Page 4 - St Paul Audubon Annual Report

Education
Big River Journey
Members of Saint Paul Audubon Society have been involved with this National Park Service field trip program for ten years, thanks to the efforts of Barbara Lindeke. The program gives 4th and 5th graders the opportunity to learn about the Mississippi from park rangers and others. In the 2019-20 school year, more than 5,000 students signed up for the Fall and Spring trips, but the Spring trip was canceled. Learn more at bigriverjourneyonline.org.
Wild River Journey
With a goal of increasing our presence in Washington County, board member Nancy Uppgren contacted the St. Croix River Association (SCRA) and the result was the creation of a new program, Wild River Journey. Jaime Souza, of SCRA, developed the curriculum based on the Big River Journey field trips and recruited the National Park Service and the DNR to present the program. About 100 4th-graders from a local school attended the first program in May 2019, riding on a large paddlewheel boat on the St. Croix and learning about the flora and fauna associated with the river.
Monthly Speaker Series
Members of the Program Committee, led by Stewart Corn, recruited a full year of monthly speakers for 2020-21 and arranged for them to present online, via Zoom. Scheduled at the time when we would have had our monthly chapter meetings, the presentations give us the opportunity to come together, even if only remotely, while learning from a wide range of experts on topics related to birds and their habitats. The presentations are also available on our website any time.
Advocacy
Advocacy Committee
The Saint Paul Audubon Society has not been directly active in advocacy actions for several years, although several members have participated on the advocacy committees of other organizations. However, we are now establishing an Advocacy Committee to create a direct voice for birds and conservation in Ramsey and Washington Counties. In particular, we would like our views to be considered by the Metropolitan Council, Ramsey and Washington County Parks Departments, and the numerous cities in our region. Please contact Donn Waage (donnw@yahoo.com) if you would like to participate on this committee.
Board of Directors
The 2019-2020 Annual Report of the Saint Paul Audubon Society was published by the Board of Directors in November 2020.
The editor and primary writer was Martha Douglas.
Saint Paul Audubon Society is a chapter of the National Audubon Society, Inc.
Barbara Lindeke Rick Pankow Nancy Uppgren
Donn Waage, President
Jane Braun, Vice President
Martha Douglas. Vice President, Communications Kiki Sonnen, Secretary
Jim Stout, Treasurer
Louise Eidsmoe Rebecca Flood David Kuhlmann
Officers
ST. PAUL AUDUBON SOCIETY P.O. BOX 7275
ST. PAUL, MN 55107