Highlights from the VSO Board
The Virginia Society of Ornithology Board of Directors held its fall meeting on
Saturday, November 3 at VDGIF headquarters in Richmond. In addition to routine
fall business, such as setting the 2013 budget and reviewing officer and
committee reports, the board took a number of actions. First, much discussion
focused on expanding the tools by which the VSO communicates with its members.
Currently, the VSO communicates via the va-bird listserve, a quarterly
newsletter, and Facebook. Our web site (www.virginiabirds.net) provides an
additional means by which individuals can contact the VSO leadership. The board
voted to add a web-based email management service to our repertoire. Members
will soon be able to elect to receive Constant Contact(r) messages containing
news updates, field trip information, and membership renewal notices. Constant
Contact(r) messages can be designed to include photos and links to web sites.
Coordinated by Shirley Devan, our new Membership Secretary, we hope that this
service will increase our engagement with existing members and help to recruit
new ones.
The Board discussed how new editions of the VSO's field checklist and field
trip display board should be handled. Advances in the science of bird
classification are progressing rapidly, and birds' names along with the way
they are listed in field guides and checklists are changing frequently as a
result. The Board concluded that it would update both the field checklist and
the display board used to tabulate bird sightings during field trips on an
annual basis to reflect the American Ornithologists' Union's official
Check-list of North American Birds: http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/index.php
The Conservation Committee, led by Patti Reum, has recently awarded grants to
the Virginia Audubon Council to support a program titled Team Wood Thrush and
to the Blue Ridge Discovery Center to help launch its new Avian Adventures
program. Team Wood Thrush educates Richmond-area school children about the
conservation challenges facing neotropical migrants, with a focus on the Wood
Thrush as a case study species. For more information about Team Wood Thrush,
please see this story (and video!) on the Virginia eBird Portal:
http://ebird.org/content/va/news/team-wood-thrush-challenge-donation Avian ;
Adventures will provide youth with an intensive introduction to the ecology,
behavior, and conservation of the Blue Ridge region's birds. Additionally, the
Center for Conservation Biology requests VSO volunteer help for two of its
citizen science projects: OspreyWatch (http://www.osprey-watch.org) and the
Nightjar Survey Network (http://www.nightjars.org).
The Board approved two new VARCOM (Virginia Avian Records Committee)
appointments: Adam D'Onofrio and Mike Stinson. They have been appointed for
2013-16 terms. Bob Ake has been elected Chair for 2013, and Wendy Ealding,
Secretary.
The VSO has several major events scheduled over the next several months.
* Virginia Beach field trip, Dec. 7-9, 2012. Please see:
http://www.virginiabirds.net/f_trips.html for details.
* Outer Banks field trip, Feb 1-3, 2013. Please look for forthcoming
information in the Winter 2012-13 issue of the VSO Newsletter.
* Spring Board of Directors meeting, March 9, 2013. VDGIF headquarters.
* Annual Meeting, Leesburg, VA, April 26-28. Details and registration
information will be published in upcoming issues of the VSO Newsletter.
* Annual Breeding Bird Foray, Rockbridge County, VA, June 8-16.
* Summer field trip, June (dates and location TBA)
For all these activities, please watch your newsletters, and check the VSO's
web site frequently.
VSO members are invited to attend its March 9 Board of Directors meeting and
provide their valuable input. This is your organization, and the board would
like to hear from you.
If you are a member, we (and Virginia's birds) deeply appreciate your support.
If you're not, the VSO invites you to join our team to study and protect
Virginia's birds and to enjoy the company of others whose interests you share
during our fieldtrips, meetings, and other engagements.
Please feel free to contact me directly by email if you have any immediate
questions or concerns regarding VSO business:
adolby@xxxxxxx<mailto:adolby@xxxxxxx>
Andrew Dolby, VSO President
