|
F o r . Y o u r . I n f o r m a t i o n | ||
| Collier County Audubon Society | |||
About Us Founded in 1961, the Collier County Audubon Society is the oldest conservation organization in Collier County. We are one of 43 local Florida chapters dedicated to preserving the quality of life in our respective communities. One of our primary efforts is maintaining an awareness of local, regional, and state environmental and conservation issues. Accordingly, our mission, in partnership with Audubon of Florida and National Audubon Society, is to promote an understanding of and interest in wildlife and the environment that supports it, and to further the cause of conservation of all of our natural resources. We offer a variety of activities in which everyone may participate: guided field trips to sites throughout Southwest Florida, evening programs with guest speakers from November through April, grants that allow county elementary schools to bring classes to Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for field trips and for activities at specially constructed educational trails and sites, and we have a conservation committee that is active and influential at the local, regional, and state levels on environmental issues. We invite you to join us as a member, to enjoy and support programs and activities that appeal to you, and to become a part of preserving and protecting our natural heritage and all of its wild life.
|
Tune in to WGCU 90.1 FM for Dr. Jerry Jackson's With the Wild Things, weekday mornings at 7:19 AM. Program archives Weed Alerts Get information sheets on exotic plant alerts from the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Florida wildlife For information about birds, please visit our BIRDING page, and for addtional information, visit our LINKS page.
Biological control ready for Lygodium pdf file download: The USDA has issued a permit for the release of a moth, Austromusotima camptonozale, which is the first biological control agent approved for release to control the Old World Climbing Fern, Lygodium microphyllum. The page is from the University of Florida/IFAS web site. |
Frequently Asked Wildlife Questions
Exotic (non-native) species An EXOTIC species is a species that man has introduced to an area outside of its native range, either intentionally or unintentionally. A NATURALIZED EXOTIC is one that that can then sustain itself outside of its native range. An INVASIVE EXOTIC is a naturalized exotic whose presence disturbs native species and/or disrupts native processes. | |
People, Contacts & Committee Chairs
Contacts
- Address
- 1020 8th Ave. South, Suite 2
- Naples, FL 34102
- phone: (239) 643-7822
- chapter code: E38
- Office Manager
- Lori Beall
- 643-7822
Officers
- President
- Alan Keller
- (239) 263-2643
- Secretary
- vacant
- Treasurer
- Lu Lackore
- (239) 434-6280
- Directors
- Eileen Arsenault
- (239) 261-1978
- Ken Humishton
- (239) 594-2021
- Alan Keller
- (239) 263-2643
- Martha Kriek
- (239) 248-7264
- P.J. Marinelli
- (239) 659-5873
- Brandon Nichols
- (239) 298-6187
- Rebecca Wells
- (904) 728-7277
- Immediate Past President
- Lu Lackore
- (239) 434-6280
Committee Chairs
- Audugram Editor
- Lori Beall
- (239) 643-7822
- Southwest Florida Policy Associate
- Brad Cornell
- (239) 592-7805
- Communications
- vacant
- Conservation
- Alan Keller
- (239) 263-2643
- Education
- Martha Kriek
- (239) 248-7264
- Environmental Policy Associate
- Pete Quasius
- (239) 465-1556
- Field Trips
- Roberta Marten
- (239) 775-4160
- Grants & Awards
- Ted Below
- (239) 643-2249
- Membership
- vacant
- Programs
- Eileen Arsenault
- (239) 261-1978
- Research
- Ted Below
- (239) 643-2249
- Webmaster
- Dick Brewer
- (239) 352-4828
Committees
Audugram
The Audugram, our newsletter, is published monthly November through April. This is our primary communication link with our members, informing them of our meetings, programs, conservation issues, and other chapter matters.
For the text of recent issues of the Audugram, links to other on-line publications of interest, and reviews of and links to print publications aimed at birders, please visit our Publications page.
Communications
The Collier County Audubon Society's Communications Committee is responsible for making the public aware of the Society's efforts to protect our environment and the wildlife it sustains and to further the cause of conservation of all natural resources.
The Communications Committee maintains a list of local newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations which assist by releasing information about our monthly programs, field trips, educational classes and other significant events such as scholarship awards. Personal contact to generate additional interest and possibly increase the use of our material is planned.
Once an appropriate release is written, it is delivered in accordance with the respective deadline and preferred method of transmittal of each of the some 35 media outlets. 74% are sent via e-mail, the balance go out either via U.S. Postal Service or Fax.
We are presently seeking a co-chair for this committee.
