222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.
org
Aesthetics and Land Management
in the Lower Wisconsin Riverway
Free Public Program
Who: Brad Hutnik and Mark Cupp
What: Lower Wisconsin Riverway
When: Tuesday, February 16, 2010
7:30 p.m. – Program
Where: New Location!
Capitol Lakes Retirement
Community
333 West Main St., Madison
Parking: Free – ramp across the street
Lower levels – must use
unmarked spaces or those
labeled “DNR”
“Yet there remains the river, in a
few spots hardly changed since Paul
Bunyan’s day; at early dawn . . . one can
still hear it singing in the wilderness . . .
Perhaps our grandsons, having never
seen a river, will never miss the chance to
set a canoe in singing waters.”
We still have the chance to set a canoe
in the lower Wisconsin River, much as
it was when Aldo Leopold wrote. In an
age of rapid development, how has it
retained the qualities Leopold admired?
Why isn’t the river lined with condos?
Thank the Lower Wisconsin State
Riverway (LWSR) created 20 years ago.
The Riverway’s boundaries extend
92.3 miles from below the dam at
Prairie du Sac to the confluence with
the Mississippi River near Prairie du
Chien, encompassing 79,275 acres. The
Riverway seeks to protect and preserve
the scenic beauty and natural character
of the river valley, manage area resources
Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society
February 2010
Horicon Marsh:
Did You Know?
Bill Volkert will speak about the past,
present and future of Horicon Marsh at
this year’s Wings Over Madison spring
for the long term benefit of Wisconsin
banquet on Tuesday, March 30. Volkert is
citizens, and provide a quality public
the natural resource educator and natu-
recreational area in a manner consistent
ralist at Wisconsin DNR’s Horicon Marsh
with the resource and aesthetic protec-
State Wildlife Area.
tion goals and objectives.
Brad Hutnik and Mark Cupp will
Did you know . . .
review the Riverway’s background, its
•E
 ffigy mounds can be found near
unique aesthetic regulations, and land
Horicon Marsh. In the 1850s, Increase
management options. They will focus on
Lapham, Wisconsin’s first state geolo-
bottomland forests, upland oak forests,
gist, mapped over 500 mounds around
and birds .
the marsh.
  Since 2002, Brad Hutnik has been the
WI-DNR Lower Wisconsin Riverway •P
 otowotomis and Winnebagos
Forester. Within the LWSR, he coordi- (Ho-Chunk Nation) had settlements
nates forest management for state land at the marsh. White settlers at first
and advises private landowners about called the area “The Great Marsh of the
ecologically sound, sustainable forestry.    Winnebagos.”
Mark Cupp is executive director of the • I n 1846, a dam was built in the town
Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board, of Horicon to power the first sawmill.
one of the smallest state agencies in The dam held back water in the marsh,
Wisconsin, charged with administration raising it nine feet. The flooded marsh,
of a unique set of regulations designed dubbed Lake Horicon, was called the
to protect and preserve the scenic beauty largest man-made lake in the world.
and natural character of the final 92
But wait, there’s more!
miles of the Wisconsin River. 
Tap into Bill Volkert’s vast wealth of
interesting Horicon Marsh facts, figures
You are invited to join our speaker,
and photos. Mark your calendar now, tell
MAS board members and friends at
all your friends, and plan to attend the
the pre-program dinner at Paisan’s
banquet. Invitations will be mailed in late
Restaurant (131 W. Wilson St.) begin-
February.
ning at 5:15 p.m. Please call the office
at 608/255-BIRD (255-2473) if you have
questions.
March program: In place of the regular
March meeting, we will hold our Wings
Over Madison Banquet on Tuesday,
March 30.
Horicon Marsh/DNR photo
From the President
By Brand Smith
The Madison Audubon
Society participated in a
strategic planning retreat
on December 4-5, 2009,
facilitated by Carol Mayes
and Sara Wilson of Mayes
Wilson & Associates. The retreat was
attended by MAS Board of Directors,
staff and volunteers. Mayes Wilson com-
menced the planning session with a dis-
cussion of MAS’s mission, with the objec-
Things to do
February 12-14: Wisconsin Public
Television Garden Expo at the Alliant
Energy Center, Madison. Choose
from more than 100 educational
seminars, including “Gardening for
Hummingbirds” with Kathi and
Michael Rock at noon on Saturday,
Feb. 13 and 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb.14.
