GENERAL INTEREST EVENTS
FEBRUARY 24TH - Boulder Choke Cave Tour - Sinks Canyon SP Register
MARCH 21ST - Audubon After Dark - Bird Story hour virtual
UNTIL MARCH 31ST - Wyoming Game and Fish Art Contest
APRIL 3RD - UW Imagine - Invasive Grasses Workshop Virtual
APRIL 16TH @ 5:30PM - Hawk Talk - Bear River SP
MAY 11TH 10AM -12PM - Migratory Bird Day at Sinks Canyon SP
JUNE 13TH-15TH - BioBlitz 2024 at Wind River Buffalo Initiative in Morton, WY
JULY 19TH-22ND - Statewide BioBlitz
AUGUST 2ND-4TH - Women Who Hike at South Pass City SHS
SEPTEMBER 20TH-22ND -Women Who Hike at Medicine Lodge ST
ADVANCED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
MARCH 19TH @ 6:30PM - Pinyon Jay survey training virtual
MAY - Native Plan ID Walk Laramie
MAY - Bird banding (Spring migration) Dates and registration
JUNE - Native Plant ID Walk Laramie - Pole Mtn
JUNE - Project learning tree educator training - Sinks Canyon SP
SEPTEMBER - Bird banding (Fall migration)
The Wyoming Naturalist Program has a story map of the conservation work/training that Wyoming Naturalists have been involved with. For each submission of a service project or in-person advanced training that you were involved with, you can earn 1 hour of volunteer service. To submit your story projects, use this easy form (read all guidelines in the form).
- Volunteer.gov wyoming nps, blm, nfs, etc.
- NRCS Earth Team - volunteer with your local conservation district!
- Project Feederwatch - through April 30th - participation instructions
-Intermountain West Shorebird survey - April 24th-30th - email zach.hutchinson@audubon.org
- National Elk Refuge in Jackson - May - Oct. Apply before April 1st.
- Turkey Vulture Community Science Project - Biodiversity Institute will host a training on April 27th from 10 am-12 pm. More information to follow.
- WY Game & Fish breeding bird survey routes (statewide) submit interest before May 1st to Courtney Rudd (courtney.rudd@wyo.gov) or Zach Wallace (zach.wallace1@wyo.gov).
If you see an opportunity to help grow/organize/lift the Wyoming Naturalist Program in any way and would like to volunteer for the program, please contact Zach Hutchinson (zach.hutchinson@audubon.org). Opportunities could include organizing the annual meeting and/or the outdoor training, finding advanced training opportunities, curating volunteer service projects, or assisting/administrating other tasks to keep the machine running. The program only grows with your help!
Fresh Faces of the Wyoming Newsletter
Jaci Harkink and Angela Leone have been adventuring together since their time in the 2022 cohort of the Wyoming Naturalist Program. Both from Worland, they recently decided to channel their passion for conservation into compiling content and editing the monthly newsletter. Jaci and Angela are dedicated to sustaining a strong community of Wyoming Naturalists and are enthusiastic about sharing this endeavor. Jenny Thompson and Jennie Lawrence set a high standard in their years collaborating on the newsletter, and we are grateful for their efforts in constructing this valuable resource. You may notice some formatting changes and additional content, but the purpose of the newsletter will stay the same - to build community and inform the members. General interest events will be included each month as well as updated volunteer and advanced training opportunities. The newsletter will still feature projects and achievements that Wyoming Naturalists are responsible for, so keep an eye out for two feisty ladies asking for article ideas and feedback at future events.
Bird Note: A Wyoming Naturalist Story
On the January 3rd episode of the BirdNote podcast, Day Scott - a member of the 2021 WNP Cohort - reflected on how observing the birds outside her window helped her manage the emotional toll of recovering from injuries caused by a car accident. You can listen to the 90-second story HERE. From the BirdNote site - “Day Scott’s interest in birds grew following a car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. As she recovered, she would sit in the kitchen and watch birds at the feeder through the window. She began noticing bird behavior, like how members of the same species competed for space at the feeder. Watching the birds became a source of joy for her. Day eventually began writing stories about the birds and shared them with people along with her photos on Instagram.”
