march 2000 prairie falcon northern flint hills audubon society

8/9/2019 March 2000 Prairie Falcon Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society

1/6

TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE PPPPPRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE FFFFFALCONALCONALCONALCONALCONNORTHERNFLINTHILLSAUDUBONSOCIETY

P.O. BOX1932, MANHATTAN, KS 66505-1932

VOL. 28, NO. 7 MARCH 2000

Butterflies:The Flying Flowers of the Air

7:30 p.m.Wednesday, March 15th, 2000Rm. 1014, Throckmorton Hall

Before each program we invite our speakers to join us for an informal dinner and

discussion. Feel free to join us this month at Marco Polos. We will meet for dinner at5:45 p.m. The program begins at 7:30 PM. Refreshments are served after everymeeting. Please bring your own cup. All meetings are open to the public.

BEGINNING BIRDWATCHING WALK Join us Saturday, Mar. 11th, and every second Saturday at 8 a.m. in the Ackert/Durland parking lot on the KSU campus. We will carpool to a local birding hotspot,and should return by about 11 AM. Birders of every age and interest level are welcomed;children are especially encouraged to attend. Call Dave Rintoul, 532-6663 or e-mailhim at [email protected] for more information.

Field Trips

Jim earned a bachelor of science degree in Biology from the University ofKansas in 1975 and has worked for the Wichita Department of Park and Recreationsince 1978. In 1988 he began working as a naturalist with the Wichita Wildprogram and currently is a staff naturalist at the Great Plains Nature Center. Jimalso created and maintains the Internet web site for the GPNC. He is a member ofthe Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, the Kansas Natural Resources Council,the Kansas Wildflower Society and the Ark Valley Butterfly Club. He served as anofficer in the last two organizations and is presently on the board of the KNRC.From October 1991 to July 1993 he contributed articles for the Kansas Sportsmanand the Kansas Wildflower Society newsletter. In1992, he was recognized as theDistinguished Young Professional by Region 6 of the National Association for

Interpretation.A Wichita native, residing in the Riverside area, he and his wife Helen own160 acres in Osage County, Kansas. They spend a lot of their spare timerehabilitating it and preparing it for their retirement.

JIM MASON Naturalist - Great Plains Nature Center

Jim will explore the basics of butterfly and moth life cycles, describe plantsthat attract butterflies to the garden and emphasize the importance of habitatpreservation to the continued existence of butterflies on the prairie.

