a word from the president -...
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From: Friends of Aransas NWR <[email protected]>Subject: AMIGO Summer 2015 Issue
Date: August 3, 2015 9:03:47 AM EDTTo: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
In This IssueA Word from thePresidentNew Project leaderRefuge UpdateMeet Jennifer BrownNature Store UpdateGreen Heron RescueEventsHilcorp EnergyDonations
If you sign up inAugust or September,your membership willrun through9/30/2016!
Summer 2015Friends of Aransas Board of DirectorsFred Lanoue - PresidentBrad James - SecretaryLinda Lanoue - TreasurerRon Smudy - DirectorIrma Hernandez Schreiner - DirectorLinda Swiggett - Director
A Word from the President
Dear Joan Patterson There are a lot of good things happening at AransasNWR. Our new Project Leader, Joe Saenz, previouslyserved at Aransas from 1999 to 2009, so he was ableto hit the ground running. Laura Bonneau, Visitor
Quick LinksFAMI WebsiteFAMI Facebook PageAransas NWR WebsiteAransas NWRFacebook Page
Services Manager, has been at Aransas for about ayear and is generating lots of great ideas for makingour refuge a wonderful place to visit. Keith Westlake,Supervisory Wildlife Biologist, is getting many thingsaccomplished with his "can do" attitude. Both Lauraand Keith have proposed several new projects that willdepend on volunteer help to be successful. Togetherthey have a wide variety of projects that require awide range of skills, so I'm sure they can find a way thatyou can help. Laura also serves as VolunteerCoordinator, so just contact her and tell her you want tovolunteer! I'm excited to report that the newest staff addition atAransas is Jennifer Brown, an EnvironmentalEducation Specialist. She will be working hard toreopen the Youth Environmental Training Area and toput in place programs designed to connect children tonature. I honestly believe that this should be a toppriority for everyone interested in the outdoors. Itseems to be true today that almost all kids prefer toplay by interacting with some type of electronic deviceinstead of playing outdoors. It really worries me that ina few short years we will be depending on these samekids to carry on the important work of conserving ournatural resources and protecting our environment. Ifthey don't feel any personal connection to nature, howcan we expect them to match the passion of today'sconservation leaders? I believe that this issue is soimportant that I am asking our Treasurer to set up aspecial account for donations that will only be used forhelping kids connect to nature. Our goal for thisaccount is to have a very modest $5,000 in this accountin less than a year, but the more we have the more wecan accomplish. The most immediate need is for fundsto assist the schools with transportation and other coststo bring the kids to the refuge. Without covering thesecosts, it's almost impossible to persuade schools tobring their kids. It's not possible for a governmentagency to pay these costs directly, so Friends ofAransas have been asked to help with donations to getthe kids to the refuge. If you agree with me thatconnecting kids with nature is important, please click ondonate to contribute to this fund. When you fill out thedonation form on our website, be sure you mention"Connecting Kids with Nature" in the comments section.If you prefer you can mail a check to P.O. Box 74,Austwell, TX 77950. Thank you for your generous donation and I hope youenjoy our newsletter. Fred Lanoue, President
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New Project Leader
Joe Saenz has returned to Aransas NWR as the newProject Leader. Joe worked as a Refuge OperationsSpecialist and the Deputy Project Leader at Aransasfrom 1999 to 2009. He returns to Aransas after servingas the Project Leader for four years at the NorthLouisiana NWR Complex, which consists of BlackBayou Lake, D'Arbonne, Handy Brake, Red River, andUpper Ouachita NWRs. Joe was born and raised in South Texas (San Diego).He holds a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management(1990) and a Master of Science in Wildlife Science(1994) from Texas Tech University. Other positions he's held in his 24 year career with theService include a student trainee at Lacreek NWR(Martin, S.D., 1991-1993), Wildlife Biologist and RefugeOperations Specialist at Bear River Migratory BirdRefuge (Brigham City, UT, 1994-1999), and ProjectLeader at Bitter Lake NWR (Roswell, N.M., 2009-2011). Joe has been married to his wife Elma for 16 yearsand they have three children (Anissa 15, Gabrielle 11,and Joseph 8). He enjoys spending time with his family, photography,cooking, hunting, fishing, and watching college football.
We are pleased and excited to have Joe back atAransas! Top
Refuge Update
By Laura Bonneau, Visitor Services Manager The dog days of summer may be here, but that isn'tstopping the Aransas NWR staff from working hard. We are really excited to welcome our new RefugeManager, Joe Saenz, although it's really more of a"welcome back." Joe isn't the only new addition to ourstaff...read more below about some of the happeningson Aransas NWR! Jennifer Brown is our new Environmental EducationSpecialist. She comes to us from the Mid-CoastRefuges complex here in Texas, and brings greatexperience and a lot of enthusiasm to our VisitorServices program. You can expect our publicprogramming to skyrocket when Jen and I startscheming! Daniel Jackson is our summer Visitor ServicesPathways intern. You'll find him greeting visitors at thefront desk or out on the trails, working hard and talkingto visitors. He's doing a great job! Maintenance Worker Casey Kelley has taken a newposition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and hasmoved to Oklahoma. He is sorely missed, but we wishhim all the best in this new adventure.
Diana Iriarte, Anneka Lamb,Nancy Sandoval
Seasonal fire crew member Jon Westerby has movedto Louisiana, and we welcome Spencer Wood to theRefuge. The American Conservation Experience (ACE) crew isback! Along with our hardworking biology intern,Anneka Lamb, the ACE crew is spending a month hereat the refuge, working hard to combat invasive ChineseTallow on our Refuge units. Tropical Storm Bill developed just off shore and madelandfall (June 16th at 11:45 am) on the north end ofMatagorda Island. All buildings on Matagorda Islandand Aransas headquarters survived the storm with littleto no damage. A Safety Assessment was conducted during thesecond week in June by Regional Safety Officepersonnel. The assessment found only two items thatwere out of compliance, and those items have alreadybeen fixed. We are proud of that!
Refuge biology staffworked with thePeregrine Fund toband AplomadoFalcons onMatagorda Island.There were 10successful AplomadoFalcon nests on theisland, and 19 chicksfledged. Of those, 17were banded.
Biology staff also conducted moist soil unit checks atWhitmire, and met with Refuge volunteers to discussan upcoming Invasives with Volunteers project. A cooperative farming/grazing plan has beendeveloped for the Whitmire Unit, and bids have beenreceived. Officer Jonny Giles spent three weeks on a USFWSdetail in Bethel, Alaska, helping to stop illegal KingSalmon fishing on the Kuskokwim River.
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Meet Jennifer Brown
By Jennifer Brown, Environmental Education Specialist
I grew up in South Florida and attended FloridaInternational University in Miami. I graduated in 2010with a Bachelor of Arts degree in EnvironmentalStudies with a minor in Geology. Right after graduationI moved to Louisiana and became an EnvironmentalEducation Intern with Southeast Louisiana RefugesComplex. During that experience, I really connectedwith the agency and its supporters and that's when Idecided that working towards the mission of the USFish and Wildlife Service is how I envisioned spendingmy career. Of course, gaining employment with USFWS isn't easyand I was lucky to get my first job as an InterpretivePark Ranger with the Louisiana State Arboretum,located entirely within the boundaries of the state'slargest park, Chicot State Park. Eventually, Itransferred to Bayou Segnette State Park (one of thestate's busiest parks) and moved to New Orleans. Butmy dream of working for USFWS was still my maingoal, so I left Louisiana State Parks and got a job as aPark Ranger at Ottawa NWR in Ohio. I was a temporary ranger at Ottawa NWR, but wroteand was awarded a $50,000 grant to improve the EEprogram and pay for my salary. After that project endedin fall 2013, I moved to Las Vegas to volunteer in afederal program called Volunteers in Service toAmerica (VISTA). VISTA volunteers serve full time forone year with a nonprofit to help build capacity inpoverty stricken neighborhoods. When my term ended in November 2014, I had earneda special hiring authority with the federal government
and used that to apply for a job with Texas Mid-coastRefuge Complex. It was great fun working with theirFriends group to facilitate hands-on field trips andeducational special events, but I couldn't pass up thechance to work at my dream job here at AransasNational Wildlife Refuge. I just moved to Rockport with my long-hairedChihuahua, Mabel. Coastal Texas is beautiful and I amhappy to be back in this part of the country. It alreadyfeels like home.
