New York State Ornithological Association, formerly Federation of New York State Bird Clubs

NYSOA Field Trip to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History
July 11-12, 2014

The New York State Ornithological Association's next field trip will feature a tour of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, NY along with a field experience led by the Institute's bird experts. RTPI currently houses most of the late Roger Tory Peterson's papers, books, and art work. A field trip to nearby grassland habitat will search for Henslow's Sparrow as well as other grassland associated birds. The tour and field trip are planned for Saturday, July 12, 2014.

A presentation will be held at the institute at 7 pm on Friday, July 11, 2014. During this presentation, RTPI staff will overview the Institute's holdings and purposes as well as preview the field experience planned for Saturday morning. Friday's presentation is open to all who are interested. For a quality experience, it is necessary to limit the RTPI tour and field trip to 25 participants; therefore first preference is given to those who are individual, student, or family members of NYSOA or youth members (accompanied by a parent) of the NYS Young Birders Club (NYSYBC). Those who are not in one of the above categories may register for the RTPI tour and field trip and will be accommodated should there be space available. For membership information, please visit our NYSOA membership page or the NYSYBC web site at www.nysyoungbirders.org.

Jamestown is located in southwestern New York State approximately 60 miles south of Buffalo, NY off Interstate 86/Southern Tier Expressway. There are several motels located within a few minutes of the Peterson Institute including Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, and Red Roof Inn.

Preregistration is required. For more information and to register, please contact Tim Baird via e-mail at: , or by phone at: 716-945-2539.

Save the West Pond at Jamaica Bay

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy changed Jamaica Bay's West Pond from a vibrant freshwater habitat, supporting a great diversity of bird species, to saltwater. Thus the Jamaica Bay ecosystem lost its only significant freshwater habitat.

Last fall, NYSOA joined the Birders' Coalition for Gateway to lend its support to the group's efforts to bring about the restoration of the West Pond, already long overdue. The Coalition has created a petition calling on the Secretary of the Interior and Park Service to restore the West Pond at Jamaica Bay to its pre-hurricane Sandy state.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION.

More information can be found on the petition page. For additional details on conservation activities related to the West Pond's rehabilitation, please visit the Linnaean Society of New York's Conservation page: http://linnaeannewyork.org/officers-committees-consv/conservation.html

The objectives of the New York State Ornithological Association are to document the ornithology of New York State; to foster interest in and appreciation of birds; and to protect birds and their habitats.

Individuals as well as clubs/organizations are welcome to join and will enjoy the benefits of membership, including subscriptions to NYSOA's quarterly journal, The Kingbird, and its newsletter, New York Birders. NYSOA also offers its individual members a discounted rate of $25 annually (40% off the regular rate of $42) for a subscription to the online version of the The Birds of North America

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