Great Blue Heron at Glen LakeRutland County Audubon concluded its 2020-2021 year ending June 30 with a meeting held at Bomoseen State Park on June 26, following a bird walk at Glen Lake. Here is President Kathleen Guinness's annual report:
Good morning, friends. Welcome! I’m standing here to give the traditional annual report for a year that could have been either a disaster or a spinning-our-wheels kind of year, with the pandemic raging and few opportunities for any in-person events. But, I am happy to report that, instead, the year was fruitful and productive! And, I want to thank all of you for making it so, but especially two people who deserve RCAS MVP awards because they have come through time and time again throughout the year in ways of which many of you may be unaware.
First, Renee Warren stepped out of her usual role as Program Chair to act as our secretary when no secretary had been officially appointed. She did this, although she often had to listen in on Zoom and telephone meetings, and yet always managed to capture in her minutes the gist of what had been discussed. Supporting her were Sandy Duling, Marsha Booker and Joel Tilley, who keyboarded her handwritten minutes. She also has taken a lead role in communicating with the Chaffee Art Center to arrange our upcoming art show (more about that later). So, thank you, Renee!
Joel Tilley also played a huge behind the scenes role in keeping this boat afloat and yours truly sane. He was there to offer a computer when mine died just before the Chapter Assembly. He was there to teach me how to use Zoom when I needed to conduct meetings. He was there to host meetings when my web browser crashed. He was there to get my new printer up and running. He was there to mix and pour cement at our new Chimney Swift Tower when it was needed. He was also willing to lead bird walks in the fall and spring, by reservation, giving RCAS a presence in the community. Thank you, Joel!
Harking back to the fruits and products, here are some:
1) We counted birds. In fact, we counted and counted and counted birds, doing not only the traditional Christmas Bird Count and the Century Count, but also an ABC-20 or Autumn Bird Count this year. I’m sure we boosted eBird’s numbers.
2) We continued monitoring the West Rutland Marsh, sometimes in a solitary way, sometimes in a socially-distanced, board members only way. By the end of July we will have completed 20 years of monitoring the marsh.
If these were our only accomplishments, we would be no more than a bird club and National would kick us out. But we also,
3) Raised funds. Paul Garland of Garland's Farm and Garden, being supportive of pandemic risk, held a seed sale for us for an entire weekend. Brandon area board members, Sue Wetmore, Mary Lou Webster, Marsha Booker and Allon Wildgust masked up and held two seed sales at Brandon Blue Seal. Marv Elliiott mailed and emailed hundreds of fundraising letters which raised a significant amount of money and Moi sold bluebird houses, wildflower seed, bird books, and Audubon caps by Front Porch Forum. In the process of which we also made new or renewed old friends.
4.) We received a Collaborative Grant from National Audubon and put up, not a pyramid or wall, but a tower, a Chimney Swift Tower, with the help of Jeff Fowler’s Stafford Technical Center construction class and Rutland Rec’s Tyler Dahlin. Joel Tilley, Mike Blust, Irene Goebel and my brother mixed and poured cement for it, but the other collaborators did the rest.
5.) Speaking of buildings, last year we had planned to use the grant we and the Town of West Rutland had received to build a new trail off Whipple Hollow Road, but the pandemic did not allow that. Nevertheless, under Ralph Nimtz and Nate’Dansereau's direction we continued to prepare for this event by clearing the trail and buying equipment and lumber. In only two more days, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps will begin actual work on this new trail. Come out and help or watch this exciting project get underway!
6.) One of the other accomplishments of this year was holding regular meetings by Zoom, which offered a learning curve for most of us. But, beyond meetings, we were able to offer four educational programs through this medium: Jim Graves did one, and Marv Elliott did three. Thus, we were virtually able to keep in touch with friends and even to increase membership. The Book Discussion Group that was held by Zoom four times also accomplished these characteristics. Our membership is back up to where it was at a healthy number five years ago.
7.) The one fly in the ointment or boulder in our path has been our continued lack of progress in being allowed to monitor our conservation easement at the Mt. Top Farm. For the third year in a row, we have been shut out, although this year, on June 7, with our lawyer’s help, it almost became a reality. At the last minute, we had the rug pulled out from under us and we are now hoping to be able to reschedule.
PLANS FOR THE COMING YEAR
- Continue monitoring and counting.
- Have a Wildlife Art Show at the Chaffee Art Center, mid-September until the end of October.
- Participate in the Rutland Halloween Parade.
- Complete Phase 3 of the Whipple Hollow Road trail and begin preparing for Phase 3.
- Provide renewable energy education.
- Place pollinator gardens in several communities.
- Sponsor a talk on women in ornithology and another on fern identification.
- Host the Chapter Assembly in November.
- Succeed in Monitoring Mt. Top Farm!
- Who knows?!
It seems that nearly every season RCAS birders delightedly spy an unusual or rare bird in our area. Last summer, the mid-western Sedge Wren caused a big stir in the meadow off our new Whipple Trail in West Rutland. This winter, an American Coot, or actually two coots, arrived at Lake Bomoseen, making the birding news and causing birders to rush to get a gander at them. 
