THE MADISON AUDUBON

NEWSLETTER
OF THE
MADISON
AUDUBON
SOCIETY

222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-BIRD / http://madisonaudubon.org March 2005

MAS Awards Banquet - “Wings Over Madison”

Don’t forget about Madison
Audubon’s Annual Awards Banquet
and Silent Auction coming up
Wednesday, March 16! If you made
reservations, get ready for a fun
night featuring the Surly Surveyor
and WKOW-TV’s Christa Dubill as
emcee. Bring your checkbook - we
have some great Silent Auction
prizes, including an Owen Gromme
Swan Print donated by Karen Etter
Hale ($300 value), Eagle Optics
Audubon 8 x 42 Equinox binoculars
($230 value), a tour of The Shack for
ten plus a book and membership to
the Aldo Leopold Foundation ($205
value) and a Governor’s Club stay
for two donated by the Madison
Concourse Hotel ($159 value).
Environmentalist of the Year
Karl Legler will be awarded Madison
Audubon Society’s 2005
Environmentalist of the Year award
at the “Wings Over Madison”
awards banquet on Wednesday,
March 16.
MAS Elections
Elections for MAS officers will be
held at the general membership
meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2005.
Officers serve 2-year terms beginning
July 1, 2005. The nominating commit-
tee has proposed the following can-
didates:
President…………….....Joanne Herfel
Vice President…….......Debra Weitzel
Secretary..............................Sarah Hole
Treasurer……...............Ann Freiwald

Reserve Saturday, May 14 for MAS’ Big Birding Day! Snowy

Madison Audubon Society’s Annual Big Birding Day on Saturday, May 14 Owl visits
is rapidly approaching. Many birders in
Please save this date now on your calendar to participate in a fun event that the Madison area
were fortunate to
raises money for the Madison Audubon Society. In the past, proceeds from
see this snowy
this event have helped MAS protect new tracts of land. owl in February
Participants in teams ranging in size from 2 to 4 (or possibly more) focus on just north of
one of 4 counties: Dane, Columbia, Jefferson, or Sauk, to see how many bird Middleton. He
species they can find between 4 a.m. and 6 p.m. Twenty dollars (or $30 if usually came out
you’d like to join us for the banquet at Madison’s west-side Imperial Gardens at 4:30 PM along
at the end of the day) allows each participant to join in the fun. It’s a great Pheasant Branch
learning experience and wonderful just to be outdoors this time of year. And Rd., north of
who knows? There may be a rarity out there waiting to be spotted. For more Hwy K.
information, please contact Chuck Heikkinen or Delia Unson at (608) 274-4043, Photo: Pat Ready
or email them at delia_chuck@tds.net .

Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society

 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 March 7 for
April issue, for which items may be sent
to Lynn Smith at
lksmith1@facstaff.wisc.edu
The Audubon CAWS
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!
Celebrate Aldo Leopold! 6th Annual Event
To celebrate the life and works of Wisconsin conservation leader, Aldo Leopold,
the first full weekend in March was commemorated by the Wisconsin State
Legislature and Governor James Doyle last year as Aldo Leopold Weekend.
Leopold Reading Day will be Saturday, March 5, beginning at 10 a.m. at the
Lodi Women’s Club Library, 130 Lodi Street, Lodi, with a public reading of select-
ed works of Aldo Leopold. The day will include an interpretive performance and
will feature a reading by Lodi school children.
Saturday, March 12 is designated as Leopold Activity Day. A wide variety of
activities will be held, including a sourdough pancake breakfast, Leopold bench
building, a tour of the Leopold Shack, an Ice Age Trail hike, crane watching, and a
special Dutch oven cooking class where you can learn to cook like Leopold.
For more information and exact locations of events in the Lodi area, see
www.sceniclodivalley.org or contact Patti Herman at billpatti@charter.net or
608-592-5666.
Mark Your Calendars!
Be Part of our 29th Art Fair—May 7, 2005 at Olbrich Garden
The 29th Madison Audubon Society Art Fair will take place on
Saturday, May 7, at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Atwood Avenue in Madison.
Volunteers will be needed in the areas of food preparation, artist set up,
parking, raffle, silent auction, and artist take down. This great tradition is a
major fundraiser for MAS and we need help from 100 Audubon members to
make the fair work.
Some of you have helped with the fair for quite a few of the 29 years, and the
artists and patrons have always shared numerous comments about how much
they enjoy attending this event and working with our volunteers. If you can
help out this year, please call the office at 255-2473 or email Clare at
masclare@mailbag.com with your name and interest area.
If you can’t help, come and enjoy the day, the art, the food, silent auction and
raffle, music and the start of spring!
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-
lksmith1@facstaff.wisc.edu op and maintain sanctuaries to save and
Graphic design: Pat Ready restore natural habitat.
Printed by Roemer Printing
2 March 2005
2004 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS SPECIES MAD POY SC BOO MTH
By Mark and Sue Martin Glaucous Gull 2
Counts reported are Madison (MAD) Cheri Carbon; Poynette (POY) Rock Pigeon 735 218 558 200 466
Mark and Sue Martin; Sauk City (SC) Nancy Raffetto; Baraboo (BOO) Mourning Dove 793 223 325 64 236
Eastern Screech-Owl 17 2 1 2 2
Scott Swengel; and Mount Horeb (MTH) Ken Wood. The compilers would
Great Horned Owl 17 7 10 3 4
like to thank all of the participants who contributed their time and effort to Barred Owl 2 1 2
make the counts successful, especially those that participated on a num- Long-eared Owl 1 1
ber of counts. Short-eared Owl 3
The Christmas Bird Counts help document changes in bird numbers No. Saw-whet Owl 1
that may be related to West Nile Virus. Blue jay and American crows are Belted Kingfisher 6 2 1
highly susceptible to West Nile Virus. Blue jay numbers on the Madison Red-headed Woodpecker 1 1
count from 1996-97 to 2000-01 averaged 235 compared to 103 this year. Red-bellied Woodpecker 129 34 77 47 71
Hopefully, blue jay numbers will rebound this year. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 6 1
With the lack of snow cover, “open field” birds such as horned larks Downy Woodpecker 242 74 102 87 96
and snow buntings and feeder birds were found in lower numbers. Hairy Woodpecker 94 21 29 27 53
It is hard to believe that Madison had the highest count of wild turkeys Northern Flicker 3 5 1 1 6
(171) of all counts considering all the development within 7.5 miles of the Pileated Woodpecker 1 2 6 5 4
Capitol. Interesting birds on the Madison Count included American pipit, Northern Shrike 6 4 3 4 5
savanna sparrow, and Townsend’s solitaire. The Poynette Count was cut Blue Jay 103 123 164 93 168
short due to freezing rain, but a northern mockingbird was found. The American Crow 1,787 923 666 954 847
highlight of the Sauk City Count was a golden eagle. The Baraboo count Horned Lark 2 1 9
found 698 sandhill cranes, 2 Carolina wrens, and 10 winter wrens. Mount Black-capped Chickadee 1,140 227 361 414 445
Horeb had 1/4” of ice in the morning and found the highest number of Tufted Titmouse 14 35 24 38 77
eastern bluebirds and the only short-eared owls. Red-breasted Nuthatch 45 23 24 38 77
White-breasted Nuthatch 273 88 91 84 148
Brown Creeper 42 1 9 4 2
Local 2004 Christmas Bird Counts Carolina Wren 3 2
SPECIES MAD POY SC BOO MTH Winter Wren 6 10
Common Loon 8
Golden-crowned Kinglet 24 5 6 2
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Great Blue Heron 2 2 2
Eastern Bluebird 2 3 4
Turkey Vulture 1
Townsend's Solitaire 1
Canada Goose 11,458 1,701 801 3,082 89
Hermit Thrush 3
Cackling Goose 55
American Robin 827 33 80 11
Mute Swan 20 2
No. Mockingbird 1
Trumpeter Swan 1
European Starling 4,269 852 1,259 478 1,855
Tundra Swan 643 1 2 2
American Pipit 4
Gadwall 498 16
Cedar Waxwing 188 23 63 45 19
American Wigeon 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 1
American Black Duck 7 1 4 6
American Tree Sparrow 887 562 244 189 441
Mallard 3,431 180 496 495 27
Savanna Sparrow 3
Northern Shoveler 418
Song Sparrow 18 1 1
Canvasback 3
Swamp Sparrow 18 1 2 1
Redhead 2
White-throated Sparrow 28 1 1
Ring-necked Duck 15
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Lesser Scaup 28
Dark-eyed Junco 1,630 917 829 1,045 825
Bufflehead 283
Lapland Longspur 50
Com. Goldeneye 270 33 60
Snow Bunting 40
Hooded Merganser 42
Northern Cardinal 624 114 239 194 265
Com. Merganser 1,045 119 926 2
