Ready for a change from the wintry weather? Spring is around the corner and
so is the 9th Annual Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) Conference.
The conference will be held in the Tri-Cities in eastern Washington from
Thursday, May 1 to Sunday, May 4, 1997. The theme will be the birds of the
shrub steppe and river margins of the Lower Columbia Basin. The
registration brochure provides detailed descriptions of the field trips,
speakers, and other planned activities and is now available. Send an email
request to us and include your mailing address.

Field trip choices include visits to the pristine habitats of the Arid Lands
Ecology Reserve (ALE) and the North Slope, the dry Ponderosa pine and oak
forests at Bickleton and Rock Creek, shrub steppe areas at Webber Canyon and
the south slope of Rattlesnake Ridge, Yakima and Walla Walla river deltas,
and Richland city parks. Some of the birds to anticipate on these trips
include Sage, Brewer's, and Grasshopper Sparrows, Prairie Falcon,
Ferruginous Hawk, Burrowing, Western Screech, and Long-eared Owls, American
White Pelican, American Avocet, Sandhill Crane, Clark's Grebe, Gray and
Ash-throated Flycatchers, Loggerhead Shrike, Chukar, Sage Thrasher, and
migrating passerines. Field trips will be led by experienced birders who
will have scouted their respective areas. Vans will be used for
transportation to provide maximum flexibility and minimum impact on these
sensitive habitats.

After the daily field trips, there will be evening speaking programs. To
become acquainted with the natural habitats and the birdlife of the region,
Thursday evening Andy Stepniewski will present "A Birder's Introduction to
the Columbia Basin.". On Friday evening, Lisa Fitzner will have a
presentation on Sage Sparrow reproductive biology based on her research at
the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve. On Saturday evening, Dr. Larry Cadwell will
discuss the Biological Resources Management Plan for the Columbia Basin with
a focus on the ornithological aspects of the plan. On Saturday afternoon,
there will be paper presentations that focus on the avifauna and ecosystems
of the Columbia Basin. Vendors with bird feeders, books, and wildlife art
and informational displays will be present during this time. A WOS Open
Board Meeting will also be held Saturday afternoon.

People who want to know more about the birds of the Tri-Cites should find
Howard Ennor's book "Birds of the Tri-Cities and Vicinity" to be useful.
This book is available by mail order from the author - at your request,
we'll send details.

Registrations are due by April 15, 1997, so reply soon.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference and sharing our part of the
state!


Bill and Nancy LaFramboise
Richland, WA
wlafra at oneworld.owt.com