THE LAHONTAN AUDUBON SOCIETY

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  • About
    • History & Mission
    • Staff & Board
    • Annual Reports
  • Area Birding Guide
  • Birding
    • CONSERVATION
    • Plants for Birds
    • Birding By Bus
    • Birding News
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Join/Renew
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
    • Calendar
  • Education
  • Resources
    • FAQ
    • Bird Safety & Ethics
    • INJURED BIRD? OR BABY BIRD OUT OF NEST?
    • Urban Waterfowl
  • Store
  • CONTACT US

The Great Backyard Bird Count 2025

2/13/2025

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Share your lists with us on eBird at lasbirdinggroup and we will share the results. Join us for one of our group birding walks happening during the count.

Feb 14 - trip has been postponed due to weather.
Feb 15 - Rancho San Rafael Park - 8 am
Feb 16 - Let's Go Birding Together at Mayberry Park (includes trash pickup) - 9 am
Feb 17 - Rosewood Nature Study Area - 9 am

Field trips are posted on our calendar.
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Process for Changing the Chapter Name

1/4/2025

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We are excited to announce that the Lahontan Audubon Society will be changing our name to better reflect our mission! Our board of trustees has voted to remove “Audubon” from our name, and we will begin the process of choosing a new name that invites people to join us in our mission: 

“To preserve and improve the remaining habitat of birds and other wildlife, restore historical habitat, and educate people, especially children, about birds in our unique Nevada environments.”

Our new name will include the term “bird” and ideally feature something about the unique ecology of our region. 

Our decision to change our name was made carefully and comes at a time when we are growing rapidly as an organization. We are actively investing in educational programming and community partnerships that focus on including underrepresented groups of people. Our goal is to create a welcoming birding community where people of all backgrounds can feel a sense of belonging. We believe that by changing our name, we will be able to reach new members of our community and increase our impact for the conservation of native Nevada birds. We do not expect our name change will have any negative impacts on our ability to continue our 60+ years of work in the northern Nevada region. We will continue to be a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society, as will the over 50 independent Audubon chapters who have already decided to change their names.

Beginning in January 2025, the following process was used in changing our name.

Formal Collaborative Name Change Process


Step 1. Board votes to change the name.
  • Board is provided with background information
  • The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) committee presents a supported recommendation to the Board after researching how other chapters changed their names
  • Majority vote required

Step 2. Announce name change.
  • Formal announcement is sent out to all members and receivers of general email announcing we are beginning the name change process
  • Announcement will include our formal process and the reasoning behind the decision
  • EDIB committee writes an article to publish in our twice-monthly newsletter and on our website 
  • We will accept member suggestions for names
  • Timeline: January 5, 2025 (first email); reminder January 12

Step 3. Brainstorm new names.
  • Board members and membership may propose new names
  • If you have a suggestion for a new name, please fill out this Google form. Suggestions for new names will be accepted until February 2, 2025.
  • All suggestions for names will be due by the February Board Meeting
  • Timeline: Due by February 2, 2025 at MIDNIGHT

Step 4. Board votes to narrow names to 2-3 choices.
  • Each board member will be given 3 votes they can distribute across the name options (can put multiple votes towards 1 name)
  • Narrow down to top 2 or 3 choices
  • Timeline: February 4, 2025 (Board meeting)

Step 5. Poll membership.
  • Google form will be sent out to members in the member email to allow participation in the name selection process
  • Final 2-3 choices 
  • Members will be required to sign in using their email and will not be able to submit multiple forms
  • Members will be given 1 vote
  • Timeline: End of survey by March 1, 2025 at MIDNIGHT

Step 6. Board makes final vote on name.
  • If ⅔ or more of the members that voted picked one name, that will be our new name
  • If no name received ⅔ of the vote or more, the board will make the tie-breaking vote 
  • Each board member will be given 1 vote
  • Timeline: March 4, 2025 (Board meeting)