CONTRIBUTORS

P. CP. CP. CP. CP. COHENOHENOHENOHENOHEN

T. MT. MT. MT. MT. MORGANORGANORGANORGANORGAN

D. RD. RD. RD. RD. RINTOULINTOULINTOULINTOULINTOUL

B. TB. TB. TB. TB. TATARKOATARKOATARKOATARKOATARKO

J. TJ. TJ. TJ. TJ. THRONEHRONEHRONEHRONEHRONE

INSIDE

2 M2 M2 M2 M2 MARCHARCHARCHARCHARCH BBBBBIRDINGIRDINGIRDINGIRDINGIRDING

3 P3 P3 P3 P3 PLANTLANTLANTLANTLANTOFOFOFOFOF MMMMMONTHONTHONTHONTHONTH

4 S4 S4 S4 S4 SKYLIGHTKYLIGHTKYLIGHTKYLIGHTKYLIGHT

55555 CCCCCONSERVATIONONSERVATIONONSERVATIONONSERVATIONONSERVATION

CCCCCOMMITTEEOMMITTEEOMMITTEEOMMITTEEOMMITTEE RRRRREPORTEPORTEPORTEPORTEPORT

5 G5 G5 G5 G5 GIFTIFTIFTIFTIFTSTOCKSTOCKSTOCKSTOCKSTOCK

5 K5 K5 K5 K5 KIDSIDSIDSIDSIDS PPPPPROGRAMROGRAMROGRAMROGRAMROGRAM

PRINTEDBY

CLAFLIN BOOKSAND

COPIES, MANHATTAN, KS


2/6

March 2000 pg. 2

MMMMMARCHARCHARCHARCHARCH BBBBBIRDINGIRDINGIRDINGIRDINGIRDING

DDDDDAVEAVEAVEAVEAVE RRRRRINTOULINTOULINTOULINTOULINTOUL

Most Americans today have notheard, and probably the majority has notheard of, the prairie chicken. An easternsubspecies, the Heath Hen, formerlyfound in grasslands and blueberry heathsalong the East Coast, has been extinctsince the last one died on MarthasVineyard in the 1930s. A southernsubspecies, the Attwaters PrairieChicken, formerly found in Louisianaand Texas, is confined to a few breedingpairs in dwindling habitat along the Texascoast. But in the heart of its historicrange, the Flint Hills, we can still findreasonable populations of this chunky andengagingly bizarre cousin of the commonbarnyard fowl. Some of their leks (displayand mating grounds) are vanishing,however. The newest water tower in theManhattan area, south of Marlatt Avenuenear the Colbert Hills Golf course, wasbuilt smack in the middle of a prairiechicken lek. Not a good idea, but progress

and economic development wield a prettyheavy hand around here, it seems.

But where leks still have notgiven way to progress, the greater prairiechicken males will make their way to theirtraditional booming grounds, where theywhile away the morning hours with foot-stomping, booming enthusiasm. Most ofthe more sensible females, on the otherhand, will forego the pleasures of thiscompany until April or May, when theweather holds more promise for egg-layingand chick-raising. If you are driving about

the Flint Hills early in the morning, andhear a resonant, other-worldly ca-O-O-O-O, H-O-O, H-O-O coming from anancient buffalo wallow, dont panic. It isntreally a return visit from the aliens whoallegedly built the pyramids; it is just abunch of Tympanuchus cupido engaged inthe gallinaceous equivalent of malebonding. Later in the month the lesserprairie chickens (Tympanuchuspallidicinctus), which are found in the

southwestern part of Kansas (and parts ofCO, NM, OK and TX) will start boomingtoo. The lonely wild music of theseprairie grouse is perhaps a vanishing soundon this planet, so try to get out and hearthem this year.

Other interesting things happento our resident birds this month. Winterflocks of meadowlarks (both western andeastern) start to break up and form pairs.Eastern bluebirds begin to explore nestingcavities, so if you have a bluebird trail youshould get out there and clean out thoseboxes. Great blue herons will clatter theirbills at each other, steal sticks from theirneighbors, and build their bulky sticknests in preparation for egg-laying at theend of the month. Maybe this year theherons at Tuttle Creek State Park will beallowed to raise their young without theexcitement of either boat drag races ortorrential flooding. And, near the end ofthe month, great horned owl eggs will

hatch to produce the first avian entrants inthis years race to reproduction.

But the big story in March is notwhat the resident birds are doing inKansas. Rather it is migration, thatmystical and moving phenomenon thatbrings birds back through here everyspring. Duck migration will be fullyunderway by the end of the month, andthe gorgeous nuptial plumages of some ofthe most spectacular waterfowl in theworld will be on display for the discerningKansas birdwatcher. A visit to Quivira

NWR, or just to your local reservoir,might be rewarded with sights of northernpintails, northern shovelers, hoodedmergansers, redheads, wood ducks, ring-necked ducks, or green-winged and blue-winged teal. Sandhill cranes will also bepassing through Kansas; I ache in anticipa-tion of the sight and sound of a flock ofsandhills wheeling and bugling in acloudless March sky on their way toSiberia via Kansas, Nebraska, and points

north. Bald eagles will be massing on thelocal reservoirs in preparation for depar-ture to Canada; by the end of the monthbald eagles will be a rare sight indeed.

