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1% for the Planet

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Newsflash

Take to the

Trails!

Discover the Nature

of Rhode Island

April 17-22, 2011

Celebrate planet Earth and explore those special places around the state that are only accessible by foot. Take a nighttime stroll, search for salamanders, explore a salt marsh, discover the rocky shore of Narragansett Bay, or bring the kids on a family nature hike.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island is offering a weeklong schedule of FREE guided walks at wildlife refuges across the state and nearby Massachusetts. There are programs to suit all ages, interests, and capabilities - from mild birding walks on easy trails to vernal pool explorations that might get a bit wet and muddy! It's a fun, free celebration of planet Earth.

And once Earth Day is over? Keep the kids asking for more outdoor exploration with Audubon's Passport to the Trails program - new for 2011. Get exercise, have fun, and win prizes! Pick up your free passports (one for each member of the family) at any Earth Day program, or at the Nature Shops at the Audubon Environmental Education Center in Bristol, or Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Throughout the spring and summer, hike at least six of the ten trails at participating Audubon Wildlife Refuges listed in the passport. Along the way, you will be directed to a "hidden" symbol on each trail. Record your visit in your passport by making a pencil or crayon rubbing of the symbol at each destination. Each wildlife refuge offers a different symbol to record. When your passport is complete, just return it to Audubon for prizes! It's a fun, free challenge for kids and adults to enjoy while getting exercise and exploring nature. For program details, click here.

Please see below for a complete schedule and descriptions of the Earth Day guided walks.

FREE GUIDED NATURE WALKS

Please register to recevie up-to-date changes to these programs

Seaside Adventure - PROGRAM FULL
Sunday, April 17, 2011; 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Audubon Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI

Comb the shore in search of crabs, snails, sea stars, fish and even worms. Bring along some water shoes and clothes that can get wet. Ages: 3+ PROGRAM FULL

Outdoor Explorations: Fields
Monday, April 18, 2011; 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Audubon Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI

Gain a better understanding of what lives in your own backyard! Use bug nets, magnifying glasses and other field equipment to discover what lives in a field habitat. Ages: All REGISTER HERE

Salamander Search
Monday, April 18, 2011; 10:00-11:30 am and 1:00-2:30 pm
Audubon Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge
99 Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter, RI

Search for salamanders and frogs with an Audubon naturalist and learn all about these amazing creatures. Every child will have the opportunity to examine the amphibians. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Meet in the barn. Ages: 5+ REGISTER HERE

Salt Marsh of Tiverton
Monday, April 18, 2011; 1:30-4:00 pm
Audubon Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge
Seapowet Avenue, Tiverton, RI

The salt marsh at Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge is a fragile coastal habitat full of unique species. The plants will be just starting to awaken and wading birds and diving ducks may be hunting in the inlets. Wear waterproof shoes or old sneakers for occasionally mucky walking. Ages: 5+ REGISTER HERE

Jamestown Salt Marsh Explorations
Tuesday, April 19, 2011; 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Departs from the Park-and-Ride in North Kingstown on Rte. 1A at the intersection of Rte. 138

Salt marshes are fragile coastal habitats full of unique species. Come and explore several of Audubon’s protected salt marshes. The plants will be just starting to awaken and wading birds and diving ducks may be hunting in the inlets. Wear waterproof shoes or old sneakers for occasionally mucky walking.
Ages: 5+ REGISTER HERE

Searching for Signs of Life at Touisset
Tuesday, April 19, 2011; 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Audubon Touissett Marsh Wildlife Refuge
Touissett Road, Warren, RI

Join Audubon at Touisset Wildlife Refuge in Warren for a walk through this beautiful coastal location. Search for wildflowers, birds and other wonders of the natural world. Ages: 5+. REGISTER HERE

Ants-on-Your-Plants
Tuesday, April 19, 2011; 10:00 a.m.-noon
Audubon Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI

Sometimes having ants on your plants is a good thing. In fact, many of Rhode Island’s spring wildflowers depend on ants for their survival. Join Audubon for a springtime walk and discover the amazing things that woodland ants do. Ages: All. REGISTER HERE

Outdoor Explorations: Forest and Treetops
Wednesday, April 20, 2011; 10:00 a.m.-noon
Audubon Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI

Take a nature stroll and discover the fascinating world of trees. Explore the edges of the forest habitat and discover the animals and plants that live there. Ages: All. REGISTER HERE

Night Hike at Powder Mill Ledges
Wednesday, April 20, 2011; 7:00-9:00 pm
Audubon Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge
12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI

Enjoy an exploration of Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge in the evening. Listen to the night choruses of frogs or perhaps an owl. Discover the cool things that happen in nature once we all go to bed. Bundle up, bring a flashlight, and wear sturdy hiking shoes. Ages: 7+. PROGRAM FULL

Salamander Meander
Wednesday, April 20, 2011; 10:00-11:30 am
Audubon Caratunk Wildlife Refuge
301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA

Bring the kids and learn all about amphibians as we explore vernal pools and the forest floor. Join the fun and search for salamanders and other critters of the woods! Ages: 4+. REGISTER HERE

Outdoor Explorations: Salt Marsh
Thursday, April 21, 2011; 10:30-11:30 am
Audubon Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI

Investigate the importance and health of the salt marsh. Examine the flora and fauna of the marsh and what factors could be affecting this important habitat. Wear shoes that can get dirty and wet. Ages: All. REGISTER HERE

Vernal Pool Exploration
Thursday, April 21, 2011; 10:00 a.m.-noon
Audubon Fort Wildlife Refuge
1445 Providence Pike, North Smithfield, RI

Learn about the amazing giant puddles in the woods called vernal pools. Many creatures cannot survive without them. Dip with nets to find some of the creatures that live and breed in these short-lived, but vital habitats. Dress to get dirty and wet. Wear sturdy, closed toe shoes. Ages: 7+. PROGRAM FULL

Caratunk Night Hike
Thursday, April 21, 2011; 7:30-9:00 pm
Audubon Caratunk Wildlife Refuge
301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA

Hiking the Caratunk woods at night is a special way to spend the evening. Maybe we’ll get an owl to fly in or hear a coyote in the distance. It’s a hike you don’t want to miss! Ages: 5+. REGISTER HERE

Outdoor Explorations: Shore and Bay
Friday, April 22, 2011; 10:30-11:30 am
Audubon Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI

Discover the rocky shoreline of Narragansett Bay. Heighten your awareness of marine habitats and life as you venture to the shore for scientific exploration. Please wear shoes that can get dirty and wet. Ages: All. REGISTER HERE

Earth Day 2011 is sponsored by:

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Donate Your Car

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Have a vehicle you are looking to sell? Please consider donating it to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and receive a tax deduction.

Audubon is looking for safe and reliable vehicles for our educators to use in travel to schools around Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, enabling them to provide hands-on environmental-based education programs. In one year our educator's travel more than 20,000 miles. Consequently, we are always looking for reliable vehicles that will help us connect students with science and nature.

It's quick and easy to donate your vehicle. Plus, your donation is eligible for tax deduction purposes. If you'd like to donate your car or would like more information please email me at jhall@asri.org or call 401-949-5454 x3017.

Doing the math

So if you've got a car with a market value of $1,000 that you're looking to unload, you have four options.

1. Donate it to a standard charity that has 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status with the IRS. The letter you receive will state the amount it was sold for - far less than the market value. Say it's sold at auction for $200. If you're in a 33-percent tax bracket, you can deduct $66 from your taxes. Your $1,000 car has now become worth $66 to you.

2. Trade it in on a new car. Dealers are never excited to get people's old beater cars as trade-ins, although a late-model luxury or Japanese car might fetch a reasonable price. But dealers often use your trade-in to jiggle the terms of your new car purchase or lease. If you traded in that $1,000 car, you might get $700.

3. Donate it to Audubon, and if it is in a condition that we can use as part of educational mission, this allows you to deduct the car using the True Market Value (see sites such as Edmunds.com) Using the 33-percent tax bracket again, that means $1,000 x 33% = $330 in your pocket.

4. Sell it privately for around its full market value of $1,000. If you can find a willing buyer.

A word of caution: When it comes to tax deductions, there's more to it than your tax bracket. For example, you can't take advantage of a car donation at all unless you itemize your taxes. Other factors include your income, need for deductions, and the car's value. A certified financial planner can help you decide if donating is in your best interest, or you can find more information at IRS or call (800) 829-1040.

111th Annual Meeting

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Roland Clement Addresses the 111th Annual Meeting

See the whole speech - click here

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the state's first environmental organization, celebrated 111 years of creating and sustaining environmental awareness and promoting conservation when 200 members and supporters gathered at the organization's annual meeting on Sunday, October 26, at the Providence Marriott Hotel.
   The meeting featured a provoking message from keynote speaker Roland Clement, Audubon's first full-time executive director. He led the independent Audubon from 1950-1958 before becoming the National Audubon Society's headquarters biologist in New York City.
   The Audubon Society of R.I. changed direction under Clement's leadership, developing into an environmental organization concerned not just about birds and wildlife, but also the protection of valuable habitats.
   Correlating the state of bird and human populations, Clement told the audience, "Basically, the problem is that there are now too many of us making too many demands on the planet's productive systems...we transposed too much forest to agriculture, and we over-fished the oceans...we cut corners and polluted the atmosphere, the waters, and the land itself."
   "The more humble function of environmentalists is to be the ecological conscience of the human community...we will learn to green the cities. We will also learn that survival is built on cooperation, not on competition," Clement concluded.
   Audubon also premiered a short film, Connecting People with Nature, produced to promote the Society through the telling of the organization's past and present with glimpses of the future. The project was funded by The Howard Bayne Fund and produced by Paul Erickson Studios, of Beverly, Mass.
   At the meeting, the Society elected four new members for the 2008-2009 Board of Directors.

