THE MADISON AUDUBON
NEWSLETTER
222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-BIRD / http://madisonaudubon.org
Cormorants in Green Bay
Perch and gizzard shad are popu-
lar on cormorants’ lunch menus. Is
this a problem?Over the past decade,
Green Bay’s perch fishery has plum-
meted while double-crested cor-
morants have thrived. Cormorants
eat fish, including perch, and a lot of
people are wondering whether hun-
gry cormorants are contributing to
the perch decline.
To help answer the question,
University of Wisconsin wildlife
ecologist Scott Craven and graduate
researcher Sarah Meadows are mid-
way through a two-year study of cor-
morant diets in the Green Bay area.
Cormorants were listed as endan-
gered species in Wisconsin until 1982
when the birds began to recover in
the 1970s following the ban on DDT.
The breeding population expanded
rapidly between 1973 and 1997, but
has recently stabilized.
Double-crested cormorants are cur-
rently protected under the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act, but the US Fish and
Wildlife Service recently issued a
Public Resource Depredation Order
that permits state wildlife agencies,
Native American tribes and USDA
officials in 24 states (including
Wisconsin) to control cormorants
Graphic Artist Needed
To be the graphic designer for the CAWS!
Knowledge of MS Word, layout and photo programs necessary.
Lots of praise and appreciation go along with this job.
Please call the MAS office, 255-BIRD, if you are interested.
Free Public Program
What: Sarah Meadows & Scott
Craven on Cormorants
When: Tuesday, February 15, 2005
7:00 p.m. - Refreshments
7:30 p.m. - Program
Where: NEW LOCATION!
Room 184, Russell Laboratories
1630 Linden Drive, Across
from Babcock Hall
Parking: Lot 36 on Observatory
Drive, west of Steenbock Library
without a federal permit. The birds
have caused serious problems for
catfish aquaculturists in southern
states, and aggressive cormorant
control programs are underway in
several parts of the country to protect
aquaculture industries and wild fish-
eries.
After analyzing the stomach con-
tents of 436 birds, Meadows conclud-
ed: cormorants eat fish – a lot of fish,
and nothing but fish. Meadows
found 80 fish in one bird’s stomach.
One had swallowed a 16-inch sucker
that weighed 1.5 pounds.
After a series of dismal hatch
years, Green Bay’s perch pulled off a
continued on page 3
OF THE
MADISON
AUDUBON
SOCIETY
February 2005
Audubon Society
Annual Banquet
Set for March 16
Join us in celebrating our Volunteers
of the Year and the Environmental-
ist of the Year at Madison
Audubon’s yearly Awards Banquet.
The evening will feature the Surly
Surveyor’s engaging interpretive
approach to surveying land, and the
Memorial Union’s famous
Heartland Buffet and Fudge Bottom
Pie for dessert. Keep an eye out for
your invitation in the mail next
week.
Where: Great Hall, UW Memorial
Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison
When: Wednesday, March 16. 5:30
pm ~ Silent Auction and Cash Bar,
6:30 pm ~ Dinner,
7:30 pm ~ Program
We are still accepting donated items
(weekend getaway at a family cabin,
gift certificates) for our silent auc-
tion. Please contact the office with
any donations, suggestions or ques-
tions.
Madison Audubon Society
222 S. Hamilton Suite 1
Madison WI 53703
(608) 255-2473
http://madisonaudubon.org
“Save the Date”
 Annual Audubon Membership
___New ___Renewal ___Gift
When you receive a renewal notice from
National Audubon use this form to renew and
thereby direct some of your donation to local
causes. Find your expiration date at the top
right corner of your address label.
Name for Membership:
NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE
EMAIL
___$20 special First-year New Member
___$15 Senior or Student – new or renewal
___$35 Renewal
__$40 Double Audubon Membership -
(New or Renew + Gift Membership)
___$15 CAWS newsletter subscription only
(Non-member)
Membership amount $_______
Additional contribution $_______
TOTAL Enclosed/Charged $_______
Please make check payable to:
Madison Audubon Society
Charge my __VISA __Master Card
Name on Card:
CARD #
EXP. DATE
SIGNATURE
___I do NOT wish to receive the
National Audubon magazine.
___Business/Corporate Membership
Please call the MAS office 608/255-2473
This is a Gift Membership from:
NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE
EMAIL
Z02 7xCH
Mail to: Madison Audubon Society
222 S. Hamilton St., Suite 1
Madison, WI 53703-3201
THE AUDUBON CAWS is published
September through June by:
Madison Audubon Society,
222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703,
(608) 255-BIRD (2473).
Birding hotline, 255-BIRM.
Madison Audubon Web Page:
http://madisonaudubon.org
E-mail: masoffice@mailbag.com
E-mail services donated by Berbee
Contribution deadline is February 7 for
the Marsh issue, for which items may be
sent to Lynn Smith at
lksmith@facstaff.wisc.edu
Audubon Members - Renewal Instructions
When? Please renew when your renewal date is within a couple months, or
when you receive a renewal reminder from National Audubon. You can
check your CAWS address label for your renewal date (e.g. JUN04). This
makes renewals simpler, and in the long run it will help cut down on
paper.
How? Renew your Audubon membership through Madison Audubon by
using the Membership Form in the CAWS or on the web at
http://madisonaudubon.org. Renewing through Madison Audubon
directs some of your contribution to efforts that benefit you locally, such as
Madison Audubon’s large habitat and prairie restorations!
Bonus! Please check Double Audubon Membership! when you renew. This
includes an Audubon Gift Membership for only $5 more! What a great
opportunity to introduce Audubon to a friend, relative, student, work
buddy, neighbor, or teacher! Thank you for helping Double Audubon
Membership, one member at a time!
March outdoors for these late winter fields trips
Friday, March 4: Night Owls
Al Shea will lead this evening trip to call and listen for winter owls at vari-
ous locations in Dane County. The trip will last three to four hours. There is a
limit of 30 participants. To join this trip, call the MAS office at 255-BIRD (255-
2473), leave your name, telephone number and how many people in your
group (maximum 4 people per group). Preference will be given to those who
have not previously been on one of his owl trips. The first 30 people to register
at the MAS office will be on the trip. A short waiting list will be kept in case of
cancellations.
Registered participants will meet at 7:00 p.m. in the UW Arboretum Visitor
Center for an introduction to owls by Al. Following the introduction Al and
other leaders will take participants on one or more hikes and a drive to Dane
County areas to listen and look for owls. Dress warmly as standing and listen-
ing for owls can be cold this time of year. Riders are expected to share expens-
es with car drivers. After registering at the MAS office, call Al at 825-6232 if
you have questions
Saturday, March 5: Late Winter Birds
The location of this trip will depend on the weather. Given warm weather,
we will bird parts of Dane and Columbia Counties searching for waterfowl,
Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs and other lingering winter birds. If there
is no open water in the area, we will visit Sauk City and watch eagles and visit
Devil’s Lake to search for Townsend’s Solitaires. If we visit Devil’s Lake State
Park, then field trip participants that drive will need a state park sticker.
Meet to carpool and leave at 7:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the Copps super-
market at the intersection of Allen Boulevard and Century Ave. (Hwy M) in
Middleton. Dress warmly as we will walk some and it is likely to be cold.
Bring binoculars and a spotting scope if you have one. The trip will last 3-4
hours. Call trip leader Aaron Stutz at 294-9618 or email him at agstutz@chou-
rus.net if you have questions.
MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY The mission of the Madison Audubon
President: Joanne Herfel, 241-8009 Society is to educate our members and
Vice-president: Debra Weitzel, 836-4051 the public about the natural world and
Goose Pond Resident Naturalists: the threats that natural systems are fac-
Mark and Sue Martin, 635-4160 ing, to engage in advocacy to preserve
Editor: Lynn Smith, 242-0933 and protect these systems, and to devel-
lksmith@facstaff.wisc.edu op and maintain sanctuaries to save and
Graphic design: Pat Ready restore natural habitat.
Printed by Roemer Printing
Cormorants . . .
continued from page 1
spectacular hatch in 2003, so fisheries
researchers are especially interested
in how many perch from that year
class are showing up in cormorants.
Scott Craven is chair of the UW-
Madison Department of Wildlife
Ecology. His research interests center
on wildlife damage control and
wildlife management on private
land. He is president elect of The
Wildlife Society. Sarah Meadows is
originally from Kansas. Her under-
graduate degree is from the
University of Otago in Dunedin,
New Zealand where she researched
reproductive physiology of seahors-
es and comparative foraging efficien-
cy of three species of native shags.
She is working on a Master’s degree
in Wildlife Ecology.
You are invited to join our speaker,
MAS board members and friends at
the pre-program dinner at Paisan’s
Restaurant beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Please call the office at 608/255-
BIRD (255-2473) if you have ques-
tions.
Next meeting: April 19, 2005
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our awards
banquet, Wings Over Madison, on
Wednesday, March 16, replaces the
March meeting.
Invasion of the vole
snatchers
Great Gray Owls, native to Canadian
boreal forest invaded northern
Wisconsin in search of food this win-
ter. About 100 were reported in the
Superior/Duluth area in January.
Pat Ready photo
Get Out This Winter and
Count the Birds In
America’s Great
Backyard!
Great Backyard Bird Count
February 18-21
From Friday, February 18, through
Monday, February 21, people across
North America are encouraged to
count the birds in
their “backyards”
and report them over
the Internet, as part
of the Great
Backyard Bird Count
(GBBC), one of the
world’s largest vol-
unteer efforts of its
kind. In addition to
its value as a research
study, the GBBC
allows people of all
ages and backgrounds to celebrate
birds and provide vital information
about North America’s birds.
This is the eighth year of the event,
developed and managed by the
Cornell Lab of
Ornithology and the
National Audubon
Society, with sponsor-
ship from Wild Birds
Unlimited store own-
ers. This year’s theme,
“North America’s
Great Backyard,” was
chosen as a way to
celebrate the beauty
of birds found across
the continent. You are encouraged to
enjoy the birds by going out into the
“Great Backyard” during any or all
of the count days and keeping track
of the highest numbers of each bird
species you see. A ‘backyard’ can be
anywhere you happen to be: your
backyard, a schoolyard, a local park,
the balcony of a high rise apartment,
or a wildlife refuge. You can then
report your sightings over the
Internet at
www.birdsource.org/gbbc
Last winter, as part of the Great
Backyard Bird Count, bird enthusi-
asts across North America submitted
almost 50,000 checklists totaling
more than four million birds of 512
species during the February count.
The event documented regional
declines of the American Crow that
may be the result of West Nile virus
in those regions. These crows were
reported in alarmingly fewer num-
bers in Illinois and Ohio, where
West Nile virus has had a strong
presence, backing findings from the
Christmas Bird Count and a winter
long citizen-science project, Project
FeederWatch. “This decrease may or
may not be related to West
Nile, but the situation is cer-
tainly something we need to
pay attention to,” says John
Fitzpatrick, director of the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Crows are very vulnerable to
the virus. Dark-eyed Juncos,
on the other hand, showed an
increase in the eastern U.S.,
perhaps due to the massive
snowstorm that hit the area
that weekend.
The Great Backyard Bird Count
website is full of tips of all kinds,
including information on bird feed-
ing; how to use binoculars; how to
make your yard bird-friendly; and
how to identify birds.
Educators and parents will
find useful suggestions on
how to conduct the count
with groups of children.
“Taking part in the Great
Backyard Bird Count takes as
little or as much time as par-
ticipants wish,” says
Audubon’s director of citizen
science Paul Green. “The
important thing is to just take part,
count for the birds, and enjoy North
America’s Great Backyard.”