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Nature Store Update
First of all, we would like to give special thanks to LindaLanoue, who for a year held the dual responsibilities ofBoard Treasurer and Nature Store Manager. She hasdone a fantastic job as our store manager! Weappreciate her for the many hours she gave to improveour store and train new volunteers. At this time, Lindawould like to concentrate her efforts as BoardTreasurer. Irma Schreiner has stepped up as the newstore manager. She is currently on our Board ofDirectors and one of our regular store volunteers. This summer, during the months of July and August,we reduced our days of operation. The Nature Storewill only be open on Saturdays and Sundays. We planto resume regular hours of operation this fall. Pleasestep into the store when you next visit the Refuge. You
will find a few small physical changes. One of these isthe addition of two round stands for hanging our T-shirts; one for adult shirts and one for children's. Wetrust this addition will make it easier for you to view andmake your selection(s). At this time we would like to thank our summervolunteers who make it possible to keep our doorsopen: Melanie Konarik, Fred Lanoue, Linda Lanoue,Clara Noble, Patrick Rios, Irma Schreiner, LindaSwiggett, and Shauna Wilkerson who helped out duringthe months of May & June. We are here to help youwith educational items such as guidebooks, quickreference (tri-folds), and games for children which helpthem learn about nature and, of course, T-shirts andcaps for yourself or as a special gift for someone inyour life. If you would like to become one of our store volunteers,please contact us at:[email protected].
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Green Heron Rescue
Victoria Electric Cooperativelinemen and Aransas NWRinterns teamed up to rescue aGreen Heron that was ingreat peril. Refuge internsAnneka Lamb (also a Friendsmember) and Daniel Jacksonspotted a bird entangled inmonofilament fishing line andhanging from a power line onthe side of the road near theMyrtle Foester Whitmire unitof the Refuge. The VictoriaElectric Co-op linemen arrived on the scene and tookan active part in the rescue. Anneka reports that themonofilament was tangled around the wing tip so thelinemen attached a knife to a long pole to cut thefishing line. They were careful not to injure the bird orstress it any more than necessary. Anneka was able tograb it as soon as it landed in the water and wrap it in ashirt while the line was untangled. The linemen evenstayed to be sure no further help was needed!
The heron didn't seem to beinjured and upon release it flewaway.
Most of the times thatwild creatures getcaught in monofilamentthe outcome isn't asgood. Please be carefulwith fishing line!
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Events
AransasNationalWildlifeRefugeandMatagordaBayChapter ofServeOutdoorsco-sponsored the Drew McGinnes Memorial Hunt April24-26. Friends of Aransas funded breakfast Saturday &Sunday and contributed two $50 Academy gift cards fora "thank you" drawing. Giving these veterans withdisabilities a recreational opportunity and getting rid ofsome hogs at the same time is win-win!! We werehonored to be a part of it.
In May, Linda Swiggettand Irma Schreinerrepresented us at theWorld of Water in CorpusChristi. It was a greatopportunity to tell peopleabout the Refuge and
Friends.
Irma Schreiner and Ron Smudy represented ourorganization at AquaFest in Rockport August 1st. Wehope to have a photo to share later.
Upcoming Events
The Rockport-Fulton, TX HummerBird Celebration iscoming up, and we'll be there 9/1/-9/20. Please be sureto stop by our booth. We'll be selling books, T-shirts, tote bags, and more, as well as giving out informationabout the Refuge. Any members that would like to helpin the booth, please [email protected].
