Local Audubon built on dedication of experts and non-experts
By JEFF TOME
|
1/13/2007 - History is easy to romanticize. Facts are repeated as stories that become legend as the years go by. Eventually, even the legends become almost forgotten.
The Jamestown Audubon Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Just like any big anniversary, we are spending the year looking back at the early times, examining the stories of the past and pulling old materials out of the attic and dusting them off.
The Jamestown Audubon Society was not supposed to be named the Jamestown Audubon Society. The group was founded in honor of Roger Tory Peterson, a Jamestown native who became a world-famous naturalist. Among the early members were some of Peterson’s childhood friends and admirers. They wanted to name the society the “Roger Tory Peterson Audubon Society,” but were informed that the National Audubon Society would not allow naming the group after a living person. The Jamestown Audubon Society was then born. (And Roger Tory Peterson later helped start the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown to house his collected works.)
The Jamestown Audubon Society was born around a kitchen table. A small group of people gathered to discuss how to form a group and go through all the paperwork and legal wrangling that go with creating a new organization. In the early months of 1957, the Jamestown Audubon Society was formed.
Kitchens and food have remained a popular part of Audubon ever since. Hardly an event goes by without coffee and some sort of snack. Just as the kitchen is the heart of a home, it is also the heart of Audubon. Some of our biggest decisions have taken place gathered around the coffeepot — and almost all of the work that happens here is fueled by a mix of caffeine and sugar.
Of course, Audubon is about more than a caffeine rush or sugar high. Caffeine and sugar are just the fuel for the larger work. Audubon has always been about teaching people more about the world we live in. This happens on lots of levels.
There are trails to hike on for people who just want to be outside — and our permanently injured Bald Eagle, Liberty, to visit. There are field trips to other places to learn about nature. There are ongoing programs to teach people more about the world. Audubon naturalists also have around 18,000 student contacts over the course of a year, with elementary school students from as far away as Ripley, Forestville, Clarendon and Bradford, Pa.
The Jamestown Audubon Society’s early meetings were aimed at teaching people about birds, flowers, forestry, geology, insecticides, wildlife and more. It was not unusual to have more than 100 people show up to go on a trip to see wildflowers — or for a field trip to consist of going from house to house to visit members’ birdfeeders and see what birds were out there. Can you imagine inviting 50 dedicated birders into your house to see the birds at your birdfeeder?
Audubon’s early members either were or quickly became expert observers of the natural world. There were experts on birds, flowers, trees, ferns, grasses and more. These people set out to explore our sanctuaries, both the Bentley Sanctuary of Fluvanna Avenue and the Burgeson Sanctuary on Riverside Road, and list the plants and animals that were there. These people came up with lists of all the plants found on the properties, all of the bird species that have visited, all the snakes, frogs, salamanders and turtles that were seen, and more. This information is now 30 or 40 years old, but it contains some of the only historical records of plants and animals for the county. Today’s scientists and naturalists are looking back at that information and wondering how much of what was found in the 1960s and 1970s can still be found today.
Not all of Audubon’s members are experts. Many of the people who come here just love to be outside, love to see live animals up close, want the opportunity to see how research is done or just want a chance to help out. Some people just love that we exist, quietly giving children and adults a chance to fall in love with nature. Our membership includes animal lovers, hunters, foresters, vegetarians, artists, woodworkers and more.
Audubon has a new exhibit to celebrate its 50 years in the Jamestown-Warren area. It’s called “Hooked on Nature: Then, Now and Forever.” The building is chock full of all the things that have ever gotten people excited about nature, including live animals such as turtles, frogs and snakes, a club house, puppets, science projects, microscopes and more. There are also photos from Audubon’s past and a tribute to everything that has ever gotten people outside, including hiking, fishing, hunting, camping and more. This exhibit is sponsored by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Northern Allegheny Conservation Association and AJ Fairbank.
The Audubon Center and Sanctuary is located on Riverside Road, just east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. The trails are free and open to the public from dawn until dusk. The center is free for members and children under 18. It costs $4 for non-member adults. The center is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Mondays. Admission is free on Sundays from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Jeff Tome is senior naturalist at the Jamestown Audubon Society and has seen one-fifth of Audubon’s history first hand, especially the parts requiring caffeine and sugar.