They will be replaced by eagle wanna-bes;turkey vultures will arrive by mid monthand will spend the next few weeks hangingout on old barns and hoping for warmdays and thermal updrafts.

Among the smaller birds, purplemartins will put in an appearance by theend of the month, just in time to feast onthe flocks of mosquitoes and midges,which have already appeared on warmafternoons here. Eastern phoebes will soonbe wagging their tails on sheds and porchoverhangs. American woodcocks have put

in early appearances locally in March inprevious years; most of these wall-eyedlittle birds will wait until April to passthrough Kansas, however. These and otherbirds will be available for your viewingpleasure this month, and April should beeven better. So get out there, take thekids, and enjoy some of the best thatMother Nature has to offer.

(2000) Dave Rintoul

Someone wrote that the prairie chickens booming was of great comfort tothe pioneer. I cant imagine why. Many things can be said of prairie chicken noise, butby no measure is it a comforting, civilized sound. It is a lonely, wild sound made by alonely, wild bird. It has the quality of an ancient wind blowing across the smoke flapof a wickiup companion noise to an Indian courting flute and the drum of unshod

pony hooves on bluestem sod. In all of modern America, there is no more lost,plaintive, old-time sound than the booming of a native prairie chicken.

John Madson, Where the Sky Began (1982), Houghton-Mifflin, Boston, MA.


3/6

March 2000 pg. 3

PPPPPLANTLANTLANTLANTLANTOFOFOFOFOFTHETHETHETHETHE MMMMMONTHONTHONTHONTHONTH

TTTTTHOMASHOMASHOMASHOMASHOMAS MMMMMORGANORGANORGANORGANORGANThere was an old silver maplebeside the graveled parking space in frontof my house in Manhattan, KS. Thebureaucrats informed me that the onlyway for me to keep the parking area was tocut down the maple and cover all of thearea with concrete. The tree was

becoming ancient, even though noweakness could be seen in its youthful-looking limbs. Its bark was decorated withyellow lichen, and strips of bark werepeeling back. The old tree had a facade ofstrength, but as I walked among its crisp,fallen yellow leaves, I knew that its life wasover.

I wanted to take responsibilityfor this final decision, and I certainly hadno desire to pay someone else to cut downthe tree, so I began to remove the tree,limb by limb. I did not feel comfortableclimbing high above the ground, so I

removed each limb, while standing onterra firma. I shot an arrow trailing alength of orange twine which trailed ayellow rope. At the end of the rope, Iattached a spare chain from a chain saw. Iattached another rope to the opposite endof the chain, and pulled first on one ropeand then the other, sliding the hardenedsteel of the cutting teeth into pale fibers ofwood.

I had cut several branches thatafternoon and my arms were tired, but Icouldnt stop now. The sun had set, andthe cutting chain was three quarters

through a branch. I looked for cars on thestreet. Then I pulled the cutting teethinto the wood. Suddenly I heard a carapproaching from the west. The limbbegan to creak. It bent towards the streetand began to fall. My world narrowed asmy awareness was centered in the motionof the falling branch, the whoosh of itsfalling, the crackling crash of contact withthe street and the disturbed dustshimmering in the light which must bethe glare of the cars headlights. I walkedover to the womans window and saw herhands clutching the steering wheel tightlywith her knuckles turning white. She didnot look towards my sweat-streaked visage,

but instead violently threw the gearshiftinto reverse, and backed off.

