September 11, 2023 Minutes, Covenant Presbyterian Church

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Rich Wood.
Recent Sightings: Night Hawks, Chimney Swifts (775 at Stuart Hall in Staunton), hummingbirds, and many warblers.
Field Trip Reports: (1) On 9/2/23 Allen Larner led folks to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where they saw 30 different species, including a Screech Owl. (2) Andrew Clem led a hike to the Shenandoah Mountain Trail in Highland County where they saw a Black-throated Green Warbler, Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, Pewees, Pine Warbler, and Ruffed Grouse. Upcoming trips include Augusta Springs, Bells Lane, and McCormick’s Mill.
Newsletter and website: Rich Wood is our Newsletter Editor. Everyone is encouraged to read our monthly newsletter for a variety of interesting articles, field trip information, and much more. Anyone wanting to put something in the newsletter should contact Rich. Andrew Clem is in charge of the website. It is being redesigned and regularly updated for both our members and the general public. It will have the latest information on hikes, club contact information, the birdseed sale, and more. Past newsletters will be available on the website.
Hawkwatch: Vic Laubach is the Hawkwatch Coordinator. He reports that bird numbers are good and that they have a good number of volunteers to help with spotting and counting. Anyone interested in becoming a counter or observer should contact Vic. He will be giving a presentation on 9/12/23 at the Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro on the Watch. All are welcome. The site of the Hawkwatch, The Inn at Afton, continues to deteriorate, and its future is uncertain. The owners of the property have always liked the Hawkwatch, and Vic is going to talk with them about the future of this site for the Watch.
Birdseed Sale: Crista Cabe is coordinating the sale and working hard on negotiating prices and ordering seed. Order forms will be available by the end of September. Orders need to be received by 10/27. Pick up is 11/4 at the Government Center. This is our only fundraiser of the year and is so important because the money raised is used for Nature Camp Scholarships.
Conservation: Lynne Parks leads this committee and has been hard at work on several projects. (1) Hikes have been led at the Boy Scout Camp. (2) Work continues at the Montgomery Hall native plant garden. (3) The Bessie Weller Nature Trail is almost finished. Lynne is always looking for more help both from individuals and the community to work with these projects.
Christmas Bird Counts: The Augusta County CBC is scheduled for Sunday, December 17. Allen Larner is coordinating. Crista Cabe leads the Waynesboro count; its date is not yet decided.
Membership: We currently have 170 members.
Program: Sara Holberg gave the presentation on “Keeping Augusta County Bird Friendly: Perspectives from a Land-Use Planner.” She discussed land use and gave examples of good and bad. She stressed that partnerships are needed and encouraged everyone to get involved in preserving land for wildlife and all of us.  – Submitted by Marilyn Nash, Secretary