National Audubon Society

Monthly Newsletter June, 2022

Summer Solstice in the Great Lakes Region

Summer Solstice is upon us and whether your birding, vacationing or just relaxing at home, there is something this summer for everyone!

The Great Lakes are home to over 350 bird species! Check out some of the hotspots around the region to see and hear birds this summer.

If you are taking a road trip outside of the Midwest, check out Audubon’s guide to unforgettable trips that wend through charming towns and rural outposts while also connecting the dots between many Important Bird Areas. Or if you want to relax at home with a bird book and cool off with a bird-inspired cocktail, check out these recipes – what better way to celebrate summer than with a drink that helps raise awareness for threatened birds?

It’s baby bird season across the Great Lakes region! You can see some adorable Black Tern Chicks, Piping Plovers, Sandhill Cranes and many more – so be sure to share the shore with these birds as they nest and rest! If you are out taking photos be sure to follow Audubon’s ethical guide to photography, respecting birds and the places they need.Read more

Mallard chicks

Wildlife Conservation Legislation Moves Closer To Passing

Federal legislation approved by the U.S. House this month would annually dedicate $1.3 billion towards wildlife conservation to boost recovery of 1,600 threatened or endangered species and build resilient ecosystems to adapt to climate change. Wildlife such as Kirtland’s warblers, and Black Terns would be among the Michigan species expected to receive enhanced federal funding under a bill sponsored by U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn. You can read more in this story from MLIVE and a statement from Audubon Great Lakes Policy Director, Marnie Urso on Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

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Black Tern. Photo: David Fuller

Celebrating Audubon Chapters across the Great Lakes Region

This spring, over 50 Audubon chapters and members from across the Great Lakes region came together online for the 2022 Audubon Great Lakes Chapter Gathering and Awards. The event celebrated many and included a line up of speakers from Audubon, Great Lakes legislators and chapter members from across the region who shared how conservation and advocacy are helping birds across the Great Lakes. If you missed it you can check out a recap and some videos in the link below.

Are you part of an Audubon chapter in the Great Lakes region? We would love to hear about your local Audubon work! Let us know what you’re up to for an opportunity to be featured by Audubon Great Lakes!

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Bird walk at the Holliday Nature Preserve. Photo: Detroit Audubon Society

Great Lakes Piping Plovers. Photo: Credit: John Dosch

Sharing the Love of Great Lakes Piping Plovers, One Beachgoer at a Time

With mid-summer approaching and as we head into the busy Fourth of July weekend, Piping Plover chicks are hatching throughout the Great Lakes region, ushering in a particularly vulnerable time for these endangered shorebirds. Chicks are able to run around within hours of hatching, but cannot fly until they reach about 23 days old. That’s over 3 weeks that tiny plover chicks (weighing less than an ice cream scoop!) must survive amid many dangers. Be sure to keep you distance from these nesting birds and chicks, leach you dogs and clean up trash on the beaches. If you are visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes or Traverse City area – home to the greatest concentration of nesting piping plovers in the Great Lakes – this summer, keep an eye out for education tents with Audubon volunteers and take the pledge to protect plovers!

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Great Lakes Piping Plovers. Photo: Credit: John Dosch

Audubon Great Lakes Advisory Board members: Jon Allan, Erin Giese, Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, Alexis Hermiz, and Antonio R. Lopez Ph.D

Meet Audubon Great Lakes New Advisory Board Members

Join us in celebrating the newest additions to our Great Lakes Advisory Board: Jon W. Allan of University of Michigan, Erin Giese of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, Executive Director of the McKinney Family Foundation, Alexis Hermiz, the Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Michigan Department of Natural Resources; and Antonio R. Lopez Ph.D., the Director of the Chicago Frontlines Funding Initiative.

“As Audubon Great Lakes continues to grow and expand its reach, tackling the toughest conservation issues across the region during a pivotal time where climate change threatens birds and the places they need, I am truly excited to welcome the addition of these new advisory board members,” said Michelle Parker, Vice President and Executive Director of Audubon Great Lakes. “This dynamic group of leaders collectively bring decades of knowledge and expertise that will provide valuable insight and contributions to expand our impact and advocacy solutions for birds and people.”

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Audubon Great Lakes Advisory Board members: Jon Allan, Erin Giese, Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, Alexis Hermiz, and Antonio R. Lopez Ph.D

Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-MI-34) looks through binoculars with while birding with Audubon Great Lakes and partners

Michigan State Senator Jon Bumstead Goes Birding with Audubon Great Lakes in Western Michigan

Communities throughout the Eastern Lake Michigan region have lost up to 90 percent of their historic wetlands, natural areas that birds and other wildlife rely on to thrive. Earlier this month, Michigan State Senator Jon Bumstead (R-MI-34) went birdwatching with Audubon Great Lakes and partners at Muskegon State Park in North Muskegon, Michigan to learn about Audubon Great Lakes’ work to restore wetlands across the region, and to discuss bipartisan conservation solutions to protect Michigan’s natural areas, wildlife, and people. Since 2018, Audubon Great Lakes has directly restored 2,000 acres of wetlands across the region, and has helped guide partners in the restoration of an additional 8,000 acres.

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Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-MI-34) looks through binoculars with while birding with Audubon Great Lakes and partners

Get Involved

Call for Presentations: Great Lakes Coastal Symposium

The Great Lakes Coastal Assembly is pleased to announce that the 2022 Great Lakes Coastal Symposium will take place from September 19-21, 2022 at the Kewadin Convention Center in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The call for presentation, workshop, and field trip proposals is still open through June 30! Get your proposals in soon and sponsorship opportunities are available here. Sign up

Protect the Great Lakes for Birds and People

For over a decade, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) has funded more than 6,000 restoration projects that have improved water quality and driven positive impacts for the region's birds and communities – including helping to restore habitats for shorebirds, like the endangered Piping Plover that now nests along all five Great Lakes once again. Urge Congress to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for fiscal year 2023! Take action

Piping Plover. Tom Prestby

“For the Birds: The Birdsong Project”

“For the Birds: The Birdsong Project” is a historic outpouring of creativity by more than 200 artists to celebrate the music and joy that birds bring into our lives—and to raise awareness about the need to protect them. This project was produced by Grammy Award-winning music supervisor Randall Poster and features music artists, actors, literary figures, and visual artists, all coming together to celebrate the joy birds bring to our lives and elevate the message they have for us about the environmental threats we all face. Listen to Volume I and Volume II today and all proceeds will benefit National Audubon Society.

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