The Jamestown Audubon Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Just like any big anniversary, we are spending the year looking back at the early times, examining the stories of the past and pulling old materials out of the attic and dusting them off.
The Jamestown Audubon Society was not supposed to be named the Jamestown Audubon Society. The group was founded in honor of Roger Tory Peterson, a Jamestown native who became a world-famous naturalist. Among the early members were some of Peterson’s childhood friends and admirers. They wanted to name the society the “Roger Tory Peterson Audubon Society,” but were informed that the National Audubon Society would not allow naming the group after a living person. The Jamestown Audubon Society was then born. (And Roger Tory Peterson later helped start the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown to house his collected works.)
The Jamestown Audubon Society was born around a kitchen table. A small group of people gathered to discuss how to form a group and go through all the paperwork and legal wrangling that go with creating a new organization. In the early months of 1957, the Jamestown Audubon Society was formed.
Kitchens and food have remained a popular part of Audubon ever since. Hardly an event goes by without coffee and some sort of snack. Just as the kitchen is the heart of a home, it is also the heart of Audubon. Some of our biggest decisions have taken place gathered around the coffeepot — and almost all of the work that happens here is fueled by a mix of caffeine and sugar.
Of course, Audubon is about more than a caffeine rush or sugar high. Caffeine and sugar are just the fuel for the larger work. Audubon has always been about teaching people more about the world we live in. This happens on lots of levels.
There are trails to hike on for people who just want to be outside — and our permanently injured Bald Eagle, Liberty, to visit. There are field trips to other places to learn about nature. There are ongoing programs to teach people more about the world. Audubon naturalists also have around 18,000 student contacts over the course of a year, with elementary school students from as far away as Ripley, Forestville, Clarendon and Bradford, Pa.
The Jamestown Audubon Society’s early meetings were aimed at teaching people about birds, flowers, forestry, geology, insecticides, wildlife and more. It was not unusual to have more than 100 people show up to go on a trip to see wildflowers — or for a field trip to consist of going from house to house to visit members’ birdfeeders and see what birds were out there. Can you imagine inviting 50 dedicated birders into your house to see the birds at your birdfeeder?
Audubon’s early members either were or quickly became expert observers of the natural world. There were experts on birds, flowers, trees, ferns, grasses and more. These people set out to explore our sanctuaries, both the Bentley Sanctuary of Fluvanna Avenue and the Burgeson Sanctuary on Riverside Road, and list the plants and animals that were there. These people came up with lists of all the plants found on the properties, all of the bird species that have visited, all the snakes, frogs, salamanders and turtles that were seen, and more. This information is now 30 or 40 years old, but it contains some of the only historical records of plants and animals for the county. Today’s scientists and naturalists are looking back at that information and wondering how much of what was found in the 1960s and 1970s can still be found today.
Not all of Audubon’s members are experts. Many of the people who come here just love to be outside, love to see live animals up close, want the opportunity to see how research is done or just want a chance to help out. Some people just love that we exist, quietly giving children and adults a chance to fall in love with nature. Our membership includes animal lovers, hunters, foresters, vegetarians, artists, woodworkers and more.
Audubon has a new exhibit to celebrate its 50 years in the Jamestown-Warren area. It’s called “Hooked on Nature: Then, Now and Forever.” The building is chock full of all the things that have ever gotten people excited about nature, including live animals such as turtles, frogs and snakes, a club house, puppets, science projects, microscopes and more. There are also photos from Audubon’s past and a tribute to everything that has ever gotten people outside, including hiking, fishing, hunting, camping and more. This exhibit is sponsored by the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Northern Allegheny Conservation Association and AJ Fairbank.
The Audubon Center and Sanctuary is located on Riverside Road, just east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. The trails are free and open to the public from dawn until dusk. The center is free for members and children under 18. It costs $4 for non-member adults. The center is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Mondays. Admission is free on Sundays from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Jeff Tome is senior naturalist at the Jamestown Audubon Society and has seen one-fifth of Audubon’s history first hand, especially the parts requiring caffeine and sugar.
For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment