MONTHLY PROGRAMS

HSV Audubon Society meetings are held the second Friday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at the Coronado Center. Instead of the usual morning meeting, in July we honor the Ecology campers and their families with an evening potluck; there is no meeting in August.

2013 Programs

June 14: Ms. Erin Leone will give a presentation about the Interior Least Tern.

Erin Leone is an Endangered Species Biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Conway Arkansas. She has done extensive research on the Least Tern to earn her Master's Degree and worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to develop nesting sites on sand and gravel islands in the Arkansas River. The terns scrape shallow nests in sandbars, preferably in the middle of a river, far from predators. There the female lays two to three pale eggs. Interior least terns nest close together, sometimes 30 pairs on the same beach, seeking safety in numbers. When a great horned owl or coyote approaches, the birds rise up in a noisy flock and chase it away with harsh cries. Though helpless at birth, the sand-colored chicks fly within three weeks and by September are ready to migrate to Central and South America for the winter.

July:  Ecology Campers Social

August:  No meeting

Sept 13:  Rodney Paul will present "Raptors".

Rodney Paul has been a speaker for HSV Audubon Society several times. He has always brought a program that was interesting and informative.  Rodney is one of the few government certified Raptor Rehabbers in Arkansas.  He always brings with him an assortment of  live birds of prey that he carries out into the audience for us to see, "up close and personal".  There will be opportunities to take photographs and to ask question about how he acquires the injured birds and what he does at his raptor rehab center in El Paso Arkansas, to rehabilitate the injured birds and return them to the wild.

October 11: Wilbur Owens will present "The Adaptations of Birds for Flight".

Dr. Owen graduated from the University of Arkansas with a doctorate in Biology, his specialty is Parasitology. He retired from the University of Central Arkansas after 37 years of teaching Biology, Comparative Anatomy, Parasitology, and Zoology. He now resides on Petit Jean Mountain with his wife Betty and is an avid crappie fisherman. Wilbur will discuss the characteristics of birds and the various modifications to the ten systems of the body that allow birds to fly. He will also cover the differences /functions of the various feathers on a bird.

In addition to all of Dr. Owen's accomplishments in the field of biology, he is an avid sports fan and is himself a member of the UCA Sports Hall of Fame for his Track and Field accomplishments as well as a member of the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame.

November 8: Tim Ernst will present an Arkansas Wilderness slide show .

Tim Ernst is Arkansas' Wilderness Photographer. He has been hiking, driving and crawling around the wonderful Ozark Mountains for most of his life, preserving photographic images he sees for everyone to enjoy. His photographs have appeared in hundreds of national, regional and local publications. Much of his time these days is spent teaching digital photography workshops in the Buffalo River Wilderness. Tim has also been a long-time outdoorsman and hiker. He founded and was the president of the Ozark Highlands Trail Association for 28 years.

Tim has been a speaker for the HSV Audubon Society, many times and as always, he will bring us a brand new slide presentation based on his newest picture book.  His trail guides of Arkansas, picture books, and individual photographs of Arkansas outdoors will all be on sale at a discount.

December 13: Dr. Dan Scheiman will present "Birds of Equador". 

Dr. Dan Scheiman's formative birding years and graduate research were supported by Audubon Chapters.“Now”, says Dan, "it is my turn to give back to the organization that gave me so much."Dr. Scheiman manages multiple federal, state and private grants aimed at improving bird habitat, improving water quality, controlling invasive plants, and engaging the public in conservation.  Education is also a part of his mission through presentations, bird walks, articles, workshops, and radio and TV interviews.  He received his B.S. from Cornell University, M.S. from Eastern Illinois University, and Ph.D. from Purdue University, all with an emphasis on ornithology.  He has worked for Audubon Arkansas since 2005 and has seen over 340 of 410 Arkansas's bird species.  In Jan. 2013 Dr. Dan went on a bird watching adventure to South America on the equator to see "Birds of Ecuador".  This country, located on the Western coast of South America has a wonderful diversity of climates ranging from tropical to high mountains that extend up to 20,702 feet.

Meeting Minutes