They are: Robert Parker, of East Greenwich, an attorney with the law firm McIntyre, Tate & Lynch, LLP, is a strong advocate for maintaining and expanding the state's permanent open space and heightening the public's understanding and appreciation for the critical necessity of that space. He has been successful in preserving open space in his own town by advocating at town planning and zoning board meetings against sprawl.
    Suzanne Paton, of West Kingston, works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in R.I., and serves as the Senior Biologist for the R.I. National Wildlife Complex. She oversees all biological programs for the five local National Wildlife Refuges, which have involved numerous habitat restoration, research, and monitoring efforts and coordination with a wide variety of partner organizations and landowners.
    Cynthia Warren, of Wickford, is an attorney with the law firm, Cameron & Mittleman. She has extensive experience dealing with governance issues in non-profits and drafting bylaws and policies. Warren also has experience with land use issues from serving on the North Kingstown Conservation Committee and testifying before legislative committees at the State House.
    Richard Wilkins, of Providence, is principal and owner of Concordia Intel, a strategic consulting and market research firm working with non-profits to create sustainable revenues. He has extensive experience in strategic planning, plan execution, and generating revenue. His expertise extends to strategic alliance development and management as well as management of legal agreements and financial data.
    Additionally, the Audubon presented its annual awards for Business, Educator and Volunteer of the Year. The 2008 recipients are: Business of the Year Award went to SolarWrights, an alternative energy company under the guidance of founder and president Bob Chew, of Bristol. SolarWrights is a socially and environmentally responsible business serving the Northeast with attractive, efficient renewable energy systems, including photovoltaic, solar thermal, and wind systems. Chew, a solar designer and contractor, is nationally recognized in renewable energy and green building design and construction.
    The North Smithfield PTO, a model of support for children's education, won the Audubon's Educator of the Year Award. The visionary group had the foresight 10 years ago to start raising funds for enrichment programs to enhance student learning. With input from teachers, the PTO has funded science, arts, and other cultural programs. Audubon has worked with the PTO each year since 1998, providing hands-on, environmental-based education programs to North Smithfield elementary classes.
    Volunteer of the Year is Mary Jo Murray, a tireless octogenarian, who has faithfully led group bird walks on Tuesday mornings in Charlestown since 1990. A South Kingstown resident, Murray is a retired schoolteacher. Besides being an avid birder, she has served on the Audubon's Kimball Wildlife Sanctuary Committee. This marks her final year of leading the Tuesday walks.
    The Audubon Society of Rhode Island began in 1897, initially protecting birds and their habitats. Today, the Audubon addresses a comprehension mission in three areas - environmental education, land conservation and advocacy. Counting more than 17,000 members and supporters the Audubon staff teaches more than 33,000 school children annually - many at the Environmental Education Center in Bristol - and enlightens thousands of others through a wide array of nature-oriented programs and special events.

December Vacation Programs

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Celebrate Nature with the Kids
During December School Vacation Week
Audubon Environmental Education Center, Bristol, RI
December 29, 2008 - January 3, 2009*
Audubon Society of Rhode Island

Celebrate nature this season! Bundle up and head out on a winter hike with an Audubon guide, explore the wonderful world of whales, or come and enjoy a craft and nature tale. Get the kids off the couch and discover the natural world with Audubon.

Nature crafts will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day, as well as a nature story reading at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. There is no fee for these programs.

There will be special hour-long nature programs for children on the days listed below
at 1:00 p.m.:

Monday, December 29: Animal Tracks!
Tuesday, December 30: Digging into the Past
Wednesday, December 31: Winter Hike
Friday. January 2: Whales!
Saturday, January 3: The Most Common Owl in RI.

For more information, call (401) 245-7500 ext. 3100

* Please note the Audubon Environmental Education Center will close at noon on December 24, re-opening at 9:00 am on December 27, 2008. The Center will also be closed on
January 1, 2009.

Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street (Route 114), Bristol, RI; Programs run 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Program Fee: Free with admission; Ages: All.

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