Red-winged Blackbird 22 1
Ruddy Duck 6
Com. Grackle 44 2
Bald Eagle 11 14 138 40 2
Purple Finch 2 43 40 47 25
Northern Harrier 6 5 2 2
House Finch 525 270 142 164 253
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 1 3 2 2
Com. Redpoll 2 2
Cooper's Hawk 13 4 8 2 3
Pine Siskin 156 84 32 155 32
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 2 3 1
Am. Goldfinch 1,280 307 204 440 607
Red-tailed Hawk 103 49 111 65 96
House Sparrow 2,021 422 661 150 816
Rough-legged Hawk 1 14 28 16 14
Golden Eagle 1 Count Day Species 84 58 54 57 55
American Kestrel 7 12 7 3 19 Field Observers ? 27 23 16 58
Ring-necked Pheasant 5 83 1 19 Parties ? 22 11 8 24
Ruffed Grouse 1 1 Feeder Observers ? 21 2 10 19
Wild Turkey 171 103 126 115 128 Date: December (Jan.) 18 Jan. 1 26 20 Jan. 2
Virginia Rail 1
American Coot 2,136 For more information on the nearly 100 statewide Christmas counts,
Sandhill Crane 12 698 see the spring issue of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s Passenger
Killdeer 1 Pigeon. You can also check out about 40 Wisconsin counts submitted to
Wilson's Snipe 3 1 National Audubon Society and count data for the past 104 years at
Ring-billed Gull 4,448 49 21 4 http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc
Herring Gull 1,246 8 78 12 8 Madison Audubon Society provided funding for the Madison and
Lesser Bl-backed Gull 1 Poynette counts so that the results could be included in the National
Audubon report.
The Audubon CAWS 3 March 2005
Enjoy Spring with Field trips
(Visit our web site for more details)
Saturday, March 12: Early Spring Migrants
Steve Thiessen will lead this early morning
field trip to Mud Lake in McFarland. Mud Lake is
usually the first body of water to thaw in our
area, so it attracts good concentrations of
migrants.
We will meet at 7:15 at the south end of Lewis
Lane in McFarland. Bring a scope if you have
one. For more info, call Steve at 873-3323.
Sunday, March 20: Ecology of Mud Lake –
CANCELLED
Saturday, April 2: Spring Birds of Columbia
County
Tony Kalenic and Carol Anderson will lead this
car birding trip through northern Dane and
southern Columbia counties to look for early
spring migrants and late winter birds. We hope
to see migrating swans, geese and other water
birds.
Meet to carpool at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot of
Copp’s supermarket at the intersection of Allen
Blvd. and Century Ave. in Middleton. Meet at the
east end of the lot near Century Ave. or you can
join the group at 9:30 a.m. at Goose Pond. Bring
your binoculars, a scope if you have one, and a
snack, as the trip may last to early afternoon. Call
Tony and Carol at 249-8836, if you have ques-
tions.
Thursday, April 7: Frogs Night Out
Bring a sense of adventure on this trip as you
“look” at the world from a different perspective –
through sounds. Besides listening for a variety of
frog calls, participants will learn about frog
lifestyles and wetlands ecology.
Bring a flashlight and dress for wet conditions.
The trip will be cancelled if the daytime high tem-
perature is below 45 degrees Fahrenheit and in
case of very strong winds or heavy rain. The rain
date for this trip is April 14. Call trip leader Bob
Hay only if you have questions; 608-267-
0849(work) or 608-829-3123(home).
Meet at the Mazomanie Wildlife Area at 6:45
p.m. Directions: From Hwy 14 in Mazomanie,
drive north on County Hwy Y for about 4 miles.
Just before the highway bends to the east (right),
turn left on Law’s Drive. Travel on the access
road about 0.25 miles and turn left onto the first
gravel road. Follow this about 1.5 miles until it
deadends at a parking lot. The trip leader will be
there to meet you. The trip will last until 9:00 p.m.
Plan to walk about 1/3 mile to the site.
Sunday, April 10: Faville Grove Sanctuary
Experience Madison Audubon Society’s Faville
Grove Sanctuary with resident managers David
Musolf and Roger Packard. More details in the
April CAWS.
The Audubon Caws
Conservation Security Program Rewards
Landowners Who “Do the Right Thing”
The federal government has established a new program to reward
farmers who protect and improve the environment. The voluntary
Conservation Security Program (CSP) was established under the 2002
farm bill.
CSP pays producers who historically have practiced good steward-
ship on their agricultural lands, and offers incentives for those who
want to do more. The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) administers the program that is organized on a
watershed basis.
In 2005, Wisconsin farmers in the Crawfish River and Duck-
Pensaukee watersheds can sign up. NRCS plans to hold public work-
shops and “hands-on” meetings for farmers interested in participa-
tion. During the 2004 pilot phase, 219 farmers in Wisconsin’s Lower
Chippewa and Kishwaukee watersheds were selected for CSP.
Average annual payment was $9,500 for farmers who enrolled in
five- to ten-year contracts.
To ensure that other programs and resources are effectively uti-
lized, federal and state agencies and nonprofit organizations are col-
laborating to maximize the conservation potential presented by the
CSP. Partners include US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Environmental
Protection Agency, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Additional information about the Wisconsin CSP Program is avail-
able from Tom Krapf, Assistant State Conservationist, in Madison,
phone: 608-662-4422, extension 232, or send e-mail to:
tom.krapf@wi.usda.gov. Additional information on CSP is at
www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov/under Conservation Security Program.
Keeping Track of the Hired Help
It’s never been easier for those of us with computers to follow legislative
activity in Wisconsin. If you know the number of a bill, resolution or joint res-
olution simply go to the legislature’s home page
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/
