September Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club Meeting Minutes 9 September 2019 Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca NY  

The meeting began at 7:30 pm. President Diane Morton welcomed members and visitors.  Thanks for cookies: Colleen Richards, Ken Kemphues  Bob McGuire is the new Field Trips chair. Thanks to Ann Mitchell for her past work in this position. Suan Hsi Yong is the new Newsletter Editor. Thanks to Tracy McLellan for her work as newsletter editor last year.  

Treasurer’s report: Ken Kemphues The club is in excellent financial shape with total assets of $27,450, including $24,930 in bank accounts and $2520 worth of Basin Birding Guide books.  Proposed budget presented. Motion to accept the budget made, seconded. Vote: Passed by voice vote (unanimous).  

Proposal for club to allocate $3750 of club funds to offer and administer a lecture course on birds, Spring Ornithology with Steve Kress, in Spring, 2020.  Dr. Stephen Kress is updating an 8-week lecture course, to be held Tuesday evenings, March 24- May 12, 2020, and has asked the club to administer it. The course would be held at Foundation of Light on Turkey Hill Road in Ellis Hollow.  We have developed a preliminary budget and plan to charge $125 for the 8-week course for Cayuga Bird Club members, $140 per person for non-members (includes a $15 membership in Cayuga Bird Club). We anticipate that the club would break even on the course if we have 30 participants, ($3750). Sandy Podulka and Laura Stenzler will be coordinators for the course. Flyer designed by Sandy for early course announcement shown.  Motion made to allocate $3750 of club funds for CBC to administer a lecture course by Steve Kress in Spring 2020. Seconded. Vote: Passed by voice vote (unanimous).  If you are interested in signing up for the course, email Diane at cayugabirdclub.president@gmail.com or sign up on clipboard at meeting. 

Also passed around sign up sheets for volunteers to bring cookies for upcoming meetings and a sheet for volunteers to help update the CBC website.  

Proposal to allocate up to $1800 of club funds to install a Cayuga Bird Club Motus receiving station at Myers Park in Lansing. There are no Motus tracking stations in south central New York. A station in this area would fill a gap in the Motus network. Hits that we receive on a club tower would be shared with the researchers studying those radio-tagged birds. CLO graduate student Bryant Dossman would build the tower and set up the receiver for us at cost. Lansing parks has already given approval for the project there, including electricity and WiFi.  Audience Q and A led by Bryant Dossman.  Motion made, seconded. Vote: passed by voice vote (Unanimous)  Minutes from May 2019 meeting approved.  

Montezuma Muckrace:  Cayuga Bird Club sponsored two recreational teams, “Arrogant Bustards” and “Gull For It!”. Both teams found 91 species. Donations can be made to the Friends of Montezuma at https://friendsofmontezuma.org/projects-programs/muckrace/ until the end of September. You can select a team when you make a donation.   

Field trips: Montezuma Dike walks- last one this past weekend. Thanks to Dave, Dave Nicosia, Bob McGuire, Josh Snodgrass for leading these walks in August and early September.  Ann Mitchell led a trip to Montezuma on September 7, with one new participant.  Bob McGuire has organized trips through the fall. In September we will have several half-day trips to “Where the birds are”, meeting at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at 7:30 am: September 15 with Bob McGuire. Laura Stenzler will be leading on September 21, and Jody Enck on September 28.  Ken Haas will lead a half-day trip on the West side of the Lake on October 6. Meet at the Ithaca Childrens Garden at 8 am. On October 12, 13, there will be two Sparrow ID walks led by Mark Chao at the Cornell Community Gardens on Freese Road at 8 am. Field trip details are on our calendar at cayugabirdclub.org.  

Other events: Jody Enck gave an update on the Conservation Action committee’s activities and passed around a sign up sheet for people interested in helping out.   Migration Celebration is September 14 at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 10am-3pm. CBC will have a table there. CBC will also have a table at the Paddle, Pedal and Play Festival at Stewart Park on September 14. Suan Yong will be leading a bird walk there at 9am.   The club’s trip to Costa Rica trip in February 2020 is now full. The club is also planning a trip to Colombia in November, 2020, that still has spaces. Contact Jody Enck at jwe4@cornell.edu for more information.  

Bob McGuire read the Cayuga Lake Basin Bird List. 163 species were recorded in the last week.  

Program Speaker: Andy Zepp, Executive Director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust. He described how the Finger Lakes Land Trust is working to ensure protection and restoration of bird habitat in the Finger Lakes region.  

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm.