The Audubon Observer, March 2021
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MANY VOICES FOR CONSERVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Richardson is a proud native of Jacksonville and has a long history of engagement with the local community. Before he joined the City, he worked with the United Way of Northeast Florida and JEA. He was the first African American to become the Chair of the Board for the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, which serves more than 19,000 members in 35 counties across North Florida. He also served as the Founding Board Chair for Groundwork Jacksonville, the organization working to establish the Emerald Trail to connect Jacksonville’s urban core neighborhoods. Richardson has also served as a member of the board of trustees for Jacksonville’s Museum of Science and History (MOSH) and board of directors for the Northeast Florida Region of the U.S. Green Building Council, an organization that offers education and certification programs to encourage environmentally friendly building practices. He currently serves on the board of trustees for the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, board of directors of the Timucuan Parks Foundation and the North Florida Clean Fuels Coalition and is Vice-President of the board of Florida Local Environmental Resource Agencies (FLERA), a statewide organization representing all of the local government environmental programs.
We are grateful for his many years of dedication to the Jacksonville community and for his commitment to protecting and preserving the environment in Northeast Florida. ~ Carol Bailey-White, President VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR LIGHTS OUT NORTHEAST FLORIDA
At this time, we are looking for volunteers to help. Monitoring will occur during the spring and fall migration months (March 15-May 31 and September 15-November 15), and will involve walking an assigned route in downtown Jacksonville once a week in search of dead or injured birds. The walk will start at sunrise and go until the route is complete (about 1½ hours). Dead birds will be reported and photographed; additional details will be provided at the training session. Training will be conducted and all materials needed for the monitoring routes will be provided. However, volunteers will need to use their own cell phone to upload photos as needed to the reporting website. Volunteers are asked to commit to a training session (virtual), do one walk per week for the 8 weeks of migration, and to submit their data. All volunteers must be 18 or older and sign a release of liability. Please complete the online application form if you are interested in helping with the data collection effort. We hope you will join us in helping to save the lives of migratory birds! ~ Carolyn Antman, Conservation Director & LONF Volunteer Coordinator BIRDING NASSAU COUNTY Nassau County ranks in the middle of all counties in Florida for the number of bird species recorded (303) on eBird.org, an online database of bird observations hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Nassau County Bird Club, aka the Amelia Island Bird Club, conducts at least 10 field trips per year with half of them in Nassau County. Here are some great birding sites in Nassau County, courtesy of Bill George, field trip leader for the Nassau County/Amelia Island Bird Club:
In the same area as Fort Clinch two other birding spots should be checked: Main Beach Park and Egans Creek Greenway. Main Beach is strictly beach and ocean surf but in early March scoters, loons, Black Skimmers and gulls are seen. Egans Creek Greenway has diverse habitats of marsh, woods and creek. By the end of March spring migrants such as Painted Buntings, Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Buntings begin to arrive.
A recent site for birding is Crane Island Park. Start at the Bailey Road soccer fields where Loggerhead Shrikes and Killdeer are seen. Continue along the back of the airport and adjacent fields to see Indigo Buntings, Bobolinks, Orchard Orioles and Blue Grosbeaks. The path continues into a wooded area with a boardwalk that extends onto a marsh on the Amelia River. Look behind after getting on the boardwalk to see an active Bald Eagle nest. ~ Bill George, Nassau County Bird Club field trip leader CHARITABLE DONATIONS
We are NOT tax experts by any stretch, and we're not certain whether this provision will apply to your 2021 taxes for next year's filing, but if you donated to charitable organizations last year, you should be able to deduct up to $300 on your 2020 federal income tax return. More information about this special deduction can be found here. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we appreciate all who support us, whether it be through membership, donations, volunteering, or all three! Thank you! UPCOMING ACTIVITIES Here’s what’s happening in March:
IMPORTANT NOTE: Sometimes details of our events may have changed after this newsletter is distributed. An event could potentially have to be cancelled or the location changed. If you plan on attending one of our events, ALWAYS check our Calendar of Events, our Duval Audubon Society Meetup group, or our Facebook page the night before for any updates. We look forward to seeing you soon! Duval Audubon Society, Inc.
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Continuing our series focusing on the contributions of historically under-recognized groups to conservation and environmental sciences, this month we are featuring James A. Richardson, II, who is the Program Administrator for the City of Jacksonville’s 
One of Richardson’s major responsibilities with the JEPB is spearheading the annual 
A site with totally different habitats than those discussed above is 
If you haven't filed your 2020 IRS tax return yet, it may be helpful to note that last year's 
