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On June 16th, Michael Boardman presented a wonderful program on his experiences in Alaska. He had been selected by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to be the Artist-in-Residence at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While we don’t have a video of that program to share, here’s a link to the program he presented for the Alaska Wilderness League in May, which was virtually the same as the one he presented for York County Audubon. Enjoy!
Note: there are a couple of introductions related to the Alaska Wilderness League at the beginning of the video. Michael’s program starts at the 10:00 minute mark, and you can jump ahead to that if you wish. Just slide your cursor along the “time bar” that runs just above the start/pause button and volume control at the bottom of the screen.
For the past several months, we have had to cancel our programs and workshops to help ensure everyone’s health and safety. Now, we are very pleased to present our first Zoom Online program on June 16th at 7 p.m. To register for this event, please click on the link in the paragraph in bold font at the bottom of this post.
Michael Boardman is a wildlife artist and member of the Maine Master Naturalist program. In spring of 2019, he was selected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be the Artist-In-Residence at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He was flown to the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge in June to spend two weeks at the Canning River Bird Camp, assisting the ornithologists there study all the migrating birds breeding on the tundra. In his presentation, Michael will share his unique experience in an extreme environment, with plenty of artwork and stories about how the avian life of the Arctic Refuge connects us all to that endangered landscape.
Wildlife artist Michael Boardman in his North Yarmouth studio (Press Herald photo by Gregory Rec)
Michael is known for his watercolor bird portraits and nature journal sketches. Numerous artist residencies have allowed him to connect art and science, including Acadia National Park, Hog Island Audubon Camp, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, and most recently Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska in June of 2019. He is also the owner and artist of Coyote Graphics, creating nature based garments from his artwork. (www.coyotees.com)
Michael will discuss his time in the Arctic Refuge, share stories and images, and answer your questions. We hope you can join us!
There’s no charge, but you need to register in advance to watch this program. To do so, please click on this link and enter your name and email address: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqc–vpjMtHNPW9-I9zEoPyvCYaARYqZpl After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The Nominating Committee has presented a slate of Officers and Directors to the YCA Board, and that slate has been approved by the Directors: Bill Grabin, President, Joyce Toth, Vice President, Kathy Donahue, Treasurer, and Monica Grabin, Secretary, as well as the following slate of Directors: Mary Bateman, David Doubleday, Doug Hitchcox, Ken Janes, Marion Sprague, Seth Davis, Eileen Willard, Marian Zimmerman, Laurie Pocher
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, we have cancelled this May 19th program. However, an online program has been scheduled for June 16th; please go to the post for that event to register for it. Thanks for your understanding, and take care.
In 2015, local wildlife artist Michael Boardman spent 2 weeks as the artist in residence in Glacier Bay Alaska. He spent time studying the wildlife and unique geology of the park with scientists and wildlife biologists. On Tues, May 19th he will give a presentation on the park, its wildlife and the experience of creating art in such an inspiring environment.
Michael is known for his watercolor bird portraits and nature journal
sketches. He has connected his art to wildlife science through artist
residencies at Acadia National Park, Hog Island Audubon Camp, Glacier
Bay National Park, and most recently Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in
Alaska in June of 2019. He is also the owner and artist of Coyote
Graphics, creating nature based garments from his artwork.
This program will be held in the Mather Auditorium of the Wells
Reserve at Laudholm. This program is free and open to the public, and
starts at 7 p.m. Come early for social time and refreshments.
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, we have cancelled our April 21st program. Thanks for your understanding, and take care.
Every spring, as temperatures warm and rain arrives, amphibians begin
their eons-old tradition of migrating from upland habitats to wetlands
to breed. These migration events, when timed correctly with the weather,
can have thousands of amphibians within a mile of a pool hopping and
crawling in synchrony towards their goal. However, their journey is
increasingly impeded by a new barrier – roads. Amphibian populations
have anecdotally been in decline because of vehicle impacts, and until
recently were left relatively unnoticed. Now, citizens throughout New
England are participating in their own spring-time tradition of standing
guard on roads during the rainy nights of spring to assist amphibians
in crossing while collecting valuable data for future conservation
efforts. This talk will cover the history and goals of the Big Night
project, how to participate, and the special role Unity College plays in
the event.
Bio: Greg LeClair is a master’s student at the University of Maine where he studies environmental DNA (eDNA) applications in turtle conservation. He graduated from Unity College in 2018 with a BS in Wildlife Biology, where he participated in herpetological research projects on snakes, salamanders, frogs, and turtles with Dr. Matthew Chatfield. Greg is the project creator of The Big Night: Maine Amphibian Migration Monitoring and hosts a YouTube show about wildlife conservation, GregmentsBio. His research projects focus on applied threatened species conservation with a strong taste for reptiles and amphibians.
FYI, the Sanford Lagoons/Sanford Sewer District has closed its facilities to visitors for the time being. The Lagoons are a wonderful spot for birding, and we have greatly appreciated their efforts to accommodate visitors for many years! We support their efforts and look forward to returning when it is safe to do so.
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, we have cancelled our March 24th program. Thanks for your understanding, and take care.
Explore the wonders of elephants, leopards, giraffes, and more on a photographic journey through northern Botswana.
In March of 2019, Education Director Suzanne Kahn
traveled to Botswana for an eight-day safari. She visited three
different regions: the Okavango Delta, the Savute Channel, and Hunda
Island. Come explore this remote and wildlife-rich area of Africa with
Suzanne as she shares her photos and stories from this once in a
lifetime adventure.
Suzanne is the Education Director at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm.
She has lived in Maine since 1996. Prior to the Reserve, she worked in
Portland as the Science Coordinator at the Children’s Museum of Maine.
Suzanne also led families and school groups on hikes and cruises at
Acadia National Park as an interpretation/environmental education park
ranger with the National Park Service. For a couple of winter seasons,
Suzanne traveled cross-country to work at an environmental education
center on Puget Sound in Washington.
Suzanne received her Master’s degree from Audubon Expedition
Institute’s Ecological Teaching and Learning Program at Lesley
University. Her undergraduate work was in environmental science and
biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.
This program will be held in the Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm. This program is free and open to the public, and starts at 7 p.m. Come early for social time and refreshments.
The number of adult Loons in Maine has more than doubled since Maine Audubon began its Loon Count in the mid-1980’s; the number of chicks has also increased.
Our scholarships for the Hog Island Educator’s Week program, and for the Hog Island Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens have been announced. Full details and the application forms can be found on our Scholarships page: http://www.yorkcountyaudubon.org/scholarships Applications are due by March 15th.
Warm up this Saturday as the Wells Reserve at Laudholm will provides cider and donuts to ward off the chill. Feeding birds in winter is a fun way to see chickadees, woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals and other birds up close. If you’re getting ready to welcome feathered friends to your yard, stop by for good advice, fresh seed, and select feeders. A representative from Blue Seal’s Rochester store will answer bird-feeding questions, members of York County Audubon will offer bird-watching tips. Seed pickup is also available on Friday from 1 – 4 p.m.