View demonstrations on gardening,
lawn, and landscaping topics and
enjoy hundreds of exhibitor booths.
www.wpt.org/gardenexpo
February 12-15: Great Backyard
Bird Count. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 to
participate.
Red-breasted Nuthatch/Pat Ready
(1) Count birds for at least 15 minutes
on one or more days of the count—
Friday through Monday; (2) Count
the greatest number of individuals
of each species that you see together
at any one time; and (3) When
you’re finished, enter your results
through the GBBC web page. www.
birdsource.org/gbbc
March Field Trip
Saturday, Mar. 6: Early Spring
Migrants
Steve Thiessen will lead this early
morning field trip to Mud Lake in
McFarland. Mud Lake is usually the
first body of water to thaw in our area,
The Audubon CAWS
tive of determining whether the current
mission still describes the organization’s
core purpose.
The facilitated discussion indicated that
the mission still describes the organiza-
tion’s core purpose. Retreat participants
only desired to make slight revisions to
the wording of the mission, primarily to
use more compelling language.
This exercise was very important
because the mission is the organization’s
“North Star” —it guides the organization
in all of its work. When new projects or
programs are suggested, the Board should
so it attracts good concentrations of
spring migrating waterfowl. We will
meet at 7 a.m. at the south end of Lewis
Lane in McFarland. Bring a scope if
you have one. For more information
call Steve at (608) 873-3323.
March 12-14: Canoecopia annual pad-
dlesport exposition. Alliant Energy
Center, Madison. www.rutabaga.com/
canoecopia
March 26: Wisconsin Bird Conservation
Initiative Conference: The Power
of Partnerships. All Wisconsin Bird
Conservation Initiative (WBCI) partners
and the public are invited to this year’s
conference/annual meeting, to be held
in Milwaukee on Friday, March 26.  The
Power of Partnerships theme parallels the
2010 International Migratory Bird Day
theme. In addition, 2010 marks the 20th
anniversary of Partners in Flight.  Kennedy Jr., Margaret Atwood, William
This year’s focus will be the State of
Our Birds and how we can partner to
help them. Dr. Stan Temple will describe
the present state of the birds, and look 40
years into the future. Terry Rich, National
Coordinator for Partners in Flight, will
discuss the power of partnerships, fol-
lowed by a number of WBCI partners tell-
ing their success stories. Attend the con-
ference to learn how to become involved
in such projects as Bird City Wisconsin,
bird research and monitoring efforts, win-
tering grounds conservation, Trumpeter
Swan recovery, grassland bird conserva-
tion, and more.
To make a difference for the birds we
love, WBCI (all 167 partners and you!) is
working hard to initiate and coordinate
bird conservation efforts that require
a committed partnership. The WBCI
Steering Committee encourages you to
attend and help chart a path for bird con-
servation into the future.
2 February 2010
ask, “Is this project in alignment with our
mission?” and “Does this program/proj-
ect help us achieve our mission, and if so,
how?” As soon as the Board of Directors
approves the mission statement, I will be
sharing it with you.
The retreat also generated many goals
that the organization will be working on
and you will hear about these often. We
are working with Mayes Wilson on the
next steps to start moving toward a new
three- to five-year strategic plan.
I will be writing more in the future as
information becomes available.
For more information as it becomes
available, including the exact location of
the conference, please check the WBCI
website, www.wisconsinbirds.org, or con-
tact Karen Etter Hale, WBCI Chairperson,
masoffice@mailbag.com or 608-255-BIRD
(2473).
April 20-21: Earth Day at 40—Valuing
Wisconsin’s Environmental Traditions,
Past, Present, and Future. The
UW-Madison Nelson Institute for
Environmental Studies invites everyone
to its fourth annual Earth Day Conference
to be held at the Monona Terrace
Convention Center, Madison. The confer-
ence will celebrate the 40th anniversaries
of Earth Day and the Nelson Institute,
and explore lessons learned over the past
four decades and pathways to environ-
mental sustainability in the 21st century.
Featured appearances include Robert F.
Meadows, John Francis, William Cronon,
and many others; an evening concert
by the Ecotones: A Musical Ecology of
Wisconsin; and other special activities.
