In May, Audubon chapters across America helped members of Congress "get wet" -- with waders and hiking shoes, Congress joined Auduboners in wetlands to celebrate American Wetlands Month. From the coastal marshes to the prairie potholes, advocates shared a strong message: wetlands are ecosystems valued by communities and worthy of tough legal protection. (For future activities, see article end.)

Some Chapters Share Experiences:

Aud. Soc. of Portland (OR) -- For 11 years the chapter, in cooperation with many others, has sponsored "Great Blue Heron Week" from 5/31 - 6/8 to honor the official city bird (so-designated largely due to chapter efforts) and to recognize the value of healthy watersheds to citizens. This year more than 300 citizens participated in events ranging from wetland tours to canoe trips. (Advocates take note: the chapter combined successful advocacy with after-hours fun, persuading the local brewery to name a highly successful beer "Great Blue Heron Pale Ale.") Contact: Mike Houck, 5151 NW Cornell Rd.; Portland, OR 97210; ph: 503/292-6855.

Blackbrook A.S. (OH) -- Although U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette (R) wasn't able to fit a wetlands tour into his schedule, Blackbrook A.S. leaders and several other representatives from local organizations met with him in his district office. They discussed federal legislation with him, as well as the importance of local wetlands for wildlife habitat and flood control. The next day the newspaper, The Plain Dealer (5/24/97), quoted the Congressman as saying that wetlands protection would not be jeopardized when Congress takes up Clean Water Act re-authorization. Said LaTourette, "Every argument that they make for wetlands -- for habitat, as a filter for pollution, and that wetlands decrease the likelihood of floods -- all make sense." Contact: Cheryl Ray, 8765 Clifford Ct.; Mentor, OH 44060; ph: 216/974-5451.

L to R: John Whitney (NRCS); Congressman Jack Quinn; Rock Termini (Buffalo A.S. Conservation Chair/NAS Wetlands Campaign Team member); and James Thompson (preserve owner) tour a wetlands restoration project on Thompson's "Lost Creek Fisheries" wildlife preserve in East Aurora, NY during American Wetlands Month.

Buffalo A.S. (NY) -- "Standing in a rain-swept field with more geese than constituents as onlookers, Congressman Jack Quinn (R) hailed progress Friday on a sizable wetlands restoration project ... costing the federal gov't. less than $5,000" (Buffalo News, Sat., 5/31.). "... [chapter] leaders [and] ... federal and state officials took the Congressman and his staff on a tour of James Thompson's 'Lost Creek Fisheries' area. The Congressman, looking around in awe at the beautiful wet meadows and riparian wetlands commented, 'Everybody's doing a little piece, and we wind up with a success story.'" Contact: Rock Termini, P.O. Box 467; Buffalo, NY 14223; ph: 716/835-6458.

Seattle A.S., WETNET (WA) -- On a sunny day twelve volunteers and staff hiked up alongside Bear Creek admiring the lush riparian wetlands and the tall cedars and firs rising above. Along for the hike was State Rep. Helen Sommers, as well as several wetland and wildlife biologists. Leisurely walking on a trail bordered by ferns and undergrowth, the group frequently stopped and peered into the meandering waters. Occasional clumps of rare freshwater mussels could be seen, clear indicators of good water quality. They later returned to Seattle A.S. Board member Wendy Walsh's house, where they discussed with Rep. Sommers the values of the state's riparian wetlands, especially for the region's dwindling population of coho salmon. Contact: Chris Townsend, 8050 35th Ave. NE; Seattle, WA 98115; ph: 206/258-9308.

Sycamore A.S. (IN) -- "Lately the only thing more fleeting than a rain-free day may be the very thing that, Saturday morning, drew more than 100 people into the wet woods on the fringes of West Lafayette. ... members of the ... Audubon Society conducted a series of mini-clinics on the wildlife, soils and vegetation that make wetlands an essential but threatened part of the Hoosier landscape." (Journal and Courier, 5/30/97.). Activists organized this event in an area they helped save from development, the beautiful Celery Bog Nature Preserve. State Senator Mike Gery, West Lafayette Mayor Sonya Margerum, and an aide to U.S. Rep. Ed Pease (R) attended. Contact: Sue Ulrich, ph: 765/583-2275.

Aud. Soc. of Omaha (NE) -- Heron Haven, a wildlife sanctuary owned by the chapter, is home to one of the city's last remaining wetlands and shelters numerous waterfowl and wetlands species, including great blue herons and kingfishers. The chapter took U.S. Rep. Jon Christensen (R) on a tour of the sanctuary. Auduboners talked to him about the values of wetlands, especially to ecotourism and water quality in Nebraska, as well as the need for a strengthened Clean Water Act. Chapter leaders distributed NAS fact sheets on wetlands and economics to his staff. Contact: Ione Werthman, 11649 Burt St.; Omaha, NE 69154; ph: 402/493-0373.

Wading Onward

Opportunities for Auduboners and wetlands advocacy abound! On Oct. 18, 1997, the Clean Water Act turns 25 (see related article, Fall Fly Away). Wetlands activists nationwide will be "getting officials wet" again, holding parties to celebrate the law's silver anniversary, and pressing home the need for stronger wetlands protection.

For More Info: To prepare for events this Oct. and next May ('98), CONTACT Mac Blewer of Audubon's Wetlands Campaign (NAS-DC). To order a 25th Anniversary Clean Water Act packet, please contact Mac Blewer or Peter Hoffmann (NAS-DC).