Santa Fe Audubon’s Annual
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
LIFETIME CONSERVATIONIST AWARD

TUESDAY, MARCH 14 6:45 PM Trinity Episcopal Parish Hall 204 SR 26, downtown Melrose

Please join us to celebrate Joyce King, our Founder and first President, when we present her with our Lifetime Conservationist Award for her years of service and dedication to conservation.

You do not need to be a Santa Fe Audubon Society chapter member to attend our Speaker Series programs. All are welcome!

FIELD TRIPS

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL FIELD TRIPS
TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT EMAIL
santafeaudubonfl@aol.com
When you make your reservation, please include your email and phone numbers(s)
and please specify if you will meet at Heritage Park or the Field Trip location

Saturday, February 25
SWEETWATER WETLANDS PARK
for waterfowl and more

Join us for a walk at this man-made wetland where the birds are accustomed to humans. There are often opportunities for close-up looks and great photographs.This time of year, we may see wintering ducks along with local favorites.
Approx. 2 - 3 hours
Difficulty Level 2 - May involve uneven terrain; 1-2 miles
PARKING FEE: $5 PER VEHICLE
TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
contact Sallie Carlock santafeaudubonfl@aol.com
To caravan from Melrose on the west side of Heritage Park at 7:30 AM
or Sweetwater Wetlands Park at 8:10 AM
325 SW Williston Road, Gainesville

Saturday, March 11
AVES, ODES, LEPS and SPRING WILDFLOWERS
at Morningside Nature Center

Join us for Birds, Bugs and Botany with Michael Drummond in one of Gainesville’s premier nature parks, Morningside Nature Center. This is one of the last remaining examples of fire-dependent longleaf pine woodlands in the area. We will explore up to three miles of the more than six miles of trails that wind through sandhill, flatwoods, cypress domes, and areas where native vegetation is being restored. Morningside boasts a spectacular wildflower display and opportunity to see a diverse array of wildlife. Approx. 2 - 3 hours

DIFFICULTY LEVEL 2 - May involve uneven terrain; 1-3 miles
TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
contact Sallie Carlock santafeaudubonfl@aol.com
To caravan from Melrose meet on the west side of Heritage Park at 7:45 AM
or Morningside Nature Center Parking Lot at 8:15 AM 3540 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL

Sallie Carlock
President



SFAS Program Meetings
Active: Oct. - May
Annual Report
When: Speaker Series Programs are held Tuesdays evenings at 6:45PM October thru May

Where: Trinity Episcopal Parish Hall (204 SR 26 downtown Melrose)

Click here for past events


More detail on SFAS
Membership
Contact Us
SFAS Officers & Directors
Area Served
SFAS Bylaws 2022
SFAS Bylaws 2018


Audubon Society
National
Florida

Photo Credits
Photographs displayed on this website are copyrighted and were provided with permission by:
Ann Stodola
Dr. Jeff Smith
John Sloane
Richard Segall
Carol Sallette
Anne Pierce
Ida Little
Joyce King
Ray Franklin
Bill Chitty
Sallie Carlock
Jan & Bill Bolte
Keith Bollum
Bob Bird


Ordway-Swisher Biological Station field trip
September 2016
Fourteen people from Santa Fe Audubon Society and one Ordway-Swisher volunteer climbed aboard the Ordway-Swisher’s tram for an informative talk on fox squirrels, the nuances of timing prescribed fire to manage long-leaf pine habitat and the variations of that habitat for different species, and the reptiles and insects of the ephemeral ponds. Steven Coates, Associate Director of the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, led the discussion and was joined by Catherine Frock, a graduate student at UF. Dick Franz, a member of Santa Fe Audubon, retired Herpetologist and long-time researcher at the Ordway also joined the conversation.

The group was able to see first-hand the differences made to the environment by altering burn schedules even slightly and Coates explained how the fire teams worked to mimic natural lightning ignited fires to achieve stunning restorations. All the while the fire teams are paying close attention to protocols to achieve safety for the fire team members and for the neighbors of the property. “Fire is welcome to come in from the neighbors, but we don’t want it to leave.”

Frock, who is researching fox squirrels, displayed one of the radio collars describing its capabilities and limitations for providing data to the research team. Franz told of a flightless grasshopper found only in one pond at Ordway and one other pond nearby. Coates described how various animals have adapted different strategies to survive (and capitalize on) the periodic fires. One day after a recent fire, turkeys were first on the scene to feast on invertebrates.