For more information, watch the Nelson
Institute website, www.nelson.wisc.edu/
earthday40
April 24: “Orioles and Ocelots:
Wisconsin’s Connection to Costa Rica,”
a new international collaboration, will
be unveiled by The Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin, in partnership
with the Wisconsin Bird Conservation
Initiative. Tropical ecologist and author
Dr. Adrian Forsyth headlines an evening
event at the Milwaukee County Zoo for
Wisconsin’s migratory bird conservation
efforts on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula,
one of the most biologically dense
places on earth. For more information:
Craig Thompson, (608) 785-1277, Craig.
Thompson@wisconsin.gov

Notes From Faville Grove
Why a Hungry Planet
Needs More Prairie
Anyone involved in prairie restoration
has heard it repeatedly: You’re taking
good farmland out of production! The
idea that land should produce food for
human use is so deeply ingrained in our
culture that even those who appreciate
the environmental benefits of prairie
restoration may at times find themselves
feeling conflicted on this point, so here’s
our take on the issue.
First, let’s put things in perspective.
The American Farmland Trust reports
that, “every single minute of every day,
America loses two acres of farmland.
From 1992-1997, we converted to devel-
oped uses more than six million acres
of agricultural land—an area the size of
Maryland.” Assuming that we continue
our recent pace of prairie restoration at
Faville Grove of roughly 40 acres per year,
it will take us 150,000 years to convert as
much farmland as the nation’s develop-
ers did in five! And there simply aren’t
enough other prairie restorationists out
there to bring that timeframe down to a
scale that is meaningful to civilization.
Furthermore, land lost to development
is lost essentially forever. It will take the
advance and retreat of another glacier
followed by millennia of prairie growth
to restore the productive potential of
most developed land. Land in prairie,
on the other hand, is land in the bank,
and the interest rates are far better than
anything you’ll find at your local credit
union. Prairie built our most productive
soils, and prairie can continue to build
those soils, removing carbon from the
atmosphere every year and putting it into
humus, improving the land’s agricultural
potential should it be needed in the future
(see sidebar). Additional interest is paid
along the way in the form of wildlife
habitat, groundwater and surface water
protection, and human enjoyment.
But just the same, prairie restoration
does take land out of production and
there are hungry people in the world, so
the question still nags: Is it morally right
to remove any land from agricultural
production in a hungry world? To answer
this, we need to look at how the food cur-
rently produced is put to use.
At least 20% of the corn grown in
Wisconsin goes to ethanol for fuel.
Heavily subsidized by the government,
The Audubon CAWS
ethanol production
from corn produces
little or no, or even
negative, net energy,
depending on who
runs the numbers.
The amount of land
removed from food
production for etha-
nol dwarfs even the
acreage taken by
development, which
in turn dwarfs the
acreage put back to
prairie.
Furthermore, Buddy's Prairie was planted in 1994 on highly eroded crop-
some 70 to 80% of land. This damaged soil once again is improving every year.
grain produced
in the United States is fed to livestock. to remove vast stretches of land from
Nationwide, 157 million metric tons of agricultural production and put it back in
cereal and vegetable protein is used to an interest-bearing account in the prairie
produce 28 metric tons of animal protein, bank. It’s long past time to turn the tables
representing an even greater waste of on the developers. Current and future
human food than ethanol production, generations would find themselves better
with annual global meat production pro- fed if restorationists could convert farm-
jected to more than double from 229 mil- land to prairie at the rate of two acres per
lion tons at the beginning of the decade to minute every single minute of every day,
465 million tons in 2050. while developers make do with 40 acres
Waste, even on this scale, might be toler- per year, here and there, for a change.
able if the wasted food were produced
sustainably, but it is not. Livestock pro- Conservation easements and
duction is currently responsible for 18% future food needs
of global greenhouse-gas emissions as
measured in carbon dioxide equivalent, Madison Audubon generally places
and a stable climate is essential to future restrictive covenants on sanctuary lands
food production. Modern agriculture that prohibit agricultural and other uses
requires huge inputs of fossil energy for “in perpetuity” – a term that causes much
tillage and transport. It degrades soil or unnecessary consternation. These cov-
washes it downstream faster than the soil enants are generally in the form of con-
can rebuild. Carbon previously stored servation easements sold to the federal
in soil by prairie plants is oxidized and or state governments under programs
released into the atmosphere. As soil intended to retire flood-prone or erosion-
fertility declines, farming relies increas- prone land from agricultural production
ingly on fertilizer and pesticides, both or to improve wildlife habitat and pro-
of which require enormous additional vide any of the other public benefits asso-
energy input. Phosphorus, an essential ciated with ecological restoration. Given
plant nutrient, is mined, and global sup- that global human populations are pro-
plies could be depleted in about a century jected to peak by the end of this century,
at current rates of consumption, about the such covenants could, on a tiny scale, tie
time that the human population is pro- the hands of future generations as they
jected to peak. As these chemical inputs deal with this crisis. But legal restrictions
make their way downstream, they wreak are only as permanent as the laws upon
environmental havoc the whole way. which they are built. While we sincerely
In short, the food we squander today hope that the situation will never warrant
represents a degraded environment and such drastic action, congress does have
reduced agricultural productivity in the the authority to change the laws regard-
future. With this perspective, the moral ing conservation easements, and the
imperative becomes clear: We need to president does have the power to issue
stop wasting food while destroying the an executive order overriding such cov-
very resources needed to produce it. enants, and the prairie could once again
Ending this prodigality would allow us meet the plow.
3 February 2010
2009 Local Christmas
Bird Counts
By Mark and Sue Foote Martin
Counts reported and coordinators are
Madison (MAD) Aaron Stutz; Cooksville
(COO) David and AnnaMarie Huset;
Poynette (POY) Mark and Sue Martin;
Sauk City (SC) Karl and Dorothy Legler;
Baraboo (BOO) Scott Swengel; and Mount
Horeb (MTH) Ken Wood. The compilers
would like to thank all of the participants
who contributed their time and effort to
make the counts successful, especially
those that participated on a number of
counts.
The Christmas Bird Counts help docu-
ment changes in bird numbers over time.
This can be important when analyzing
such problems as West Nile Virus, to
which Blue Jays and American Crows are
highly susceptible. Blue Jay numbers on
the Madison count from 1996-97 to 2000-
01 averaged 235/year. Last year 151 Blue
Jays were found and this year 413 jays
were counted. Blue Jay numbers were
also higher on other counts.
This year, 102 species were found on
all counts compared with 98 species
found last year. Species not found on any
counts included Ruffed Grouse, Northern
Bobwhite, Short-eared Owl, and Common
Redpoll. Overall, winter finch numbers
were lower this year.
The Madison Count had a record num-
2009 Goose Pond
Christmas Bird
Count
By Mark Martin
Jim and Marci Hess, Bill Walters
and I had the pleasure of surveying
birds around Goose Pond as part of
the Poynette Christmas Bird Count on
December 26. It is rewarding to see the
results of our habitat restoration. We
counted birds on about 2.5 square miles
(1,600 acres) and ended up walking with
snowshoes about 4.5 miles.
Twenty four species were found on the
count day and 6 additional species were
found during count week (cw): Canada
Goose (cw); Ring-necked Pheasant (102);
Northern Harrier (1); Bald Eagle (cw);
Cooper’s Hawk (1); Red-tailed Hawk
(1); Rough-legged Hawk (1); American
Kestrel (cw); Ring-billed Gull (cw); Rock
Pigeon (40); Mourning Dove (93); Great
The Audubon Caws
Snow Buntings/Pat Ready
ber of 115 field observers that helped
find record numbers of the following:
1,433 Tundra Swans, 175 Wild Turkeys
(who would have guessed 30 years ago
there would be large number of turkeys
on the Madison count?), 39 Bald Eagles,
29 Cooper’s Hawks, 229 Red-bellied
Woodpeckers, 386 Downy Woodpeckers,
1,616 Black-capped Chickadees (Sam
Robbins was impressed with counts that
had over 1,000 chickadees), 35 Tufted
Titmouse (the old record was 28 in 1958),
435 White-breasted Nuthatches, 101
Brown Creepers, 7 Carolina Wrens, and
902 Northern Cardinals.
The New Year’s Day Cooksville Count
found an impressive number of 31 Song
Sparrows and an uncommon Rusty
Blackbird.