Step 7. Unveiling the new name.
  • Work with website designer to change the name on the website and work on changing the domain name, emails, etc.
  • Submit documents to National Audubon for official name change
  • Submit tax documents
  • Change the bylaws
  • Change the logo and update templates, etc.
  • We recognize that this will be a long process, and we will re-evaluate progress at each Board meeting following the official name change​
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The Pelican's Prized Page Winter 2024

12/8/2024

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Welcome to the art section of LAS's quarterly Pelican Newsletter! We hope you enjoy all the wonderful art this time around :)

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The Pelican-- Reducing SwaN Lake-- A Road Realignment Impacts Swan Lake

12/8/2024

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By Tina Nappe

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Will a trafficked and paved road by the lake edge be safe for birds? Photo of reinforced berm by Diane Wong-Kone

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The Pelican-- Recognizing the Value of Birding in Parks

12/8/2024

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By Tina Nappe
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The Pelican-- The "How" and "Why" of Bird Migration

12/8/2024

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By Kentia Kalanaki

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The Pelican-- Rodenticides Poisoning Raptors

12/8/2024

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By Eiji de Queiroz 

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Christmas Bird Counts 2024!

11/15/2024

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The 125th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season is here! Our chapter does not run the counts ourselves, they are run independently by dedicated volunteer Compilers. However, each year the Lahontan Audubon Society (LAS) promotes the upcoming counts happening in around northern Nevada.

To join a Christmas Bird Count, please refer to the National Audubon Society's CBC page, which includes instructions and a link to the CBC circles map.  As counts get filled, the circles on their map will turn red. Click on the yellow and green circles on the map to contact the CBC Compiler prior to count day. Local count dates are listed below for reference.

If you are new to the CBC program and would like to learn, please contact the CBC Compiler and they can pair you with an experienced CBC surveyor so that you can learn how to collect the data and be assigned to a circle section.  If a count circle is full, please email us at [email protected]. There will be more group birding events for the February Backyard Bird Count and we can send you more information.

Announcements:  Carson City and Pyramid Lake CBCs are not open to new volunteers this year due to limited space. The Hart Mountain CBC is cancelled this year due to a recent fire.

Click here to learn about the Christmas Bird Counts and methodology for counting birds!

For southern Nevada CBCs, please check the Red Rock Audubon website.

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More eyes to find the birds!
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California Quail in snow by Brian Meltzner
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Let's Go Birding Together!
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Birding is a winter tradition!
2024 CBCs

 Saturday December 14
Truckee Meadows (Reno) - CBC leader Dave McNinch

South Tahoe - CBC leader Will Richardson

Elko - CBC leader Lois Ports

American Valley, CA - CBC Leader Liz Ramsey

Sunday December 15
Carson City - CBC leader Rob Lowry

Sierra Valley, CA - CBC leader Colin Dillingham

Monday December 16
Ruby Lake - CBC leader Daniel Dewey,
limited housing available

Woodfords, CA - CBC leader Dan Williams

Tuesday December 17
Fallon - CBC leader Dave McNinch

Wednesday December 18
Snake Valley (Great Basin National Park) - CBC leader Gretchen Baker

Thursday December 19
Winnemucca - CBC leaders Shannon Finnerty and Kylie Donch

Honey Lake, CA - CBC leader Matthew Forster

Friday December 20
Sheldon NWR - CBC leader Joel Geier,
Limited housing available

Eagle Lake, CA - CBC leader Steve Stump

Saturday December 21
Lake Almanor, CA - CBC leader Colin Dillingham

Sunday December 29
Minden - CBC leader Ben Sonnenberg

Wednesday January 1
Pyramid Lake - CBC Leader Dennis Serdehely
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Education Volunteer Opportunities!

9/17/2024

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Please email our Education Chair, Alan Gubanich, if you can help out with any of these events!

Sunday Sep 29, 2024, 7:00 am - 1:00 pm - Riverside Farmer's Market
Contact: Please contact Patty Moen if you can volunteer for this event.
Location:  Idlewild Park, 1735 Shadow Park Dr., Reno
Description:  Tabling booth at the Riverside Farmer's Market to help sell books donated from the John Davis collection. Meet new people, let them know about Lahontan Audubon Society, and have fun browsing the market stalls while you are there! Food trucks on site. Setup is at 7am and take down is at 1 pm. There will be a bird walk around the park at 10 am.


