The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology's 2014 convention marked two significant milestones: the Society's 75th anniversary and the centenary of the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. And it did so in stirring and memorable ways.
The convention was held May 15-18 in Prairie du Chien - at the heart of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which supports more than 270 species of birds. Prominent in convention activities was 2,628-acre Wyalusing State Park, with its somber monument to the Passenger Pigeon high on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers.
The 2014 convention marked the third year in a row where attendance topped 200. A total of 205 people were registered, with 136 participating in the Friday field trips (124 on Thursday), 136 for Friday night's awards and 127 for Saturday night's banquet. A total of 89 convention shirts - marking the 75th anniversary and the monument ceremony - were sold. And conventioneers recorded 166 species of birds seen or heard over four days of field trips - including 118 species seen at Wyalusing.
The Passenger Pigeon Monument was rededicated on Saturday May 17 in a public ceremony organized by WSO and Friends of Wyalusing State Park and attended by more than 150 people. A major effort to restore the 67-year old monument was led by WSO and Dr. Stanley Temple, professor emeritus at University of Wisconsin-Madison and senior fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. The ceremony was linked to observance of the centenary of the Pigeon's extinction.
The convention also included a second ceremony on the evening of May 16 at The Barn Restaurant in Prairie du Chien at which WSO presented four of its annual Passenger Pigeon awards.
Honored for their service to bird conservation and education were Bettie Harriman of Oshkosh, William Mueller of West Milwaukee, Greg Septon of Milwaukee and Chuck Sontag of Manitowoc. WSO has presented its awards since 1940, naming them in memory of the Passenger Pigeon, a now-extinct bird that once flew over Wisconsin in such numbers that their passage would darken the skies. The last Passenger Pigeon died in 1914 after habitat destruction and market hunting led to its demise.
"These award winners have each worked to help ensure that Wisconsin's birds will continue to thrive," said Carl Schwartz of Fox Point, the outgoing WSO president. "They have devoted their lives to birds that enrich our environment, sing in our forests, soar over our cities and feed in our backyards."
Also at Friday's ceremony, Bird City Wisconsin saluted Prairie du Chien, Ferryville and Darlington for their commitment to making their communities healthier for birds and people. Representatives of all three communities were on hand to receive Bird City flags, plaques and street signs marking their conservation efforts. Bird City had recognized a total of 81 cities, villages, towns and counties statewide since 2010 and draws its major support from the Bird Protection Fund of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.
Other convention highlights:
The annual meeting ushered in a new leadership team, with Kim Kreitinger taking over as president and Michael John Jaeger succeeding her as vice president. Additionally, Chuck Heikkinen and Delia Unson were elected as editors of The Pigeon. Mickey O'Connor and Jennifer Wenzel were re-elected as treasurer and secretary.
On Saturday evening, WSO was honored to hold the world premiere screening of "From Billions to None: the Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction." The film highlights the important lessons of the past and helps to focus attention on current conservation challenges. Filmmaker David Mrazek was on hand to answer questions afterwards and discussed the film's upcoming release to public TV.
After long hours invested in organizing WSO's Archives at UW-Green Bay, historian Nancy Nabak prepared an amazing vault display of memorabilia that recalled the 25th and 50th anniversary conventions and challenged members to help identify those seen in photos from those events.
Kreitinger and her photographer/husband Eric Preston ushered the Saturday luncheon crowd, lured by the promise of raffle prizes, to The Barn's outdoor patio to create a permanent photo record of those in attendance at the 75th anniversary gathering. The photo already can be seen on WSO's Facebook page, and there are plans to share it more widely.
Saturday afternoon focused on bird conservation success stories. The first two presenters discussed Wisconsin habitats that have been protected and managed for birds. Mike Mossman, WDNR, described the importance of the 79,000-acre Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, which provides habitat for many forest-interior bird species due to its large size. Darcy Kind, WDNR, spoke about the important role of private lands in bird conservation. She discussed the Wisconsin Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) as a funding tool to help private landowners create and manage habitat for species that are rare or declining. Darcy shared several examples of landowners that are using LIP funds to conserve bird habitat. The final two presentations focused on species-specific success stories. Sumner Matteson, WDNR, discussed the impressive recovery of the Trumpeter Swan in Wisconsin. He detailed the partners involved and the history of the reintroduction, and summarized the steady population increase over the last 20 years. The Wisconsin Trumpeter Swan population has now exceeded the original goals of the project! Finally, Kent Hall, Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW), discussed the remarkable comeback of the Eastern Bluebird. When BRAW was organized in 1986, it was estimated that the Eastern Bluebird population in its historic range had declined by 90% during the preceding 50 years. Thanks to the BRAW's coordinated statewide nest box construction and monitoring program, the Wisconsin Eastern Bluebird population is now thriving.
The convention included Thursday and Friday all-day bus and car-caravan field trips that contended successfully with spring flooding to explore different habitats and Southwestern Wisconsin's bird diversity. The bus group spent Thursday in Iowa, including three hours aboard a special boat plying the birdy nearshore backwaters of the Mississippi River. The car caravans plotted routes along the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, venturing as far east as the Arena boat landing, Spring Green Preserve and Gov. Dodge State Park. Several groups made a specially-arranged visit to the private Eagle Valley Preserve.
O'Connor banded 33 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in less than two hour Saturday morning at the Wyalusing entrance station. Her report: "We started getting recaps from the same day so it was time to stop. We are thinking about returning in late August or early September but it will depend on how many helpers I can recruit! A couple of kids did a great job carrying the birds in bags from the traps. Great day, lots of fun, and visitors thoroughly enjoyed it. The Wyalusing staffers were thrilled and asked if we'd consider returning... so stay tuned."
Native Columbine plants were presented to the convention planning team: Chair Christine Zimmerman, assisted by her husband Jeff; registrar Margaret Brasser, assisted by her husband Dave; program chair Kim Kreitinger; silent auction chair, Janet Speth; convention treasurer Christine Reel. Special thanks also were tendered to this year's cadre of field trip leaders, organized by Christine Zimmerman and led by Tom Schultz and Jeff Baughman, along with Paul Regnier, Anita Carpenter, Dennis Kirschbaum (who also was our local liaison), John Stravers, Daryl Tessen, Martin Murphy, Jason Thiele, Alex Stark, Dan Jackson, Barb Duerksen, Dan Edelstein and Ric Zarwell.
Details of this year's Pigeon award winners are available here. Here is a brief recap on the four honorees:
Bettie Harriman, retiring editor of the society's Passenger Pigeon journal and a member of WSO's board of directors for more than 20 years, received the Samuel D. Robbins Lifetime Achievement Award, which was initiated in 2000 to honor individuals who have actively contributed to WSO above and beyond having received both the Silver Passenger Pigeon Award for service to WSO and the WSO Certificate of Achievement, for continued service to WSO.
William Mueller, director of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory along Lake Michigan near Belgium, received the Silver Passenger Pigeon Award, which is presented to members for distinguished service to the society. He is past chair of both the conservation and education committees.
Greg Septon, who has directed the urban Peregrine Falcon recovery effort in Wisconsin for the last 26 years, received the Noel J. Cutright Conservation Award, formerly known as the Green Passenger Pigeon. It has been renamed to honor the well-known and beloved ornithologist who died in November.
Dr. Charles Sontag, professor emeritus in biological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc and a lifelong analyst of migratory bird patterns along Lake Michigan, received the Bronze Passenger Pigeon, which honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or in the state to promote the field of ornithology.