The limb fell the wrong way,because I had faced the teeth in the wrongdirection. As a result, the hinge of uncutwood had forced the limb to fall towardsthe street. I had attempted to change the

direction of the fall with a rope, of course,but my ability to control it by force hadbeen severely limited by the position of thehinge. I guess I was raised to believe that aman must find a way to get the job done.But as much as I hated to ask for help, Ihad to ask. Leon Hendricks came over tohelp after I asked. He went up the tree aseasily as if he had been walking a trail withhis chainsaw gripped in his left hand. Hehitched a rope around the branch, aboveand below the site of the proposed cut.His hands were so quick that I didnt quiteunderstand. He later told me that he had

made a half hitch on either side. Then hemade his cuts and withdrew the saw. Thebranch didnt snap from the force of itsown weight. No, Leon had the fine touchof an artist. He touched the branch lightly.It fell and the rope jerked it back before ithad a chance to gain momentum. It hungthere, slowly swaying, a veritable prisonerof the man. I looked at it dangling there,and couldnt help thinking that on manyoccasions, I also have been a prisoner ofthis man, as I listened spellbound to histales. If I could tell tales like Leon, I couldexpress my love for the world much moreclearly.

The trunk of the maple was onlyabout 8 foot tall. After Leon removed thebranches, I asked Ted Hopkins to help mecut down the trunk (because my saw wasnot long enough). When we felled thetrunk, we discovered that the trunk washollow, and there were thousands of ants(Camponutus pennsylvanicus) in the hollowplace. I cant remember whether the antscrawled out before we loaded the wood onTeds truck. These black carpenter ants aremainly nocturnal, probably to avoid beingeaten by birds.

After that, I grubbed up thestump with a mattock and an ax. This wasthe kind of work that poor people do

because they must. I did it,because I was too bone-headed to quit. Iwill always remember my surprise when Icut the last root and turned the stumpover, and the flat smoothness of thebottom bark was exposed to the light. I

had read that silver maples have no taproots, but reading that is different fromturning over a stump with your ownhands. I grubbed up the roots also,because I was afraid that the drivewaymight become unstable when the rootsrotted away. The driveway is level to thisday, but not as aesthetically pleasing as thecrispness of fallen leaves.

In Manhattan, KS, a nativehabitat for silver maple is located besidesthe Linear Trail in the flood plain of theBig Blue River. Maples that survive therecan inspire respect. The wood of the

survivors is brittle, and when the tree is hitby the force of a flood, the branches maybreak, and thus prevent the shallow rootsfrom being yanked out of the earth. Afterthe flood subsides, the roots send up newsprouts. Seeds fall to the ground in earlyMay and take root immediately in moistsoil. Characteristics which limit theusefulness of this tree to people are thevery characteristics that are most valuableto the tree itself. Silver maples bloombefore redbuds bloom, and winter-starvedcritters may find sustenance for both bodyand soul in the buds and blossoms of thismaple. The fertilized blossoms createstructures with paired wings known assamaras.

The word, samara, has the soundof magic for me, as if the samara couldmagically move into my soul. The seedswithin a samara are wonderful food. Theyare often an important food for breedingwood ducks, particularly when thebreeding pair nests in a cavity within themaples trunk. The seeds are eaten bymany critters including finches, grosbeaks,squirrels, and me. I shucked some seedsand boiled them last April. They tastedwonderful even without salt. Theburgundy colored water which was leftover from cooking was especially flavorful.

I just got back from exploring and paddling in Ecuador. Great start to the new year! Stunningly beautiful people and rivercanyons. My group ran the Rio Cosonga a very steep Class IV, much like Island Creek in the Obed-Emory watershed in CentralTennessee; Rio Quijos mostly Class IV Ocoee-style water on the lower sections. I also paddled in the Amazonian area near Tena onthe Lower Mishualli-Upper Gauley type run, with a 45-min. portage around a gnarly cataract. The dollar is very strong down there,beer-$.40, nice sweaters-$6, and most meals-$2-3. Lots to do besides paddling. I will be coordinating another Class IV paddlers tripJanuary 2001, with Larry Vermeerens group- an expert Colorado paddler, and also a trip for non-Class IV paddlers. For moreinformation contact Thomas J. Hittle, P.O. Box 83, Manhattan, KS 66505-0083 or email him at [email protected].

