REASONS
Text of emails to GBOS from Chris Martin, NH Audubon dated 04/04/07
and Kelle MacKenzie, Great Bay Discovery Center dated 03/27/07:
Dear Great Bay Osprey Stewards -
Yes, I know that it's snowing out there, but the ospreys are arriving
back at NH coastal nest sites anyway! And I am certain that many of you
are just itching to get out to visit "your" osprey nesting sites just as
soon as this current period of winter-like weather ends.
I am distributing this message to the Great Bay Discovery Center's
official list of Great Bay Osprey Stewards (GBOS), plus to several other
folks who often observe and report osprey nest activity in coastal NH.
First, let me thank each and every one of you for your contributions of
osprey nest monitoring data from the past several years. The
observations and reporting have really been top-notch!
Secondly, let me invite you to continue your nest monitoring as part of
a larger NH Audubon volunteer-based osprey monitoring corps that is
scattered all across NH from Pittsburg to Jaffrey to Seabrook.
Thirdly, I want to extend appreciation to the staff members at the
Great Bay Discovery Center for coordinating and hosting the GBOS program
for the previous 6 years (2001-2006). The program has been a great
model of locally-based volunteer involvement in protecting and caring
for our shared wildlife resources.
Finally, for those who haven't yet heard, recently six high school
students and their instructor from the Winnisquam Agricultural Center in
Tilton worked with Devin Wadleigh of the Discovery Center and myself to
construct a new osprey nest platform on the grounds of the Discovery
Center. Devin and others at the Discovery Center deserve credit for
spearheading the entire operation. The new platform (photo attached),
is located atop a live white pine on the edge of the salt marsh and is
viewable from inside the recently-constructed Hugh Gregg Coastal
Conservation Center building. We are hoping that a new pair of ospreys
will find this site during the 2007 breeding season, joining several
other local pairs already nesting on platforms previously installed by
NH Audubon, NH Fish and Game, and other partners.
As Kelle MacKenzie mentioned in her correspondence below, we ask that
you send nest observation data to both Chris Martin (cmartin@nhaudubon.org)
and to Dick Hughes (dick_hughes@msn.com).
Concise electronic submisions are greatly preferred, easing Dick's task
of posting observations to the Osprey Stewards web site at
http://ourworld.cs.com/projosprstewards/. Attached you will find a
MS Word monitoring form that you can save, use, and even customize as a
template for reporting your observations electronically. Also attached
is a volunteer time/mileage form that you can submit to NH Audubon
during or at the end of the monitoring season.
I hope many, if not all, of you will continue to be active in osprey
monitoring in 2007. If you have a moment, please send me a note
indicating/confirming which site(s) you watch regularly, so that we can
be sure that all sites are covered, and none are covered beyond what is
reasonable. Also, I look forward to the possibility of a get-together
later this summer to review results of the osprey breeding season!
Looking forward to having your help from now throughout the spring and
summer months!
- Chris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those who may not have received it, the following is the original
message announcing changes in the GBOS volunteer monitoring program
from Kelle MacKenzie, Director of the Great Bay Discovery Center :
Chris Martin, Senior Biologist, Conservation Department
New Hampshire Audubon, 3 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603/224-9909 x317; Fax: 603/226-0902;
E-mail: cmartin@nhaudubon.org; Web: www.nhaudubon.org
New Hampshire Audubon -- Protecting New Hampshire's natural environment
for wildlife and for people.
>>> "Kelle MacKenzie" <kelle@greatbay.org> 3/27/2007 9:54 AM >>>
Dear Great Bay Osprey Steward:
For several years, the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
has coordinated the volunteer monitoring portion of the highly
successful Project Osprey. This year, however, we are unable
to formally provide training and coordination for this program. You
have all likely heard or read about the financial crisis the NH Fish
and
Game Department faces, and as a Reserve, we are being forced to take a
look at all of our efforts and initiatives and see where we can
tighten
things up.
It is important that you realize we fully support your efforts to
monitor the nests, and we hope that you will continue to do so
throughout
the coming spring and summer. Chris Martin, NH Audubon's raptor
biologist, has offered to act as program coordinator for the 2007
season. He currently coordinates osprey monitoring for the rest of
the
state beyond the Great Bay and Seacoast areas. Funding to support
osprey monitoring in NH in 2007 is provided by NH Audubon through a
gift
from a generous member.
With this change in coordinator, and because you are now a very
experienced crew with well-established site assignments, there will
not
be a pre-season training session this Spring. We ask that you send
nest
observation data to Chris Martin (cmartin@nhaudubon.org) and to Dick
Hughes (dick_hughes@msn.com). Electronic submisions are preferable.
Dick will continue to post information on the Osprey Stewards web site
at http://ourworld.cs.com/projosprstewards/. Chris will be contacting
you directly by e-mail to firm up plans and answer your questions
about
monitoring in 2007.
You are all still welcome to borrow spotting scopes and tripods and to
meet here at the Discovery Center for any kind of program. In fact,
you
should come by before the leaves are out and see our new osprey
platform
that was installed last week here on the grounds of the Discovery
Center. It is visible from the Barn and salt marsh and we are hopeful
that an osprey pair will soon find it a nice place to nest!
Again, thank you for your continued efforts and interest in these
amazing birds over the years, and please don't hesitate to call with
questions, or ideas for ways to continue supporting this effort.
Sincerely,
Kelle K. MacKenzie
Director, Great Bay Discovery Center