March 2010

Audugram
NEWSLETTER OF COLLIER COUNTY AUDUBON SOCIETY

There will be a $3.00 charge this season for non-members, and donations are graciously accepted from members to help
defray the cost of the auditorium. Collier County Audubon Society members, non-members, and guests are welcome.
Programs will be held on Tuesday evenings at the Conservancy of SW Florida’s Auditorium, 1450 Merrihue Drive,
Naples (Merrihue Dr. is located off of Goodlette Frank Rd., off of 14th Ave. across from Lake Park Elementary school)
Our Programs this season are on Tuesday, Nov.17th (this is our annual meeting), Dec. 1st, Jan. 5th, Feb.2nd, March 2nd
& April 6th @ 7:30pm.

Our office address is 1020 8th Ave. South, Ste. 2, Naples FL 34102.
E-mail address : audubon@collieraudubon.org. If you are in the area, stop in and say hello!

Our mission, in partnership with the National Audubon

Message from the President
As we undergo one of the coldest winters in recent memory
(those of my decidedly not recent youth in Naples seem colder
after the passage of time), several observations are in order.
First, most of us have discovered that heating costs unpleasantly
more than cooling our homes. Second, outdoor heat will
assuredly be back with a vengeance sooner rather than later.
Because of the expense of cooling, heating, and energy use in
general to our local governments as well as to local businesses
and private residences, Collier Audubon has recently supported
energy use/greenhouse gas emission audits for Naples and for
Collier County as a whole. Among the interesting findings are
that overall per capita energy use in the City is higher than the
national average, that county residences are above national
residential averages, and that governmental operations account
for only 3-4% of energy use in City and County while the rest is
distributed across businesses and residences. Not surprisingly
for those caught in winter traffic, automobiles consume
significant energy given the low reliance on public
transportation. (For those wanting an executive summary of the
audit results, contact Cloe Waterfield at cloe@twenty-
fifty.com).
As a response to the audit Naples has initiated a green
businesses program and efforts to encourage use of energy
efficient technology such as solar water heaters. At the county
level, with the special encouragement of County Commissioner
Jim Coletta, an Energy Task Force composed of representatives
of businesses and neighborhood and environmental groups has
been formed. Among the plans of the Task Force is to establish
a program aimed at retrofitting residences for energy efficiency.
This effort will most probably be linked to similar efforts of the
Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council covering
Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Glades, Hendry and Sarasota counties.
These efforts are a win-win regardless of beliefs about
climate change and the role of greenhouse gases in producing it.
Everyone would benefit from efforts to bring about greater
energy efficiency; bills would go down, jobs in the refitting
trades would increase, and we would be doing our part toward
reducing dependence on foreign fossil fuels.
Alan Keller, President CCAS
and Audubon of Florida is:
“To promote an understanding of and interest
in wildlife and the natural environment that
supports it and to further the cause of
conservation of all natural resources.”
March’s Program - Birds & Bees
Join us for an evening with
Dr. Jamie Ellis, Assistant Professor
of Entomology at UF, Gainesville ,
on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 @
7:30pm at The Conservancy
Auditorium.
Dr. Jamie Ellis has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the
University of Georgia (UGA). In 2004, Jamie was awarded
his PhD in Entomology from Rhodes University in
Grahamstown, South Africa. At Rhodes, Jamie studied the
biology, behavior, and control of small hive beetles. After
finishing his PhD at Rhodes, Jamie worked as a post