Instructions for participating can
be found at
www.birdsource.org/gbbc. There’s
no fee or registration. Those who
would like to participate but who
aren’t online can try their local
library, a friend, or a Wild Birds
Unlimited store. Libraries, business-
es, nature clubs, Scout troops, and
other community organizations
interested in promoting the GBBC or
getting involved can contact the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology at 800/
843-2473, or the National Audubon
Society at
citizenscience@audubon.org or (215)
355-9588, Ext 16.
Share Your Conservation
Concerns with Your
Legislator:
Take Part in Conservation Lobby Day!
On Wednesday, February 16, conser-
vationists from across Wisconsin will be
headed to the halls of the Capitol for
Conservation Lobby Day. We hope you
will join us.
On Conservation Lobby Day, con-
stituents from around the state and rep-
resentatives from more than 35 conser-
vation and environmental organizations
will meet with every Assembly repre-
sentative and Senator, the Attorney
General, and Governor Doyle to discuss
our priorities for conservation policy
during the 2005-2006 legislative session.
These priorities are laid out in the
Wisconsin Conservation Briefing Book
2005-2006, which will be released the
same day. This book will be used during
the lobbying visits to outline our uni-
fied, two-year vision for good conserva-
tion policies in our state.
This will be an excellent chance to join
a lead person and other constituents in
visits to tell your legislator that you
value the protection of Wisconsin’s land,
air, and water. Please come and repre-
sent your community at this important
free event at the State Capitol. Lunch
will be provided.
If you can’t come that day, we encour-
age you to call or e-mail your legislators
that same day to let them know how
important conservation issues are to you
(you can choose from the following list
or others of your choice). Issues include
protecting our rivers, lakes, and drink-
ing water by reducing polluted runoff;
protecting pristine land and water by
maintaining the stewardship fund;
creating a balanced transportation
program; increasing hunting and fishing
license fees; protecting our health by
clearing Wisconsin’s air; saving jobs,
money and health by increasing energy
efficiency; preventing forest fragmenta-
tion; building better communities with
smarter planning; and more.
To sign up to attend or receive more
information, contact either Karen Etter
Hale, masoffice@mailbag.com,
608/255-2473, or Anne Sayers at the
Wisconsin League of Conservation
Voters, 608/661-0845,
anne@conservationvoters.org
How To Contact Your Elected Representatives
Federal (www.senate.gov or www.house.gov)
Senator Russ Feingold
506 Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington, D.C. 20510
202/224-5323 russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov
Senator Herb Kohl
330 Hart Senate Office Bldg, Washington, D.C. 20510
202/224-5653
To e-mail, go to kohl.senate.gov/gen_contact.html
Representative Tammy Baldwin (District 2)
1022 Longworth House Office Bldg, Washington, D.C. 20515
202/225-2906
To e-mail, go to http://tammybaldwin.house.gov/
Rep. Ron Kind (District 3)
Suite 1713 Longworth House Office Bldg, Washington, D.C. 20515
202/225-5506 or 888/442-8040
To e-mail, go to www.house.gov/kind
State (www.legis.state.wi.us)
If you don’t know your legislator or want to leave a message for any:
Legislative hotline (8 a.m.–5 p.m. M-F) 800/362-9472 or 266-9960
Senators
P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707
sen.lastname@legis.state.wi.us
Representatives
Last names A-L, P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708
Last names M-Z, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708
rep.lastname@legis.state.wi.us
Governor Jim Doyle
115 East State Capitol, Madison, WI 53702
608/266-1212
To e-mail, go to http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/contact.asp
County (www.co.nameofcounty.wi.us)
Or call your county courthouse.
Dane County
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk
Room 421, City-County Bldg, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd,
Madison, WI 53703
608/266-4114
falk@co.dane.wi.us
Your Supervisor, County Board Office
Room 118, City-County Bldg, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd,
Madison, WI 53703
608/266-5758
lastname@co.dane.wi.us
Local
Try the internet or call your local government office.