Community Collaboration in Casper [Part 1]
While chopping off flowering stalks of burdock and houndstongue (invasive bienniels) at Rotary Park in Casper this past summer, Joanne Theobald (2022 Cohort Member) realized that there was a desperate need for interpretive signage. “I overheard lots of conversations, and spoke with a lot of visitors (if you are carrying loppers and trash bags, people assume you work there, haha). One example I remember is a mother and son arguing whether a thimbleberry is a raspberry. So here we have this amazing waterfall and interesting geology and a wide variety of plants, including berries, that I've been cataloguing since last summer, and no educational signs, no interpreters, no park staff, so people wander around with so little information about what they are seeing. We know interpretation, including signage, can evoke curiosity, interest, connection, and stewardship, so the idea formed in my head.” She credits her experience as a Wyoming Naturalist with the inspiration, “We learned about the art of interpretation, as well as signage, in the WNP classes. I hiked Heart Mountain during the Wyoming Native Plant Society meeting last summer and noticed and liked the signage they had along the trail.” And, through her relationships with Audubon Rockies, University of WY, Natrona County Weed and Pest, and her Rotarian neighbor she was able to bring other partners to the table. The initial planning meeting in January included Joanne’s presentation and a collaboration of Casper stakeholders ready to get to work. More details about this project will be shared in the March newsletter - stay tuned!
Story Mapping with Mason
Mason Lee, Senior Project Coordinator for the Biodiversity Institute at the University of Wyoming, wanted to create a WNP StoryMap because she feels it’s a cool way to showcase all of the amazing projects that naturalists are involved with. “At a quick glance, you can see where naturalists have worked in the state, and by clicking on the locations, you can learn about what project the naturalist was involved in and hear about their experience with it. This is great for both current and aspiring naturalists to see! There are a lot of different opportunities available out there and countless ways that each naturalist can lend their talents to further conservation and education efforts in the state. And, I’m a secret GIS nerd. I love the visual storytelling that maps allow, and StoryMaps is a relatively newer ArcGIS product that provides a really beautiful interface for digital storytelling. It’s so cool to have a map, but also pictures AND a short little story that goes along with each map point.” The StoryMap was created to highlight the volunteer projects that the naturalists are involved in, whether it is a one-time volunteer opportunity or a long-term, ongoing project.
The written part can be as short or long as the submitter wants. If there is a lot of information, it will be edited so that it fits better on the StoryMap. But the more content the submitter can provide, the better! The questions are designed to collect details that allow Mason to put together a Story for each map point that, at a minimum, shares who was involved (the naturalist and the organization, if applicable), what the project was (its overall purpose and what aspect the naturalist helped with), why the naturalist loved it or how their involvement impacted them, and where the project occurred. Extra details from the submitters are always appreciated, as are multiple pictures. Mason says, “The storytelling aspect of the StoryMap shouldn’t keep anyone from submitting their experience! If the submitters don’t feel comfortable putting together a story themselves, all they need to do is answer the questions, and I can string it together in story format.”
The hope was that some of the stories could be used in advertising the Wyoming Naturalist Program, because it is impactful to hear from participants in their own words. We don’t otherwise really hear about the naturalists’ experiences past the basic training. Your stories inspire others!
Right now, the StoryMap sits under the “program stories” tab for visitors to the WNP site to peruse.
Naturalists receive 1 volunteer hour per submission to the StoryMap!
Breeding Bird Survey Route Openings!
This is an email forwarded from WY Game & Fish biologists Zach Wallace and Courtney Rudd:
“Calling all birders! Please consider contributing your skills to long-term monitoring of bird populations in Wyoming. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking volunteers to adopt survey routes throughout Wyoming as part of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Begun in 1966, the BBS is North America’s longest running coordinated monitoring program for breeding birds. The long-term information on the bird population trends provided by BBS is more important than ever as many species of birds – both rare and common – face continent-wide declines.
Surveys for the program are done primarily by volunteers from the birding community and natural resource agency personnel. Several longtime volunteers have recently retired, leaving vacant routes across the state, and we are looking for new birders to join our team. We currently have only 74 of 107 routes (69%) covered in Wyoming, which leaves gaps in our understanding of the status of important bird species and regional habitats in the state. Each survey consists of an approximately 25-mile route with 50 stops that is conducted during a single morning in June or early July. The emphasis is on tracking populations of breeding birds, rather than rarities, so birders with moderate skill levels are encouraged to participate. Volunteers can adopt a route in their region or use the BBS as an excuse to visit a new part of the state. Please consider donating one day of birding per year to support this essential monitoring effort!”
Contact Courtney Rudd (courtney.rudd@wyo.gov, 307-335-2635) or Zach Wallace (zach.wallace1@wyo.gov, 307-335-2613) at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to learn more about registering for a route (or two). In order to ensure timely delivery of survey packets, please let us know if you are interested by May 1. Additional information about the survey, including results from previous years and a map of routes can be found at: https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/. **Please let Zach & Courtney know you’re signing up as a volunteer from the Wyoming Naturalist Program.
Pinyon Jay Survey Training - Volunteer Opportunity
This virtual training is for an ongoing volunteer opportunity to seek out and record Pinyon Jay data as part of an effort to stop the STEEP decline of Pinyon Jay.
Great Basin Bird Observatory has been conducting research on Pinyon Jays with partners for many years. The Pinyon Jay Community Science Project, coordinated by the Observatory, is now attempting a comprehensive survey of habitats that Pinyon Jays use throughout the year across the western US. The project enlists volunteers as community scientists to monitor habitat usage and document Pinyon Jay behavior. Once you sign up, you can collect data whenever you are out birding or make a special trip to explore a new part of the state!
Location: Zoom
Date/Time: March 19th, 2024 6:30 PM MT
Registration: https://audubon.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqdumtpj0qHNEXpKzhrsWATTqyhd96xYFu
Call for Photos!
The Wyoming Naturalist Program Steering Committee is calling on naturalists to share photos from the field. Share photos of your volunteering or recreational activities. If you are a photographer, please share photos we might be able to use in the newsletter, website, and promotions for the program. All images will be credited. Upload images to Box.
Please title images using the following format:
Image title or species name -your name- date image was taken
Example: Red Crossbill - Zach Hutchinson - Jan 19 2024
Intermountain West Shorebird Surveys - Spring 2024
The Intermountain West is an oasis for our migratory shorebirds. A comprehensive shorebird survey was last completed across the region in 1989-1995, but much has changed in the past 25 years. This Shorebird Survey is replicating the census of the past so we can better manage shorebirds into the future. The goal of the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey is to sustain shorebird populations.
The survey objectives are:
● Document the distribution and abundance of shorebirds at 189 sites during the spring and fall migrations for 3 years.
● Use survey data to compare distribution and abundance with the historical shorebird survey from 1989-1995.
● Identify factors that influence abundance of shorebirds.
We are recruiting volunteers to survey sites across Wyoming. Survey teams are often comprised of professional biologists and volunteer birdwatchers. Some teams are 100% volunteer-led. We cannot accomplish our conservation goals without your generous donation of time and expertise. Thank you!
If you have participated in the past, you will be contacted by Max as the dates draw near. If you have not participated but would like to, please contact Zach at zach.hutchinson@audubon.org
2024 Tentative Bird Banding Dates
Migration/training (Spring) – 5/14, 5/20 to 5/23, 5/28-5/30
Maps EKWS (Casper) – 6/4, 6/11, 6/20, 7/8, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30
Maps Bart (casper mtn) - 6/5, 6/12, 6/21, 7/9, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31
Maps Keys (Keyhole State Park) - 6/1, 6/12, 6/23, 7/4, 7/11, 7/25, 8/3
Hummingbirds (Casper MTN) – tbd (contact zach if interested)
Migration/training (Fall)* – 9/3 to 9/6, 9/9 to 9/13 *more dates might be added by fall
Owls - 9/23 to 11/7 (registration will be sent at the end of summer)
Attending training qualifies for advanced training hours, and attendance at maps and hummingbird dates can be submitted as volunteer hours. A typical maps day is worth 6-10 volunteer hours. Most of these opportunities start between 5-6 am and are finished between 12-1 pm. Attendance at the full day is not required.
If interested in attending any of the spring training dates, please fill out this form.
If you would like to volunteer at a maps station contact zach.hutchinson@audubon.org.
If you would like to volunteers at a Maps station contact
Zach (EKWS/Bart) at zach.hutchinson@audubon.org
Jacelyn (Keys) at jacelyn.downey@audubon.org