The Poynette count had heavy snow
in the afternoon that shortened the
count and reduced the number of birds
found. CAWS editor Pat Ready and Jeff
Knickmeier got their vehicle stuck in the
snow and headed home after being pulled
Horned Owl (2); Red-bellied Woodpecker
(1); Downy Woodpecker (3); Hairy
Woodpecker (1); Blue Jay (4); American
Crow (12); Horned Lark (cw); Black-
capped Chickadee (9); European Starling
(50); American Tree Sparrow (263); Song
Sparrow (2); White-throated Sparrow
(1); Dark-eyed Junco (83); Snow Bunting
(80); Northern Cardinal (8); Brown-
headed Cowbird (cw); House Finch (41);
American Goldfinch (4); and House
Sparrow (120).
Birds were counted at 3 houses with bird
feeders. At our residence we had a good
variety of birds including, 77 Mourning
Doves, 38 Tree Sparrows, 1 White-
throated Sparrow, 2 Song Sparrows, and
17 Dark-eyed Juncos. On Christmas there
were 3 Brown-headed Cowbirds at the
feeders. Thanks to customers of Mounds
Pet Food Warehouse, who purchase bags
of bird seed for Goose Pond Sanctuary
and keep our feeders brimming with seed.
We found 212 Tree Sparrows in the
4 February 2010
out by a farmer with a tractor.
The Sauk City count had a very rare
Yellow-headed Blackbird during the
count week. Other interesting finds were
41 Eastern Bluebirds, 1 Yellow-rumped
Warbler, and 1 Eastern Towhee.
Scott Swengel provided comments on
the the 30th year of the Baraboo count
where record high numbers were found
for 18 species (including 3 goshawks).
There were high numbers for 6 of the 7
woodpecker species. Other record highs
were for birds that are mostly permanent
residents and use yards. Because most
yard species seem to be doing okay in our
area, a gradual increase in our counting
effort makes a certain number of record
highs inevitable. But the big story for
the Baraboo count was birds of prey: 9
species of hawks, 5 species of owls, with
good numbers for most of them and for
Northern Shrikes. Bald Eagle numbers
broke the old record by an amazing 90%.
Saw-whet Owls doubled their record.
Observers also found Sandhill Cranes
before the count. Uncommon finds
included Carolina Wren, Townsend’s
Solitaire, Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow, and Lapland
Longspur.
The Mount Horeb Count found
an impressive number of 513 Wild
Turkeys, 26 Red-headed Woodpeckers,
and a very rare Vesper Sparrow.
prairie restorations, with most of these
in older restorations. A pleasant surprise
was seeing 80 Snow Buntings at Sue Ames
Prairie when it was snowing heavily. We
also found a fair number of rabbit tracks
in the prairie restorations. We flushed one
coyote, which in turn helped with the
count by flushing 10 pheasants. Most of
the pheasants were found in or near corn
food plots. Deer normally leave Goose
Pond for wooded cover in the winter,
however this year we found two does and
two fawns that were feasting on standing
corn.
The seven species of raptors recorded
is due to the large amount of prey avail-
able. It appears to be a good year for small
mammals. The day after the count we
saw a flock of 40 Canada Geese migrating
south. On the hill to the south we also saw
an adult Bald Eagle that was keeping five
crows away from what it was eating. The
next day I hiked to the spot and found the
remains of a Canada Goose.
2009 Christmas Bird Counts Results
Results below are for six Madison-area Christmas Bird Counts. Areas reported are Madison (MAD), Cooksville (COO), Poynette
(POY), Sauk City (SC), Baraboo (BOO), and Mt. Horeb (MTH). Species labeled count week (cw) were spotted in the area three days
before or after, but not on the count day. Madison Audubon Society provided funding for the Madison and Poynette counts so that
the results could be included in the National Audubon report. See http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/ for more information.
