What’s a “catio”? Come and find out

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Vashon Audubon, the Vashon Nature Center, and Catio Spaces of Seattle are co-sponsoring the VIPP Catio Tour on Saturday, Sept. 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Join us to learn all about the benefits of providing an outdoor enclosure for your feline companions.

The tour includes five catio sites where you can view a variety of safe outdoor enclosures for cats (cat + patio = “catio”). Catios protect not only the pet, but birds and other small wildlife as well. These permanent catio structures range from frugal to fabulous, and are in various locales around the island, from the VIPP cat shelter near Burton to closer to the North end.

Tickets cost $10 per person (children free) and may be purchased before the event at VIPPCatioTour.BrownPaperTickets.com, or on the day of the event at the VIPP cat shelter, 12200 SW 243rd St., Vashon. You will receive a map for this self-guided tour.

The event will be held rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Sturdy walking shoes are encouraged. 

You will be asked to sign a participation waiver before the event.

Search for Salmon

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Join us at the Vashon Land Trust Building on Thursday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m., to learn about Vashon Island streams and all they have to offer. The program is free and open to all.

For decades, local volunteers have informed our knowledge of Vashon Island salmon and the health of local watersheds. At this program, Vashon Nature Center Director Bianca Perla will share highlights from several of these long-term community science projects. Come and learn about what volunteers are doing and what we can do to help our local salmon populations thrive.

This program is made possible with support from the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust and Vashon Nature Center.

Call for photos for our 2020 calendar

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Do you have a great photo of birds on Vashon Island? We might have a place for it in the 2020 Birds of Vashon-Maury Island calendar!

This popular annual calendar raises awareness of local birds and showcases the work of local photographers. Proceeds from sales help support Audubon programs.

If you have a photo you’d like to contribute, please submit it by August 30, 2019.

We’re looking for:

  • Photos taken on Vashon-Maury Island or surrounding waters
  • Excellent photo quality
  • Photos that do something special—tell a story, show birds in action, convey a mood, show detail that makes you say wow!
  • Overall good range of types of birds
  • Overall good range of island photographers represented
  • Photos for all months/seasons

Submittal instructions
Submit digital photos by emailing them to vashonbirds@comcast.net by Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.

Files should be in JPEG format, sRGB colorspace. The ideal finished size for a main calendar page photo is 11” wide x 8.5” high at 300 DPI (3300 x 2550 pixels). If you have a wonderful image that doesn’t meet these size requirements, feel free to submit it; it might work. We also use smaller photos throughout the calendar. Photos should not have watermarks.

Please include the photographer’s name, address and phone number in the email. List each photo submitted and identify the bird species and when and where the photo was taken.

Download the calendar submission guidelines »

A committee of photographers and birders will select photos for the calendar. If your photo is chosen, we will notify you.

We assume that photographers whose photos are selected are giving Vashon Audubon nonexclusive permission to publish their photographs in the calendar and promotional materials. Photographers must own all rights to any photos submitted. Photo copyright will remain with the photographer. Photographers will be credited and will receive a free calendar.

The calendar will be sold at Vashon Audubon programs, local stores, and on our website.

Questions? Contact Sarah Driggs, vashonbirds@comcast.net or 206-408-7051.

2018-2019 Annual Report

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Thanks to member support and participation, Vashon Audubon had notable accomplishments in 2018-2019:

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100% clean electricity by 2045! Audubon members and others, seen above with Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, successfully advocated for legislation to reduce carbon emissions.

PGVolunteers surveyed Pigeon Guillemots at Point Robinson in collaboration with Vashon Nature Center, contributing to our region’s understanding of these birds.

We also conducted the annual Christmas Bird Count and our popular monthly birding field trips.

Paul Bannick wowed a standing-room-only crowd as he shared his amazing photos of owls at the Vashon Theatre. Three other programs this year focused on climate change and native plants for birds.

Our updated website, vashonaudubon.org, enabled users to join or renew membership online, submit comments and questions, and find an array of birding resources.

