only takes a couple weeks for these babies to grow up, so be tolerant and give them little space and time. (Reduce pollution by mowing less often and leaving parts of your yard grow tall for wildlife cover.)
• 10. Make sure there are no active nests or cavity residents before cutting down trees. Leave dead trees if they pose no safety hazard, and they may provide homes for a wide variety of wildlife.
• 11. Use the least toxic, species-specific pesticide possible and only when you have a true pest problem. Always follow directions for use and disposal. Weed by hand. Only 3% of insects killed by bug zappers are mosquitoes while the rest are harmless or beneficial to humans. Zappers do attract more flying critters into your yard, so if you really don’t like sharing your yard with the flying things, unplug the zapper!
• 12. Collect motor oil in closable containers, and don’t leave oil pans unattended. Birds may fall into these pans and few survive. Soak up anti-freeze spills immediately with kitty litter and sweep up debris. Keep pets away from such fatal spills.
• 13. Do not attempt to raise or keep wildlife yourself. It is illegal, and captivity poses a constant stress to them. Young wild animals raised without contact with their own species fail to develop survival skills and fear of humans, virtually eliminating their chances of survival in the wild. Contact Hueston Woods Nature Center, (513) 524-4250 to help injured birds of prey or Second Chance Wildlife at (513) 875-3433 or (513) 624-9763 for other injured wildlife.

--Adapted from Wildlife Haven’s website: <<http://members.tripod.com/~wildlifehaven/13simple.htm>>. For more information see also the Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory at <<www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028>>.

LISTEN TO THE . . .
I grew up with mockingbirds in my yard and have enjoyed them for as long as I can remember, but I have never before witnessed anything quite like yesterday. A kingbird was minding its business, working a fenceline behind my house when a mockingbird flew to a perch 40 to 50 feet away from it and launched into rapidly alternating phoebe and wood peewee calls. Did it recognize that square head outline? Was it trying to drive away this invading generic flycatcher with song? Beats me.

After four or five rotations of flycatcher noises with no visible notice by the kingbird, the mocker switched to perhaps every other common song and call in the neighborhood. I recognized cardinal, blue jay, titmouse, house and Carolina wren, robin, and redwing in quick succession. It paused, then tried a couple more rotations of phoebe and peewee noises. Then it flew off. The kingbird never seemed to notice it throughout. I, however, was much amused.
--Dave Barrett, OAS Member

The American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2002 report, based on US EPA data 1998-2000, ranks CLINTON COUNTY as the county with the worst air quality in Ohio. BUTLER follows, with CLERMONT third. HAMILTON exports most of its air pollution and places 15th in the state.
--From “County Trying to Clear Air,” Hamilton Journal News, 2 May 2002.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
“Domestic usage of pesticides now accounts for the majority of wildlife poisonings reported to the EPA. David Pimentel, Professor of Entomology at Cornell University, estimates that seven million wild birds are killed each year {from} the aesthetic use of pesticides. . . . Most pesticides are generally not species specific, killing non-targeted beneficial insects and important pollinators and food sources . . . . Accidental . . . “drift” into aquatic areas is a common problem, causing contamination or loss of an important food source for other animals as well as humans.”
--from The Great Blue, Firelands Chapter National Audubon Society, July-August 2002.

MAKING EVERY DROP COUNT
Another summer, another drought. Fortunately we have access here to ancient ice sheet meltwaters protected--for the time being--from pollution in deep aquifers. And, unlike many countries where one in five children dies before the first birthday from water-borne illnesses, we have the physical and human resources to distribute clean water wherever we need it. (Thank the next water and sewer crews you see who repair those lines, often neck deep in mud and in the coldest and hottest weather.)

So appreciate your water and use it wisely:

• Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.
• Take sailor showers--turn off the water while soaping.
• Replace old toilets with low-flow models using only 1.6 gallons per flush.
• Make your next washing machine a front-loader, saving as much as 39 gallons per load. In the meantime run washers and dishwashers only when full.
• Fix leaks quickly. A drip a minute can cost you 54 gallons per month. A leaking toilet can cost 52,000 gallons of water a year.
• Use a broom, not water, to clean sidewalks and driveways.
• Plant drought-resistant, native plants.
• Wait to water until plants start to droop, then soak soil down to six to eight inches. Water trees before they are stressed enough to droop with a deep soak once per week.
• Water late in the evening or early mornings to reduce evaporation loss.
• Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses.
• Mulch around trees (staying four inches from the trunk) and flowers.

SOLID WASTE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE THIS FALL

Thanks to a grant from the Butler Solid Waste District, students in Butler County can start their school year by diving into garbage, compost, recycling, and other solid waste issues. The Environmental Mobile Unit (EMU) will provide hands-on programs such as making recycled paper for second graders to tracing the “life history” of a newspaper for fourth graders. Morris the Recyclasaurus can visit kindergarten classes and first graders can help the forest puppet animals save their trees by recycling and reducing waste. If you know a teacher, have him or her contact EMU at (513) 523-9849 or <<sledward@brecnet.com>>.

FOX TALES deadlines are the 15th of February, May, August, and November. Send contributions to Sharon Edwards, OAS Ed., P.O. Box 556, Oxford, Ohio 45056.