doctoral research fellow at UGA. At UGA, Jamie
investigated IPM control of varroa and small hive beetles.
In 2006, Jamie joined the Entomology and Nematology
faculty at the University of Florida (UF) as an Assistant
Professor. Jamie has responsibilities in extension,
instruction and research. Regarding his extension work,
Jamie created the AFBEE program (African Bee Extension
and Education Program), the UF Bee College, and the UF
Master Beekeeper Program. As an instructor, Jamie
currently supervises 2 PhD and 3 masters students.
Jamie’s research interests are diverse. Currently, Jamie
conducts research on pollination ecology of honey bees,
varroa mite control, small hive beetle behavior/control,
nosema, honey bee nutrition, honey bee chemical
ecology, sub lethal effects of chemicals on bees, and
general honey bee behavior/ecology. Jamie is also a
bivocational youth minister at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
in High Springs, FL. Jamie and his wife Amanda are the
proud parents of Mathias James Ellis and Analy Kate Ellis.
 Collier County Audubon Society
Established 1961, Chapter Code E38
Phone: 239-643-7822
e-mail:audubon@collieraudubon.org
To contact a Board Member, Committee Chairperson or
Staff, visit our website www.collieraudubon.org
Bird Bite
By Ted Below
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
A mid sized heron about the same size as
Snowy Egret, Little Blue and Tricolored
Heron but with longer legs and a shorter,
heaver bill was never very common in the area but now quite
infrequent. In Southwest Florida most of them are winter refugees
but a few are here year round and breed. The photo was taken on
Naples beach at 32nd South; for several years one or two adults
have appeared there sporadically. The literature states that night
herons eat mostly crabs thus the big heavy bill (but I’ll bet they
eat almost any living thing they can catch and handle). As the
name indicates they are more active in low light and at night; as
the photo shows they are active in daylight. Here at low tide
along the exposed mud shores of mangrove waterways they can be
seen in bright sun, stalking and feeding. Another species that the
Naples Christmas Bird Count shows going down dramatically
(none recorded in the last five years through 2008)
Thank You Volunteers!!
Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers
who helped get our Feathers & Friends
invitations out in record time!
We would personally like to thank Cynthia Bennett, Jean Bub,
Janet Bunch, Beth Garcia, Carolyn Johnstone, Becky
Kimberly, Wally & Liz Martel, Theresa Rousseau, Karen Sendik,
LaVerne Webb, Diane Weighert & Diana Worley.
I hope we didn’t miss anyone. With your volunteer support you
continue to make our organization a “flying” success!
Galapagos Island Presentation
Please come to a presentation on the
Galapagos Islands before our March 2nd
Program at 7:00 pm to hear about this pristine haven for
wildlife and the environment. Brought to you by Nancy
Reyault at Get Out of Town Travel. Join us to hear Jackie
Thompson do a talk and video presentation on these remote
islands have been their own ecosystem for a millennia and
many of the Galapagos species are endemic, or not found
anywhere else in the world. Won’t you join us for this
fascinating presentation at 7:00pm in The Conservancy
Auditorium. RSVP to Lori at 643-7822.
Conservation Report
Oil on the Beach, Anyone? Care for
That with a Little Sea Level Rise?
In 2002, Governor Jeb Bush and his brother, President George
Bush considered an oil drilling moratorium off Florida so important
they committed $115 Million in federal money to buy back oil rights
near the panhandle. Governor Bush said, “…we are guaranteeing the
preservation of our environment-based economy and quality of life.”
Now, oil industry lobbyists and some legislators in Tallahassee,
including the 2011 session speaker of the House and president of the
Senate, have been calling for Florida to repeal its 20 year ban on oil
