Eagle Week at HNWR

We are unofficially designating this week as Eagle Week!  Two eaglets are in the first ever eagles’ nest at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, definitely worth celebrating, and we were invited to give a program on the Bald Eagle this week for the Pottsboro first graders.

Young eagles at HNWR, by Rick Cantu

Of all the more than 300 species of birds that are on the Hagerman NWR bird check list, the one most visitors say they want to see is the eagle.  And now that there are several nests going in the Texoma area we should be able to see them regularly year around.

The Bald Eagle was adopted as the national emblem in 1782 and serves as a symbol of wilderness and freedom. Benjamin Franklin said that the Bald Eagle was a bird of bad moral character (stealing food) and recommended the turkey instead. I wonder if the turkey had been chosen, what we would eat for Thanksgiving?

Eagles are one of our largest birds –  they just weigh about 10 – 14 pounds but envision the size of an eagle’s wingspan – the first graders held a tape measure indicating the wingspan measurement of  a whopping 6 – 7’5’ !!

Bald eagles have white feathers on their head and tail - but not until they get to be about 4 – 5 years old; often this makes viewers think they are seeing a Golden Eagle rather than a young Bald Eagle – You might wonder about the name bald…a long time ago bald meant white, not “hairless”.

Bald eagles are very good hunters and have terrific eyesight.  The students learned that if they could see as well as an eagle they could stand on the playground and look down the street to a mile away and see a tennis ball in the grass there.

Watching the video, A Home for Pearl, we learned that Bald Eagles make a very big nest of sticks high up in a tree or on the edge of a cliff.  They use the nest again and again, making it bigger every year.  How big?  One really huge eagle nest was over 9’ across – we had to use the tape measure again…. AND it weighed 2 TONS!! That’s about the same as 80 kids all added up – so 80 first graders stood up for comparison.  That particular nest was reused over and over for 34 years.

Paralleling changes in the national eagle population, Texas Parks & Wildlife reports, as noted  in the May edition of the Featherless Flyer,  indicate that from 1971 – 2005 the number of known active eagles’ nest in Texas increased from  5 to 160.  Nationally, after recovering from, first, being hunted, and then affected by DDT, they are no longer considered endangered or threatened; however the eagle population is considered threatened for Texas.

And that reminds me of the last fact I want to tell you – Most eagles can live for up to 20 years…the oldest one we know about lived to be 48 years old.

Note:  The location of the eagles’ nest at Hagerman is known only to Refuge staff and is strictly “off-limits” for visitors, for the protection of the birds.  Attempts by visitors to find it will jeopardize the continued use of the nest.

Second Saturday - Butterflies, Birds and More!

Monarch, by Nancy Miller

Here's your chance to learn the names and preferred habitat for the butterflies of North Texas, at the Second Saturday nature program at Hagerman NWR this week.  Dale Clark will be the speaker on Saturday, May 10; the free presentation will begin at 10 am in the Visitor Center meeting room and will conclude with a short field trip on the Refuge, weather permitting.

Sulphur on Gaillardia, by Emily Thomas

Clark is the founder of the Dallas County Lepidopterists’Society and owns Butterflies Unlimited, a butterfly farm, south of Dallas.  He provides over 50 species of live native Texas butterflies  and moths to zoos and scientific exhibits throughout the U. S.

Painted Bunting, by Laurie Lawler

Early-birds are invited to join Dr. Wayne Meyer for a guided bird walk at 8 am that same morning.  The walk will conclude in time for Clark’s presentation.  Walkers will meet Dr. Meyer at the Visitor Center and are invited to bring binoculars or may use loaners provided by the Friends of Hagerman; participation is free of charge.

Want to share your photos, swap photo tips and hone your skills?  The Nature Photography Club will meet at 12:30 pm on May 10, in the A/V Classroom, FOH Center, at the Refuge.  Anyone interested in nature photography is welcome.  Those attending may bring brown bag lunches; cookies and soft drinks will be available. There is no charge to visitors to the club meetings, and dues for members are nominal.

Open-air tram tours are offered at the Refuge at 2 pm on Saturdays and Sundays and 10 am on Wednesdays; reservations are recommended and may be made by calling the Refuge, 903 786 2826.  Tours are free; however donations to the tram fund are accepted.  This is a great way to view the shorebirds gathered in the marsh area off Wildlife Drive.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located at 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman.  Tours, walks and other outdoor activities are all offered weather permitting. For more information, see friendsofhagerman.com/Activities or call the Refuge.

USFWS to Fund Species-Recovery Projects on Refuges

From the Friends NewsWire

To speed wildlife recovery and perhaps avert extinctions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award $5.8 million to 17 projects to recover threatened or endangered species on or near national wildlife refuges. Target species include whooping crane, Karner blue butterfly and Attwater’s prairie chicken.

The efforts are part of the Service’s Cooperative Recovery Initiative, begun in 2013 with $4.3 million in funding to 10 projects.

One beneficiary of 2013 funding – the Oregon chub – has recovered so well that in February the Service proposed removing the small fish from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. If the action is finalized, the chub would be the first fish delisted with the help of this initiative.

As in 2013, funding will draw from several Service programs, including the Refuge System; Endangered Species; Partners for Fish and Wildlife; Fish and Aquatic Conservation; and the Science program. Projects include:

• Alaska: Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. 1) Expand nest surveys for the spectacled eider, an endangered sea duck, to more reliably gauge population size. 2) Prepare to reintroduce Steller’s eider to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to establish a viable breeding population.
• Arizona and New Mexico: San Bernardino and Leslie Canyon Refuges – Improve habitat for five fish (Yaqui chub, Yaqui top minnow, Huachuca water umbel, beautiful shiner and Yaqui catfish), one amphibian (Chiricahua leopard frog) and one invertebrate (San Bernardino springtail).
• Colorado: Arapaho Refuge – Improve the status of the Wyoming toad, one of North America’s four most endangered amphibian species. Tactics include treating a chytrid fungus known as Bd that is killing wild toads.
• Florida: Everglades Headwaters Refuge and Conservation Area – Encourage ranchers to manage lands to prevent extinction of the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow.
• Guam: Guam Refuge – Collect, propagate and plant seeds of the rare native tree Serianthes nelsonii. Only one adult tree survives in Guam; fewer than 50 survive on nearby Rota Island.
• Iowa: Driftless Area Refuge and nearby sites – Establish and document six new colonies of endangered red Iowa Pleistocene snail.
• Montana and Colorado: UL Bend and Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuges – Reintroduce endangered black-footed ferrets to Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge and control outbreaks of plague in its primary prey, the prairie dog. 
• Nevada: Ash Meadows Refuge – 1) Establish and manage two populations of endangered Devil’s pupfish at the Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility. 2) Remove barriers facing Moapa dace.
• New Hampshire: Great Bay Refuge – Restore early successional habitat to benefit the rare Karner blue butterfly. The New England cottontail may also benefit.
• Oregon: Baskett Slough, William L. Finley and Ankeny Refuges – Recover golden paintbrush, a rare flowering plant.
• Puerto Rico: Cabo Rojo and Laguna Cartagena Refuges – Recover six endangered plant species, including Woodbury’s stopper and Cobana negra.  
• Texas: Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge – Step up control of invasive fire ants to improve survival of endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken hatchlings; Houston toad may also benefit.
• Utah:  Ouray Refuge – Improve and expand habitat for an endangered razorback sucker.
• Washington: Willapa Refuge – Establish two new populations of Columbian white-tailed deer.
• Wisconsin: Necedah Refuge – Boost the hatching and fledgling rates of endangered whooping cranes by encouraging the birds to re-nest at a time when black flies won’t prompt nest abandonment.

Among the 17 projects funded in 2014 under the Cooperative Recovery Initiative is one in which U.L. Bend National Wildlife Refuge in Montana and Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge in Colorado will join forces for the benefit of the endangered black-footed ferret (shown above). (Ryan Hagerty/USFWS)

Texoma Earth Day

Since the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, Earth Day events have been held annually, in communities, schools  and other settings,  first in the United States and then expanding around the world  in the 1990’s, to promote protection of our environment.

Sunset Reflection by Lee Hatfield

The Friends of Hagerman will participate in Texoma Earth Day on Saturday, April 26, on the Municipal Lawn in Sherman, Texas.  The Friends will display photos of wildlife at the Refuge, distribute Refuge literature and host nature themed craft activities for children, with the help of the Bluestem Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is all about protecting the environment, working to provide and conserve a natural habitat for wildlife.  Refuge management practices are carried out in ways that are environmentally safe.  The Visitor Center design incorporates many green features and received Silver level LEED certification – Leadership in energy and Environmental  Design.  

Visitors are encouraged to avoid bringing or leaving items that are destructive to plants and animals, and to leave the Refuge without “souvenirs” other than photos and memories.

At Texoma Earth Day visitors can learn more about building green, about environmentally-friendly products, and can recycle paper, unused prescriptions medications, electrical appliances and more  - in addition there will be a variety of vendors and musical entertainment.  

In addition to participating in Earth Day celebrations, here are some tips for things you can do to protect our environment:

• Learn the energy use of appliances, how landscaping and home design can reduce energy use and more at this website:  http://energy.gov/energysaver/energy-saver
• For heating and cooling efficiency, http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/HeatingCoolingGuide%20FINAL_9-4-09.pdf?87fc-711f
• Improving vehicle fuel economy, http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp and http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2014/04/earth-month-tips-check-your-tire-pressure/
• Use water-wise gardening practices in your home landscape as described at    http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/Ethnecot.html

Finally – who knew – a consultant recently told me that to go green when printing, use “Garamond” font, because it uses the least amount of ink or toner when printing.  You can check it out at this website - next up is “Courier”, available on our blog format, just in case you want to print this timeless article!

