Dear Friend,
Greetings from Montana Audubon!
Ahhh...February! The month of love - a time when we are still adoring our Montana winter visitors like the beautiful Bohemian Waxwing and the regal Rough-legged Hawk! Here at Montana Audubon, it's also a month of civic engagement, planning field surveys and preparing summer educational programs.
The Legislative Team is keeping a close eye on several bills moving through the legislature that we don't love. But we are optimistic about positive bills and conservation rallies convening at the Capitol, when participants will celebrate their love for Montana through their vital civic engagement. Long-billed Curlew surveys are coming up in April, and the Science Team is looking for citizen volunteers to participate. Rosy-Finch surveys are ending soon, but you can still help due to the few sightings that have been reported to date. Audubon Conservation Ranching is helping ranchers deal with drought, while Montana Audubon Center continues to offer winter programs and plans summer educational opportunities for you and your family.
Read on to learn more - and show your love for Montana by participating in these great opportunities with Montana Audubon!
Yours in Conservation,
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Larry Berrin
Executive Director
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Six Weeks In! February Legislative Update |
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More than six weeks into the 68th Legislative Session, Montana Audubon has been working on a broad array of legislative measures, including negative bills that suggest the removal of teaching scientific theory from K-12 curriculum (fortunately tabled in committee recently), those that would tax renewable energy and electric vehicle charging stations, and ones that would stifle local control over climate solutions and clean energy. House Bill 170, which would gut Montana’s energy policy, passed through the house on party lines at about the same time that Senate Bill 147, a positive step to create state energy standards, was tabled in the Senate Energy committee.
Fortunately we are able to support a few positive bills that allocate Fish, Wildlife & Parks habitat program funding, recognize soils as an important resource, and increase funding for the migratory game bird program. Under current habitat planning scenarios, projects like Habitat Montana, Future Fisheries, Migratory Game Bird Program, and Upland Game Bird Program would be fully funded for the next two years, supporting a slew of new state land projects.
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These really great events are coming up, so mark your calendars!
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Rally for Public Lands - February 23rd, 2023 - RSVP online here
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Conservation Lobby Day - February 23rd, 2023 - RSVP on Facebook or contact Peter
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Conservation Lobby Day - March 15th, 2023 - RSVP on Facebook or contact Peter
Finally, you can join us to learn more about our legislative priorities at the February, March, and April meetings of the Last Chance Audubon Society in Helena (2nd Tuesday each month).
We look forward to connecting, and thank you for your civic engagement!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out Amy Seaman (aseaman@mtaudubon.org), or Peter Dudley (peter@mtaudubon.org)
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Looking Ahead:
Join our 10th Annual Long-billed Curlew Survey!
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Each year around “Winter Wednesday,” the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, days get a little longer and chickadees a little louder. It also means that the return of spring and our citizen science projects are just around the corner. First up…our Long-Billed Curlew surveys!
An iconic species of Montana and the intermountain grassland basins of North America, Long-Billed Curlews have been declining across their range. Therefore more research on the breeding populations of Montana is critical to the long-term health of the species.
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Survey dates: April 8 - May 7 & May 8 - May 31
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Where Are the Rosy-Finches? |
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Rosy-Finches spend summers breeding around steep cliffs and snowfields on Montana’s highest peaks and typically swoop down to our valleys and foothills in the winter. It is not unusual for folks living in rural areas near Montana’s many mountain ranges to see large flocks of these beautiful mountain finches at their feeders, especially after big snow storms or during cold snaps. But interestingly, so far this winter, very few Rosy-Finches have been seen in Montana.
From December 2020 to February 2021 Montana birders reported about 75 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch observations, and from December 2021 to February 2022 about 98 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch observations were reported on eBird. So far, during the same time period in 2022-2023 (Dec. 1 through Feb. 10), only 6 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches observations have been reported. What’s going on with Rosy-Finches this winter? Where are they? Are we experiencing a sudden range-wide decline of Rosy-Finches or have populations that typically spend the winter in Montana temporarily shifted to neighboring states for some reason? At this point it’s too early to tell.
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ACR Helps MT Ranchers with Water Constraints |
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Water quantity is one of the biggest challenges to productive ranching in the Northern Great Plains of Montana. As of June 22nd, 2022, the US Drought Monitor indicated that approximately 91% of Montana is in D0 (abnormally dry) to D3 (extremely dry). The challenges to cattle ranchers are two-fold. A 1,500-pound cow drinks about 8 gallons of water per day, and ranchers need to purchase or produce enough hay and/or stockpile winter forage in the form of grass to feed their cattle throughout the long Montana winter. Hay becomes difficult to grow and more expensive to purchase as precipitation levels decrease. Audubon Conservation Ranching is working to help ranchers alleviate water constraints on their ranches.
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Center Update:
Playing in the Snow & Planning for Summer
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While we love playing in the snow and exploring icy ponds, there’s something magical about warm summer days spent climbing trees, exploring nature, and canoeing at the Center. It’s never too early to think about summer, right? Well maybe it is, but here at the Montana Audubon Center, we are already planning our summer programs. Summer Camp registration opens with a members-only early registration starting March 13th, 2023.
Drifting back from the warm thoughts of summer to our hot chocolate, many programs and activities are happening right now. Homeschool Science classes are taking advantage of the fresh snow during their Winter Ecology session. Preschoolers are enjoying the big kids (ANTS classes) back on-site to give high fives and explore with them. Preschool registration opens this month, and our lottery for the remaining spots occurs on March 1st. Our 10-month Master Naturalist Course registration also opens in February.
Upcoming programs include:
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New Moon Night Hike: Feb 17th at 6:30pm
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Nature Nuts: parent and toddler program every Tuesday at 10am
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Morning Bird Stroll: Marth 11th at 8:30am
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Weekend Wonders Family Program: March 11th at 10:30am
For more information and the full lineup of programs, visit our website.
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June 9 - 11, 2023
Heritage Inn, Great Falls
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Donate $100 or more and receive our new Wildlife Guide, or our popular Bird Guide. Give $200 or more and get both!
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