Padding in Ecuador (2000) Thomas Morgan


4/6

March 2000 pg. 4

SSSSSKYLIGHTKYLIGHTKYLIGHTKYLIGHTKYLIGHT

PPPPPETEETEETEETEETE CCCCCOHENOHENOHENOHENOHEN

Looking ahead, mid-March to mid-April, welcome to a busy transition zone,with quite a rare gala at the end. The moonturns full on the 19th , sharing the sky withthe daylight half-and-half, for the 20th is theequinox, coming a calendar day earlier thanusual because we lingered an extra, leap yearday in February. I have a vision that in thebroad daylit sky on the other side of theearth some crossarms along the celestialequator will flash bright red, long white gates

will hinge down, and that redball express, thesun, will come boiling along its ecliptic right-of-way (its apparent path across the sky) andthe moment it touches the equator incrossing it, spring will be delivered to thenorthern hemisphere. Thatll happen at 1a36(timetable shorthand for 1:36 a.m.) inKansas, so the only overhead excitement wellsee is whatever the still bright moon allows.

But as Old Man Moon wanestoward April the Big Dipper will brightenhigh overhead in the evenings, emptying itsbowl in a kind of spring cleaning, while

winter constellations try to march down thewestern sky toward a summers rest. As usualthey have trouble getting Taurus to go. Withthe Pleiades twinkling on his shoulder and

Aldebaran, the right eye in his V-face,sparkling even more colorfully in the denserlower atmosphere, he resists backing into thetwilight like a bovine rodeo star reluctant tobe hazed out of the arena. Big Orion keeps

crowding him along however, as the Big Dogwith Sirius, the brightest eye of all, leaps

helpfully close behind. From above themthe pentagon thats Auriga the Charioteer,followed by the long rectangle of theGemini Twins, help herd the Bull too, likeoutriders in the sky.

Eastward, that great mixedmetaphor of a backward question mark andtriangle (massive head and trim hips), Leothe Lion, is springing higher every evening,

while Bootes, that long-bodied, kite-shapedPlowman, flies right behind. The small half-circle of the Northern Crown (or CoronaBorealis) follows Bootes like a silvery bullet,and in the rear, arms and legs seeminglygoing in all directions, comes Hercules,making sure this parade keeps moving.Moving much more shyly, Virgo appearsbelow (to the south of) both Bootes andLeo. Her most visible stars can be seen as aletter F on its back, thus she resemblesCleopatra traveling on her barge, withtrailing legs extended eastward and arms

waving upward. Her bright star, Spica,decorates her navel and can be reached bydiving off the end of the Big Dippershandle to Arcturus at the lower end ofBootes, and continuing that arc to Virgosmidriff. Below Virgo flutters Corvus theCrow, a squashed square slightly larger thanLeos triangular hips.

Then as the thinning moon growsever more shy, we reach April and the eye-pleasing farewell party of the three planetsbegins. Theyve been separately enlivening

the sky each night for months, travelingspread out single-file with Mars reddish

wink in the lead. Jupiter, shining hisbrightest, has been about half a sky behind,and Saturn, yellower and milder than

Jupiter, a hands width more or less behindthat. But as April arrives with dark eveningstheyll gather much closer in the west,combining sparkles to produce a juxtaposeapparently not seen for nearly 80 years, andnot due again for another 20.

In the twilight of April Foolstheyll be a lively group scarcely wider than afist. On the 5th , sharp eyes with a low

western horizon will see some subtle pizzazzadded to the picture as a new sliver moonappears just beneath them in the sunsetglow. On the 6th Jupiter will slip into closed

waltz position with Mars, less than a fingerswidth separating them, while quite close-bySaturn and a slightly more muscular crescentenjoy a slightly more open embrace. Then atmid-month the three planets form a rousingvignette within the focus of half a fist. Afterthat Jupiter and Saturn drift lower eachevening, disappearing in May.Astronomymagazine says the next such party will beMarch 26, 2020, though no other sourceIve found mentions this.