Make Way for the School Bus

School visit in 2012

In spring a youngster’s fancy turns to – field trips!  Yes, it’s time to make way for school buses at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge as the field trip season begins next week.  The Friends currently have 6 school visits, 581 children in all, plus teachers and chaperones, on the calendar for late April and May.  Here’s what is planned for the students:

• A power point show prepared by Refuge Manager Kathy Whaley showing the children what a Refuge is, and who lives there, as well as who works there and what they do, for a good, age-appropriate overview.
• A guided nature walk on Harris Creek Trail - due to the closing of that trail April 25, one group will bus down to the observation platform at Egret and practice using binoculars to view wildlife from there.
• During snack time (animal crackers and water!), a presentation by one or the nest box monitors on the Nest Box Project and Bluebird life cycle.

Another shopper at Sam's remarked - "That's a LOT of cookies!"

• For grades 1 – 3: Presentation on the butterfly life cycle, with a story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and creating butterfly life cycle bracelets to wear.

• For older students: Finding Fossils – students will uncover purchased fossils embedded in a mix of sand and plaster of Paris, and will identify their “find” from a fossil chart.

All of these activities are planned and led by volunteers, with snacks and craft materials provided by the Friends of Hagerman.  We would love to be able to have more schools visit next spring – but more volunteers will be needed, the current program of activities requires a minimum of 6-8 volunteers per visit.  If this sounds like your bag, contact us through Comments, below.

You may also contact us through the Friends website, at any time!

Second Saturday Ahead

Wondering what the plans are for Second Saturday this month at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge?  Dr. Wayne Meyer, Associate Professor of Biology at Austin College, will speak on “Birding by Ear” for the Second Saturday program, at 10 am on Saturday, April 12.

According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “When a bird sings, it is telling you what it is and where it is.”  Learning bird calls adds a new dimension to birding and helps identify birds that may not be seen or seen clearly.

On the website, About.com/Birding/Wild Birds we read

Many birders focus primarily on learning to identify birds by sight based on plumage, colors and field markings. Learning to identify birds by sound, however, can help birders identify many birds whose songs and calls are more distinctive than their coloration. Tuning your ear to a bird’s song can also help you locate birds more easily instead of relying on brief flickers of moment through dense trees and brush, and birders who recognize birds’ songs can also enjoy birding when low light levels and poor visibility may restrict visual birding. Most important, however, is the fact that a bird’s song is yet one more clear field mark for its positive identification, and combining a knowledge of bird sounds with visual sightings can help you better appreciate the diversity of avian life you see.

Meyer will also lead a birding walk that morning at 8 am, weather permitting; participants will meet at the Visitor Center at the Refuge.  Second Saturday nature programs at the Refuge are free and open to the public.

Refuge System Turns 111 Years Old

From the National Wildlife Refuge Association:

Happy Birthday to the world’s largest network of lands and waters conserved for wildlife – the National Wildlife Refuge System! Angered at the slaughter of birds for the women’s millinery trade in the late 19th Century, President Theodore Roosevelt knew something must be done to protect some of our most important natural resources – our native wildlife. With the stroke of a pen, on March 14, 1903, he created, through executive order, a sanctuary for birds at a small bird island in the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast of Florida (Pelican Island).

During his tenure, Roosevelt protected such jewels as the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Oklahoma, the National Bison Range in Montana, the Hawaiian Islands NWR in Hawaii and the Three Arch Rocks NWR in Oregon to name a few.  From it’s humble 3-acre beginning at Pelican Island, the Refuge System is now the world’s largest network of publicly owned lands and waters dedicated to the conservation of wildlife spanning 150 million acres.

Without these 562 refuges and 38 wetland management districts, many bird, plant, reptile, mammal, insect and fish species would not be thriving as they are today. These lands and waters, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide vital habitat for thousands of species across the nation.

While the System itself is still woefully underfunded to fully implement its conservation mission – the staff at these amazing places are some of the most dedicated workers you will ever meet.  One refuge employee summed up it up after being asked why they stay with the Service after years of budget cuts, frozen salaries and never enough resources, “We are paid in sunrises and sunsets, birds, bears and bunnies, and knowing we are leaving our world a better place for our children.”

But there is still plenty to celebrate! National Wildlife Refuges are economic engines in local communities, providing an average of $4.87 in local communities for every dollar appropriated by Congress. According to a report released late last year by the FWS, (Banking on Nature Report) refuges generate more than $2.4 million in economic output and create 35,000 jobs. The Refuge System is an economic and conservation powerhouse and has become a haven for hunters, anglers, bird and wildlife watchers, photographers, scientists and children learning about our natural world.

President Theodore Roosevelt would be proud.

NOTE:  Hagerman NWR, established in 1946, celebrated its 68th birthday in February.