Goose Pond
Christmas Bird Count
By Mark and Sue Martin
The Poynette Christmas Bird Count was
held on January 1, 2005 and there was no
snow. Usually we both have assigned areas
to drive with short walks but for the first
time in 25 years we counted around Goose
Pond all day. Sue watched the feeders and
Mark, Curt and Arlys Caslavka, searched
the prairie and wetland restorations with
help from our secret weapon “Buck”, our
golden retriever. We also count birds seen
from the road in about a two square mile
area around Goose Pond.
We walked 5 miles and birded until 1:30
p.m. when the freezing rain began. We
walked the 6-acre food plot and the prairie
and wetland restorations. Twenty-one
species were found and 928 birds were
counted in the Goose Pond area. Tree spar-
rows were the most abundant bird with
285 counted. Most of the sorghum varieties
planted in our food plot did not have
mature seed due to the cool summer.
However, we found 70 of the tree sparrows
in the food plot. The next most common
species was a flock of 220 European star-
lings on the electric wires near a neighbor-
ing dairy farm.
Ring-necked pheasants were third in
abundance with 82 pheasants being found.
Without the help of Buck only about 25%
of the pheasants would have been found.
The sex ratio was about 1:1. Usually juncos
are as abundant as tree sparrows but we
found only 20 dark-eyed juncos.
At our feeders Sue recorded 11 species
including 1 Cooper’s hawk, 35 mourning
doves, 1 red-winged blackbird (male), 75
house finches and 22 goldfinches. The next
weekend with 9 inches of snow we had
about 150 mourning doves that were eat-
ing a lot of seed.
The prairie restorations provide excellent
habitat for small mammals and that in turn
provides abundant prey for raptors. Curt,
Arlys and Mark saw 2 northern harriers, a
pair of red-tailed hawks, 2 rough-legged
hawks, 1 American kestrel, and 1 great
horned owl being mobbed by 6 crows and
later 6 blue jays.
Overall it was a very rewarding day to
see the results of everyone’s hard work in
acquiring and restoring wildlife habitat.
We look forward to future Christmas bird
counts at Goose Pond. A summary of area
Christmas Bird Counts will be in the
March CAWS.
Acquisition Update
MAS acquired the 116-acre
Northern Prairie on Friday,
January 14
The project was the featured
article in the December CAWS.
The Audubon Board is glad to see
all the support and work come
together for this key acquisition.
As one of our major donors said
“this is probably the most critical
parcel that has been acquired by Brett Kirner, Joanne Herfel, MAS
MAS”. president, and Mike Rappat the clos-
ing of the Northern Prairie. Joanne is
Madison Audubon Society
presenting the check to Mike Rapp
thanks David Billing and Cindy
Draeger with Solheim Billing &
Grimmer for their excellent legal
work and Matt Simon with M & I
Bank for providing a loan that
allowed MAS to move ahead.
Our goal now is to raise funds
to pay off the bank loan. The
financial support to date has been
excellent. MAS received a grant
from the Knowles-Nelson
Stewardship program and will Some of the Madison Audubon
also receive a North American Society "team" that attended the clos-
Wetlands Conservation Act Grant ing of the Northern Prairie - David
(NAWCA). The property could Billing and Cindy Draeger with
not have been acquired without Solheim Billing & Grimmer; Matt
help from the state’s Knowles- Simon with M & I Bank; Joanne
Herfel, MAS President; Marsha
Nelson Stewardship program.
Cannon, MAS Grants Administrator,
By January 14th, over 200 indi- and Gene Woehler, Sanctuaries Chair.
vidual donations totaling about
$250,000 were received. The MAS Board thanks everyone who has con-
tributed to date and looks forward to raising the remaining funds to pay
off the bank loan.
Badger the Prairie Dog
By Mark and Sue Martin
Badger, our 15-year old
golden retriever passed away
January 7, 2005. Badger was a
true “prairie dog” and liked
meeting and greeting visitors
to Goose Pond. Over the
years, he made many good
“people” friends. Badger
enjoyed lying in the yard
watching and listening to the
birds and sleeping in the van.
