ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY INC

CITIZEN SCIENCE, CONSERVATION AND NATURE EDUCATION PROGRAMS: IN FISCAL YEAR 2024-25, ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY, INC. (ORANGE AUDUBON) CONTINUED TO SERVE ITS MEMBERSHIP OF 2,000 HOUSEHOLDS AND APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC BY OFFERING EDUCATIONAL CLASSES, FIELD TRIPS, BIRD SURVEYS, A BIRDING FESTIVAL AND GUEST SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS INCLUDING ONLINE WEEKLY 'BIRD CHATS WITH ORANGE AUDUBON.' CENTRAL TO COMMUNICATIONS WITH OUR COMMUNITY IS A MONTHLY 8-PAGE, ILLUSTRATED ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCING UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, PROVIDING CONSERVATION INFORMATION AND INTERESTING BIRDING ARTICLES, AND THAT IS OPENED BY OVER 65% OF RECIPIENTS. ORANGE AUDUBON ALSO HAD AN OUTREACH PRESENCE AT SIX LOCAL EVENTS. HIRING A HALF-TIME EDUCATION COORDINATOR IN JANUARY 2022 ENABLED ORANGE AUDUBON TO EXPAND ITS REACH, ESPECIALLY TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS, THIS YEAR ENGAGING AND ENTHRALLING APPROXIMATELY 5,000 CHILDREN AND 1,000 ADULTS (IN-PERSON) WITH BIRD-ORIENTED PROGRAMS. AT TITLE I SCHOOLS WITH UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, ORANGE AUDUBON'S EDUCATION COORDINATOR HAS STARTED THREE AFTER SCHOOL BIRDING CLUBS, THE FIRST IN 2022. WITH THE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE RESTORATION AREA BEING A PRIMARY CONSERVATION FOCUS, THE EDUCATION COORDINATOR IS DEVELOPING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS INCLUDING STEM CURRICULA ALIGNED WITH SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS SUITABLE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. TO BRING IN COLLEGE-AGE PARTICIPANTS, ORANGE AUDUBON HAS PARTICIPATED IN AUDUBON FLORIDA'S CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE PROGRAM (CHAPTER LEADERS PAIRED WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS AS CO-MENTORS) SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION. ORANGE AUDUBON'S YOUNG BIRDERS CLUB (FOR YOUTH AGES 8-17) HAS GROWN SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 2021 AND NOW HAS BIMONTHLY FIELD TRIPS. SEVERAL FORMER YOUNG BIRDERS WHO HAVE AGED OUT ARE NOW PURSUING DEGREES IN CONSERVATION AND LEAD FIELD TRIPS. THE FOLLOWING ARE ADDITIONAL MISSION-DRIVEN PROGRAMS: 1) WILDLIFE SURVEYS AND CITIZEN SCIENCE EFFORTS: ORANGE AUDUBON AND ABOUT 100 ORANGE AUDUBON VOLUNTEERS CONDUCTED WILDLIFE SURVEYS ON CITY, COUNTY AND STATE PUBLIC LANDS. SOME OF THESE SURVEYS SUPPORTED EFFORTS BY NATIONAL AUDUBON AND THE CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY AND OTHERS WERE SPECIFIC TO LOCAL PARKS AND PRESERVES, SET UP TO PROVIDE BIRD POPULATION DATA TO LAND MANAGERS. THESE INCLUDED CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS; THE 4TH OF JULY BUTTERFLY COUNT; AUDUBON FLORIDA'S EAGLEWATCH AND JAY WATCH PROGRAMS; CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY'S BACKYARD BIRD COUNT, FEEDERWATCH AND NESTWATCH PROGRAMS. ORANGE AUDUBON PROMOTED PARTICIPATION IN A NOW INTERNATIONAL BIOBLITZ USING THE INATURALIST PHONE APP, CALLED THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGE. BIRD SURVEYS HAD BEEN CARRIED OUT BY ORANGE AUDUBON VOLUNTEERS FOR MANY YEARS, BUT A NEW SERIES WAS STARTED IN 2019 WITH MONTHLY SURVEYS AT WEKIWA SPRINGS STATE PARK TO DOCUMENT THE INCREASE IN BIRDS AS A RESULT OF THE PARK'S PRESCRIBED BURNING PROGRAM. SURVEYS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE QUARTERLY SURVEYS AT OAKLAND NATURE PRESERVE AND ROCK SPRINGS RUN STATE RESERVE, AND IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, ORANGE AUDUBON INITIATED MONTHLY SURVEYS AT THE APOPKA BIRDING PARK AND ON THE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE. DATA ON WILDLIFE POPULATIONS PROVIDES CRITICAL INFORMATION THAT ENABLES LAND MANAGERS TO MAKE BETTER-INFORMED DECISIONS, THEREBY ENHANCING THE ABILITY OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE. ORANGE AUDUBON'S BIRD SURVEYS WELCOME PARTICIPATION BY ALL, CREATE ENGAGEMENT AND HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT 100 VOLUNTEERS INTO THE ORANGE AUDUBON FOLD. ORANGE AUDUBON PARTICIPATED IN THE IDEAL (INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, ACCESS, AND LEADERSHIP) PROGRAM, SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AND NATIONAL AUDUBON, WHICH SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO DRAW PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES AND ETHNICITIES, REPRESENTATIVE OF LOCAL DEMOGRAPHICS, INTO COMMUNITY SCIENCE ACTIVITIES. BINOCULAR GRANTS: THE IDEAL PROGRAM, AN EARLIER DIVERSITY TRAINING PROGRAM FROM NATIONAL AUDUBON AND COLLABORATIVE GRANTS FROM NATIONAL AUDUBON ALLOWED PURCHASE OF EXCELLENT CHILD-SIZED BINOCULARS, WHICH ALLOWED OUR EDUCATION COORDINATOR TO IMPLEMENT SCHOOLYARD BIRD SURVEYS WITH THE AFTER SCHOOL BIRDING CLUBS. SCHOOLYARD BIRD SURVEYS ARE AN ACTIVE LEARNING STEM ACTIVITY AND AN UNIQUE PROGRAM MADE POSSIBLE BY THE BINOCULARS, SKILL AND INTEREST OF THE EDUCATION COORDINATOR, AVAILABILITY OF SKILLED VOLUNTEERS, AND GROUNDWORK LAID IN THE AFTER SCHOOL BIRDING CLUBS. WITH EXPERIENCE GAINED THROUGH THE SMALL AFTER SCHOOL BIRDING CLUBS, THE COORDINATOR AND VOLUNTEERS FACILITATED A CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT FOR ALL GRADES AT THE FIRST SCHOOL SHE HAD WORKED WITH, ZELLWOOD ELEMENTARY, AND WITH THE AGRICULTURAL CLASSES OF WOLF LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL. AN EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOLYARD BIRD SURVEYS IS AN EMPHASIS ON IMPROVING SCHOOLYARD HABITATS THROUGH NATIVE PLANT GARDENING. THE EDUCATION COORDINATOR WORKED WITH THREE SCHOOLS ON HABITAT ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS IN THIS FISCAL YEAR.2) WILDLIFE IDENTIFICATION CLASSES: ORANGE AUDUBON OFFERED TWO BEGINNERS' BIRD WATCHING CLASSES, TEACHING BASIC IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES AND ETHICAL FIELD PRACTICES; AN INTERMEDIATE BIRD IDENTIFICATION CLASS ENABLING PARTICIPANTS TO BUILD ON AND SHARPEN SKILLS LEARNED IN BEGINNERS' CLASSES; AND TWO BIRDS OF PREY IDENTIFICATION CLASSES ENABLING PARTICIPANTS TO IDENTIFY RAPTORS USING A HOLISTIC APPROACH. IN A DRAGONFLY IDENTIFICATION FIELD TRIP, PARTICIPANTS LEARNED ABOUT FLORIDA'S NATIVE DRAGONFLY SPECIES.AND HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM BY FLIGHT PATTERNS AND HABITAT 3) FIELD TRIPS: DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ORANGE AUDUBON LED 31 LOCAL AND 3 OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIPS THAT INTRODUCED PARTICIPANTS TO THE DIVERSITY OF FLORIDA STATE PARKS, PRESERVES AND RESERVES. OVERNIGHT TRIPS WERE A WINTER TRIP TO GAINESVILLE BIRDING HOTSPOTS AND SPRING MIGRATION TRIPS TO FORT DE SOTO PARK IN ST. PETERSBURG AND THE RED HILLS REGION OF TALLAHASSEE AND ST. MARKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.