Wednesday Oct 2, 2024, 8:45am - 3:45pm - Donner Trail Elementary
Location:  52755 Donner Pass Road, Soda Springs, CA 95728
Event:  River Day
Description:  Volunteer at a bird station table to show students about the birds that might be found around the Soda Springs area. Bird taxidermy mounts can be checked out for use at the Galena Creek Visitor Center or Rosewood Nature Study Area. Groups of up to 10 students will rotate through the bird station and other stations on this day. Table time with the students lasts about 30 minutes per group.

Sunday Oct 13, 2024, 8:00 - 10:00 am - Swan Lake Nature Study Area
Location:  Off Lear Blvd. (see map)
Event:  Discover Our Parks with Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation
Description:  We are looking for a volunteer to talk about Swan Lake and the birds that are found there and also volunteers to help lead participants on a walk to look for birds along the trail and boardwalk. Taxidermy birds may be used for the talk portion in the outdoor pavilion as an option.

Thursday Oct 24, 9:00am - 3:10pm - Fernley Intermediate School
Location:  320 Falcon Dr, Fernley, NV 89408
Event:  Outdoor Day
Description:  Volunteer at one of two tables.
This is an annual event at the school and LAS has been there every year. The event is held in Fernley, around the school's outdoor track. Several organizations have tables and displays and the kids move from station to station. Each class (usually about 20 to 25 students, plus 1 or 2 teachers) move from one station to the next, spending about 30 or 35 minutes at each station. FREE lunch for volunteers! Table 1 includes bird mounts and skins of birds found around Fernley. Table 2 includes the bird identification activity with binoculars. Multiple volunteers are needed for this event!

Upcoming in October, date not yet set, 1:00 - 3:00 pm M, W, or F - Gardnerville Health and Rehabilitation
Location:  1573 Muller Parkway in Gardnerville
Event: Bird Talk (your subject choice!)
Description:  We are looking for volunteers to give talks about birds to the residents of this skilled nursing facility. Residents have a keen interest in the local birds. Talks would be 45 min. - 1 hour in length. We are hoping to have volunteers give talks once a month or so, pending availability. Alan has a laptop and projector for loan as needed.

Fall School Talk opportunity, date not yet set, sometime during school hours
Location:  Private School in Incline Village (contact Alan for details)
Event: Owls!
Description:  The students will be learning about owls this Fall and we need a volunteer to lead or help Alan with an owl talk for the students.

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Lahontan Audubon Society volunteers - opening the world of birds to our children!
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July/August 2024 Photo Contest

9/17/2024

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Thank you photographers for your submissions to our contest, and thank you to everyone who participated! The board has voted, and the July/August 2024 Photo of the Month is Deanna Peters's Turkey Vulture! Congratulations, Deanna! 
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The Pelican's Prized Page: Summer 2024

8/2/2024

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Welcome to our quarterly newsletter's art section! We hope you enjoy the art. 
PictureThe Harbingers, a painting by Deanna Peters

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The Pelian-- Merlin Bird ID: The Tool that could Change your Birding Experience!

8/2/2024

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By Kentia Kalanaki

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The Pelican-- Visit Our Community Gardens

7/30/2024

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By Diane Wong-Kone

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The PElican-- Nature Journaling in the Wetlands

7/30/2024

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By Jennifer Jay

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The PElican-- Helping Birds Through Community Science

7/30/2024

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By Diane Wong-Kone

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Lahontan Audubon Society
PO Box 2304
Reno, NV 89505-2304
[email protected]
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Lahontan Audubon Society Mission Statement:
To preserve and improve the remaining habitat of birds and other wildlife, restore historical habitat, and educate people, especially children, ​about birds in our unique Nevada environments.
Bird Photos by Jeff Bleam
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