He also enjoyed walks down
the drive first thing in the
morning and last thing at
night. He will be greatly
missed by us as well as the three resident prairie dogs, Buck, Shorty and
Rocky. We have contacted Badger’s breeder and hope to have a golden
pup by spring.
We Love Doners
(As of 12/7/04 - 1/10/05)
ACRE MAKER
Anonymous
Stephen Ashman estate
Tom and Kathie Brock
Curt and Arlys Caslavka
Dorothy Haines
John F. and Marlen K. Kaiser
Roma Lenehan
Martha M. Lound
Jerry R. and Jill E. Martin
Chris Whalen and Mike
McLain
In Memory of Betty Bunge
Liz Middleton
Ken Wood
In Memory of Susan Connell-
Magee
Marcia Connell
In Honor of David Musolf and
Roger Packard, and all of the
Faville Grove volunteers
David and Frances Tillotson
HALF-ACRE MAKER
Anonymous
David and Roberta Billing
Ann Burgess
James G. Coors
Dick and Jane Dana
Jim and Karen Hale
Richard and Carol Karls
Martin J. Nelson
Richard and Victoria Oberle
Mrs. Virginia Rogers
Theodore C. Widder III
In Memory of Susan Connell-
Magee
Kevin Magee
In Memory of Adolph and
Margaret Sime
Jim and Rose Sime
In Honor of Jeannie
Druckenmiller and Mary Young
Peter and Marsha Cannon
In Honor of Roger Packard and
David Musolf
Sarah R. Packard
GIFTS IN MEMORY
OF A PET
In Memory of Badger
Mark and Sue Foote-Martin
QUARTER-ACRE MAKER
Anonymous (several donors)
William & Gean Damm
John B. and Mary Ann Dillon
Tom McGregor and Anita
Gallucci
Michael and Trina Schuler
Meagan Yost
MY OWN VISION
Anonymous (several donors)
Thomas Ashman
George and Shirley Austin
Timothy J. Astfalk and
Donna A. Friedsam
Valerie Bailey-Rihn
Mark Ballering
Patricia T. Becker
Allan G. and Margaret R.
Bogue
William and Joan Brock
James Carson and Mary
Bumann
Barbara R. Cheppaikode
Jim and Sue Clapp
Robert and Nancy Dott
Frederick and Juanita Ehrke
Timothy Eisele
Lynn Entine
Theresa A. and Martin E.
Evanson
Kathryn Fahrenkrug
Betty S. Feldt
Allen N. Fitchen
Clifford Germain
Georgia Gomez-Ibanez
James P. and Laura Ward
Good
Gerald O. Gunderson
Emily J. Harris
Paul H. and Jacqueline M.
Hass
Lee and Yolanda Hayden
Michael and Carol Held
Rich and Kathy Henderson
R. Tod Highsmith and Joan
Braune
Susan Y. Hoffman
Richard and Josephine
Hosman
Susan Hundt-Bergan
John W. and Karen R. Icke
Mark. W. Jeffries
Sandy and John Keefe
Walter H. Keough
Todd and Ann Kiefer
Helen Klibaner
Philip B. Kress
John and Ginny Moore Kruse
Todd and Susan Kummer
Jean Lang
Phyllis K. Lathrope
Jack M. McLeod
Howard and Nancy Mead
Joe and Margo Melli
Karen Miller
Kevin and Sharon Milliken
William and Virginia Nelson
Tony and Darlene Nowak
Barbara A. Ostrowski
Betty Jane Perego
Margaret and David Peterson
Carol J. Poore
Nolan and Katarina Pope
Ellen Pryor
Robert and Elizabeth
Ragotzkie
John Reindl
Richard Roe
Matthew Rothschild
William Rowe
Susan Rudolph
Jerome and Veronica Saeman
Scott Sauer
Donald and Narcisa Schmidt
Donald F. Schultz and Joan
C. Deming
Thomas Shepherd
Julie Shiner-Bazan
Carl and Elizabeth Silverman
Jerry Simmons
Laura Smail
Neal and Diane Smith
Louis and Elsbeth Solomon
Gary and Karen Stults
Bob and Jeanne Tabachnick
John Thompson
Randy and Lisa Tiedt
Kay Voelker
Michael and Sarah Jane
Voichick
Susan & Bob Wallen
Nancy Washburn and Mark
Spring
Bob and Debra Weitzel
Barbara and Howard
Whitlock
Jeffrey M. Wood
Carol A. Worel
Suzanne Brockman Zeigler
In Memory of Susan E.
