march-april 2005 delaware audubon society newsletter

8/9/2019 March-April 2005 Delaware Audubon Society Newsletter

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Vol. XXV1I No.3Special Edition 2005

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERc

DELAWARE AUDUBON SOCIETY, INC.

A State-wide Chapter of National Audubon

D e l a w a r eA u d u b o n Journal2005 DELAWARE AUDUBON CONSERVATION AWARD

R ICHARD AND LORRAINE FLEMING:DELAWARE S DYNAMIC DUO

Richard and Lorraine Fleming are superheroes for the environment. Michael

E. Riska, Executive Director of the Delaware Nature Society, tells the

Delaware Audubon Journal: I do not think there is a greater Dynamic Duo

for the environment in the state of Delaware than the Flemings. The 2005Delaware Audubon Conservation Award is a tribute to their efforts.

PR E S E R V I N G OU R

NA T U R A L ST A T E

DE L A W A R E

AU D U B O N

IT S OUR 29THANNIVERSARY !

ANNUAL MEETING& SILENT AUCTION

The Annual Meeting of theDelaware Audubon Societywill be held on

Sunday, May 1,2005Cokesbury Village726 Loveville RoadHockessin,Delaware

Social hour and Silent Auctionviewing will begin at 3:00 pmin the Atrium of the main building.

Invitations will be sent to all whoreceive theJournal.

SAVE THE DAT E!

LORRAINE FLEMING, continued on page 3RICHARD FLEMING, continued on page 3

Richard Fleming

Richard Fleming says he resolved tobe a chemist when, in the 7th Grade,he discovered that fireworks werereally fun to make. Armed withbooks from the library, he spent histime experimenting in the basement

at home on the south side ofChicago.His attempt to make asmoke screen was successfulalbeitslightly ahead of schedulewhen heaccidentally dropped the bottle onthe concrete floor and smoke

Lorraine Fleming

Lorraine Flemings interest in theoutdoors began when hergrandfather gave her a bird book.Then, in the 7th Grade, a teacher ledLorraine as part of a small group onwildflower walks to view bits and

pieces of remaining prairie in thegreater Chicago area. Impressedupon Lorraine was the importanceof preserving these sites and theirrarities.The course of LorraineFlemings life was decided.


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2Delaware Audubon Society

2004-2005

Officers & Committees

If there are any issues that you think Audubon shouldaddress that you feel strongly about, please writeIssues, P.O. Box 1713, Wilmington, DE 19899, or callthe office at 302-428-3959. Chairpersons can alwaysbe reached through the office answering machine,302-428-3959.

Honorary Chairman of the Board......................... ...............Russell W. Peterson

President ........................... .............Asha IyengarVice President ........................... ...Ann RydgrenSecretary ........................ ................Ellen WrightTreasurer...................... ..................Mark Martell

Conservation Committees:Chairman andEnvironmental Advocate ......Nick DiPasqualeDredging ............................ ............Leslie SavageNest Box Projects .......................... ..Peggy Jahn

Armchair Activists .......................... ..........OpenAdopt-a-Wetland

........................... .....Peggy Jahn,Kathy TidballWhite Clay Creek Adopt-a-Highway

..................................................Dorothy MillerImportant Bird Area Program

....................................................Ann Rydgren

Programs Committee ......................... .....OpenPublicity CommitteeInternet:..................................Fred Breukelmandasmail@delawareaudubon.orgMembership................................................OpenRecords ............................ ............Dave BrannanEducation Committee ................Kathy TidballSocial CommitteeAnnual Dinner ......................Nancy FramptonField Trips Committee ....................Peggy JahnPublications Committee ............Ann Rydgren

Finance CommitteesFundraising:Grants ......................Mark MartellFundraising:Bird Seed Sale

.......................... ........Tom and Tabitha ShueyFundraising: Birdathon

..................Maud Dayton and Ruth HoldenFundraising: Silent Auction..............John KnoxFundraising:Wildlife Sanctuary ..............OpenFundraising:Piping Plover Suite ....Ann Rydgren

Legal ............................Michael J. Scali, Esquire

Directors for service:Until 2005: Until 2006: Until 2007:Peggy Jahn Dorothy Miller John KnoxLeslie Savage Tom Shuey

Fred Breukelman

w WEB SITE

http://www.delawareaudubon.org

w MAILING ADDRESS:

Delaware Audubon Society

P.O. Box 1713

Wilmington, DE 19899

w TELEPHONE:

302-428-3959

w DELAWARE AUDUBON SOCIETY E-MAIL:

[email protected]

We can receive contributions

through your United Way payroll

deduction designation. Our

United Way designation number

is 9017.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

I am pleased to welcome back a longtime friend of theDelaware Audubon Society, Nick DiPasquale, as ourConservation Chair. Nick has joined our Board again after abrief absence. He served the State of Delaware admirably asthe Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources andEnvironmental Control. Nick brings his unique perspectiveand knowledge of the State bureaucracy to our Board and has

already represented Delaware Audubon in several meetings with the mediaand Senator Carper. As our legislators will vote on many hot buttonissues such as BPs proposed LNG facility on the Delaware River, and thepossible purchase of open spaces by the State, we are fortunate to haveNick on our team. He will be a forceful and well-respected advocate forus. Please contact Nick if you can assist him or if you have any questions.