Using the form on the right side of the page, choose the house (senate or
assembly), the type of proposal (bill, resolution, joint resolution) and type in
the proposal number (just the number 15 or whatever). When you hit enter
or click the submit button, you will get the status of the bill as of last night. If
you click on the name of the bill, for example, Assembly Bill 15, you will get
the text of the bill.
If you know you are going to follow several bills or a topic throughout the
session, it may be easier to have the legislature notify you when something
happens. Sometimes bills sit in committee for months so checking status as
described above might waste a lot of time. Go to the legislature’s notification
service http://notify.legis.state.wi.us/(tdmjlryqfujftf45aljtwd55)/Home.aspx
Create a new account. All it asks for is an email address. It does not require
your name or postal address. You can be notified of actions affecting a partic-
ular bill, bills introduced by a particular legislator, actions of a specific com-
mittee, or all proposals on a particular subject. You can be notified every day
or once a week. Remember that you receive a notice only if something hap-
pens. If a bill sits in committee for months, you will not receive a notice every
day.
If you have heard of a bill, but don’t know the number, there are two ways to
search proposals. Go to the legislature’s searchable databases
http://folio.legis.state.wi.us/
The second database on the left side of the page is called “text of intro-
duced proposals.” You could search for a word or phrase anywhere in the
text of the bill. On the right side of the page, look for “subject index to legisla-
tion.” This is an old-fashioned subject index prepared by the librarians at the
Legislative Reference Bureau. It can also be searched for a word or phrase.
If you cannot find something you think should be there, or if you don’t
understand the meaning of a legislative action, call or email the analysts at
the Legislative Reference Bureau in Madison at
608/266-0341 or lrb.reference@legis.state.wi.us
4 March 2005
POPULATION & HABITAT
Tsunami Affects Millions of Lives
“No one ever dies of overpopulation,” warns Hugh Iltis,
retired professor emeritus, UW-Botany Department, but
the tragedy of natural disasters quickly multiplies in areas
where huge numbers of people overtax the ecosystem.
Along the world’s coastlines where the majority of
humans live, the results have been devastating.
December’s giant tidal wave in the Indian Ocean killed
more than 158,000, and the death toll rises as millions have
lost their homes and their livelihoods. Nations ringing the
Indian Ocean have some of the highest populations of any
on earth, with most people living on the coasts. Indonesia,
India, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Thailand have suffered trag-
ic losses of human life. Yet the world population will con-
tinue to rise at the net increase of some 78 million people a
year, or about 214,000 a day.
The devastating tsunami that hit in December also
affects the survivors. The United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) estimates that 500,000 women and girls in Sri
Lanka alone have been displaced. At least 150,000 women
in areas affected by the giant wave are pregnant and face
complications of pregnancy; another 50,000 women in
those areas will give birth in the next few months.
UNFPA is distributing midwife supply kits (birthing
kits) which include clean plastic sheeting to lay on the
ground, soap, a new razor blade for cutting the umbilical
cord, a piece of string to tie it, and cloth to wrap the baby
after delivery. Personal hygiene kits and clothing are
being offered to women in the affected areas.
A grave problem facing women and girls in refugee
camps is rape, sexual exploitation, and HIV infection.
Some women are forced to trade sex for food and water
for their families. “When women become the passive
recipients of assistance and aren’t involved in its distribu-
tion, you inadvertently put them in a vulnerable position,”
says Wendy Young, director of external relations for the
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women & Children.
In addition to the tsunami’s environmental impacts on
land, coastal fisheries have been hit hard. Fishermen who
survived the wave lost all their fishing gear—their liveli-
hood. Coral reefs were damaged by the wave itself, and
the return of the water from land brought grinding mud,
debris, and sediments that buried some reefs, smothering
the life within. Many of the Indian Ocean’s delicate coral
reefs had already suffered damage and die-offs from
human pollution, and coastal fisheries had over-fished the
region. The ecosystems on which countless communities
depend have been severely taxed, and the impact of the
tsunami will continue for years to come.
To help, you can contribute to 34 Million Friends of
UNFPA at www.34millionfriends.org or by mail: The US
Commmittee for UNFPA, 3800 Arapahoe Ave. Ste. 210,
Boulder, CO 80303; or support UNICEF’s Tsunami relief
efforts at www.unicef.org.
Sources: “The Indian Ocean Tsunami: Special Challenges for
Women Survivors,” Robert Lalasz; “Coastal Fisheries Hit Hard
by Indian Ocean Tsunami,” Population Reference Bureau,
www.prb.org
The Audubon Caws
MAS Strategic Planning Session:
Saturday, April 2
Save the date! Members and friends are invited to meet
with Madison Audubon Society Board members, sanctu-
ary managers and staff to map out a plan for the future.
The session will run from morning through mid-after-
noon at the Lake Mills Library. Lunch will be provided.
Details are still pending but if you are planning to join us
please call the office to register.
Final details will be posted to the MAS website. Or, for
more information contact the MAS office at 608-255-2473.
Report of Accomplishments
Madison Audubon Society's
Report of Accomplishments for
the period July 2002 - June 2004
was recently published. The