and gas drilling in State waters, 3-10 miles off our beaches. What’s
changed? A variety of reasons have been given: more revenues for
State coffers, more jobs, independence from foreign oil, lower gas
prices and better safety of the industry. Collier Audubon and many
others have looked at these claims and our conclusion is that these
lobbyists are really selling snake oil!
Some facts: 1) Florida’s tourism business is $65 Billion annually,
while any revenues from oil and gas will pale in comparison and
threaten that tourism with any spills or accidents; 2) many offshore oil
jobs would come from out of state through imported workers, and
totals will not compare with the coastal economy jobs which oil
accidents may threaten; 3) the U.S. currently exports about 1.2 million
barrels of oil per day because it is an international commodity – there
is no U.S. need to drill for Florida’s oil; 4) Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita caused 125 spills from drilling rigs and offshore pipelines totaling
685,000 gallons of oil in the Gulf – plus, over 8 million gallons spilled
from onshore facilities; 5) Florida is clearly vulnerable to hurricanes;
6) U.S. Dept. of Energy analysis (2007 report on oil and gas effects
from offshore drilling in the lower 48 states) says that Florida offshore
drilling will not cheapen gasoline for at least 10 years, and then only
by pennies – oil prices are set on international markets and Florida’s
oil is less than a relative drop in the international bucket; 7) increasing
by just a couple of miles per gallon, auto and truck gas mileage
standards, would save more oil than would ever be recovered from
Florida coasts – energy conservation and maximizing renewable
sources is the prudent strategy; and 8) the U.S. has only 3% of world
oil reserves, so in the interest of national security, it does not make
sense to drill to use that now.
Finally, the most egregious sin of drilling off Florida’s beaches, is
that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change which directly
threatens Florida’s coasts with accelerating rising sea levels. Even if
you don’t agree on anthropogenic sea level rise, all can agree on
energy conservation, and the vital role renewable energy will play in
the future of Florida – new industries, jobs and sustainability. Not the
least of these renewable energy sources is good old Florida sunshine!
Let’s shine a little of that on these harebrained drilling ideas.
For more info and to sign a petition and write a letter to your
Florida legislators to stop oil and gas drilling bills this spring, go to:
www.ProtectFloridasBeaches.org.
~Brad Cornell~
Southwest Florida Policy Associate
Photo by Lori Kraycik
Painted Bunting, Emerald Lakes
 Big “O” Birding Festival,
CCAS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Clewiston, FL
CREW, as 60,000 acre watershed in Collier and March 25th-
25th-28th
Lee counties. It is the largest undisturbed A very popular Festival on the Southwest
watershed in Southwest Florida. Many species Shores of Lake Okeechobee.
call CREW their home including: Florida Join the thousands of people who flock to
panther, black bear, bobcat, river otters, this festival every year.
alligators, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, white- Check out their website:
tailed deer, turkey, and many species of birds, snakes, fish, plants, and www.bigobirdingfestival.com
invertebrates. www.crewtrust.org for the exciting schedule of events they
Over 2,000 4th graders (Florida Panther Biologist’s) are now experiencing CREW have planned.
with over 220 Florida Gulf Coast University “Wings of Hope” students presenting Happy Birding!
an environmental education hiking adventure. The students hike through five
different Florida habitats, identifying bird species, invertebrates, plants, and
signs of wildlife. They learn GPS, anemometers, compasses, food chains, and
they even leap like a panther, hopefully leaping more than 15 feet. The young

