Bedford Audubon Society

Bedford Audubon Society Awards Scholarship
To Katonah High School Student

At a ceremony at the Katonah Village Library on May 14, 2008, Katonah resident Scott Wieman, a sophomore at Rye Country Day School, will be awarded Bedford Audubon Society’s Marty McGuire scholarship for 2008. Scott was chosen from a list of highly qualified candidates from all over Northern Westchester and Eastern Putnam counties.  He will use the award to attend a weeklong environmental science research camp at Maine Audubon Society’s Hog Island Audubon Center.

Scott has shown a keen interest in the environment, particularly in  ornithology. He has attended the camp at the Hog Island twice and has worked as a volunteer at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado, been a Conservationist in Training at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, attended Vermont Audubon’s High Pond Camp, and also worked at the Rye Nature Center. At Rye Country Day School he is the Vice President of the Environmental Club and is in the middle of a three-year research program, under the mentorship of Andrew Farnsworth of Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology, focusing on wood warblers and specific threats to their migration. Scott has also participated in Bedford Audubon events such as the 2006 Birdathon. He has a lifelist of 570 birds seen (475 in the United States). Scott intends to pursue environmental studies in college.

About the Scholarship

Bedford Audubon Society’s Marty McGuire Scholarship, was established in memory of Marty McGuire of Putnam County, NY, who died in a car accident in August of 2007 at age 25. He was an active and enthusiastic young birder and naturalist, whose every breath was filled with his love of nature.  In awarding the scholarship, preference is given to students who are involved in relevant environmental research and have participated in conservation-minded community service.

Election of Directors
BAS Directors are elected for three-year terms. After two consecutive three-year terms, directors are required to take a one-year leave from the board.

Carol Gracie and Nannette Orr have served one three year term and have been nominated to serve a second term from 2008-2011.

Janet Andersen was appointed to the board after last May’s annual meeting. This vote is to officially vote her in to continue her first term ending in 2010.

All About Bluebirds — and More With Naturalist John Rogers

John’s PowerPoint presentation encompasses the life history of the Eastern Bluebird, nest box management, other birds that nest in bluebird boxes, and more. The theme throughout is nature appreciation. The focus is on bluebirds, but John also shares his passion for the natural world in hopes the audience will absorb some broader and deeper messages.

John Rogers has maintained a trail of hundreds of bluebird nest boxes in central New York for decades, and has fledged over 11,000 Eastern Bluebirds. He is a recognized authority on bluebird conservation, and has done slide programs, field trips, and workshops for hundreds of organizations. John was a cofounder of the New York State Bluebird Society in 1982. He is a recipient of the Bluebird Conservation Award from the North American Bluebird Society, and a past board member of that organization. John holds a BA in Biology from SUNY Oswego.

The program is free and open to the public.