report presents the many
achievements of our chapter,
including more than 60 field trips
and seven monthly meetings per
year, environmental advocacy,
habitat preservation and restora-
tion, annual events such as the
Art Fair and Prairies Jubilee!,
fundraising, and newsletter
To request a copy, please contact the MAS office.
Arboretum Native Plant Sale, May 7
The Friends of the Arboretum annual native plant sale is
scheduled for Saturday, May 7, 2005.
The pre-order brochure is available at
www.uwarboretum.org or phone 608.263.7760.
Saturday, May 7, 2005
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wildflower tent near the UW-Madison Arboretum
1207 Seminole Highway
Madison WI 53711
608-263-7760
Over 100 varieties of woodland and prairie plants
* Experts on hand to answer questions
* Information sheets detailing care with each plant
Open to the public – proceeds benefit Arboretum projects.
ACTION ALERT!
Help Protect Wyoming Mountain
Habitat — Write a Letter!!
The Rawlins office of Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
needs comments on or before March 17, 2005. Their plan
for management of OUR Federal land in Wyoming’s Great
Divide Basin would allow nearly 9,000 new oil, gas and
coal bed methane wells with little or no protection of criti-
cal wildlife habitats and native American cultural sites.
For more information, contact Martha Christensen, 608-
274-6817 or send a letter to John Spehar, Planning and
Environmental Coordinator/BLM, 1300 N. Third, P.O.
Box 2407, Rawlins, WY 82301.
Or, for more details and a sample letter visit
www.reddesert.org under “Take Action Now”.
5 March 2005
Early Spring at Goose
Pond – Feb 4-7, 2005
Sun Prairie’s Jimmy the groundhog
predicted an early spring on
Groundhog Day, February 2 and by
February 7, it appeared that Jimmy
was right. In that period we had a
high temperature of 55 degrees, a
rainstorm, and lots of melting.
January started out with a lot of rain
followed by very cold conditions.
Many of the fields and slopes were
covered with about an inch of hard
ice and were later covered with 8
inches of snow.
A major runoff event occurred at
Goose Pond on February 6 and 7.
Three conditions contributed to the
runoff event: 1. A large amount of
water on the ground in the form of
ice and snow; 2. Very warm tempera-
tures and 3. Over one-half inch of
rain fell on the 6th. There are years
we have one major runoff event and
then we can go two years without
major runoff.
On Sunday morning Mark walked
through a 20-acre wetland basin on
the Western Prairie in knee high
boots and found only a couple inches
of water in part of the basin. Twenty-
four hours later it looked like a small
stream was running into the basin
and water was knee-deep. In the 20-
acre basin there was probably 30-acre
feet of water. Another way to look at
it would be to have a column of
water 30 feet high covering a football
field.
A significant amount of water ran
into Goose Pond and the old ice mass
“floated” to the top and was moved
around by the wind until cold weath-
er returned, freezing it solid again.
We wish the melt had held off until
mid-March because we still have
wood duck boxes to clean at Otsego
Marsh. Hopefully cold weather will
return so we can walk on the ice to
clean the nest boxes.
It is still too early to know how
much water there will be on the
Arlington Prairie for spring migra-
tion. Much of the water may seep
into the ground or possibly another
runoff event will occur. Hopefully
you will stop and view waterfowl
and the water rich wetlands this
spring.
The Audubon Caws
Notes from Faville Grove
Sanctuary
MAS has acquired two key parcels to
expand the protected habitat at Faville
Grove. These acquisitions were made
possible by earlier donations of conser-
vation easements to MAS by private
landowners. The value of these ease-
ments generated equal funding through
the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship
Program, which paid for both parcels.
The first acquisition, a wetland parcel
of about 25 acres purchased from
Burkhard Laas, lies adjacent to existing
sanctuary lands and to the Diedrich-
Alexander Wildlife Area, owned by the
UW Zoology Museum. The area An understory of bog birch and
includes a marvelous tamarack and leatherleaf holds fresh snow beneath
sphagnum bog, as well as sedge mead- tamarack trees in the Laas Tamarack,
ow shrub carr, and cattail marsh. Typical a bog and sedge meadow complex
vegetation includes our only native that is now protected within the Faville
holly, winterberry (Ilex verticillata), cot- Grove Sanctuary.
ton grass (Eriophorum sp.), marsh shield
fern (Dryopteris thelypteris), leather leaf The second acquisition is a 20 plus-
(Chamaedaphne calyculata angustifolia), acre parcel that includes the area long
great water dock (Rumex ordibulatus), known as the Snake Marsh for the east-
poison sumac (Rhus vernix), steeplebush ern massasauga rattlesnakes that
(Spirea tomentosa rosea), and bluejoint inhabited the area before it was
grass (Calamagrostis canadensis). Future drained in 1911 for agriculture. 89 years
management of the site will focus on later, MAS worked with landowners
eradicating reed canary grass where it David and Frances Tillotson, the
has made incursions along roadways as Natural Resources Conservation
well as scattered buckthorn and other Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife
woody invasives. Madison Audubon Service to restore 10 acres of the site to
has protected other stands of tamarack a diverse wet prairie/prairie pothole
in western Jefferson County at Faville complex. The site also includes the
Grove, at Hope Lake Bog, and at the sandy/gravelly Hog Hill, which we
London Marsh. plan to restore to shortgrass prairie
The Snake Marsh, shown during a controlled burn in the spring of 2004, as well
as the Hog Hill beyond, are now part of the Faville Grove Sanctuary. Faville
Woods, also within the sanctuary, appears in the distance.
6 March 2005