Asha Iyengar

VISIT DELAWARE AUDUBON'S WEBSITE

http://www.delawareaudubon.org.

Sample educational, informative articles and features. Order books and other goodiesfrom the Marketplace. Search the archive of past articles. Visit our photo gallery.

Survey legislative updates and Action Alerts. Email policy makers.

The Audubon Journal is

published bi-monthly by the

Delaware Audubon Society.

Original articles may be

reprinted without permission.

Please give credit to the Delaware Audubon

Journal and the author.

Co-editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ann Rydgren

Co-editor and Contributing Writer:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Leah Christmas

Assistant Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara Roewe

Design & Layout : . . . . . . . . . .Maryellen F. Birk

Printing: . . . . . . . . .Sprint Quality Printing, Inc.

Delaware Audubon Society, incorporated in

1977, is a state- wide chapter of the National

Audubon Society.

INTRODUCTORY MEMBERSHIP OFFER

For $20.00 Receive Membership toNational Audubon Society and Delaware Audubon SocietyJoin NOW and receive a FREE navy blue backpack!

Name ________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________

City _________________________________ State ___________ Zip ___________

Phone ( ) __________________________________________________

Referred By__________________________Date ____________________________

Please make al l checks payable to: Nat ional Audubon SocietySend this application and your check to:

Delaware Audubon Society

P.O. Box 1713, Wilmington, DE 198997XCH

D90

JOIN DELAWARE AUDUBON NOW!


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Calendar

poured from the basement windows.

His enthusiasm carried on into hisstudies at Knox College, where he methis future wife. Due to their similarinterests, one would think they met inscience class, but they didnt. Richardspotted Lorraine when they were bothsinging in the choir and,as hecharmingly puts it,made her myobjective.

Richard was in his senior year at Knoxwhen his father, an accountant,encouraged him to attain an advanceddegree.When Richard approached thedour and imposing head of thedepartment to inquire about pursuing aMasters, the response was a dismissiveCant do it. However, the department

head continued,he would recommendFleming for a Ph.D. program. Flemingapplied to Iowa State, but about thistime he was inducted into the Army, sohis place was held for two years untilhe returned.Upon receiving hisdoctorate, he started looking for a jobin what was a Golden Era for peoplelooking for employment in thechemistry field. Fleming was narrowinghis job prospects when a professor atthe university, also a consultant forDuPont, encouraged him to apply. Inthe course of what would be a longand productive career at DuPont,Richard Fleming authored 20 technicalpublications, half of them on the topicof plastics recycling.He is also namedon six U.S. and foreign patents. Uponretirement, he provided consultingservices for several years until Lorrainegot him involved at the DelawareNature Society.

At the Delaware Nature Society he

was drawn to advocacy, where he hasdevoted countless hours toenvironmental matters.When it comesto complex issues,he is a master atgetting things down to understandableterms, says Mike Riska, DelawareNature Society Executive Director. Healso praises Flemings statesman-likeapproach and his being a consensusbuilder. Riska continues,I am more

After attending Knox College,whereshe met her husband,she went on toreceive a B.S. in Zoology from IowaState and a Master of Education inBiological Science from the Universityof Delaware. She was a Zoologyinstructor at Iowa State and a Teacher-Editor as well as an Adjunct AssistantProfessor at the University ofDelaware Museum Studies Program.She has been affiliated for many yearswith the Delaware Nature Society.Though now retired, she spends manyhours as a Delaware Nature Societyvolunteer and serves on committeesfor advocacy, conservancy, annualgiving, and publications.

Lorraine Fleming is well known as theauthor ofDelawares Outstanding Natural

Areas, published in 1978 by what wasthen the Delaware Nature EducationSociety.When the book was beingwritten, she says, many sensed thedevelopment boom in Delawaresfuture.It was easy to see that thedevelopment was coming,but whatwas not expected was such explosivegrowth.Much of our wetlands borderactive farms, and we realize thatwhatever the impact of agriculture, theimpact of development is greater.Asyears have gone by, some things haveimproved; but there has also beendegradation of our water, air, and soon.All of our areas have tended todegrade, and particularly our uplandforests have been the victims for thelast two decades from constantwhittling away. Fragmentation is takinga terrible toll in Delaware.These areascannot exist as islands.We need to re-connect the fragmentsfarmsconnecting to natural areas.That is ourlast hope, in my opinion.