SPECIES MAD COO POY SC BOO MTH SPECIES MAD COO POY SC BOO MTH
Cackling Goose 9 Red-bellied Woodp. 229 28 66 119 127 155
Canada Goose 2,511 848 276 761 82 249 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 1 3 1
Mute Swan 6 Downy Woodpecker 386 59 134 209 156 248
Trumpeter Swan 5 Hairy Woodpecker 108 21 45 93 57 83
Tundra Swan 1,433 Northern Flicker 17 20 17 13 3
Wood Duck 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 2 15 15 9
Gadwall 61 8 2 Northern Shrike 5 2 3 6 2
American Black Duck 4 1 4 1 Blue Jay 413 111 364 469 362 488
Mallard 1,737 275 205 240 341 48 American Crow 1,060 188 521 1,050 729 841
Northern Shoveler 163 Horned Lark 16 76 36 249 22 270
Green-winged Teal 2 Black-capped Chickadee 1,616 165 348 768 597 697
Canvasback 23 2 Tufted Titmouse 35 8 53 65 59 125
Redhead 6 3 Red-breasted Nuthatch 29 3 27 14 42 10
Ring-necked Duck 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 435 39 115 220 222 231
Lesser Scaup 26 Brown Creeper 101 7 2 33 5 5
Long-tailed Duck 1 Carolina Wren 7 1 1
Bufflehead 99 1 Winter Wren 1
Common Goldeneye 482 5 176 44 18 Golden-crowned Kinglet 7 1 2 2
Barrow’s Goldeneye 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hooded Merganser 34 1 1 1 Eastern Bluebird 6 22 41 10 5
Common Merganser 1,463 9 40 263 152 Townsend’s Solitaire 1
Red-breasted Merganser 5 Hermit Thrush 2 1 1
Ruddy Duck 103 American Robin 489 23 223 323 85 95
Ring-necked Pheasant 3 5 116 15 11 Brown Thrasher 1
Wild Turkey 175 102 181 367 154 513 European Starling 2,233 1,580 590 642 625 1,146
Common Loon 3 American Pipit 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1 Cedar Waxwing 433 15 173 183 65 95
Red-necked Grebe cw Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 1
Great Blue Heron 1 1 1 1 Eastern Towhee 1
Black-cr. Night-Heron 1 American Tree Sparrow 545 70 809 249 193 417
Bald Eagle 39 1 12 48 85 7 Vesper Sparrow 1
Northern Harrier 1 1 2 1 Fox Sparrow 6 1 2 2 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 3 2 2 1 Song Sparrow 14 31 2 6 4
Cooper’s Hawk 29 1 2 6 3 5 Swamp Sparrow 13 cw 2
Northern Goshawk 3 White-throated Sparrow 30 1 1 2 3 10
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 1 3 White-crowned Sparrow 1
Red-tailed Hawk 88 44 41 92 85 89 Dark-eyed Junco 1,092 478 1,515 1,259 862 1,128
Rough-legged Hawk 4 3 12 33 23 15 Lapland Longspur 1 3 38 7 1 56
American Kestrel 2 3 2 8 5 4 Snow Bunting 27 165 2 30
Merlin 2 cw 1 Northern Cardinal 902 133 229 435 201 389
Virginia Rail 4 Red-winged Blackbird 62 15 1 24
American Coot 786 Yellow-headed Blackbird cw
Sandhill Crane cw Rusty Blackbird 1
Wilson’s Snipe 1 1 Common Grackle 1 3
Ring-billed Gull 1,116 9 33 4 Brown-headed Cowbird 4 3 2
Herring Gull 496 4 124 28 Purple Finch 3 58 29 32 27
Thayer’s Gull 1 House Finch 944 125 281 306 202 135
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 Pine Siskin 7 2 4 8
Rock Pigeon 562 300 461 460 358 500 American Goldfinch 892 141 315 446 440 426
Mourning Dove 799 177 357 565 321 360 House Sparrow 2,479 468 692 1,295 502 860
Eastern Screech-Owl 23 8 1 4 7 3
Count Day Species 92 52 57 69 58 53
Great Horned Owl 17 9 5 10 6 12
Individual Birds 27,046 5,631 8,767 11,686 7,339 9,859
Barred Owl 7 2 2 2 4
Field Observers 115 9 25 27 20 60
Long-eared Owl 1
Parties 24 6 11 16 11 24
N. Saw-whet Owl 1 9 1
Feeder Observers 13 0 21 4 16 24
Belted Kingfisher 6 1 cw 4 1 1
Date 12/19 1/1 12/26 12/26 12/29 12/27
Red-headed Woodp. 1 1 2 26
The Audubon Caws 5 February 2010
Donations Made in Milt and Jacki Friend Allen and Lindy Wilson
Dorothy Gertsch and Dale Beske Eugene and Marlene Woehler
December 2009 Daniel Gomez-Ibanez and Mary Swisher
