B&B Jan. 8 Event: 2014: A Big Year for Birds & Birders in Michigan

Happy New Year birders!  We have a great event planned for our next Birds & Brews event and I'm pretty sure you don't want to miss it!  Michigan Audubon's Executive Director, Jonathan Lutz, will be highlighting some of the exciting opportunities planned for birders in the New Year.  Please view the flyer below for more details and contact me if you would like to attend: shelleyupnorth@gmail.com

A Thought-Proving Birds & Brews!

We had a sunny, autumn day for our Birds & Brews event! Garret Johnson, Executive Director of Michigan Nature Association gave a thought-provoking presentation on Land Protection and the Challenges of Conserving Migratory Birds. 

Garret Johnson & Paul Messing, Board Member

We had our usual brews and good conversation afterwards. Our raffle was especially fun as the Birds & Brews crew always comes up with nice items to help raise money for the Michigan Audubon. One of the prizes was a framed photograph of a Cedar Waxwing taken by Paul Messing. This beautiful photo was featured in an insert in the New York Times.  Congrats to Paul!

I'm looking forward to our next gathering in November. Until then, cheers!

Presentation Reminder - Land Protection and the Challenges of Conserving Migratory Birds

For some reason, the Birds & Brews event flyer on the previous post isn't showing up correctly for some.  Here are the details for our Birds & Brews event on October 9th.  RSVP's are appreciated!

Land Protection and the Challenges of  Conserving Migratory Birds

Presented by Garret M. Johnson, Executive Director Michigan Nature Association

 

Wednesday, October 9 at Bailey’s Pub in Dearborn

Reserved lounge area

Social hour 6:00—7:00 p.m.

Presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m.

RSVP required: shelleyupnorth@gmail.com

 

About Garret M. Johnson: - Prior to joining MNA as  its executive director, Garret worked in Washington D.C. as director of federal affairs for Pacific Forest Trust, a San Francisco-based land trust/think tank focusing on the nexus between large –scale forest conservation and climate and energy policy.

 

 

Special Presentation on Oct. 9th - Land Protection and the Challenges of Conserving Migratory Birds

So much to talk about at Birds & Brews!

A great gathering of old friends and new friends tonight at Birds & Brews! Bailey's Pub was kind enough to let us use their private lounge which provided for a more intimate gathering. We had some new friends join us from Friends of the Rouge River and the Farmington Hills Nature Center.

First on deck was Michigan Audubon's Executive Director, Jonathan Lutz. Jonathan provided an update on Audubon Chapters and how Birds & Brews is a contemporary take for advocating for birds. He also spoke about their beautiful bird sanctuary, Lake Bluff located on Lake Michigan. We gave away a 1 night stay as a prize tonight. Lastly, a reminder on the upcoming Crane Fest http://cranefest.org/ which is always one of my personal favorites!

Our main speaker, Huron Pines Project Manager Patrick Ertel spoke on Restoring Stream Habitats through Priority Project Implementation. He brought a water tube prop to demonstrate the effects of warm water on sand and related it to our rivers. He next gave a slide show which covered some of their Dam projects. It was a very engaging presentation and many questions were asked.

Our last speaker of the night was Abby Ertel, Kirtland's Warbler Coordinator at Huron Pines. Abby gave an update on the Kirtland's Warbler Initiative which is building the support network necessary to delist the species from the Endangered Species List and ensuring the warbler continues to thrive into the future. - See more at: http://www.huronpines.org/program.asp?pjt=gv&gid=6 

Please mark your calendar for our next Birds & Brews on Wednesday, October 9th. Details soon to follow!

Birds & Brews September 11 Event!

Birds & Brews Special Presentation:

Restoring Stream Habitats through Priority Project Implementation

·         Date: Wednesday, September 11

·         Time: 6:00 pm – 6:45 pm Social Hour / 6:45 pm. Presentation

·         Place: Bailey’s Pub, 22091 Michigan Ave, Dearborn

·         RSVPs are required for this event: shelleyupnorth@gmail.com

This presentation will be given by Patrick Ertel, Project Manager at Huron Pines, a non-profit conservation organization located in northern Michigan.  Now in his 8^th year with Huron Pines, Patrick has taken on more of a technical advisor and project development role. This is a good fit for him as he gets the opportunity to teach numerous audiences and blend in his cross section of experience.

Patrick’s Background: After earning his Master’s Degree from Ohio University, Patrick spent time in New Brunswick, Canada, while banding migratory songbirds. From the Bay of Fundy, Patrick moved to North Carolina, where is worked restoring oyster reefs for The Nature Conservancy. Since joining Huron Pines, Patrick has continued to hone his expertise by completing numerous fluvial geomorphology courses and presenting at Great Lakes-wide conferences and workshops.

Photos from our June 12th Birds & Brews event

 

Where has the time gone? This has been a busy summer and pretty soon fall migration will be here. I wanted to share photos from our June 12th event at Wild Birds Unlimited in Canton.  I am looking forward to seeing all of you for our special September 11th event at Bailey's Pub in Dearborn.  Happy Birding!