Congratulations and thanks are offered to all Chapter newsletter editors and presidents who entered the 2006 Newsletter Contest. Special thanks to Judi Hetrick, newsletter editor of the Audubon Miami Valley Chapter and journalism professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Judi, along with two journalism students, Melissa Kaelin and Shannon Hinegardner, recruited judges and coordinated the contest this year.

The newsletter contest is held every other year and all Chapters are eligible to enter. This year 21 volunteer judges evaluated entries in size categories determined by the number of members in each Chapter. Judges examined how newsletter design and content appeared to meet the needs of members, along with quality of writing, editing and production. They also evaluated each issue for identity, design, layout, typography, use of graphics, and effectiveness as a Chapter communications tool. We hope that the entrants will find the comments they received from the judges to be helpful, recognizing that the goal of this exercise is to improve member communications at the Chapter level across the organization.

Results of the Audubon newsletter contest for 2006 are included below, listed in order from first to third place in the noted Chapter size categories. For additional information about the contest, with tips for newsletter editors, judges comments and PDF's of newsletters submitted, please see the Audubon Web site at: http://www.audubon.org/local/contest/winners.html.

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NEWSLETTER CONTEST WINNERS

1500+ Members
First: The Golden Gate Gull, Golden Gate Audubon Society
Second: The Travis Signal Smoke, Travis Audubon Society
Third (TIE): Tucson Vermillion Flycatcher, Tucson Audubon Society
Third (TIE): NYC Urban Audubon, New York City Audubon Society

1000-1500 Members
First: Wingbeats, Wake Audubon Society
Second: Pilchuck Audubon Profile, Pilchuck Audubon Society
Third: The Quail, Mount Diablo Audubon Society

800-1000 Members
First: El Telcolote, Santa Barbara Audubon Society
Second: The Osprey, Monmouth County Audubon Society
Third: Audubon Log, Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society

550-800 Members
First: Roadrunner, Conejo Valley Audubon Society
Second: The Leaflet, Sassafras Audubon Society
Third: LH Audubon Society Newsletter, Litchfield Hills Audubon Society

400-550 Members
First: The Scrub Jay, Audubon of Martin County
Second: The Heron Herald, Rainier Audubon Society
Third: The Flyaway, Potapaug Audubon Society

200-400 Members
First: The Sycamore Warbler, Sycamore Audubon Society
Second: QAS Newsletter, Quittapahilla Audubon Society
Third: The Red Poll, Arctic Audubon Society

Under 200 Members
First: The Storm Petrel, Kaimiopsis Audubon Society
Second: The Heron, Fond du Luc County Audubon Society
Third: The Skimmer, Southeast Volusia Audubon Society

Judges:
The following individuals volunteered their time as judges, spent considerable time and effort reviewing entries and provided thoughtful comments to all. Without them, the contest would not be possible and their contributions are gratefully acknowledged:

Bruce Ackerman, Douglas Bloom, Debra Bowles, Suzanne Cooper, Bryan Cooperrider, Anne Hanley, Nancy Hertzel, Judi Hetrick, Shannon Hinegardner, Melissa Kaelin, Marge Kennedy, Rose-Mary King, Gail Mayo, Beverly McKenzie, Elizabeth Nelson, Jane Newhagen, Holly Peirson, Chris Redfern, Sue Rupp, Cynthia Stockwell and Robert Wick.

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NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE

Deadline for Submitting Materials to the Chapter Networker:

Fall 2006 Issue:
Friday, August 25, 2006

Winter 2007 Issue:
Friday, November 3, 2006

Send Networker articles and Chapter Services inquiries to:

Audubon Chapter Services
Building 30, Fort Missoula Road
Missoula, MT 59804
Phone/Fax: (800) 542-2748
Email: chapter_services@audubon.org

Editor: Carrie Cummings

Design: Randy Stekly, Double Click Design

Contributors:
Steven D'Amato
Judi Hetrick
Daniel Kilby


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A TRACK RECORD OF EXCELLENCE THAT TEACHERS TRUST

Audubon Adventures is an exciting project loved by Chapters, teachers, and students for more than 20 years. Used in more than 40 of the 50 states, Audubon Adventures is designed and developed specifically for use by students ages 8 - 11 and classroom teachers spanning grades 3 - 6. In addition, educators in non-formal settings (youth clubs, park districts, after school programs, scouts, and nature centers) are using Audubon Adventures to meet their specific needs.

Environmental education helps teachers to teach principles of science. Ninety-four percent of the teachers who use Audubon Adventures teach general science, 87% use Audubon Adventures to teach respect for living things and 47% use Audubon Adventures to teach scientific research skills.

Plans for 2006-07:

• Wings and Things - A brand new Classroom Resource Kit will be released this September featuring birds, bees, bats, and John James Audubon himself!
• Audubon Adventures on CD, enabling Audubon state programs, Centers, and Chapters to access our extensive catalog. Subscribers can obtain the license to publish this content if they so desire.
• Connecting Audubon Adventures to Audubon at Home and the Great Backyard Bird Count.
• Developing a more engaging and extensive education Web site for educators around the country and the world.
• Conducting pilot programs to increase reach and impact, focusing on after-school clubs and new partnerships.

Friendly Assistance Is A Phone Call or a Click Away!
Complete information on getting started in this award-winning program is available on our Web site, www.audubon.org/educates/aa, including forms and flyers, testimony from Chapter leaders and teachers who have used Audubon Adventures, awards, and other good stuff. We hope you will join our Audubon adventure!

FOR MORE INFO:
Call 800-813-5037 or email
education@audubon.org

WOW! AMAZING! GREAT JOB!
The following Audubon Societies produced extraordinary results with the Audubon Adventures program in the 2005-06 school year and are applauded. Delaware Audubon (DE), Washington Crossing Audubon (NJ), Coeur D'Alene Audubon (ID), Northwest Arkansas Audubon (AR), Litchfield Hills Audubon (CT), Red Rock Audubon (NV), Alachua Audubon (FL), Wasatch Audubon (UT), Oklawaha Valley Audubon (FL), Mesilla Valley Audubon (NM), Northern Neck Audubon (VA), Greater Ozarks Audubon (MO), and Francis M. Weston (FL).

The staff of Audubon Adventures extends our appreciation to all of our 2005-06 season volunteers. Thank you all for your dedication to furthering Audubon's mission by delivering Audubon Adventures to children and teachers in your community.

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UPDATE! 2006 REGIONAL ELECTIONS

With the deadline for voting passed, ballots have been counted in the four Regional Elections to the National Audubon Society Board of Directors. Nominees to the board are:

Central Election Region: A. Peter Cannon, Jr.
Central Great Lakes Election Region: Alan R. Dolan
Northeast Election Region: Jane-Kerin Moffat
Western Election Region: Jess Morton

Thanks to all Chapters who participated in these elections. The candidates above will be placed on the slate of board nominees that is voted upon at the Annual Meeting of Members in January 2007.


IN MEMORY…

Ellen Wade Ackerman, president of the Richmond Audubon Society, died peacefully at her home on July 10, 2006. She leaves behind many friends and neighbors and her colleagues at the Shepherd's Center of Richmond, the Richmond Audubon Society, and the Virginia Important Bird Area Program. Ellen was an active volunteer in the Virginia Audubon Council, Virginia IBA Program, and Richmond Audubon. She will be greatly missed.

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT…

Dear Audubon Chapter Leaders, I hope that you have had a chance to see "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's excellent documentary film about global warming. If you have already seen it, recommend it to a friend.

Scientists now tell us that global warming is the single greatest threat to birds and wildlife in our lifetime. We can see it happening already. Birds are arriving earlier, leaving later, and changing locations to survive. Polar bears have decreased from over 1200 to about 950 because of melting polar ice, and face extinction. Coral reefs are dying because ocean temperatures are rising. Productive estuaries and coastal wetlands are threatened with rising sea level. At its May 2006 meeting, the Board of Directors approved a framework for Audubon's role in addressing global warming. The Board articulated the following reasons for engaging in this issue:

• Global warming is one of the new century's greatest threats and challenges to the planet. It is a leading threat to birds and their habitat worldwide.
• The science continues to solidify and uncertainty that global warming is occurring has virtually disappeared over the last 5 years. Mounting evidence and emerging consensus are trending toward the more severe effects being more likely.
• More and more, there is growing need for public involvement, engagement and education.
• More and more, the issue is framed in a larger moral imperative rather than as a highly technical issue to be negotiated in international meetings and treaties.
• More and more, it is becoming, and needs to be pursued as, a grassroots movement to create the political demand in the US for action - a political demand that has been lacking in the past.
• Audubon's involvement and leadership is timely and more logical now than in the past as "Birds as Indicators," education and grassroots engagement are strengths now strongly aligned with current need. Various organizations are addressing the issue of global warming in different ways. The framework approved by the Board for Audubon will focus on our unique strengths and capacity.
• Our Science Strength - Birds as Indicators
• Our People Strength - Motivating Individual Actions and Engagement
• Our Grassroots Strength - Building Capacity with Chapters and Centers
• Our Decentralized Strength - Political Actions at the Local, State and Federal Level

Many Chapters have already begun to address global warming by educating themselves and their members, and by seeking solutions. As just one example, the Audubon Council of Illinois is urging Illinois legislators to take a position about global warming and has invited the two gubernatorial candidates to the September council meeting to describe their positions on this topic and their plans to reduce Illinois' "contribution" to the problem.

This is a great example of how local organizations can effectively advocate for change. Please let us know about similar activities you have planned. And I look forward to sharing ideas with you throughout the coming year about how we can work together to address this important issue.

John Flicker
President

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WETLANDS WILDERNESS IN JEOPARDY

Most Americans have probably never heard of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) although it is the largest single tract of wild public land in the nation. However, this 23.5 million-acre wilderness on Alaska's North Slope is the focal point of a raging environmental battle. In January 2006, the Administration opened one of the most important parts of the Northeast NPR-A to oil and gas leasing-the wildlife-rich wetlands wilderness around Teshekpuk Lake. This vast area of small lakes and tundra wetlands, a true ecological jewel, may be changed forever.

