This month, the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society is holding a special Member's Night instead of our regualr guest lectures. Join us to hear stories, poems, see photos, or learn a bit about some research from your fellow ORAS members as we open the floor up to hear from one another. This evening should provide lots of laughs, and will create a wonderful opportunity to appreciate how diverse the talents are right within ORAS. We will meet at Sandy Creek Nature Center, February 1 from 7:00 to 9:00. Please join us!

Want to present at this meeting? Please sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14QbkP3hu7cKj-ln-eHrqSfmhhtmZiYBQ...

Oconee Rivers Audubon Society is hosting Shan Cammack, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Georgia DNR) fire safety officer, for a talk on "The Important Role of Fire in Conservation Efforts." Cammack will discuss fire management in a changing climate, prescribed fire management, and some of the bigger picture issues and research questions to consider in ecological burning. Cammack has enjoyed a twenty- year career with the Georgia DNR. She currently serves as the Fire Safety Officer for the Nongame Conservation Section and Georgia DNR representative for the Interagency Burn Team and Georgia Prescribed Fire Council. Shan is an engaging speaker, and because fire plays an important role in creating and maintaining habitat for birds, this talk should be a great one! Please join us!

The meeting will take place on Thursday, January 4 at 7pm at Sandy Creek Nature Center.

The Role of Botanic Gardens and Partnership in Plant Conservation in the Changing Landscape of the Southeastern United States of America 

Lecture by Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, Ph.D., director of the State Botanical Garden.

Note: This meeting will be held in the Gardenside Room at the State Botatnical Garden (downstairs from the visitor center atrium) on December 7th. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 6:15pm for snacks and socializing, and then the speaker will begin at 7pm. 

Falling in Love with Grasslands: Paintings from Prairie to Páramo

Artist lecture by Philip Juras, BFA ’90, MLA ‘97

Please join us for a pre-lecture reception at 6:15 pm on November 2nd, in the main auditorium at the Odum School of Ecology for this event. The lecture will begin 7pm.

ATHENS – Local amateur photographer and photography instructor will discuss the American Crow – a controversial backyard bird, at the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society’s next monthly meeting.

Chuck Murphy, local amateur photographer and photography course instructor, will discuss the fascinating natural history of the American Crow when the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society holds its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 5th, at Sandy Creek Nature Center.

ATHENS – Director of the Stoddard Bird Lab at Tall Timbers Research Station will discuss Sex in the Sitta – the intriguing lives of Brown-headed Nuthatches at the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society's next monthly meeting.

Our Potluck Picnic begins at 6:00 p.m. at Memorial Park in picnic shelter number 1 on Thursday, June 1.

ATHENS – Invasive plant specialist will discuss control measures and ecological impacts of non-native plant infestations on natural plant communities and wildlife at the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society’s next monthly meeting.

Gary Crider, invasive plant specialist and local weed warrior, will discuss various facets of non-native plant infestations: impacts on native communities, identification tips, and outline control measures for particularly pesky non-native flora when the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society holds its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Sandy Creek Nature Center.

Invasive plants disrupt ecological functions and reduce biodiversity. Homeowners and other citizens can play a critical role in helping prevent the introduction and spread of invasive plant species. With effective tools, techniques, and good management strategies, groups and individuals can have a real impact on the problem of invasive plants. Crider will outline how you can reduce non-natives on your property and more, which may lead to more biodiversity in your own backyard.

Regrettably, due to heavy t-storms predicted around 8am, today's bird walk at the State Botanical Garden is canceled.

ATHENS – PhD candidate at The Odum School of Ecology, at The University of Georgia, will discuss supplemental feeding and infectious diseases in wildlife at the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society’s next monthly meeting.

Daniel Becker, a Ph.D. candidate at the Odum School of Ecology, has been studying the complexities of supplemental feeding and wildlife health since 2012. Becker will be speaking on how supplemental feeding can impact disease dynamics in wildlife, which species are at higher risk for disease transmission as a result of supplemental feeding, and how to reduce pathogen spread when providing supplemental feed to wildlife. Many human activities intentionally or accidentally provide wildlife with abundance and accessible food resources, ranging from bird feeders and tourist handouts to landfills and agricultural fields. Changes to wildlife behavior and physiology can in turn have complex effects on the spread of pathogens, some of which can have harmful effects on wildlife and human health.