Photo by Dan Kelly

biologists enter the data in a special created science journal.
www.fgcu.edu/cas/wingsofhope
After experiencing a day at CREW, the elementary students and the college
students educate others about our natural world, over 4,000. Our natural world
depends on the elementary students, voters in 6 years, to carry on the protection
and conservation in the future. Thanks to CCAS, South Florida Water Great Horned Owls, Port of the Islands
Management District, and FGCU “Wings of Hope” program funding and
presenting the programs to our future generation. www.collieraudubon.org & Audubon Academy
www.sfwmd.gov March 26th-28th in Gainesville, FL
“Building bridges of hope for wildlife and the environment with Chapters are Audubon’s crucial link to the
community and government in taking actions
awareness and education.” that will protect Florida’s birds, wildlife, and
habitats. Our communities need the voice of
Thank you to those of you who sent in your great birding strong Audubon chapters throughout the state
pictures. Keep sending them so we can share with the rest of the to define and shape a better Florida. For more
membership. info. go to:
Send your pictures to Lori at audubon@collieraudubon.org, http://www.audubonofflorida.org
with a brief description of when and where you saw it and I will
put it in our newsletter. Happy Birding!

Three classes of membership:

Support Our Local Chapter
We now are offering a Chapter Only membership which puts the
membership fees back into the chapter for our Advocacy work, which is
handled by two of the most effective Policy Advocates in Southwest
Florida who pursue environmental protection and smart growth in
Collier, Lee, and Glades/Hendry counties, our Environmental Education
Programs which utilizes Florida Gulf Coast University students as tutors
for the "Wings of Hope" program, and our Young Birders Program now
in it's third year, which helps connect children and their families with
nature. We have also started a Bluebird Rescue Team Project through
the Young Birder Program which helps re-establish an Eastern Bluebird
trail here in Southwest Florida as an educational outreach program in
our elementary schools in Collier County.
We are an independent Chapter of National Audubon Society, and
do not receive any funding from National. Our Chapter is solely
responsible for raising our own funds through fund raising and
donations made by our members. Most members support us at the
local level so we can offer you 6 Programs per season on interesting
topics in nature, habitats, conservation issues and specific bird and
animal species. We also offer nature & birding Field Trips each season
Chapter Only Membership, supports our local activities
through our educational programs and advocacy work.
Members will receive our Audugram Newsletter, Program
& FT Guide and Audubon of Florida’s Naturalist
Magazine.
National Membership, for this membership the local
chapter does not receive any monies from National for
renewals, only new first year members. Still linked to
Local Chapter and will receive all Chapter Only
Publications, qualifies for Audubon Magazine also.
Corporate Sponsorships, If you are interested in
becoming a Corporate Sponsor, please call the CCAS
office, 643-7822.
Visit our website @ www.collieraudubon.org
Photo by JL Smith

that are led by knowledgeable local experts to some beautiful locations

in and around Collier County. These are tough economic times, but
now more than ever it's so important to support what we are doing here
at the Chapter level. Anihinga at Eagle Lakes Park
 Upcoming Happenings
March 2nd– Program-Birds & Bees 7:30pm
Feathers & Friends Gala
March 13th– Adult FT- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Thursday, February 25, 2010
March 20th– Adult FT-Wakodahatchee Wetlands & Green Cay Join us at our Bird Bath and Bird Feeder
March 25th-28th-Big O Birding Festival for our second annual
March 26th-28th-Audubon Academy, Gainesville FL
March 27th– Adult FT– Southern Collier/Marco Island
“Feathers & Friends” Gala
April 6th– Program– Bats in the Belfry 7:30pm Guest Speaker,
April 7th– Adult FT– Colliers Reserve Golf Course Charles Dauray
April 8th– Adult FT– Panther Refuge Swamp Buggy Trip This Special Event will take place at the
April 17th-Adult FT– Sugden Park Collier Athletic Club
April 17th– Young Birders FT-Six Mile Cypress Boardwalk ~ Cocktails ~ Dinner ~ Silent Auction ~
April 25th-Young Birders FT– Sanibel Lighthouse Reserve your seat today!
May 16th– End of the Season BBQ-Lowdermilk Park
Visit www.collieraudubon.org or call 239~643-
239~643-7822
Sponsored by:

We would like to thank Whole Foods

Marketplace for once again supplying all our
refreshments at our Programs this season.
Your support is greatly appreciated!

Thank-you to Jim Forester of The Forester Group who is once again

donating supplies to build Bluebird Nest Boxes for our Young Birders Club
Bluebird Rescue Team Project, and to Gregg Beall for building them.
The Young Birders Club is currently working with local schools to document
data for a establishing a Bluebird Trail. Thank-you for your support!

PERMIT NO. 41
34101-1387
NAPLES, FLORIDA
PAID Naples, FL 34102
U.S. POSTAGE 1020 8th Ave. South, Ste. 2
ORGANIZATION Collier County Audubon Society
NON-PROFIT