Robert and Georgia Graves GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSON
ACRE MAKER Gerald Gunderson In Memory of Evelyn Batchelor
Abigail and Lynn Christiansen Thomas and Linda Hanson Clifford and Colleen Germain
Jerry Martin Les and Susan Hoffman Lee and Rosemary Jones
David Musolf Margaret Joyce Mondays Quilt Group
In Memory of E. Weston and Jane H. Todd and Ann Kiefer Joseph and Marlys Sloup
Wood and Amy Wood Joyce Clark Knutson In Memory of Susan E. Bergquist
Tom Wolfe and Pat Powers Jim Koltes Jon Bergquist
Joel Larson In Memory of Betty Bunge
HALF-ACRE MAKER Michael and Linda Leggett Ken Wood
Tom and Kathie Brock Arthur and Susan Lloyd In Memory of Jenni and Kyle Geurkink
John Feith Gabriele Lubach Sally Wilmeth and Terry Geurkink
Jim and Marci Hess Dan and Julie Melton In Memory of Larry Many Hats
Dorothy Klinefelter Frank and Helen Myers Susan Kenney
David Nelson and Brook Chase Soltvedt In Memory of Sara Nesson
QUARTER-ACRE MAKER Christine Olgren Michael and Linda Blake
Peter and Marsha Cannon Jeffrey Olsen Joanna Gwinn
James and Liesa Kerler Peter Oppeneer Margaret Kiss
Ron and Dorothy Persche Susan Paskewitz and William Barker John and Jessie Stange
Mareda Weiss Wayne and Jackie Pauly In Memory of Frank Slapnick
In Honor of Ken Wood Bernadine Peterson Susan Slapnick
Levi and Janet Wood Debbi Peterson In Memory of Andrew Wallen
Nancy Pollock Bob and Sue Wallen
MY OWN VISION Nolan Pope
Loraine Adkins William Pschorr GIFTS IN HONOR OF A PERSON
David and Linda Balsiger Elizabeth and Robert Ragotzkie In Honor of Roma Lenehan
Cindi Bannink S. B. Randall Elsie Ham
Patricia Becker Pat and Debra Ready In Honor of Sally Martin; Brad and Pam
Caroline Beckett William and Joyce Reeder Hext; Brad, Terri, and Michael Hext;
David and Roberta Billing Scott Sauer Dan, Kristen, Hunter, and Emma Hext;
Kathryn Cartwright Charles Smith and Roland and Lynn Manthe
James Clum Marion Smith Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin
Barbara and Ted Crabb Nancy Sugden and Robert Newbery In Honor of Mary H. Yeakel
William and Jean Damm Edward Taylor Virginia Metcalf
Frederick and Mary Davis Charles Thomas In Honor of everyone who makes or
Larry and Nancy Dewey Tom and Sandi Vandervest who has made Goose Pond possible
Patrick Eagan Rose Vrtis Tim and Linda Eisele
Bradley Eichhorst Nancy Washburn and Mark Spring
Mark Evans Sally and Ben Washburn GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A FRIEND
Martin and Teresa Evanson Marie Weinstein In Memory of Chiron
Peter Finch Eve Wilkie Tess Meuer
Ellen Fisher

Raptor Program Presented by
Friends of Rose Lake
The Friends of Rose Lake will pres-
ent a speaking program at the Hoard
Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson on
Tuesday, February 16 at 6:30 p.m. The
presenter will be Dianne Moeller who
is a raptor rehabilitator and educator
from near Milton, Wisconsin. Moeller
operates a non-profit organization called
Hoo’s Woods. It was founded in 1998
and dedicated to the public educa-
tion of birds of prey species. Moeller
is a federally licensed raptor educator,
rehabilitator, eagle handler and master
The Audubon Caws
falconer. She presently serves on the
board of directors of the North Ameri-
can Falconers Association and will share
her knowledge with the audience. That
evening she will bring a Golden Eagle,
Rough-legged Hawk, and a Barred Owl
for her presentation.
This will be a wonderful program for
all ages and parents are encouraged to
bring their children. The program is free
and will be held in the Jones Gallery at
the museum. NASCO will have some
owl pellet kits available for some young-
sters. You will have to attend to find out
about owl pellets!