completing the full spectrum of habitats
that were once present on this small site.
Following the purchase closing, Dave
and Fran Tillotson underlined their
commitment to land preservation and
wildlife habitat through a generous
financial contribution to MAS.
Additional contributions are needed to
provide for long-term management of
this and other sanctuary land.
Meanwhile on the land, the warmer
weather in late January and early
February treated us to numerous
ephemeral winter ponds. Even high on
the recessional moraine we found better
than a half-dozen water bodies dotting
the undulating terrain. Earlier condi-
tions - sufficient soil moisture and sub-
zero temperatures - had sealed the usu-
ally porous substrate and made it
impervious to the winter melt. The
usual course of melting snow or heavy
rains is a rapid percolation through the
glacial till. Not so this year. The marshes
will have to wait to get all they’re due.
Lapinski-Kitze Prairie
Fund Grows
Madison Audubon Society has
received yet another wonderful dona-
tion from members Dr. Elsie M.
Lapinski and Dr. Lois K. Smithies. In
the tradition of other members who
truly care about their legacy of loving
nature and providing for it through
their important gifts, Elsie and Lois
want to do something special for
prairie conservation here in
Wisconsin. They decided they would
like to help with the purchase of the
Northern Prairie Addition at Goose
Pond.
The additional $50,000 they donat-
ed in January 2005 to the
Lapinski/Kitze (Lois’ maiden name)
Prairie Fund will go towards the pur-
chase of the Northern Prairie
Addition. They not only intend to
periodically add to the Fund but have
named Madison Audubon Society in
their wills. Consequently a substantial
gift will result so that many more
acres can be purchased around Goose
Pond in the future helping to make a
larger contiguous prairie.
In their words “To be able to con-
tribute to the restoration and preserva-
tion of our native prairies is both a ful-
fillment of a dream and a privilege.”
The Audubon Caws
Ron Windestad (MAS Director of
Development) on the left visiting
with Lois Smithies (center) and Elsie
Lapinski (right) about the Northern
Prairie Addition of Goose Pond.
Thank you, Elsie and Lois, your
generosity is so gratefully appreciat-
ed. You indeed have provided a chal-
lenge to the rest of us and set an
example for us all.
A Parade of Donations
Donations made January 11 through
February 8
ACRE MAKER
Robert and Janet Callear
Elsie Lapinski
Lois Smithies
In Memory of Arthur Getschman
Lynne and Peter Weil
HALF-ACRE MAKER
Diana Webb
QUARTER-ACRE MAKER
General Beer Distributors Co.
General Beverage Sales Co.
MY OWN VISION
Robert and Ann De Mars
Gary Grundahl
Anne and Charles Irish
Arthur and Susan Lloyd
Wayne and Jackie Paulie
Catherine and Dale Puisto
Max and Betty Rosenbaum
Wishing a Happy Birthday to Mary
Rasmussen
Dorothy Chapek
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSON
In Memory of George Gallepp
Cozette Weiland
In Memory of Marietta Merrill
Richard Merrill
In Memory of Fred Niccolia
Jane Raymond and Bob Mougin
GIFTS IN HONOR OF A PERSON
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PET
In Memory of Badger
Lodi Veterinary Hospital
7 March 2005
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

