Announcements
Program: Wednesday, June 19, 7 p.m. - Weeds of Camano - Seth Luginbill
Weeds of Camano: Exploring noxious weed control and improving your backyard habitat A challenge to achieving healthy
habitats in our yards, forests, and fields is the presence of
invasive weed populations. Noxious weeds destroy biological
diversity, decrease forage, increase erosion, and decrease
land values across Island County. Join Seth Luginbill, Island
County Noxious Weed Program Coordinator, as we explore Camano
Island’s most prevalent invaders, provide tools and techniques
for specific invasive species, and examine management
principles in which landowners may control invasive plant
species and improve native habitats. To identify, bring
pictures or your backyard or pasture weeds in a bag to
prevent spreading seeds during transport for identification!
(It’s a good idea to not handle ones you really don’t know—
for example poison hemlock.) This community program is
Wednesday, June 19, 7 p.m. at the Island County Multipurpose
Center (Blue Building), 141 N East Camano Drive. The
Camano Wildlife Habitat Project, sponsored by Friends of
Camano Island Parks, hosts public presentations the third
Wednesday of the month. For information, call 360-387-2236,
visit www.camanowildlifehabitat.org,
or email
camanowildlifehabitat@gmail.com. |
6/11 Audubon Program: Skagit Valley Bald Eagles – Bringing Up the Next Generation - Michelle Landis
Skagit Aubon June Program Skagit Valley Bald Eagles – Bringing Up the Next Generation Presented by Michelle Landis Tuesday June 11, Michelle Landis has been working with and teaching about raptors for the last twenty years. She has banded raptors with the Falcon Research Group out of Bow, WA and also at sites in Washington and Oregon with Hawkwatch International. Most recently, she has been conducting a study on Bald Eagle reproduction in Whatcom and Skagit counties. This study, now in its fourth year, is looking to see if climate change may be affecting timelines. Tonight's presentation will talk about our local eagle population and show how they bring up the next generation. |
Native Plants at Skagit Co. Master Gardener Sale on May 11
Here's a list of native plants that will be available at the Skagit County Master Gardener Plant Fair, 8 am to 2 pm on Saturday, May 11 Arbutus menziesii - Pacific Madrone Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Kinnikinnick Asarum caudatum - Wild Ginger Ascelpias speciosa - Showy Milkweed Betula papyrifera - Paper Birch Clematis occidentalis - Western Blue Clematis Cornus unalaskensis - Bunchberry, Dwarf Dogwood Dicentra Formosa - Western Bleeding Heart Disporum hookeri - Hooker’s Fairy Bells Dodecatheon hendersonii - Broad-leaved Shooting Star Dodecatheon pulchellum - Pretty Shooting Star
Ferns - Deer, Maidenhair, Sword, Licorice, Spleenwort, Leathery polypodyLonicera ciliosa - Orange Honeysuckle Lonicera involucrate - Twinberry Monarda fistulosa - Mintleaf Beebalm Physocarpus capitatus - Pacific Ninebark Ribes sanguinium - Red Flowering Currant Rudbeckia occidentalis - Western Coneflower Sambucus racemose - Red Elderberry Sisyrinchium idahoense - Blue-eyed Grass Tellima grandiflora – Fringe Cup Tiarella trifoliata - Foam Flower Trillium ovatum - Trillium Vaccinium ovatum - Evergreen Huckleberry Xerophyllum tenax - Beargrass
Skagit County Fairgrounds, 479 West Taylor Street, Mt Vernon, WA 98273 See the Plant Fair website for a list of tomatoes, veggies, and all the other fun things to do at the Plant Fair. |
Tues, May 14th Skagit Audubon Program: Birds and Window Collisions - Kim Nelson
Tuesday May 14th, 7:00 Social; 7:30 Program Padilla Bay Interpretive Center It is estimated that between 365 million to 1 billion birds are killed by window collisions in the United States each year. You can help by getting involved with collision prevention and monitoring efforts. This presentation will examine the effectiveness, aesthetics, and affordability of various window treatments used in collision prevention as well as collision monitoring programs. There will also be examples of real life window treatments for people to check out in-person. Kim
Nelson has a MA in Biology from Miami University. Her studies focused
on community engagement regarding avian conservation issues with an
emphasis in bird-window collision prevention at zoological facilities.