The morning show during thisperiod features Scorpio settling to rest after aswim along the southern horizon that beginsabout 1 a.m. on March 15th , thence aboutfour minutes earlier each night. On April 2nd

theres a chance to attend a different, dawnparty as the waning crescent moon pauses

just under and to the right of Mercury withVenus a little more than a fist to the left.(c) 2000 Peter Zachary Cohen

Look, Grandpa! she shouted amouse! I got a glimpse of a small, brown ballracing across the lawn. No, I said, it was abird, a Winter Wren How can it be a bird,when it was running like this? I sure saw herpoint. The Wren was flying only an inch abovethe ground with wingbeats so fast, you couldnot follow. Here in wintertime you got to beon your marks to catch sight of this very

special little fellow. But they are around allright. Not at the open, not at the feeders, butforaging on their own along hedges, in thethickness of undergrowth and along the fences.Being so small is an advantage when it comesto finding insects and spiders tugged away forwinter where other birds have to give in. Butthere is a disadvantage as well. Being smallmeans loosing body temperature faster. A hardwinter with below zero temps (Celsius) willdecimate the population. Why not migratesouth like any other insectivorous? Mygranddaughter knew why: It can not stand to

Winter Wren - Denmark Birder

run all the way ! Make no mistake now. Thetiny Winter Wren has an enormous ego. Themale Wren is a macho guy. When I went outto refill the feeders and left the door open, ourlonghaired young Persian Cat showed herselfin the door. She dared not go more than acouple of feet outside - never been allowed -and hid herself under our garden table. Theusual gang disappeared. But out popped the

Winter Wren from the closely entangled wiryweb of the large Clematis, aggressively scoldedthe cat and moving around agitated, closerand closer to the confused cat, showing norespect. Get out of my territory! Whenspring comes he changes even more character.Singing with a truly surprising force - hisentire body visibly vibrating with energy - heoften chooses a wide open spot and tellseverybody: here I am, here I rule. At the sametime he starts building nests - thee-four-fivedifferent places. He forms the foundation andinvites the ladies to have a close look. Being

the king of the undergrowth, he believes he is entitled tobigamy. When a female agrees to a spot, she gets anothersong, and he will finish the nest. Quite an engineer, thisWren. The nest is closed, forming a large roundconstruction of moss. The final touch is carried out byboth sexes, using feathers and other soft material. This isno easy doing. With a bodyweight of only a few grams,he can not shape the nest, unless the material is moist.So rainy days are when he is most active. If a dry spell

sets in, you can see the Winter Wren dipping nestmaterial in birdbaths. Five to eight eggs are laid, andhaving two, even three females in his kingdom, he sureis preparing the survival of the species against nextwinter. The Winter Wren may be small, but he isstanding tall when it comes to defending what hebelieves is his.

Ole Post Hillerod, Denmark, [email protected]


5/6

March 2000 pg. 5

TTTTTAKEAKEAKEAKEAKE NNNNNOTEOTEOTEOTEOTE

IMPORTANT NOTICE: TheManhattan City Commission will meetMarch 7, 2000, to consider and vote onproposed changes to the Growth Visionportion of the Comprehensive Land UsePlan. The Growth Vision Statementreflects the values of the community andits vision for the future growth and

development of Manhattan. Members ofthe Conservation Committee will speak toour concerns with some of the proposedchanges. PLEASE ATTEND THEMEETING TO SUPPORT YOURCONSERVATION COMMITTEE ANDNFHAS BOARD. You will not be asked tospeak, but we need a show of support forour positions. For more info: Janet Throneat 776-7624 [email protected]. Themeeting will be at 7 pm at the ManhattanCity Hall, 1101 Poyntz Avenue. Thankyou for your support.

NFHAS is sponsoring a childrens educational program Audubon Adventure Outing with Wonder Workshop March 16th

and 17th . There are four outings or field trips planned for each day 9 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. These coincide with parent teacherconferences and are prior to spring break. Each outing will last 2 hours. One Audubon leader and one assistant is needed for eachouting. Each group will have a maximum of 12 kids ranging from 1 st to 6th grade. The following people have volunteered their time -BUT we still need one more volunteer for both morning and afternoon sessions on March 17th .

