WNP ANNUAL MEETING

The WNP Annual Meeting will be held at the Izaak Walton League campground and lodge in Casper on September 23rd and 24th. Free camping is available on the 22nd and 23rd at the Izaak Walton campground. Inexpensive hotels are available in the area. Lunch and dinner on the 23rd, and breakfast on the 24th will be provided by the WNP. All other meals will be on your own.

There will opportunities for service hours and 4 options for advanced training at the meeting: data modeling, herpetology, owl banding, fish hatchery tour. Everybody is invited to participate in the advanced trainings, but members can also choose not to attend any of them.

Please visit https://forms.gle/YY4aiGUPRMCCNMTcA to let us know if you will be attending the meeting or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GET TO KNOW YOUR NATURALIST 

Hi, I am Maureen Moe Cairns. I grew up in Indiana, went to school in Florida, and lived in Atlanta for 35 years before moving west.

What naturalist class did you “graduate” with?

2nd Cohort, 2022

Tell us a bit about your journey to conservation, natural resources, and/or the outdoors.

I moved to Atlanta after attending college in Florida. I wanted to be closer to the mountains in north Georgia. There I became involved with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, and the Georgia Botanical Society. This led to many visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for hiking and wildflower events. I found “my people” through these organizations and made many lifelong friends and adventure buddies.

What was your favorite Wyoming Naturalist class, and why?

I particularly enjoyed the journaling aspect for all our classes because it forced me to take the time to slow down to really see and reflect on the world around me.

What topic would you like to learn more about through the Wyoming Naturalist program?

I would like to learn more about birds and birding, and I think the program will offer me opportunities to do that.

Tell us your favorite Wyoming Naturalist-tied volunteer moment or experience.

I have enjoyed leading Nature Journaling workshops at the 2022 and 2023 BioBlitz events. I am so impressed by how many young people and children attend and participate in these workshops.

Where is your favorite spot in the great outdoors, and why?

My favorite spot in the great outdoors is any trail, anywhere, during wildflower season! Really!

What is your favorite naturalist book, either fiction or non-fiction?

My favorite version of a book is a video called Arctic Dance, which is based on a book titled Arctic Dance: The Mardy Murie Story, by Bonnie Kreps and Charles Craighead. There is so much to enjoy in this video which chronicles the life of “the mother of the conservation movement,” including love, wilderness, adventure, conservation history, beautiful scenery, and a Wyoming connection. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Do you have a favorite snack or camping meal when you go out on projects or hiking?

Apples and almond butter seem to work their way into my pack for most outings.

Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

I absolutely love to contra dance and waltz. The closest place for me to do this is in Fort Collins and Boulder, CO. If any of you would ever like to join me, please let me know. I promise you’ll be hooked.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I’d like to take this opportunity to again thank everyone involved with establishing and maintaining the Wyoming Naturalist Program. You’ve done a wonderful job!

 

REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR HOURS

Please remember to submit your service and advanced training hours at http://wyomingnaturalists.wyomingbiodiversity.org/index.php/service/submit-service-hours If you want to see what we have in the
system, you can contact Mason at mlee37@uwyo.edu . It is not too late to submit hours from previous years. If you deleted your account from the old system, we no longer have those hours on record.
The following members (as of the morning of 8/14/23) are close to 200 service hours!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OPPORTUNITIES: ADVANCED TRAINING AND VOLUNTEER

Get your birding on! And some plant work as well. Coming up…
Virtual Advanced Training Opportunities
Bird ID - Waterfowl

• Date: 9/18/23
• Time: 6:30-7:30 PM
• Zoom: https://audubon.zoom.us/j/97067243544
• Description: Zach will offer an advanced training opportunity for WNP participants focused on Wyoming waterfowl identification. This is a one-hour virtual training opportunity.

Bird ID - Raptors

• Date: 9/19/23
• Time: 6:30-7:30 PM
• Zoom: https://audubon.zoom.us/j/94627367215
• Description: Zach will offer an advanced training opportunity for WNP participants focused on Wyoming diurnal raptor identification. This is a one-hour virtual training opportunity.

In-Person Advanced Training and Volunteer Opportunities

Fall Songbird Migration 2023 (Training) – 8/31 to 9/2, 9/7 to 9/9, 9/12 to 9/16

• Location: Edness K Wilkins State Park (meet at Platte River Shelter)
• Time: 6:30 AM - 12:00 PM
• Cost: Park is allowing participants to enter for free (during banding times only)
• Registration (required): https://forms.office.com/r/NP7GTY9nJk
• Registration closes on 8/28 at noon
• Please bring your own:
• water
• chair
• warm clothes
• snacks
• camera
• hand warmers
• gloves

Owls 2023 (Training) - 9/23 - 11/7 (weather permitting)

• Location: Private Cabin on Casper Mountain
• Time: 5:30 PM - 11:30 PM
• Cost: Free
• Sign up for notifications about banding nights: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=sbEynMiwLUK3p4WdG-ylI_nEjHXETh5EjeCaQk8LwbJUODI3Uk1ZVzRJREo1VFI1OUU0R0xCMDFCRi4u

Hummingbirds 2023 - This season is almost over! Watch for notifications about 2024.

• 2024 Tentative Bird Banding Dates
• Migration (training/spring) – 5/20 to 5/23, 5/28-5/30
• MAPS EKWS (volunteering) – 6/4, 6/11, 6/20, 7/8, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30
• MAPS BART (volunteering) - 6/5, 6/12, 6/21, 7/9, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31
• Hummingbirds (volunteering) - TBD
• Migration (training/fall) – 9/3 to 9/6, 9/9 to 9/13 *more dates might be added next year
• Owls (training) - 9/23 to 11/7

Volunteer at the Arboretum (Cheyenne)
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens is looking for volunteers to work outside at the High Plains Arboretum. Activities include weeding, mulching, and installing cages around trees and shrubs. Regular volunteer time is Monday mornings 9-11 am. Anyone interested can start filling out the volunteer paperwork on their website at https://www.botanic.org/support/volunteer/ or contact Jessica Friis at Email: mailto:jfriis@cheyennecity.org Phone: 307-637-6349

 

Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would you like to help stop the spread or perhaps help map current populations of invasive species? Maybe you are curious about invasive or exotic species in your area. No matter your prerogative with invasive species, Invasive.org is there to help. The focus of Invasive.org is aimed to help promote the early detection and rapid response of invasive plant, insect, disease, and wildlife species.

The website provides users with pictures, distribution maps, education, ways to prevent and stop invasive species, and how to connect with local groups.

The map feature is perhaps the most well known and used feature of the website. Individuals can view maps to see where individual invasive species have been documented and it is the mechanism for tracing new populations. The website and map feature that can be used on mobile phones allows users to upload pictures of suspected invasive species so managers and researchers can confirm a population
and map the spread of individual species.

Invasive.org is a treasure trove of information. Take a look at the area where you live to see what species have been documented. Information for how to use the maps is found under the EDDMapS icon.

If you’d like to report a possible sighting of an invasive species which is not represented on current maps.

• Click on the Maps link
• Choose the EDDMapS link
• Create an account
• Submit a sighting

Need help IDing a plant you suspect is invasive? Contact your local weed and pest district or UW Extension office.