-THE LATTER TRIP INCLUDED TALL TIMBERS RESEARCH STATION WHERE PARTICIPANTS LEARNED ABOUT LAND STEWARDSHIP AND FIRE ECOLOGY NECESSARY FOR A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM. ALL TRIPS EXPANDED PARTICIPANTS' UNDERSTANDING OF HABITAT NEEDS OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE.4) BIRD MIGRATION WALKS: FIRST-TIME AND EXPERIENCED BIRDERS TOOK LEISURELY MORNING WALKS WEEKLY DURING FALL AND SPRING MIGRATION (OCTOBER AND APRIL) AT MEAD BOTANICAL GARDEN, AN URBAN PARK AND MIGRANT BIRDING HOT SPOT IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. 5) GUEST SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS: NINE EVENING PROGRAMS FEATURED SPEAKERS ON SUBJECTS INCLUDING CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE, THE STATUS OF CERTAIN ENDANGERED SPECIES, BENEFITS OF HABITAT RESTORATION AND OTHER TOPICS ON CONSERVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT. DURING THE COVID SHUTDOWN IN 2020 WHEN IN-PERSON PROGRAMS WERE SUSPENDED, ORANGE AUDUBON STARTED 'BIRD CHATS WITH ORANGE AUDUBON,' WHICH ARE WEEKLY ONLINE GUEST SPEAKER PROGRAMS THAT ARE ARCHIVED ON ORANGE AUDUBON'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL. RECORDINGS OF THE PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ANYTIME, ANYWHERE ON ORANGE AUDUBON'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL THAT NOW HAS 1.2K SUBSCRIBERS AND OVER 200 VIDEOS. THIS ALLOWS US TO SERVE A BROADER AUDIENCE, UNCONSTRAINED BY PHYSICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES.6) PROMOTING BIRD-FRIENDLY YARDS: ORANGE AUDUBON FOR THE 9TH YEAR CO-SPONSORED BACKYARD BIODIVERSITY DAY AT MEAD BOTANICAL GARDEN AND OFFERED INTERPRETIVE WILDLIFE IDENTIFICATION HIKES AND WORKSHOPS WHERE ATTENDEES LEARNED HOW TO HELP BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS. ORANGE AUDUBON'S NEWSLETTER INCLUDED ARTICLES ON PLANTING FOR BIRDS AND POLLINATORS AND THE YEAR'S GUEST SPEAKER LINEUP INCLUDED 'PLANTS FOR BIRDS: THE CATERPILLAR CONNECTION.' ARCHIVED ON YOUTUBE WERE VIDEOS OF PRIOR GUEST SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS INCLUDING 'CREATING A HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK' BY DR. DOUG TALLAMY, DEMONSTRATING HOW INDIVIDUALS CAN CREATE BIRD- AND WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY YARDS TO SUPPLEMENT THE SHRINKING NATURAL HABITATS THAT WILDLIFE NEEDS TO SURVIVE. THESE VIDEOS CONTINUE TO BE VIEWED THOUSANDS OF TIMES. ORANGE AUDUBON'S FLYER ON BEST LOCAL BIRD- AND BUTTERFLY-FRIENDLY PLANTS IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AND DISTRIBUTED AT EVENTS.7) ORANGE AUDUBON'S 37TH ANNUAL CHERTOK FLORIDA NATIVE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION: PARTICIPANTS GAINED ENHANCED KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN FLORIDA'S NATIVE FLORA, FAUNA AND NATURAL AREAS. SUBJECT MATTER MUST BE NATIVE TO FLORIDA, IMAGES MUST NOT INCLUDE HUMAN ARTIFACTS AND WHILE PHOTOGRAPHING THEIR ENTRIES, PARTICIPANTS MUST PRACTICE ETHICAL FIELD PRACTICES OF PROTECTING THE LOCATION, THE SUBJECT MATTER AND THEMSELVES, AS OUTLINED BY THE NORTH AMERICAN NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ASSOCIATION. ENTRY CATEGORIES INCLUDED YOUTH, NOVICE AND ADVANCED, WHICH ENCOURAGED ALL AGES AND LEVELS TO ENTER.THE JUNE PROGRAM FEATURES THE ENTRIES AND WINNERS AND IS AN END-OF-SEASON SOCIAL EVENT FOR ORANGE AUDUBON, WHICH ENCOURAGES FUTURE PARTICIPATION.