Black Hills Audubon Society logo

Picture of a kinglet.BLACK HILLS AUDUBON SOCIETY 
(BHAS) is a chapter of the National Audubon Society, representing Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties in the state of Washington. It is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization whose 1,300+ members share interests in birds and other wildlife, their habitats, and natural history. Our goals are to promote environmental education and recreation and to maintain and protect our ecosystems for future generations. We work with the state Audubon office (Audubon Washington). 

BHAS Alerts

Receive notices about birding classes, new field trips, changes to  classes or events, calls to action on conservation issues, requests for volunteers.


Sign up for Alerts.
 


BHAS Program meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month.

Location:
     First Christian Church (meeting hall)
     701 Franklin Street
     in downtown Olympia.

Arrive at 7:00 pm to socialize – the program will begin promptly at 7:30.

 

 

NEW!
Donate to Black Hills Audubon Society electronically.

You may now safely join or renew your membership, or make a donation on-line to Black Hills Audubon Society.


Current issue of the Echo newsletter: NEW !  January-February 2012  Echo (PDF, 399 kb)

The deadline for submitting articles for the next issue of the Echo (March-April 2012) is Feb 5th, 2012. 


See information about updates to the Thurston County Critical Areas Ordinance.


The Great Washington State Birding Trail maps.  Six maps are now available from Audubon Washington, including the newest, Palouse to Pines Loop Map



Upcoming Field Trips and Events in 2012

(Details on each field trip or event can be found on the
 Field Trips and Events Details Web page:

Regular/Recurring Field Trips:
  • Every Wednesday, 8:00 am 11:00 am, Phil Kelley leads a bird-watching walk at Nisqually NWR.  Meet at the Nisqually Visitor Center.

 

 --  2012  ---

January 19 (Thurs)

6:30 - 9:00 pm

Location:
  Olympia
  Community
  Center
  (downtown
   Olympia)

Event:  BHAS is partnering with Sierra Club (Sound Sound Group) and other local environmental organizations to present:

Captain Charles Moore

Will Discuss "The Great Infection of the Sea", detailed in his acclaimed new book Plastic Ocean.

January 21 (Sat.)

Begins at 10 am (doors open at 9 am).

Event:  Public Hearing

Thurston County Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on renewal of the Interim Prairie and Oak Woodland Conservation Ordinance.

Location:
    Thurston County Courthouse complex
    Building 2, Room 129

Written comments accepted until 10 am, January 21, 2012, or the close of the public hearing.  Submit comments by email to deffoba@co.thurston.wa.us.

January 25 (Wed.)

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: The United Churches of Olympia
(110 11th Ave SE, Olympia).
 

Event:  Environmental Lobby Day 2012

As a citizen advocate, you can urge your legislators to take crucial stances against environmental rollbacks and fight for the quality of life Washingtonians cherish.

Registration is required.

Priorities for 2012:

Also at this event, celebrate the unveiling of the Puget Loop Birding Trail with Audubon Washington.

 

February 9 (Thurs)

7-9 pm

BHAS Monthly Program Meeting presentation:

Landscaping for Birds and Wildlife
by
Patt Brady, Kristin Stewart, Debbie Nickerson, and Debra Jaqua

March 3, (Sat)

5:00 pm:
   Social time
   and Auction
   Perusal

5:30 pm:
   Dinner begins

Location: Olympia Center
222 Columbia Street NW Olympia

Event: 

2012 Black Hills Audubon Annual Dinner

Featured presentation: 

"Washington’s
Not-So-Common Loon"

by
Virginia and Daniel Poleschook
 

The Poleschooks, both nature photographers, specialize in capturing images of common loons and other water birds.  They also conduct research and perform conservation work on common loons in the Pacific Northwest.

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How to Contact Us:


Mailing Address
:

Black Hills Audubon Society
PO Box 2524
Olympia, WA 98507

Phone: (360) 352-7299
Messages are welcome!

Contact information and BHAS Board Members for fiscal year July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012: 

General BHAS Information

BHAS President, Sam Merrill

BHAS Co-Vice President, Kris Schoyen

BHAS Co-Vice President, Whittier Johnson

BHAS Secretary, Meagan Thorn

BHAS Treasurer, Susan Markey

Members at Large:
        Tracey Scalici
        Shelley Horn
        Leslie Lynam

Committee Chairs appointed by the Board to be on the Board):
        Education Comm. Chair:    Debbie Nickerson
        Field Trips Comm. Chair:    Kristin Stewart
        Membership Comm. Chair:  Margery Beeler
        Publications Comm. Chair:  Deb Jaqua

BHAS Webmaster, Debra Jaqua

Sign up for BHAS Alerts by sending an email to the Webmaster. We will then send you an invitation that you will need to confirm (so that someone else doesnn't "accidentally" sign you up!)

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Echo Newsletter

Echo is the newsletter of the Black Hills Audubon Society. It contains the Refrigerator Pages, which provides a calendar of upcoming program meetings, field trips, and other events.
You will need to download the Adobe Acrobat reader if you don't already have it.

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Conservation

Local Conservation efforts in Lewis, Mason, or Thurston counties.  (See also the Jack Davis Conservationist of the Year Award.)

State Conservation efforts.  Read about issues involving birds, other wildlife, and their habitats at the state level.  This site is sponsored by the Policy Office of Audubon Washington in Olympia.  Read the Legislative Newsletter, Birds Eye View, and keep informed or get involved. 

National Action Alerts.  The National Audubon Society has set up this special Web site to give you an easy and convenient way to communicate with your lawmakers and newspapers on national conservation issues that impact birds, wildlife and our shared environment. Remember, your letters will make a difference -- so take action today!

Jack Davis Conservationist of the Year Award.  The Jack Davis Conservationist of the Year Award is normally presented yearly.

 

Education Programs

The Education Committee has been busy creating well-attendedAnimated crane picture birding classes, helping schools get students out into nature with the Board the Bus grant, and promoting Audubon Adventures.

In 2009, BHAS awarded its first Dave McNett Environmental Educator of the Year Award., honoring long-time volunteer Dave McNett.

Learn more....

 

Book Store

Black Hills Audubon Society receives 4% of every purchase from this page to support our conservation program and other goals. Our prices are exactly the same as Amazon.com! All purchases are managed by Amazon.com. Use the search link below to make all of your Amazon.com purchases, or go to our book store page for selected items.

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"Beautiful River" Prayer Flags

Honor the Black River in western Thurston County, the Deschutes, the Nisqually, other Pacific Northwest rivers, or rivers around the world with this special creation.  
 

 Wildlife Checklists

Butterflies in Lewis, Mason, and Thurston Counties (30Kb Word file).

Wildlife and Habitat info for Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, including:

 

COASST  


Ever see a dead bird on a beach and wonder why it succumbed?  Would you like to help scientists find out why?

COASST (Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team) is a citizen science project based at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences in partnership with local community and environmental organizations, and state and federal agencies. COASST volunteers collect data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds on a monthly basis to establish the baseline, or 'normal' pattern of beached bird mortality on North Pacific beaches. Baselines are crucial for assessing the impacts of oil spills, fisheries, and climate change. Data collection by COASST volunteers helps address important marine conservation issues and protects marine resources.

Lists of COASST trainings and more information about COASST are posted on their website at http://www.coasst.org.  From the main page, click on What's New. Then click on the Training Sessions tab.

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For questions about BHAS, please send email to: Information
For comments or questions about this Web site, please send email to: Webmaster.

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Mailing Address:  PO Box 2524
Olympia, WA 98507
------------
(360) 352-7299
Messages are welcome!

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