Boletin Audubon
February/March 2008
Newsletter Archives

The Newsletter of Sociedad Audubon de México, A.C.

February/March Events

Saturday, March 1, Al Lerner and Bruce Carruth lead a hike to Boca de Cañada
Wednesday, March 5, Annual Members Meeting, 4 p.m. at Villa Jacaranda
Audubon Birdwalks

AUDUBON BENEFIT FEBRUARY 17

If you care about the special beauty and charm of San Miguel de Allende, you won’t want to miss the very special Gala Benefit Brunch on Sunday, February 17, from 12 noon to 4 pm by Audubon Mexico. The event is being held in support of PEASMA( proyecto educacion ambientale de San Miguel de Allende), our town’s much-respected and very successful approach to educating the next generation about its responsibility as stewards of its own environment.

Besides environmental education, love is the theme of Audubon’s brunch. Love for San Miguel's much-admired colonial style (the brunch is at the Hyder House, famous for its unique blending of several fine old houses into one splendid location), love for one's significant other (show how you feel by taking your S.O. to this event three days after Valentine's Day), lovebirds (a regular Audubon theme), and most overwhelmingly, love for San Miguel and its environment, the most fragile of all these love objects.

The object of the event is to celebrate our environment and all the people in it--young, old, gringo, Mexican and everything in between, by supporting the San Miguel program that teaches schoolchildren how to respect, preserve and enjoy their natural surroundings. 

Last year, PEASMA gave regular programs in 28 urban schools and two schools in the campo, introducing more than eight thousand children to environmental education through workshops about birds, air, water, flora and fauna. PEASMA also helps the children's classroom teachers to coordinate environmental lessons with regular classroom work on an ongoing basis. PEASMA's program has been so successful that its staff has been asked by state officials to expand the program all across the state of Guanajuato.

In addition to working during the school year, PEASMA’s dedicated teachers spend summers on the environment. In the summer of 2007, Audubon sponsored an environmental summer camp for children in the ranchos outside of town, giving them a rare opportunity for hands-on environmental learning.

So come and drink champagne and eat lox and bagels while you listen to music by the Bobby Kaplan Trio and watch "Birds of Paradise," a Barbara Porter fashion show around the pool at the Hyder House. The price of helping save San Miguel's environment through its next generation is $100 USD a ticket, which includes a year's membership ($30) in Audubon Mexico. Tickets are on sale in the jardin and at La Conexion, as well as through Audubon board members. Call Bob Haas at 152-0804 or 044-415- 153-3333 for more information.

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Start Your March Off Right with an Audubon Hike

Start your own March like the classic March lion--join Audubon Mexico on a beautiful four-hour hike to Boca de Cañada on Saturday, March 1st, meandering along a stream, crossing little stone bridges here and there. "There's not too much of an elevation, but we'd like you to be in fairly good shape," said Al Lerner who, with Bruce Carruth, is the hikemeister for the trip. Boca de Cañada is a glorious piece of nearby nature, reached by car from San Miguel in half an hour.Reservations are essential. Participants--limited to 15--will meet at the Kike's/Gym parking lot on Sterling Dickinson at 9 am on the morning of Saturday, March 1. Lerner suggests you bring a light lunch as well as a hat and water, and anything else you like having with you on hikes.

The hike will be two hours in to a lunch break, then two hours back. To reserve a place, call Al Lerner at 152-8139, up to three days before the hike.

As always, the hike is free to Audubon members; 100 pesos to non-members. If you join that morning, though (for 300 pesos), your participation will also be free.

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Annual Members Meeting

The Annual Membership Meeting for the election of Officers and Board Members of Sociedad Audubon de México A.C.will take place on Wednesday, March 5th, at 4 PM at the Villa Jacaranda. All members in good standing are eligible to vote.

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Audubon Birdwalks

Audubon's next birdwalk is scheduled for Sunday, February 24th. More than likely, we will spot some of the region's more elusive birds, such as Blue Grosbeaks,Black-headed Grosbeaks and Summer Tanagers, to mention a few.

Our December Birdwalk took 19 participants to the Botanical Gardens where we saw some 41 species. Many of these birds were very cooperative, sitting still long enough to allow us to get the scope on them, so that all got great views.

We're hoping the birds will be equally cooperative in February, which is usually one of our best-attended hikes.

The Audubon Birdwalk is a monthly event open to members and non-members alike. Members of Audubon de México are welcome gratis. Non-members are also welcome, but asked to contribute 100 pesos, or US $10 to the ecological projects in which Audubon is involved.

Participants will meet in front of the Instituto Allende at 8am, as the trip will leave promptly at 8:15 am. Please bring a hat and drinking water. Binoculars and bird books make bird sightings more interesting, but they are not necessary since others will have books and we will have a scope. Anyone willing to contribute transportation will be welcomed with great appreciation. The hike is usually over by noon.

People with questions may call Bob Graham at 154-9856.

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AT LAST! A BIRD BOOK WILL SOON TAKE FLIGHT

As a bird watcher, an environmentalist or just an appreciator of nature, you wouldn’t be the first person to wish there were a field guide to the birds of San Miguel—and to be disappointed when you found it didn’t exist. Your time is coming! Audubon is at work right now on a field guide to our abundant, beautiful local birds. The guide will follow the style of Flores Silvestres de San Miguel de Allende, the wonderfully successful and useful field guide to our local wildflowers that appeared in 2006—sized to fit in a pocket, with full-color pictures and brief descriptions of each bird (and a ruler on the back). We’re hoping to have it available some time this year.