Subject: upcoming SAS classes
Date: May 13 21:56:21 2002
From: Marissa J. Benavente - junebugrocks at attbi.com


Hi all:
Just a reminder of some exciting classes being offered at Seattle Audubon
this spring. Call the Nature shop to sign up. (206.523.4483)

Marissa J. Benavente
Classes Committee Chairperson
Seattle Audubon Society
junebugrocks at attbi.com
206.459.4309


Native Trees and Shrubs of Seattle
With Pat Otto
When you're out birding, wouldn't you like to know the name of the tree or
shrub in which those bushtits are feeding? Join naturalist Pat Otto to
learn what native plants make up the ecosystems in our own backyards, and
visit both an old-growth and a second-growth forest. We will focus on
native plant identification and uses. Bring a lunch and be prepared for
walks up to two miles.
Pat Otto has a master's degree in forest ecology from the University of
Michigan and is a docent for the Arboretum and a "Project Learning Tree"
facilitator.
Class: May 18 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Location: Schmitz Park, West Seattle (SW Stevens and SW Admiral Way).
Cost: $20 Members, $35 Non-members
Limit of 16 Participants


Wild Plants of Greater Seattle
With Arthur Lee Jacobson, author of Trees of Seattle etc; a lifelong
Seattleite with 20+ years of plant-study. To learn more go to
www.arthurleej.com.
A lively way to learn the ID and attributes of urban and suburban wild
plants. Get acquainted with native and non-native trees, shrubs, weeds,
wildflowers, and grasses. Whether you know much or not, you will enhance
your understanding and appreciation of greenery in the city. The class has
two parts: a slide-illustrated evening lecture to serve as a broad overview
and introduction, and a next-day field trip to see, touch, sniff and
sometimes taste living plants. Optional text is the instructor's new book
Wild Plants of Greater Seattle.
Class: Friday, May 24th, 2002
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: NHS Hall, Center for Urban Horticulture
Field Trip Date: Saturday, May 25th, 2002, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Cost: $35 for SAS members, $50 for non-members
Limited to 20 participants

The Art of Bird Language Interpretation
With Daniel Evans, Wilderness Awareness School
As Spring continues to move forward, the strong desire we all feel to
observe wildlife closely, grows. This class will teach the techniques of
watching wildlife at close range, without "spooking" or alarming birds and
mammals. Participants will also leave with practice in interpreting bird
alarms and behavior, making group ecological maps and naturalist inventories
and identifying bird territorial boundaries.
Please be dressed for the weather: be prepared to spend much time outside
(especially sitting) and bring your lunch and a blindfold. This class is
especially designed for those who have attended the "Language of the Birds
Class".
Class: Wednesday May 29, 6:00-9:00 p.m., Section A of NHS Hall, Center for
Urban Horticulture AND Saturday June 1, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Douglas
Classroom, CUH
Cost: Members $60, Non-members $75
Class Limited to 18 participants


Nature Writing
with Frances Wood
Want to jump-start or refine your nature writing skills? This three-session
class will focus on improving your powers of observation, creating colorful
and sensuous descriptions of nature, and exploring effective techniques for
keeping a nature journal and taking field notes.
Frances writes a syndicated column on bird watching, is published in bird
watching and nature magazines, and is the author of Down to Camp: A History
of Summer Folk on Whidbey Island.
Lectures: Mondays, June 3, 10 and 17 from 7:00-9:00 PM.
Location: Isaacson Board Room, Center for Urban Horticulture.
Cost: $60.00 members, $75.00 nonmembers.
Class Limited to 20 participants


Purple Martins of the Seattle Area
With Kevin Li
Purple martins were once seen by the hundreds in the Seattle area, but in
recent decades their numbers have dwindled. Loss of habitat and competition
with starlings and house sparrows have taken a toll on this largest species
of North American swallow. Nest box programs in the Pacific Northwest and
British Columbia have shown great localized progress in bucking the decline
of recent decades. Learn how to be a part of that success. A slide
presentation and a discussion on the recent history of Seattle purple
martins will comprise the Friday evening session and a half day field.
Trips to several active martin colonies will follow.
Class: Friday, June 14, 2002
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: Douglas classroom, Center for Urban Horticulture
Field Trip: Saturday, June 15th or Sunday, June 16th (choose one)
Cost: $30 members SAS, $45 nonmembers
Limited to 24 participants.


Protection Island Birding-A Cruise with George Gerdts
A trip to Protection Island's breeding grounds is an unforgettable
experience. Join George Gerdts, naturalist, aboard a spacious 69 foot
custom built yacht and experience the richness of Protection Island. Enjoy
the excitement of this 400 acre National Wildlife Refuge where over 70% of
the nesting marine birds of the Puget Sound area breed. Expect to get great
looks at nesting glaucous winged gulls, rhinoceros auklets, pigeon
guillemots, double crested and pelagic cormorants, black oystercatchers and
yes - even tufted puffins!
Cruise date: Sunday, June 30, 2002
Time: Leaving Port Townsend at 10:00am, returning 1:30pm
Cost: $55.00 per person
Class limited to 20 participants



Pelagic Birding
With Mike Donahue
The west coast of North America offers some of the best seabirding anywhere
in the world! The rich waters 20-40 miles offshore support a diversity of
species--albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and jaegers--that spend
much of the year in the waters far offshore at the edge of the continental
shelf. If you've heard about pelagic birding, but wasn't sure what was
involved, this class is for you!
Two classroom sessions will cover the diversity of seabirds and marine
mammals to be found offshore, focusing on natural history and
identification, as well as how to prepare for a pelagic trip.
Michael Donahue has been enjoying pelagic trips for over 25 years and is a
regular leader on the trips offered by Westport Seabirds.
Class: Tuesdays, July 23 and July 30, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: Douglas Classroom, Center for Urban Horticulture
Optional Pelagic Field Trip: Saturday, August 3. The boat leaves the dock
in Westport at 6 a.m. sharp and participants should be at the dock no later
than 5:45 a.m. The boat will return between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Note: This course does not provide lodging or transportation to Westport
for the field trip. Participants will need to arrange these on their own.
Participants who sign up for the field trip portion of the class will
receive information on lodging in advance of the first class.
Cost of Class Only: $45 members, $60 non-members. Register through the
Seattle Audubon Society Nature Shop at 206.523.4483
Cost of Field trip: $85, payable to the instructor. To register contact
Mike Donahue at 206.323.9889. Register early! The field trip is limited
to 10 participants.
Limit: 40 class only, 10 field trip