Butler County Nature Walks
The Butler CCB has two hikes planned for next week along with our extended nature center hours. No need to register for either hike, and both hikes are free. We (Butler CCCB) recommend wearing shoes that can get muddy and possibly wet.
The first hike will take place on Wednesday, March 19, and we will meet at the Allan and Fayette Meyer Nature Center (27887 195th St.; Clarksville) at 4:30 PM. From there, we will walk over to the Harms Wildlife Area in search of early spring ephemerals, migrating birds, and whatever else spring has to offer us.
The second hike will take place on the first day of spring - Thursday, March 20 at 4:45 PM. We will meet on the north side of Heery Woods Park at the first shelter (19195 Hwy 188; Clarksville). We will walk the mowed trail near the river, and we may even check in on the eagle nest near the lagoon. Come explore the spring woodlands. Bring binoculars if you have them, or you can borrow a pair from the Allan and Fayette Meyer Nature Center (27887 195th St.; Clarksville)
PRAS is not sponsoring these hikes, but rather are sharing information for members to participate.
PRAS is not sponsoring these hikes, but rather are sharing information for members to participate.
In the Sky - March 2025
Here's what will be happening in the sky during March.
Of special interest is the eclipse of the Moon during the night of March 13-14.
"March comes in with an adder's head and goes out with a peacock's tail."
- Scottish proverb, printed in The Old Farmer's Almanac.
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The program for the evening features the work of three talented nature photographers in this area: (left to right) Al Sundt, Karl Fliris, and John McCormick. Al, Karl, and John are three of the guys carrying the big lenses rather than binoculars on PRAS field trips. Over the years they have taken thousands of wildlife photographs. In this presentation, they will share their stories of becoming nature photographers. Expect to see some great wildlife photographs and hear some interesting stories!
Al Sundt was born in Waterloo and had his first taste for photography in an art class at East High School. He's always loved wildlife and still remembers seeing his first Red-headed woodpecker as a child. After retiring in the spring of 2020, Al joined PRAS and started going on the bird walks with camera in hand. He met fellow presenter, John McCormick, within a photography club at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls. As his interest in nature photography (and his portfolio!) grew, he met other photographers in the community who turned out to be life-long friends such as Karl Fliris, another presenter at the PRAS meeting, and many more.
Karl Fliris of New Hampton is a former educator who enjoys bird and wildlife photography in retirement. During the past few years, he has photographed and recorded 195 bird species. The backyard, state and county parks, wildlife management areas, and Iowa’s rural gravel roads are his “go-to” birding locations. He has been a contributor to the Iowa DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine and the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union Iowa Bird Life Journal. Meeting fellow wildlife photographers and enjoying all that nature has to offer has been the best part of the experience.
John McCormick is a retired University of Northern Iowa professor of computer science. His work with early computers and programming languages led to a highly successful career in software engineering education at both the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, and UNI. John earned both a BS and PhD in geology and researched computational crystallography. The author of four textbooks and numerous articles, he has received awards for teaching and research excellence. John has been interested in photography since the 1960's and his photographs have been exhibited throughout the USA. He enjoys traveling to foreign countries with his wife, Naomi, to learn about and photograph various cultures and native species.
Al and John have some of their photos displayed in lower level of the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls as part of the Hearst Photo Club 2025 Group Exhibition. These photos are on display only until March 30.
Al Sundt was born in Waterloo and had his first taste for photography in an art class at East High School. He's always loved wildlife and still remembers seeing his first Red-headed woodpecker as a child. After retiring in the spring of 2020, Al joined PRAS and started going on the bird walks with camera in hand. He met fellow presenter, John McCormick, within a photography club at the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls. As his interest in nature photography (and his portfolio!) grew, he met other photographers in the community who turned out to be life-long friends such as Karl Fliris, another presenter at the PRAS meeting, and many more.
Karl Fliris of New Hampton is a former educator who enjoys bird and wildlife photography in retirement. During the past few years, he has photographed and recorded 195 bird species. The backyard, state and county parks, wildlife management areas, and Iowa’s rural gravel roads are his “go-to” birding locations. He has been a contributor to the Iowa DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine and the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union Iowa Bird Life Journal. Meeting fellow wildlife photographers and enjoying all that nature has to offer has been the best part of the experience.
John McCormick is a retired University of Northern Iowa professor of computer science. His work with early computers and programming languages led to a highly successful career in software engineering education at both the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, and UNI. John earned both a BS and PhD in geology and researched computational crystallography. The author of four textbooks and numerous articles, he has received awards for teaching and research excellence. John has been interested in photography since the 1960's and his photographs have been exhibited throughout the USA. He enjoys traveling to foreign countries with his wife, Naomi, to learn about and photograph various cultures and native species.
Al and John have some of their photos displayed in lower level of the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls as part of the Hearst Photo Club 2025 Group Exhibition. These photos are on display only until March 30.
Help for Farmers
By David Voigts
Farmers today face many challenges from high overhead costs and low commodity prices to the threat of climate change that may limit yields in the coming decades. However, a new revenue source may be on the way. Vertical, two-sided solar panels are being tested in farm fields at several sites. Vertical solar panels have the advantage of taking up less room, so they are compatible with farming operations instead of replacing crops. Also, they are placed in north-south rows so they catch more sun energy on their east side in the morning and their west side in the afternoon. This offsets traditional, horizontal solar panels that are most efficient during midday.