March 16 9:00 a.m. Dave Rintoul and Dolly Gudder 1:00 p.m. John and Beth TatarkoMarch 17 9:00 a.m. Gerald Weins and ??? 1:00 p.m. Dusty Becker and ???

The purpose is to expose kids to Audubon and outdoor adventuring. Wonder Workshop will advertise the program and register thechildren as well as provide two vans. We will help underwrite the cost (snacks, transportation, time, and advertising). If you are aparent and want to bring your own children that would be great. If you have other ideas on how to make this project a success let meknow. For example, where can we get binoculars? Contact BethTatarko

The Manhattan Parks andRecreation Board has approved thedevelopment of Manhattans newest park,North East Community Park. NFHAS hascommitted to planting a restored prairie

area (28 acres), developing a birding/walking trail, and planting one acre ofnative trees in the woodland area. We willstart this spring, and volunteers will bemuch appreciated! For more info, contactLeann Harrell, 494-2556.

Work has begun on a new project the identification of environmentallysensitive areas in Riley County. Thisinformation was requested by AnnFeyerharm, Riley County Planner, and willbe included in the countys GIS system foruse when zoning questions arise. JanGarton, Ann, and Hoogy Hoogheem have

completed mapping of the Eureka Lake,oxbow area (wetlands and riparianwoodlands) and will continue with otherareas in the coming months. Jan hopes tohave the mapping completed by April ofthis year.

Committee members continue torespond to proposed revisions to theManhattan Comprehensive Land Use Plan.The process began in March 1999 with arewriting of the Growth Vision part of theLand Use Plan. NFHAS has a stated

Conservation Committee Notes

Recently the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society was fortunate to receive a gift stock from the family of Cecil Best. Thefamily gave 70 shares to the NFHAS to provide support for the Cecil Best Memorial Trail.

The NFHAS has set up an account at Stifel, Nicholaus, and Company to handle this type of gift. Both the taxpayer and thenon-profit organization benefit greatly from the tax savings. For example, if you purchased some stock 3 years ago at a value of $2,000and today it is worth $10,000, you could save on taxes in three ways. First, by transferring the stock to NFHAS at a value of $10,000,you would receive a tax credit for your donation to a non-profit organization in this amount. Second, because you did not sell thestock you pay no capital gains on the $8,000 you earned over the three years you held the stock. Third, you have reduced your income,thereby paying less in state and federal taxes.

NFHAS benefits too. As a non-profit organization, NFHAS will not pay taxes when the stock is redeemed (and can hold thestock for future growth, redeeming it when the time is best). Today it is easy to transfer gifts of stock to non-profit organizations. Forthose interest in making a gift of stock, please contact Greg Barron at Stifel, Nicholaus, and Company for more information at 785-776-1066 or 1-800-776-6199. Beth Tatarko

NFHAS Recieves Gift of Stock

Audubon Adventure Outing for KIDS

position which has been submitted to citystaff, the Manhattan Urban Area PlanningBoard (MUAPB), and the CityCommission, supporting the changesproposed by the Citys CommunityDevelopment Department. TheManhattan Chamber of Commercesubmitted major changes to city staffsdocument, which we cannot support. Attheir Public Hearing on February 10th , theMUAPB directed CommunityDevelopment staff to incorporate theChambers suggested changes verbatim andforward the document to the CityCommission for consideration. The CityCommission will hold a Public Hearing onthis document on March 7th at 7 p.m., inCity Hall, and will vote on the documentat that time. Conservation Committeemembers will submit another written

statement and speak at the meeting onMarch 7th. With our comments we arehoping to convince the City Commissionto reconsider the changes that have beenincorporated by the MUAPB. For moreinformation, call or email Janet Throne at776-7624 or [email protected].

