Fund-Raiser for the New Hope Audubon Society
I will take pledges for each species group counted. If you wish to donate a dollar for each reptile I count and 10 reptiles are seen during count day, total donation is $10.00. Below is my average totals for each group, to help guide your donation (weather can affect numbers seen). Flat dollar amount donations will also be accepted.
Donations can be remitted after the event upon notification of the results. Checks will be payable to New Hope Audubon Society. Included below is a description of where your wildathon contribution goes.
Here is a list of what species I will be counting, and an approximation of species totals for each group.
Birds 80-110 species
Mammals 8-12 species
Reptiles 8-12 species
Amphibians 8-12 species
Butterflies 18-25 species
Odonates (Dragonflies and Damsels) 15-20 species
Fireflies 3-7 species
I will also tally Moths, fish, blooming wildflowers and other critters.
Anyone interested in donating contact me by EMAIL at cbockhahn4@earthlink..net or 528-1690.
If actual species counting or donation soliciting is not your forte, please volunteer to help with other aspects of our fund-raiser, such as dissemination of information, including posters and fliers, follow-up for pledges, etc.
New Hope Audubon Society Wildathon Pledge Form
Name ___________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
City _______________________ State _______ Zip ____________ Phone _________________
____ My tax-deductible gift of $_____________ to support the Wildathon effort is enclosed.
Please make checks payable to New Hope Audubon Society.
____ I pledge $__________ per species identified by the ________________________Team.
(Team leaders will be listed in the newsletter).
____ A matching gift is enclosed. My company name is___________________________, and matches my charitable gifts.
Signature ____________________________________
Mason Farm Biological Reserve
What is now the Mason Farm Biological Reserve and surrounding lands were willed to UNC by Mary Elizabeth Mason (great-granddaughter of the first settler of the area, Mark Morgan), and her husband, Rev. James Pleasant Mason. The land, given in memory of their only heirs- their daughters- who died of typhoid fever in their early twenties, passed to UNC in 1894. Mason Farm supports around 50 research projects and fieldwork for 10 - 20 different undergraduate courses each year. It also provides great enjoyment to local naturalists, including New Hope Audubon Society and Chapel Hill Bird Club members, many of whom congregate yearly to watch the Woodcock mating displays. Mason Farm is an area of such concentrated study because of its diversity of wildlife. Three areas within Mason Farm have been nominated (but never approved) for the NC Natural Heritage Program- the Big Oak Woods, the Shagbark Hickory Forest and the Rhododendron Slope. The entire Reserve has recently been nominated as an Important Bird Area; an official announcement of this designation will be forthcoming. These and other diverse habitats, including wetlands of various types, open fields and edges, support 65 species of butterflies (out of 78 found in the entire country), 215 avian species (one less than the entire country), mammalian predators including the bobcat and 100 species of other vertebrates. Even longtime frequenters of Mason Farm need to stop and remind themselves of how truly important this place is to all of us as adjacent areas continue to encroach. It is one of the last large, undeveloped areas remaining in the Piedmont. There are fewer places for the bobcat to roam, and Mason Farm continues to be one. Despite all of these impressive statistics, the only funding the Mason Farm receives from UNC is for road upkeep. The dollars you give will go toward open field maintenance, new construction and repair of benches, addition or replacement of interpretive guide posts and fences, and registration materials.
North Carolina Coastal Islands Sanctuary
The Audubon Society began protecting coastal birds in North Carolina in the very early 1900's, when plume hunters had nearly wiped out many of our species. The practice of killing birds for their feathers has long since vanished, but equally devastating problems associated with coastal development and a rapidly growing human population threaten many birds. National Audubon recognized this threat and launched the North Carolina Coastal Islands Sanctuary program in 1989 to acquire and protect habitats critical to the survival of wading birds and seabirds. Today, Audubon's Coastal Islands Sanctuary includes 20 islands between Cape Fear and Cape Hatteras that support more than 60,000 nesting seabirds and wading birds. Walker Golder, the Sanctuary's one full-time employee, must (with volunteer help) count nests, monitor the sanctuaries, raise money to support the sanctuary, keep trespassers away, coordinate research and management projects, and work to acquire new sanctuaries. That's where we come in. The money we raise assists him in these endeavors. And his work is paying off. Fully one-half of the nesting seabirds and wading birds on the coast of North Carolina nest on Audubon Sanctuaries. Audubon recently restored 7 acres of nesting habitat on Wainwright Island, which now supports 1600 nesting pelicans and 11,000 nesting terns. Since Golder began posting Battery Island, the number of nesting ibises has doubled to almost 18,000. Golder says, "Thanks to our conservation efforts along the coast, many water birds are doing well. All they needed was a little help- and I'm glad New Hope Audubon was there to assist."
The last third will go to processing the data and contributions received.
Falls Lake Birding Trail --- Butterfly Trail --- Dragonfly Trail
Wildlife Checklists for all NC State Parks - searchable databse
My Falls Lake site with other outdoor activity information and park stuff!