6 February 2010
The Friends of Rose Lake is a group
of volunteers that helps in various ways
at Jefferson County’s Dorothy Carnes
Park, which is located on Rose Lake just
northwest of Fort Atkinson. These tasks
have included the control of invasive
species, erecting duck nesting houses,
bluebird and martin houses, birding
walks, erecting signs noting various spe-
cies of plants, conducting a Christmas
Bird Count and, of course, sponsoring a
yearly speaker to educate the public in
nature knowledge. If there are any ques-
tions you may call Dick Wanie at (920)
563-6274.
 Membership, Renewal and Donation Form
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Update: We now send an annual renewal
notice. In the future we plan to offer a re-
newal option via the MAS website.
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MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY
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Code. Donations are tax deductible to the
extent allowed by law. Madison Audubon’s
financial statement is available upon
request.
MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY
President: Brand Smith
Vice-president: Debra Weitzel
Goose Pond resident managers:
Mark and Sue Martin
Faville Grove Sanctuary managers:
David Musolf, Roger Packard
Editor: Patrick Ready
pready@tds.net
Graphic design: Patrick Ready
pready@tds.net
CAWS printer: Roemer Printing
Submissions for the March/April CAWS
are due February 1.
The Audubon Caws
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The mission of the Madison Audubon
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the public about the natural world and the
threats that natural systems are facing,
to engage in advocacy to preserve and
protect these systems, and to develop and
maintain sanctuaries to save and restore
natural habitat.
7 February 2010
PAYMENT INFORMATION
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[ ] $25 New or Gift $_________
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can purchase and restore
one acre of land
[ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499
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• Quality binoculars
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working condition
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machine
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 Madison Audubon Society, Inc. Non-profit organization
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Aesthetics and Land

Management in the Lower
Wisconsin Riverway
see page 1

2010 Summer Internships: Orientation to

Inside This Issue
President's Message...................... 2
Things To Do . ............................... 2
Notes From Faville Grove . ......... 3
Christmas Bird Counts..............4-5
Donations...................................... 6
Rose Lake Raptor Program.......... 6
Membership Info........................... 7
Madison Audubon
Society
Serving Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Iowa,
Jefferson, Richland and Sauk Counties
MAS Calendar at
a Glance
Events
Feb. 12-14: WPT Garden Expo
Feb. 12-15: Great Backyard Bird
Count
March 30: Wings Over Madison
MAS Banquet
April 20-21: Earth Day is 40!
Restoration Ecology Fieldwork
Overview: As an intern in this supervised practical experience, you will spend the sum-
mer in the field where you will learn by doing a number of tasks in broad-scale landscape
restoration and management, including work in prairie, savanna, woodland, and wetland
habitats. The primary focus of activities is the control of invasive species, but some time
will be spent on seed collecting and endangered species monitoring. The internship will
give you the opportunity to become familiar with both native and alien plants and to learn
about their life cycles and ecological requirements; to observe what natural conditions
and processes have been altered in a landscape; and to gain an understanding of restora-
tion and management goals and objectives. Interns work in small groups at sites within
30 miles of Madison. Two teams will be hired for the summer of 2010: one to work at
Madison Audubon’s Faville Grove Sanctuary east of Madison, and one to work at several
sites north and west of Madison. Applicants will be considered for both teams unless oth-
erwise requested.
Dates: This is a full-time commitment from May 24 through August 13, 2010.
Stipend: $4,320 for the summer.
Eligibility: For some intern positions, applicants must be continuing students, or accepted
for enrollment, as undergraduates or special students at a University of Wisconsin System
institution. Academic credit may be available for participation in this program; each
intern is responsible for making academic credit arrangements with her/his university.
Applicants must be able to perform sustained physical work outdoors.
Other: Interns are responsible for their travel, housing, and other living expenses, and
are encouraged to carpool between home and worksites. Sturdy work boots, gloves and
clothing, as well as sun, rain and insect protection are required. All tools will be provided.
How to Apply: Application deadline to ensure consideration is Friday, March 5, 2010.
Later applications may be considered. Apply by e-mail. Please attach a single file that
includes a cover letter describing your interests and background, including any relevant
coursework, followed by your resume. Begin the file name with your last name. Madison
Audubon Society, Inc. E-mail: johnmaudubon@yahoo.com Phone: 608-327-0129

Field Trips
Mar. 6: Early Spring Migrants

The Audubon Caws 8 February 2010