As part of our effort tocommunicate national and internationalconservation concerns to our membership,Karen Garrett will be offering issueinformation and letters to sign at our

general meetings on the thirdWednesday of each month. For moreinformation, contact Karen at P.O. Box555, Manhattan, KS 66505-0555, or byemail at [email protected].

Our next meeting will be onMarch 8, 2000 at 7 p.m. at the home ofKaren Garrett, 1607 Poyntz. If youd liketo join us wed be thrilled! Feel free to callme with any questions.

Janet Throne, Chair NFHAS ConservationCommittee 776-7624 [email protected]


6/6

Addresses & Phone numbers of Your Elected Representatives Write* - or call( (anytime)Governor Bill Graves: 2nd Floor, State Capitol Bldg., Topeka KS 66612. Kansas Senator or Representative _______: State Capitol Bldg., Topeka KS 66612, Ph.#

(during session only) - Senate: 913-296-7300, House: 913-296-7500. Senator Roberts or Brownback: US Senate, Washington DC 20510. Representative

________: US House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515. U.S. Capitol Switchboard : 202-224-3121. President Bill Clinton, The White House, Washington

DC 20500. Information about progress of a particular piece of legislation can be obtained by calling the following numbers: In Topeka - 800-432-3924;

in Washington - 202-225-1772. Audubon Action Line - 800-659-2622, or get the latest on WWW at http://www.audubon.org/campaign/aa/

RARE BIRD HOTLINE

Kansas (statewide): 316-229-2777

Kansas City area (incl. W.MO): 785-342-2473

Nebraska (statewide): 402-292-5325

Introductory memberships- $20 per year; then basic mem-bership is - $35 annually. When you join the Northern Flint HillsAudubon Society, you automatically become a member of the Na-tional Audubon Society and receive the bimonthly Audubon maga-zine, in addition to the PRAIRIEFALCON. New membership applica-tions may be sent to NFHAS at the address below; make checkspayable to the National Audubon Society. Renewals of member-ship are handled by the National Audubon Society and should notbe sent to NFHAS. Questions about membership call toll-free, 1-800-274-4201, or email to Betsy Hax at the National AudubonSociety ([email protected]).

Nonmembers may subscribe to the PRAIRIE FALCON news-letter for $10 per year. Make checks payable to the Northern FlintHills Audubon Society, and mail to: Treasurer, NFHAS, P.O. Box

1932, Manhattan KS 66505-1932.

Committee Chairs

Conservation: Janet Throne (776-7624)

Education: Beth Tatarko (537-0787)

Program: Alice Blecha (539-6643)

Fieldtrips: Dave Rintoul (537-0781)

Gerald Wiens (565-9282)

Patricia Yeager (776-9593)

Membership: Steve Amy (456-7053

Finance: John Tatarko (537-0787)

Public Outreach: Dolly Gudder (537-4102)

Land preservation: Paul Weidhaas (539-4805)Newsletter: Cindy Jeffrey (468-3587)

At-Large Board Members: Dusty Becker, Barbara Hilpman,

Phoebe Samelson, Jacque Staats,

Audubon of Kansas Chris Cokinos

President: Hoogy Hooghem (539-7080)

Vice President: Dave Rintoul (537-0781)

Secretary: Dolly Gudder (537-4102)

Treasurer: Jan Garton (539-3004)

Published monthly (except August) by the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society

Edited by Cindy Jeffrey, 15850 Galilee Rd., Olsburg, KS 66520 ([email protected])Also available on the World Wide Web at the URL http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/falcon.html

Northern Flint HillsAudubon SocietyP.O. Box 1932Manhattan, KS66505-1932

Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper

Non-profit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid

Permit No. 662Manhattan, KS 66501

NFHAS Board:Subscriptions:

Return Service Requested

march 2000 prairie falcon northern flint hills audubon society

Documents