PurpleFinch-StephenDaly-ann-mtg-2Talented young photographers—along with seasoned shutterbugs—contributed to our 2019 Birds of Vashon calendar. Stephen Daly’s Purple Finch was our April bird.

 

4th-grade-drawings-breeze-way-croppedAudubon participated in Chautauqua Elementary School’s 4th grade birding program, as we have for nearly 25 years. We presented educational programs and led a field trip. Artist Bruce Morser led the students in creating bird paintings that livened up the VCA breezeway.

 

Financial and membership reporting for the year ending April 2, 2019

Finances
Income $10,684
Expenses $7,593
Savings $6,073

Membership
Households 179
Individuals 283

2018 Board members

Julie Burman, President
Scott Anderson, Vice President
Fran O’Reilly, Secretary
Lindsay Hofman, Treasurer
Sarah Driggs, Communications Chair
Randy Smith, Conservation Chair
Steve Macdonald, Membership Chair
Dana Hofman, At-Large
Carol Eggen, At-Large

Key volunteers

Michael Tracy and Michael Sperazza, Programs; Ezra Parker, Field Trips, CBC, and more; Harsi Parker, Education; Richard Rogers, Facebook

Vote for our 2019-2020 board of directors (only Vashon Audubon members may vote)

Go birding and make a difference!

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Are seabirds in the southern Salish Sea increasing or decreasing in numbers? Which species are changing their range? Help us find out. The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a community and citizen-science project managed by Seattle Audubon that empowers volunteer birdwatchers to gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations across the southern Salish Sea.

You can contribute to this vital seabird science by joining the 13th season of this exciting project. We are now recruiting enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to help us monitor the status of our local wintering seabirds. Training on survey methodology will be provided at Fort Ward Park, Bainbridge Island Thursday, September 19, 2019, or at Fort Worden Park, Port Townsend Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

Volunteers should ideally be able to identify Puget Sound’s seabird species and be available on the first Saturday of each month, October through April, to conduct a 30-minute survey. But, if determining between Lesser and Greater Scaup is a challenge, we’ll team you up with more knowledgeable surveyors. To help us determine each volunteer’s seabird identification skills, visit www.seabirdsurvey.com to take our quick, fun Seabird ID quiz.

Learn more, including training locations, at http://www.seabirdsurvey.org and email Toby Ross, Senior Science Manager tobyr@seattleaudubon.org if you would like more information or to take part.

Mew Gull photo by Mick Thompson

Join us on June 13

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Come to our annual meeting on Thursday, June 13, 7 p.m. at the Land Trust building.

We’ll be toasting our founding president Emma Amiad and celebrating all the people who started Vashon Audubon and sustained our chapter for 30 years.

You’ll see images of past and recent activities, enjoy refreshments, visit with old friends and meet new ones.

We’re advocating for birds on many fronts

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Vashon Audubon advocates for conservation policies that benefit birds and our environment. It’s been a busy winter/spring on that front.

In January, several Vashon Audubon members went to Olympia to lobby for environmental legislation. We joined Audubon members from around the state, as well as quite a few other folks from Vashon representing other groups. The 100% Clean Electricity bill (SB5116) was one of our priorities, and we are thrilled that the legislature passed this bill—the strongest clean-electricity bill in the nation.

The Vashon Audubon board voted to support the Vashon Parks Levy. The Park District is responsible for critical bird habitat, including Fisher Pond, Point Robinson, and Fern Cove.

The King County Council is considering a countywide parks levy, which would go on ballots in August. This levy would replace an expiring levy that was last approved by voters in 2013. The Vashon Audubon board voted to support this levy. Resources from King County parks support critical bird habitat on Vashon and elsewhere in the county.

Finally, we submitted comments on the SEPA process for the proposed Tramp Harbor Shellfish Project. We are not taking a position on the merits of the project, as there isn’t enough information right now to make that decision. But we are concerned that the environmental scoping documents ignored the presence of many wintering birds in that area. The documents made almost no mention of birds, and we are asking the County to correct that deficiency. We need to understand what impact the shellfish growing operation might have on those bird populations.

For more information, contact Conservation Chair Randy Smith at randy.vashonaudubon@gmail.com.

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