Bergquist
Jon R. Bergquist
In Memory of Mildred Campbell
Paul Rutecki
In Memory of Wanda Francis
Gerald and Jeanne Briggs
In Memory of Helen Hartman
Allen Holzhueter and
Kathryn Hartman
In Memory of Catherine
Clausen Karsten
Johanna Fabke
In Memory of Walter M.
Kugler, Sr.
Walter M. Kugler, Jr.
In Memory of Victor Martin
Marcella M. Martin
In Memory of Robert McCabe
Henry and Annrita Lardy
In Memory of Manetta Merrill
Richard Merrill
In Memory of Bernhardt and
Effie A. Peterson
Bernadine H. Peterson
In Memory of Tony Romano
John Romano
In Memory of Dave Schreiner
Patrick Ready
In Memory of Christina Sophia
Simone
Andrew Campbell
In Memory of Harold and Julie
Sullivan
Susan Sullivan Sweeney
In Memory of Grace Van Der
Sluys
Tom Burton
In Memory of Mrs. Mary
Walker
H. Lowell Hall
In Honor of Lucy Baker and Rob
Mayer
Jane Raymond and Bob
Moughin
In Honor of Jacob Evanson
Elizabeth M. Evanson
In Honor of Kathleen Flynn and
Marge Tiedt
Janet Flynn and Greg Tiedt
In Honor of Patrick Manning
Grace M. Bloodgood
In Honor of Mark Martin
Gary and Penny Shackelford
In Honor of Scott Sauer
Carla Wright
In Honor of O. R. Schmidt and
Claire Breihen
Marvin Jensen
In Honor of David Seligman
and Betsy Abramson and
Family
Jane Raymond and Bob
Moughin

Notes from Faville Grove
Winter is chainsaw season in the
restoration business. With no weeds
to pull and prairie seeds gathered
and planted for the season, it’s time
to remove the invading brush and
trees that have formed a plaque over
the once park-like savannas and
open woodlands in the Faville Grove
area, as across much of southern
Wisconsin, in the absence of both fire
and its post-European settlement
surrogate, livestock grazing. Our
goal is to eradicate all non-native
woody species and reduce the fuel
load from native, but invasive,
woody species to the point where we
can safely reintroduce fire as a man-
agement tool in all but the wettest
parts of the landscape.
This year, we went beyond chain-
saws as we stepped up the battle of
the brush, especially in the area west
of Faville Woods. First we had a six-
acre white pine plantation commer-
cially logged for paper pulp, opening
up a dry hillside better suited to
shortgrass prairie. Next, with finan-
cial assistance from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service through its Partners
for Fish and Wildlife Program, we
contracted to bring in equipment that
reduced standing 12-foot honeysuck-
le bushes to chips in mere seconds.
Another piece of equipment grabbed
10-inch diameter trees by the trunk,
hydraulically pinched them off at the
base, sprayed herbicide on the
stumps and carried the trees whole
to burn piles. Most recently, we
brought in more chain saws to han-
dle bigger trees as well as smaller
brush where the big machines
couldn’t venture.
With the removal of the invaders,
the stunning geologic foundation of
the landscape is reemerging. One
scarcely seems to walk or snowshoe
or ski over the high, gently mound-
ed, geologically young, recessional
moraine. One nearly floats. Soon, we
hope to see many grassland and
savanna birds floating over the area
once again.
At the east end of the sanctuary,
cutting has continued in the Brandt
Savanna as well, but here the emerg-
ing geologic formations are far older.