The NPR-A was originally designated as a petroleum reserve for the military in 1923. However, in 1976, Congress transferred management from the Navy to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with the goal of giving maximum protection to surface values in designated "special areas," including at Teshekpuk Lake. In 1977, under the Carter Administration, the 1.7 million-acre Teshekpuk Lake Special Area was established specifically because of its value as critical wildlife habitat. Although three previous Interior Secretaries, including the controversial James Watt of the Reagan Administration, recognized the ecological importance of Teshekpuk Lake, the current Administration does not. The January 2006 decision removed the protections for Teshekpuk Lake and its surrounding habitats, opening this ecologically and culturally valuable area to oil and gas leasing.

Bird Habitat Extraordinaire
Teshekpuk Lake is one of the most critical wildlife habitats in the world-wide Arctic. It offers high-quality forage and refuge from predators for geese during their vulnerable annual molt. In the summer as many as 60,000 geese gather north of Teshekpuk Lake to molt, including 30% of all Brant in the Pacific Flyway and 6% of the mid-continental population of Greater White-fronted Geese. Millions of waterbirds, shorebirds, and songbirds nest in the area, including rare Yellow-billed Loons, King Eiders, Spectacled Eiders (federally listed as threatened), Long-tailed Ducks, and Dunlin, all of which are on Audubon's Alaska WatchList of declining and vulnerable species. This area also serves as a refuge for 45,000 caribou, on which several Alaskan Native communities depend for subsistence.

This remote area is currently free of the influences of industrial-scale oil development. However, if the area is opened to drilling, oil and gas development will overlay the Teshekpuk Lake's vast wetlands with a "spider web" of roads, pipelines, gravel pits, airstrips and other facilities. Arctic waterfowl will experience greatly increased disturbance, predation, pollution, and loss of habitat.

Audubon recognizes the importance of this wetland wilderness and is working hard to protect the habitat it provides for molting geese from three nations, nesting birds from six continents, caribou and other wildlife. Look for "Save Teshekpuk Lake" postcards coming soon in the mail, along with more information on Teshekpuk Lake. Now is the time to let the new Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, know your Chapter cares about this little-known, but very special place. Please return your signed postcards to us. We've made it easy -- we'll pay the return postage -- and we need your help! Our goal is to present 15,000 signed postcards to Secretary Kempthorne urging him to preserve this special wilderness.

Alaska in the Limelight
If you are interested in learning more about this Alaskan jewel, please contact Taldi Walter, 202-861-2242, twalter@audubon.org, for additional information and materials. Taldi is also available to provide a program at your Chapter meeting on the many issues facing the vast Alaska landscape and the wildlife that depend on it. If you are interested in having Taldi speak at your Chapter meeting, please contact her.

The Chapter Services office also has a limited number of Teshekpuk Lake brochures available. If you would like a brochure mailed to you, please contact Carrie Cummings at ccummings@audu-bon.org. Larger quantities are also available. Please see Distribution Center order form on page 4.

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AWARD HONORS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONSERVATION

2006 Callison Award Winners
The 2006 Callison Award for an Audubon Volunteer was given to Benjamin Olewine IV of Connecticut, and the 2006 Callison Award for an Audubon Professional was awarded to two Audubon staff: Thomas R. Baptist, Executive Director of Audubon Connecticut and David J. Miller, Executive Director of Audubon New York. The awards, which were presented to the winners at the May 2006 Audubon Board Meeting in Vail, Colorado, recognize individuals who have made remarkable contributions to conservation through creativity, coalition building, creative thinking, outreach, and perseverance. Awardees are nominated by their peers in the field - both Audubon Chapter members and Audubon staff.

The Charles H. Callison Award is named after a former executive vice president at Audubon, and was established in 1994 by the National Audubon Society.

FOR MORE INFO:
See Audubon's Web site at:
http://www.audubon.org/news/press_releases/june2006.html

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CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE BY AUGUST 15TH

Just a reminder - Audubon Chapter Annual Reports are due to state offices or the Chapter Services office by August 15th. Each year, Audubon Chapters renew their charters through a re-certification process as described in the Audubon Chapter Policy. The annual report is a very important document. It helps Audubon learn how Chapters are doing, reports changes in Chapter leadership and allows Audubon to demonstrate that funds spent by Chapters are used in accordance with guidelines for non-profits set by the IRS.

Chapters may download forms electronically at http://www.audubon.org/local/businessAndSupport.html, fill them out and send via mail, email or fax. The annual baseline payment will be sent in September to all Chapters who have filed at least the basic annual report and Chapter Leader Report Form by the August 15th deadline. Chapters that do not contact the Chapter Services office by the deadline will have their baseline payments temporarily held until the forms are received, with a final deadline of December 31, 2006, to be eligible for payment.

FOR MORE INFO:
Contact Carrie Cummings at:
ccummings@audubon.org

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