Habitats and conservation were againFlemings topics when she co-authored

Birds of Delaware. She also had themanagerial tasks of assembling thissignificant reference work.Finding apublisher was also my job, she says.Adaunting responsibility, but to Fleming awelcome one.I found out very early inmy career that I really like producing a

LORRAINE FLEMING, continued from page 1RICHARD FLEMING, continued from page 1

LORRAINE FLEMING, continued on page 4RICHARD FLEMING, continued on page 4

MARCH

6 Sunday 7:30 AMDelmarva Ornithological

Society, Bombay HookNational Wildlife Refuge. Meet

at Refuge Headquarters.Beginners trip to look for

local waterfowl. IreneGoverts. Half day.

10 Thursday 7:00 PMPrime Hook National Wildlife

Refuge Lecture Series: AnEvening at the Hook,

Galapagos Islands,Bill Fintel, Naturalist. Meet inthe Refuge Auditorium. For

information contact William J.Jones 302-684-8419

12 Saturday 6:30 AMDelmarva OrnithologicalSociety, Thousand Acre Marsh.Look for waterfowl and early

migrants. Meet at VeteransPark, Delaware City. Half day.

John Janowski, 302-834-9710.

19 Saturday 8:00 AMDelmarva OrnithologicalSociety, Gulls. Meet at Fox

Point State Park. Please call

Mike Smith 302-478-5918 forinformation. Half day.

19 Saturday 8:00 AMPrime Hook National WildlifeRefuge, Harbingers of Spring.

Meet at Refuge HQ.For information contact

William J. Jones302-684-8419. Half day.

APRIL

9 Saturday 8:00 AMPrime Hook National WildlifeRefuge, Early ReturningSongsters. Meet at Refuge HQ.For information: William J.

Jones 302-684-8419. Half day.

23 Saturday 8:30 AMAdopt-A-Highway Pick-up onCreek Rd. Meet at Hopkins

Road Visitor Center.Dorothy Miller 302-366-8059


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Delaware Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 1713

Wilmington, DE 19899

4

LORRAINE FLEMING, continued from page 3

RICHARD FLEMING, continued from page 3

impressed by his leadership and hismanagement style, not just hisknowledge; by his ability to work withpeople and get everyone on boardwith an issue.

Getting to this point was not easy,Fleming admits.Environmentalists casta jaundiced eye at people in thechemical industry and dont trustindustry types. Eventually, he wonthem over.I was viewed withsuspicion by a lot of people when Iwent to these meetings, but I began tobe accepted by various influentialpeople in Delawares environmentalcommunity. He began to establish his

credibility and thus was accepted bymany peoplebut not allassomeone who could represent theconservation movement, as someonewho understands their concerns andshares their vision. Richard Flemingsays he comes at issues in an evenand balanced way. He is admired forhis science-based approach in lookingfor solutions.

Richard Fleming has come a long waysince those early chemistry

productsomething that can be held

in the hand. She is also intenselyinterested in land preservation.Thesetwo things, Lorraine Fleming says, arethe most personally satisfying: Herland preservation efforts and herpublications credits.

I think of myself more as a person tostart projects. I am not a good personto pick up on something thatsomeone else has started and expandupon it. I like to initiate projects. Withsuch an entrepreneurial attitude, she

experiments in a Chicago basement.After 33 years at DuPont, I was ableto say, That was really fun;but I wasnot willing to give it up; so I consultedon technical issues; but I was still not

willing to give it up; so Lorraine got meinto the environmental area. RichardFleming considers himself born intohis interest and has had the goodfortune to pursue it since I was 12years old. I have had a very enjoyabletime with technology.

s

keeps very busy at Delaware NatureSociety even in her retirement.

Lorraine has shepherded all theDelaware Nature Society publications.

She has numerous titles to her credit,in a direct or indirect capacity, includingher work as project manager for

Amphibians and Reptiles of Delmarva ,editor-manager for Wildflowers ofDelaware and the Eastern Shore, and againin that role for Butterflies of Delmarva.

Books are powerful tools. DorothyMiller, a longtime defender of WhiteClay Creek, one of the sites in

Delawares Outstanding Natural Areas,was

asked by theJournalwhether she felt itsappearance in the book helped raiseawareness.Miller exclaimed,Every timeWhite Clay gets into print, it helps raiseawareness! All publicity is appreciated!Miller is sensitive to the cause and hasworked with Fleming in the area ofopen-space and farmland preservation;and the more the word gets out, thebetter the chances for success.

Lorraine is always willing to help.s

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