Current News & Events  




A REMINDER ABOUT AMAZON

If you shop on-line then the most convenient place to do so is Amazon.  While it began as a book seller ten years ago, today it sells just about everything, with a large selection of music cds, electronics and merchandise from Target, Office Depot and others.

Please remember that we, OVAS, are associates of Amazon.  This means that when you buy from them, but only by going through our website- www.oklawaha-audubon.org, and then clicking on the Amazon logo, your purchases earn a percentage for your Audubon chapter.

Anyone can shop by this method and generate funds for us, so please ask your friends and family to do so.  Amazon has something for everyone and in most cases, purchases of more than $ 25 are shipped free.

FLORIDA HOMETOWN DEMOCRACY AMENDMENT

You may remember this issue in 2004 and maybe signed a petition to put  it on the ballot then.  Unfortunately, due to a technical mistake in wording, the petition was rejected by the Florida Supreme Court..

It still needs to be done again, more urgently, and the new petition is cleared for acceptability by the courts.

The  need is to collect 600,000 signatures in order for it to be on the ballot in 2008.

We will provide copies of the petition in the next months but if you want to have the opportunity to read it, you can find on the web by going to: www.floridahometowndemocracy.com and you even download a copy.  It is not too early to begin this process, so don’t wait.

2006  Christmas Bird Count
 
Date:  December 15,2006      You may attend the whole day or half a day.  Call Peg Urban  (326-3868) for details.

April 24, 2006
Audubon Adventure Day

Oklawaha Valley Audubon, Lake County, Florida, celebrated its' 3rd annual  "Audubon Adventures" Day on April 19th.  9000 of "The Watery World of Waterbirds" were distributed to the 3rd., 4th. and 5th grade students.  Their 400 teachers received the class room resource manuel to accompany that newspaoer along with then Sunshine State Correlations provided by National Audubon.  Two of our members were able to make a 30 minuteDVD through the courtsey of the Lake Sumter Community College about our local waterbirds.  One was given to each school.  Both  our Board of County Com,missioners and Lake County School Board proclaimed 4/19 "Audubon Adventure Day". Through the kindness of our County and the Department of Public Works 's  thoughtful and talented graphiic designer, J. Droz (who used a photogrraph taken by one of our members) we had 2x3ft posters to display in the county's administtration building, the school's administration and in each of 22 schools.  An essay contest about "My Favorite Waqterbird" that completes the project  will be judged at county level and the winners known on May 15th.  The 3 winners will receive $50 and a trophy, as with the last two programs.  This year, The Heritage Boat Tours has offered a boat trip on Lake Eustis and thru the Dead River Canal to the winners.  Since the boat capacity is 32, we hope to be able to include all the winners, their parents and some teachers for upclose viewing of waterbirds.  We thank Audubon Adventures (especially Elaine O'Sullivan), Lake CountySchool Administration, Lake County Board of County Commissioners,LakeSumter Community College's television studio and all those who have contributed to our education fund and assisted with this.
The poster may be seen on the Audubon Adventure web site.  We included National Enviromental Education since it was 4/16-4/22
Mary Anderson, Chair, Enviromental Education, Oklawaha Valley Audubon
 
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  Peg Urban and Mary Remer
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March 14, 2006
World of  Waterbirds

April 19 will be our 3rd annual Audubon Adventure Day.   9000 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will receive and study the award winning Audubon Adventure environmental newspaper "The Watery World of Waterbirds",  Their 400 teachers will receive classroom resource manuals with Sunshine State Standard correlations for science, language arts and social studies.  These materials are published by National Audubon.  An essay contest on ":My Favorite  Waterbird" will follow their studies.  Proclamations to announce the Day and National Enviromental Education Week (4/16-4/22) will be issued by the County Commission of Lake County and the Lake County School Board.  OVAS, National Audubon and the County Commission are sponsoring this event in partnership with the Department of Education

President's Message

In what, no doubt, will be another difficult year for life in Florida, we can take strength in knowing that there are some 35,000 Audubon members in the state.   We can all participate in some way to support Audubon's mission-  "To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and earth's biological diversity."
Jerry Bohmann

  December 30, 2005

2005 Christmas Bird Count Results

On a cool and quite windy Dec 16, 62 birders or observers counted 108 species of birds.  The observers included seven people from Unique Birders of Ocala, 23 from the Village Birders and 32 from OVAS/Trout Lake.  The number of species is down from 115 last year.  The total number of birds seen has not been calculated yet as it takes a while to complete the chore.  It can be reported that Bob Rogers would like to change the name of Emeralda Marsh to "Cootsville".  If you wait until mid-February and then go on the internet to Audubon.org/bird/CBC you should be able to find all the CBC information for our count circle which is known as FLEM (Florida Emeralda Marsh).   Many thanks to all who participated.--Mary Remer & Peg Urban

Click the following to find the bird count on the Audubon website:
Bird Count


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