While vertical solar panels are best suited for low crops like soybeans and hay, tall growing corn could shade the panels and reduce their efficiency. Possible remedies include placing panels on structures above the corn or by planting a dwarf corn variety. Dwarf corn is currently being tested because it has the promise of maintaining yields with less water and fertilizer.
While much more study is needed, vertical solar panels have the promise of increasing farm income while combating climate change by providing electricity without using fossil fuels.
While vertical solar panels are best suited for low crops like soybeans and hay, tall growing corn could shade the panels and reduce their efficiency. Possible remedies include placing panels on structures above the corn or by planting a dwarf corn variety. Dwarf corn is currently being tested because it has the promise of maintaining yields with less water and fertilizer.
While much more study is needed, vertical solar panels have the promise of increasing farm income while combating climate change by providing electricity without using fossil fuels.
Climate Change Warnings
By David Voigts
By David Voigts
In 1979, when Jimmy Carter was President, the National Academy of Sciences convened a panel to look into recent studies that indicated that emissions of carbon dioxide could warm the planet. They concluded, “If (atmospheric) carbon dioxide continues to increase, … climate change will result and … these changes will (not) be negligible. A wait-and-see-policy may mean waiting until it is too late.”
By 2014, thirty-five years later when Barak Obama was President, carbon dioxide emissions had soared from about 18 billion metric tons per year to almost 34 billion metric tons per year, and according to an article in Audubon magazine, the predicted changes were happening. The number of severe wildfires had increased, Arctic ice had shrunk by nearly half, coastal storms had become more destructive, millions of acres of forest in the American west had been killed by warming-related pest infections, many species had extended their ranges northward, and a growing number of species were threatened with extinction.
Now, another 10 years later, carbon dioxide emissions have reached about 38 billion metric tons per year, and the warnings of 1979 and the findings of 2014 have gotten worse. Still, we wait-and-see. Our leaders need to act before it is too late.
Critical Bird Habitat Under Threat
By David Voigts
By David Voigts
Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge – one of the world’s most important migratory bird staging and wintering habitats - is under attack. For many years, a way to connect the remote community of King Cove to Cold Bay, a larger town with an all-weather airport and better medical care has been sought. A 19-mile road through the heart of the refuge’s wilderness area has consistently been rejected in favor of other alternatives. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has come up with a new plan of swapping some of the refuge’s wilderness land for other lands that could be turned into a new wildlife refuge. If this happens, for the first time ever, land designated as wilderness would be declassified.
Beyond this precedent, the Izembek refuge provides a unique and vital habitat. Its lagoons have large eelgrass beds that provide food for essentially the entire Pacific Brant migratory population, almost all of the world population of Emperor Geese, and a significant percentage of the threatened Steller’s Eider and other waterfowl. Also, because of our warming climate, about 30% of the Brant are remaining at Izembek for the winter, making the eelgrass beds even more important.
If you care about wilderness and waterfowl, you can provide comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement before the February 13, 2025, deadline. Additional information is available at https://ak.audubon.org/news/izembek-at-risk? Included is a sample letter of comment that can be submitted with one click or modified before submittal.
Your Help Is Needed!
Did you know that PRAS keeps bird feeders filled at George Wyth State Park, Cedar Valley Hospice, and other locations so that the public can enjoy bird watching? Cash donations that pay for bird seed is needed for this annual endeavor and our bird seed fund is very low - can you help? Any cash donation helps! Please issue and mail a check to Prairie Rapids Audubon Society, P.O. Box 682, Waterloo, IA 50704, or click here to make a donation with PayPal. Thank you!!
Did you know that PRAS keeps bird feeders filled at George Wyth State Park, Cedar Valley Hospice, and other locations so that the public can enjoy bird watching? Cash donations that pay for bird seed is needed for this annual endeavor and our bird seed fund is very low - can you help? Any cash donation helps! Please issue and mail a check to Prairie Rapids Audubon Society, P.O. Box 682, Waterloo, IA 50704, or click here to make a donation with PayPal. Thank you!!
Find an injured bird or animal? Call Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project 319-939-4635
Note: As of Dec 2024 BHWRP is not accepting sick or injured waterfowl due to the avian influenza outbreak found in Iowa.
New to Birding?
Check out this great new brochure from Iowa Audubon that gives you all the information about enjoying the activity of watching birds!
Subscribe to our Online RedTail Newsletter
Bird Flight Patterns and Music Concert Program
You are now able to access the online concert video and curriculum (see link and password below-posted with permission by the copyright holder).
The link provides the full concert video and online curriculum with activities, lessons, extra musical performances, composer interviews and educational games. This resource will remain active through June 2022 (for one year), so utilize it for your programs, personal edification working with your children or grandchildren to teach them about music and birds!
You are now able to access the online concert video and curriculum (see link and password below-posted with permission by the copyright holder).
The link provides the full concert video and online curriculum with activities, lessons, extra musical performances, composer interviews and educational games. This resource will remain active through June 2022 (for one year), so utilize it for your programs, personal edification working with your children or grandchildren to teach them about music and birds!
Bird Flight Patterns and Music Link: https://nbsymphony.org/bird-
Password: BFPMC (case sensitive)
Subscribe to the PRAS YouTube Channel if you are interested in watching recordings of our past Zoom meetings for which we have permission to post for viewing.
Contribute to our Flickr Photo Stream
Go to this URL: https://www.flickr.com/
Click "Login"
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The email address associated with PRAS's account is: praudubon@gmail.com
Email praudubon@gmail.com to request password for email; we won't post it here online.
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