Conservation
The Conservation Committee, independently or in concert with other conservation organizations, works to help shape growth management plans that protect wildlife habitat, protect wetlands, improve water quality, and in general protect the natural world. Brad Cornell, our Conservation Policy Analyst, and the Conservation Committee have
Education
The chapter, through its Education Committee, has
For more information about the Education programs, please visit our Education page.
Field Trips
The society sponsors and leads field trips for those interested in birding and wildlife. New this year is a monthly field trip called "Beach Bird Watching 101" designed to introduce people to bird watching and to help them become more proficient birders.
For a list of upcoming trips and a review of recent ones, please visit our Trips page.
Grants & Awards
We have provided funding through our grant program for
Each year the Collier County Audubon Society honors one or two local conservationists for their efforts and leadership in the conservation battle. The recognition is presented as the Guy Bradley Award and as Collier County Audubon Society Fellowships. Recipients are recognized at the annual membership meeting and are given a plaque and an honorarium.
Programs
Collier County Audubon Society holds six meetings each year during which conservation issues are discussed and a program relating to wildlife, conservation, or natural resources is presented. All meetings are free and are open to the general public. A small donation is encouraged to offset costs.
The Program Committee arranges meeting places for the programs, trying for the first Tuesday of each month from November through April. The committee selects speakers and relevant topics, and it makes the necessary arrangements and accommodations for the speakers. It is responsible for making sure the required audio-visual equipment is available and provided, and it provides biographical information and a photograph of the speaker and/or of a relevant subject for publicity to the editor of the Audugram.
Prior to each program, the committee contacts the speaker to confirm arrangements, it contacts the hospitality committee to confirm that refreshments will be provided at the meeting, and it contacts the host site to insure that the room is properly set up for the particular program.
To learn more about this season's programs, please visit our Programs page.
Frequently Asked Wildife Questions
In Collier County, who do I call about...
- injured wild animals? The Conservancy of Southwest Florida ~ 262-2273
- nuisance wild animals? (such as alligators, bears) Florida Fish & Game Commission ~ 643-4220
- domestic/feral animal problems? Collier County Domestic Animal Services ~ 530-7387
- plant questions? University of Florida/Collier County Ag Extension ~ 353-4244
From the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Exotic Wildlife in Collier County List compiled by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Not all species listed are breeding or established in the county. For information on specific species, visit one of the links above. | |
Frogs and Toads
Turtles
Lizards
Snakes
Armadillo
Monkeys
Carnivores
Deer, Hooved animals
Rodents
|
Herons, egrets, ibis, spoonbills, and vultures
Waterfowl
Grouse, pheasants, and other game birds
Shorebirds, gulls, and terns
Doves and pigeons
Parrots
Passerines or perching birds
|
Plant questions & answers from the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
So what if a plant is growing in a new place? Aren't all plants "good"?
All plants make oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. That's good if you plan on breathing.
However, when certain plants are introduced to a new location without the factors like severe seasonal weather, diseases or insect pests that kept them under control in their native range, they can just keep growing and reproducing, out-competing and displacing the native plants and disrupting naturally-balanced native plant communities. This reduction in biodiversity can adversely impact wildlife and alter natural processes such as fire and water flow.
Are there many exotic plant species growing wild in Florida?
YES. According to the University of South Florida, almost one-third of the plants growing wild in Florida are non-native and some of these have become serious problems.
How do invasive exotic plants spread?
Seeds from invasive exotic plants can be spread by wind (example microscopic spores from Old World climbing fern), by water (example - melaleuca trees in the Everglades), or by birds or other wildlife that eat the fruit and deposit the seeds in droppings far from the original tree (examples - Brazilian pepper, carrotwood). Others spread from expanding underground root systems (examples - Suckering Australian pine, erect sword fern).
So invasive exotic plants can spread to new places. Why should I care?
Control of exotic plants in Florida's natural areas and waterways is expensive, costing taxpayers million of dollars each year. By getting involved in preventing the introduction and spread of invasive exotic plants, you will be saving yourself money.
The Collier County Audubon Society, Inc. is a nonprofit conservation organization organized under the laws of the State of Florida on August 3, 1961. The Society is affiliated with the Florida Audubon Society and the National Audubon Society.
The Society is registered with the Florida Department of State (document number 702752) as a not-for-profit organization.
The Federal Internal Revenue Service recognizes the Society as an organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of The Internal Revenue Code. As such, contributions to the Society are tax deductible.
These pages contain links to both public agency sites and private commercial sites. The Collier County Audubon Society does not endorse any of the sites listed nor has the material on these sites been verified for accuracy.
With the Wild Things