February 2001            Volume 31            Number 5

February Program

Bitter Tasting Colorado Butterflies and Moths
by Dr. Frank R. Stermitz
We all learned how Monarch butterfly larvae consume milkweed to avoid predation.  Dr. Frank R. Stermitz will tell us about some Colorado butterflies and moths whose larvae follow a similar strategy. Dr. Stermitz is Centennial Professor of Chemistry at Colorado State University where he has been since 1967. He and his student co-workers have published over 200 research papers in scientific journals. Most of these studies include some aspect of native plant chemical ecology: how the chemistry of these plants may drive interactions with insects or other plants. Their work has also focused on identifying compounds from medicinal or poisonous plants. His talk will describe studies on some specialist butterflies and moths whose larvae are restricted to feeding on a narrow group of plant species and how this restriction effects their behavior and survival. The particular lepidoptera in focus will be those which contain bitter compounds sequestered from their food plants Castilleja and Penstemon.  This defense mechanism results in boldly patterned or warningly-colored butterflies that advertise to predators that they are unpalatable. Two of the Colorado Study Sites for this research were involved in minor, but interesting land-use controversies. Much of the talk will involve butterfly, moth, and plant photography from these sites.

WHEN: Thursday, February 8, 7:30 pm

WHERE: Ludlow Room, Fort Collins Lincoln Center 417 West Magnolia Street

Fort Collins Audubon Society programs and field trips are free and open to the public

President's Message
Rick Harness

Raptor Program’s Annual Auction
The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program is hosting its Eighth Annual Benefit Auction—“A Second Chance At Freedom”—on Saturday, February 24, 2001, from 5:10 p.m. in the Canyon West and Columbine Rooms of the Lincoln Center at 417 W. Magnolia in Fort Collins. Proceeds will benefit public environmental education and the rehabilitation of injured eagles, hawks, and owls. The event will feature a silent auction from 5?8:30 pm, and a live auction with Auctioneers Jack Salisbury and Bill Seaworth will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Dave Lunn Trio will play live jazz, and The Rainbow will cater a buffet dinner. Seating is available for well over 300 people.

After the live auction, John Vincent’s Bird Show and the Amazing Bacon and Porkchop of Animal Planet fame will provide live entertainment.  Auction items include watercolor paintings, wood carvings, etchings, and bronzes by local artists and jewelry, books, dinners, and numerous other items and services donated by local businesses. Featured artists include Dan Ostermiller, Dawn Weimer, Sandy Scott, Bob O’Rourke, and Dick Pillmore. Tickets are $18 and are available at the Raptor Program office or from Raptor volunteers. Tickets can also be purchased at the door. Reserved tables of ten are available through advanced ticket sales.

For more information, call the Raptor Program at 491-0398. Enjoy a fun-filled evening, and help injured birds of prey fly again!

Susan Kirkpatrick Receives Award

Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of Audubon of Colorado, was honored recently with National Audubon Society’s New Star Award. This award recognizes staff members with fewer than two years of service who have excelled in the performance of their responsibilities. Susan has been an effective state leader, helping the Audubon of Colorado board of directors determine direction and set policy for our state program and aiding chapters with strategies for meeting their objectives.

Legislative Session Has Started
If you wish to be active during the legislative session, sign up with Bill Miller (493-7693 or 5mcorp@ verinet.com) to be placed on the Legislative Alert Email List. People on this list receive background information on pending legislation, Audubon of Colorado’s position on bills of interest to it, and legislator contact information. Response to alerts is generally best when done by telephone to the appropriate legislator’s Capital Hill office. You usually speak for 30-45 seconds to a secretary or answering machine. For each call a legislator receives, he or she assumes there are nine or ten more people with the same opinion. Your calls can represent a lot of public sentiment and are taken very seriously by most legislators. The most efficient way to receive legislative information is by signing on to CO-GENERAL, a list serve for connecting the chapters of AOC together. There is very little communication on this list serve except during the legislative session when legislative updates and alerts are posted. Alerts usually number around 12 per session.

To subscribe to CO-GENERAL, follow these instructions:
1) Send a message to: LISTSERV@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG 
2) Leave the SUBJECT LINE blank
3) In the body of the message, type: SUBSCRIBE CO-GENERAL

If this does not work, sign on to the following web site, and follow the instructions:  http://list.audubon.org/archives/co-general.html.  You can also visit our FCAS web site for more information on CO-GENERAL

More Active Conservation Committee Needed
WANTED: People of strong conviction to address city and county conservation issues.  No wages.  No benefits. Irregular hours.  Very few perks other than self-gratification.  Must be willing to tackle environmental concerns of the local community.  Activities include: fact-finding, attending meetings, or possibly even (gasp) giving public testimony in support of your convictions.  Necessary skills: none required—training available.  If your passion for change exceeds your personally imposed time budget, call Bill Miller at 493-7693 or email 5mcorp@verinet.com.

Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a continent-wide, Internet-based bird survey developed by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and conducted by individuals, families, classrooms, and community groups. Participants count the number and kinds of birds at a site, such as their backyard feeder, and report their observations at www.birdsource.org. The GBBC serves as a monitoring tool. By looking at the data over time, population and abundance changes can be identified.  This year’s count will be held February 16-19. To participate, count the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time during the count days. Then log on to www.birdsource.org and click the
appropriate state for a checklist. Results are updated hourly. The site also includes bird-watching and bird-feeding tips.

Master Naturalist Program

Do you like being outdoors learning about nature? Do you like working with children? Are you looking for some meaningful volunteer experience?  If you answered yes, you may be a candidate for the Master Naturalist Program.  Master Naturalists are volunteers who teach others about the natural areas around Fort Collins. Each spring, a dedicated and enthusiastic group of volunteers attends a training course to learn about basic ecology, habitat types and the flora and fauna common to them, the values and benefits of natural areas, and management and policies affecting city natural areas—as well as how to communicate this information to others. After the training, each participant commits to at least 40 hours of volunteer time in the public education and outreach program. Recent outings included:

• helping 12 Cub Scouts earn their Naturalist badge
• making plaster casts of tracks with Brownies
• discovering insects with preschoolers
• teaching children and adults how to use binoculars
• presenting a slide show to seniors on wildflowers
• directing a puppet show and activity about bats
• leading a nature hike and drawing class

Master Naturalists also staff education tables at community events, create displays, develop presentations, and help organize activities. If you would like more information about the Master Naturalist Program or to be on the mailing list for the Spring 2001 training session, or if you would like a Master Naturalist to give a presentation to your group, please call Sue Kenney at 224-6118 or Zoe Shark at 419-2480.  Spring 2001 Schedule:

Wednesdays 11:30 - 3:00, April 4 - May 23
Saturdays all day, April 14, April 28, May 5, May 19, June 2

Application Deadline: March 23.

The Fort Collins Audubon Society meets at 7:30 P.M. on the second Thursday of each month, September through May, excluding December, in the Ludlow Room at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, 417 West Magnolia Street. Members and non-members are welcome at all meetings, field trips and special events.