Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society

Join other bird lovers on Thursday, May 23 at Lueken's North meeting room from 6:30 to 7:30 pm as we talk about the birds we've seen so far this spring. We'll arrange field trips and sessions on how to identify birds if there's enough interest.

Thank you to everyone who came out to our banquet last weekend!
We're excited about a new year of the Young Naturalist Program and other events. Stay tuned!

Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society Presents!

ANNUAL SPRING BANQUET

WITH SPECIAL GUEST:

Tony Kennedy

DNR Fisheries Large Lake Specialist

 

                            Saturday, May 4th

                                        5:00 – 9: 00pm

                               Headwaters Science Center

 

Tony Kennedy will share the story about the amazing Return of the Red Lake Walleye. He will discuss the extraordinary effort of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians—working together with the State of Minnesota and the federal government—to bring back the culturally vital walleye from the brink of extinction and restore it to health in Red Lake.

The presentation will begin at 5:30pm.
Join us afterwards for food and social with silent auctions.

 

Tickets are $15

Available at Lueken’s North and South after April 1st

or online here

Please RSVP by May 1^st

Registrations now open for the weekly day camp for nature-loving kids in grades 2 through 12. Naturalist Dan Bera will lead adventurous explorations of The Amazon, Top of the World, and Berry Heaven at the 460 acre Audubon nature preserve 9 miles southwest of Bemidji. Canoeing, hiking, nature study, and story telling - for many kids this is the highlight of their summer. Sessions run M-F, June 19-August 14, 9 am to 3:30 pm. Limited to 15 kids/week, cost from $50 to $145/week.

Click on the Young Naturalist Program tab above.

There's just enough snow to identify and follow the tracks of Spearhead's winter animals. Join naturalist Dan Bera in an exploration of the woods in winter, followed by hot chocolate and snacks around a campfire.

No school that day, so come for an afternoon outdoors, from 1 to 6 pm. Fee is $10/person, grades 2 and up. Dress for the weather, bring gorp-type ingredients for a group treat.

Call Mary Comfort at 218-444-4750 to register. Deadline is Feb 15.

Here's a challenge to birders - try to count all of the birds within the 15 mile diameter count circle that is centered on Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. This annual one day event has been scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15 by Kelly Larson, the count compiler. Meet at the Minnesota Nice Cafe on Beltrami Ave in downtown Bemidji at 7:00 am to join the count teams and divvy up the count area. The $5 charge has been waived this year - donations accepted instead.

The Christmas Bird Count began over a hundred years ago as an alternative to the Christmas Bird Shoot. Hundreds of count circles are established across the US and many foreign countries, giving amateurs and experts a chance to pair up in sometimes competitive teams. Bemidji usually records about 30 species - what will we see this year?

Novice birdwatchers are especially welcome! You'll be paired with experienced birders.

MHAS is making a difference in the Bemidji area by providing a wilderness setting for kids, families, and small groups to explore. We are working with local schools to provide an outdoor classroom for learning. Our Young Naturalist Program has inspired hundreds of kids to cherish the gifts of Mother Nature. Join us on November 15, Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day. By partnering with GiveMN—an online giving website for Minnesota nonprofits— MHAS will have 25 chances to maximize your gift on Give to the Max Day! By making a donation on Nov 15, your $10 gift could help us win an extra $1,000. Your generous support means the world to conservation and environmental education now more than ever. You can visit our GiveMN by clicking here.

Thanks for your support!

Jaime Thibodeaux—President

Snow Sparkles and Winter Wonders—December 27, 12:00 to 5:00 pm at NSC—Join Naturalist Dan Bera
at the Neilson Spearhead Center for a very special post-Christmas treat. Enjoy a bonfire, hot chocolate, and
snowflakes, snowsnakes, animal tracks, and a walk on the frozen lake. Second grade and older welcome! Dress
warmly; bring an extra pair of snowpants and mittens, gorp ingredients, and leftover Christmas cookies to
share. Limited to 15 participants, $10 per person. Register by December 21; call George-Ann at 218-586-3414.

A Kenya Photo Safari—December 13, 12:00; Bemidji Public Library—
Instead of bagging the "big five" (lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo,rhinoceros) with a gun and a major expedition, today's visitors to Kenya capture their trophies with hundreds of digital photos taken from the comfort of a Land Rover. George-Ann and Steve Maxson have recently returned from a photo tour of Kenya's famous national parks: Amboseli, Samburu, Lake Nakuru,and Maasai Mara, and will share their version of a modern safari. Steve and George-Ann are wildlife biologists with a passion for nature photography and travel to exotic destinations.

The July 3rd wind storm had quite an impact on the Bemidji area, including the Neilson Spearhead Center. No building damage, but several canoes were destroyed. In addition, down trees rendered most of our trails in-passable. Our trail system has been under repair since the storm. Volunteers have put in several days of hot and sweaty work clearing the main drive, facilities area, and our most widely used trails. This enabled our Young Naturalist Program to continue without a hitch. Thank you to all of our volunteers! Your work has not gone unnoticed!!

Please be patient with us while we slowly clear our trails. The western trail running on and off county forest land was hit the hardest. MHAS has decided to create a new western trail entirely on Spearhead property and abandon the existing western trails which utilize county forest roads. Please be patient with us as we reshape our trail system.

If you would like to volunteer on our trail clean-up, please call our caretakers, Lee and Julie at 218-444-8672.