She recently joined Skagit Audubon Society and has been assisting with
educational programs and field trips. See the Skagit Audubon Society website for field trips, checklists, programs, and other bird-related activities. |
PROGRAM: Wed, May 15th, 7 pm: Wetlands: Diversity, Function, and Value by Russ Holmes
Wetlands of all sizes provide important wildlife habitat and serve us humans in a myriad of ways, including filtering and storing essential fresh water. Join Russ Holmes, wetland ecologist and retired Forest Service botanist, as we delve into what wetlands are, how they function, their value to us humans and what each of us can do to benefit them. This community program is Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m., at the Island County Multi-Purpose Center (Blue Building), 141 N East Camano Drive. The Camano Wildlife Habitat Project, sponsored by Friends of Camano Island Parks, hosts public presentations the third Wednesday of the month. For information, call 360-387-2236, visit www.camanowildlifehabitat.org, or email camanowildlifehabitat@gmail.com. |
Building a Better Birdhouse
Joe Meche stressed how important it is to provide birdhouses that protect their inhabitants from predators. Guidelines and dimensions used to be available on the WDFW website, but haven't been ported over to their new website yet. Luckily for us, you can access them through the "Wayback Machine" that archives past versions of websites. Here are some links: Nesting and Roosting Boxes for Birds has general tips and dimensions. Woodworking Projects for Backyard Wildlife with project plans for several different kinds of nestboxes Be sure to take the perches off of any existing birdhouses that you have - they just make it too easy for predators to snatch out nestlings! |
Time to Plant Sunflowers for the Bees!
Our soil temperatures are now above 50 degrees, so it's time to sow sunflower seeds directly in the ground. According to a recent North Carolina State University study, sunflower pollen has medicinal and protective effects on bees and they need the pollen to feed their young. Tall sunflowers like Lemon Queen, advocated by The Great Sunflower Project, have great pollen for bees and produce abundant seeds for birds, but our Camano winds can topple them over. If you are tempted to try the shorter varieties, be aware that many have been bred to be pollenless for commercial growers who produce flowers for the florist industry. Pollenless sunflowers still produce nectar, but varieties like TeddyBear don't seem to have as much pollen, and bees seem to learn to avoid pollenless sunflowers, according to this Laidback Gardener article. Beware: Seed packets don't always tell you whether a flower has pollen or not. Ann Lovejoy has some specific recommendations for pollen-rich sunflowers in this recent article. Do your research - your birds and bees will thank you! |
Wed, April 17th, 7pm Program: Spring Birds, Nesting, and Nesting Boxes by Joe Meche
Would you like to enjoy watching birds raise a family in your yard? Join Joe Meche, expert birder, photographer, carpenter, and author of Beaks and Bills, to learn about our springtime birds, their oft-hidden nests, and how we can support them by making species-appropriate nest boxes. Meche will share designs for predator-proof nest boxes for local birds and have a few nesting boxes for sale (exact cash and check only, please). This community program is Wednesday, April 17, 7 p.m., at the Island County Multi-Purpose Center (Blue Building), 141 N East Camano Drive. The Camano Wildlife Habitat Project, sponsored by Friends of Camano Island Parks, hosts public presentations the third Wednesday of the month. For information, call 360-387-2236, visit www.camanowildlifehabitat.org, or email camanowildlifehabitat@gmail.com. |
Spreading the Word
If you're a Backyard Wildlife Habitat Steward and have a few hours free on Sat. April 13th, please help us table at the Port Susan Home & Garden Show at the Camano Center 10:00 am - 4:00 pmEmail camanowildlifehabitat@gmail.com if you'd like to help. |
Where to Buy Native Plants
The Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society has spring and fall sales at the demonstration garden on Memorial
Highway in Mt.
Vernon. The 2019 Spring sale will be Sat, May 4th from 10 am until noon. Get there early for best selection! Email nativegarden@fidalgo.net for more information. The Snohomish Conservation District has a sale in February at the fairgrounds in
Monroe. Skagit Conservation District has a plant sale in April (the 2019 sale is Sat, April 13th) and accepts orders year round for quantities of 500 or more plants. The Skagit Master Gardener Plant Fair is Saturday, May 11, 2019, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and they have a section for native plants as well. |
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