No sprightly 10,000 year-old moraine
here, but outcrops, creased and
worn, of metamorphic blue quartzite
more than 500,000,000 years old. On
a recent visit, we stood on the east-
ernmost outcrop of the rock forma-
tion that makes up the Baraboo
Range and enjoyed a newly opened
vista of our year-old wetland restora-
tion. Even in January, a small spring-
fed stream had cut a channel through
the snow. Large flocks of tree spar-
rows darted in and out of the snowy
vegetation, feasting on seeds and sip-
ping the flowing water, and a female
northern harrier floated low over the
restoration.
Snowshoers and scattered oaks
high on the rolling recessional
moraine at Faville Grove following
extensive brush clearing.
YES, I want to make
Madison Audubon Society’s
vision a reality. Here is my
contribution to the Wildlife
Sanctuaries Campaign.
[ ] Acre Maker. $2,000 or more to buy
and restore another acre of land.
[ ] Half-Acre Maker. $1000-$1999.
[ ] Quarter-Acre Maker. $500-$999.
[ ] Adopt An Acre. I pledge $100 a year
for three years ($300 total) toward
sanctuaries restoration.
Here is my first installment.
[ ] Nest Egg. I pledge $50 a year for three
years($150 total). Here is my first
installment.
[ ] My Own Vision. $ ____ to help as
much as possible.
[ ] My Gift. $ ____ for MAS Program
Support (I.E. Education & Newsletter)
Direct my gift to:
[ ] Where it will help the most
[ ] Endowment fund to restore and main-
tain the sanctuaries
[ ] Land acquisition at Faville Grove
[ ] Land acquisition at Goose Pond
[ ] MAS Program Support
NAME
ADDRESS
In Memory of
In Honor of
For Gifts Honoring Another: Send
Acknowledgement to:
NAME
ADDRESS
Contributions will be acknowledged near
the Madison Information Board at Goose
Pond as follows: $1,000 or more-name to
appear on a permanent plaque; $250-
$999-name to appear on engraved paving
brick.
[ ] Do not acknowledge in Madison
Audubon Society Newsletter
Make checks payable to:
Madison Audubon Society
Mail to: Madison Audubon Society,
222 S. Hamilton Street, Suite #1,
Madison, WI 53703
Gift is tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law. Madison Audubon
Society’s financial statement is available
upon request.
 Madison Audubon Society, Inc.
Joanne Herfel, President Non-profit organization
222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1 U.S. Postage Paid
Madison, WI 53703 Permit No. 1831
Madison, Wisconsin

2/05

See page 1 for details. Is it time to renew your membership?

See form on page 2 and help MAS.

Summer Internship in Restoration Ecology MAS Calendar at

Applications are being accepted for paid summer internships with a Glance
Madison Audubon and Prairie Alliance partners, including Riverland
Conservancy, Savanna Oak Foundation, St. Benedict Center, and the UW- Tuesday, Feb. 15: MAS monthly
Madison Arboretum. Interns are college students who gain hands-on expe- program
rience in broad scale landscape restoration and management. They work Friday, March 4: Night Owls
full-time during the summer on prairie, savanna, and wetland habitats at Saturday, March 5: Late Winter
various locations within 40 miles of Madison. A total of eight to twelve Birds
summer positions will be available, and some part-time opportunities
might be available during the 2005-06 academic year. Wed. March 16: MAS Banquet

Monday, February 28, 2005 is the application deadline. For details, contact
Marsha Cannon at 608/ 327-0129 or send e-mail to: MAS has an account at
the Madison Recycling
marsha.audubon@charter.net
Center on Fish
Hatchery Rd.

Volunteer Help Needed With Slides 612 W. Main St.,

Suite 303
A volunteer is needed to help transfer Goose Pond slides to digital using Madison, WI 53703
a scanner. Ideally the volunteer would have a scanner, however if we have (608) 256-1066
a volunteer with no scanner we would purchase or borrow a scanner. We
have many years of slides and need assistance in getting them onto a CD.
Contact Mark and Sue Martin for more information at 608-635-4160 or at
goosep@chorus.net.