See page 1 for details. 3/05

Is it time to renew your membership?
See form on page 2 and help MAS.

Join us for the FCNA Annual Meeting April 6, 2005

Campus Natural Areas Cultural Landscape History: MAS Calendar at a
12,000 years of Campfires and Picnics
If you have ever wondered about the Indian burial mounds at Eagle Heights
Glance
and Picnic Point, or the random encounter with a slab of old moss-covered con- Saturday, March 12
crete in the middle of North Shore Woods then you will want to hear this year’s Early Spring Migrants
presentation at the Friends of the Campus Natural Areas (FCNA) Annual Sunday, March 20
Meeting on April 6, 2005, at 7 p.m. at the UW Arboretum’s McKay Center. Ecology of Mud Lake CANCELLED
Daniel Einstein, UW-Madison environmental manager, and George Saturday, April 2
Christiansen, archaeologist from the Great Lakes Archaeological Center, have Spring Birds of Columbia County
been piecing these and other Campus Natural Areas (CNA) historical puzzles Thursday, April 7
together for the past five years. Their illustrated talk will describe changes to the Frogs Night Out
CNA landscape as it has evolved from open oak savanna to “fancy farm” and to Sunday, April 10
its current uses for university research, teaching and recreational activities. Faville Grove Sanctuary
For at least 12,000 years Native Americans have been drawn to this natural
resource area for hunting and camping as well as sacred burials of their Upcoming Dates to REMEMBER:
dead. George will report on his recent archaeological survey work in the CNA “Wings Over Madison”, Wednesday,
and the wealth of evidence he has uncovered demonstrating the popularity of March 16, 2005
these lands for hundreds of generations.
29th Annual Art Fair, Saturday, May
In more recent times, CNA lands have been used for a summer Tent Colony,
7, 2005
shoreline “cottages” for a prominent Madison family, and a horse and carriage
pleasure drive that offered city dwellers an opportunity to “get out to the Prairies Jubilee!, Sunday, September
country.” Daniel will share these and other stories drawing on a rich store of 25, 2005
archival photographs.
MAS has an account at
the Madison Recycling
612 W. Main St.,
Center on Fish
Suite 303
Hatchery Rd.
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 256-1066