Refuge Events: 10/12-10/18 - National Wildlife Refuge Week - Plansare underway. Check our website or Facebook pagecloser to the date. Hunt Season:9/19-9/20 - International Bowhunter Education Program(IBEP) class9/26-9/27 - Scouting for archery hunt10/3-10/11 - Archery hunt11/2-11/5 - Scouting for rifle hunt #111/7-11/14 - Rifle hunt #111/16-11/19 - Scouting for rifle hunt #211/28-12/5 - Rifle hunt #212/7-12/10 - Scouting for rifle hunt #312/12-12/19 - Rifle hunt # 3 For details on the hunt visit Aransas Passes & Permits Fee free days:9/26 - National Public Lands Day10/11 - To kick off National Wildlife Refuge Week11/11 - Veterans Day No entry fees are charged on those days. Every day is a great day to visit your NationalWildlife Refuge!
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Hilcorp Energy
Welcome to Hilcorp Energy,our new Corporate Sponsor.They hold the lease tomineral rights on AransasNWR. Hilcorp, founded in1989, is the largest privately-held oil and natural gasexploration and productioncompany in the UnitedStates. Headquartered in Houston, TX, the oil and gasoperator has nearly 1,400 employees in multipleoperating areas including the Gulf Coast of Texas andLouisiana, the Northeast United States, and Alaska'sCook Inlet and North Slope. Hilcorp's proficiency inbuying established fields from other operators hasresulted in significant growth since its founding. Hilcorpis consistently acknowledged for its culture, values andethics. It has been recognized by multiple local andnational publications as one of the best places inAmerica to work. Hilcorp has also been commendedfor its unique programs that foster charitable giving byits employees and its emphasis on partnering with thecommunities in which it operates. July 7th, Hilcorp representatives Jill Fisk, Asset TeamLeader, and Justin Furnace, Corporate Manager ofExternal Affairs, visited the Refuge and met withFriends Board members. We explained our role as asupport organization for the Refuge, learned moreabout their company, and discussed possibleopportunities to partner in future projects. According toJustin, their mission statement is "Entrepreneursunlocking energy for the betterment of our employeesand our communities." They were later given a tour of the Refuge andintroduced to Refuge management. We appreciate theirsupport and look forward to working with them. If you'dlike to see more about them, visit the Hilcorp website.
Justin Furnace, Ron Smudy, Jill Fisk, Fred Lanoue
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Donations
San Antonio Bay Foundation The San Antonio Bay Foundation (SABF) has awarded$31,000.00 to the Friends Water for Wildlife Fund! Thefunds will be used to help ensure that whooping cranesand other wildlife have fresh drinking water onMatagorda Island. Funds were made available to the San Antonio BayFoundation pursuant to a settlement agreement withthe Texas General Land Office and Kirby InlandMarine. These funds are Supplemental EnvironmentalProject funds which resulted from the oil spill in theHouston ship channel on March 23, 2014 and madelandfall on Matagorda Island. Although we've had more rain than usual this winterand spring, it is crucial to provide reliable fresh watersources when drier conditions return. The San AntonioBay Foundation recognizes this need. They have nowprovided funding for Water for Wildlife totaling$41,000.00. We are extremely grateful for theircontribution and support.
Dan Alonso, SanAntonio BayFoundation;Gene Corville,San Antonio BayFoundation;FredLanoue,Friends
of Aransas; andBret Beasley,AransasNational Wildlife
Refuge. Rookery Reward Fund In the spring of 2013, a reward fund was established tobe paid out upon arrest & conviction of the person(s)responsible for vandalism to a rookery island in SanAntonio Bay. The fund was never used, and thebalance of $350 has now been donated to ourWhooping Crane Fund. This fund is used for projectsthat directly benefit the cranes. Thank you to theRookery Reward Fund members Penny Hong, SallyMitchell, Patrick Rios, Kevin Sims and Tommy Moorefor helping us help the Whooping Cranes! We have not listed individual donors withoutpermission, but we greatly appreciate everything wereceive. You can contribute to our general fund, orspecify that you want your donation go to a specialpurpose, such as the Whooping Crane or ConnectingKids with Nature Fund. As always, we thank everyone for helping us helpAransas National Wildlife Refuge. Memorial DonationsWe have received Memorial Donations in memory of: Doris WymanAnne McClanahan Our thoughts are with the families and friends of thedeparted. We thank those that honored their memoriesby making donations that will help to preserve habitatand native wildlife for generations to come.
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