Year of the Bird

Please visit our Year of the Bird section to read an introduction from Mary Anne Perks and to find more information about activities and actions you can do to make this the best year ever! But first, check out some pictures from this year's I Love My Park Day, below.

They were busier than bees and as chattery as a garden full of goldfinches. On the first Saturday in May, scores of volunteers flocked to Mark Twain State Park in Horseheads to celebrate spring and participate in the seventh annual I Love My Park Day. The statewide event is coordinated jointly by Parks & Trails New York and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Thanks to a generous grant from National Audubon Society’s Coleman and Susan Burke Center for Native Plants, Chemung Valley Audubon Society purchased native plants to enhance the beauty of the park and provide habitat for native birds, butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. Volunteers created a pollinator garden and sowed a milkweed patch, pulled invasive honeysuckle and autumn olive, and planted understory trees and shrubs that will attract birds with their late-season berries.

Bouquets of thanks go to:

Don't forget to check out our photo gallery from this event!

More Info

If you've ever had the pleasure of exploring our Northrup Hill or Gleason Sanctuaries, you may know that the Chemung Valley Audubon Society has a cabin in the Gleason Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Caton, NY, that has been used by the club for events over the years. The Ondura roof, installed over thirty years ago, was deteriorating, thereby allowing water to enter and damage the interior structure.

Recognizing the seriousness of this problem, the CVAS Board of Directors hired RJ Construction of Woodhull, NY, to re-roof the cabin with a 40-year-warranty metal roof. A green roof color was selected to blend in with the forest environment of the sanctuary. The roofing work was initiated on Wednesday, March 28, 2018, and completed on Saturday, March 31, 2018.

Once the old roofing material was removed, an inspection of the main structure found it to be in excellent condition. As part of the new roof, translucent panels were placed strategically in the roof, allowing sunlight to penetrate into the cabin and brighten up the room. The construction went very well, and CVAS members are very pleased with the work. It looks great!

The Board of Directors recognized that this project requires a substantial outlay of funds, but agreed the work is needed to protect the club's asset. The club would gratefully accept any donation to help assist with the funding of this project.

Visit our Gleason Sanctuary page to see the photo album highlighting the progression of work on the roof project. For the next phase of cabin improvements, club members will volunteer their time to repair the water-damaged interior sections of the cabin. Once completed, hopefully by this summer, the Audubon Chapter members can again utilize this facility and events can be planned.

Do stop up to Gleason for a nice spring walk on our trails and see the nice new green roof on our cabin!

  Donate Now

Northrup Hill Wildlife Audubon Sanctuary

In 2016, volunteers donated over 500 hours of their time for the restoration of our Northrup Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Rathbone, Steuben County.

Gleason Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

Our 30-acre preserve in the Town of Caton, NY, beckons to all nature-lovers with its dozens of tree species and hundreds of animal and flower species.

CVAS Annual Meeting & Election of Officers

Please join us on Thursday, June 21, 2018, at 6:30pm for our annual meeting and election of officers, a dish-to-pass picnic and birding event at Sperr Memorial Park. We will be in the pavilion and ask that you bring your own table service and a dish to pass. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and beverages will be provided. Bring binoculars to bird from the pavilion and/or on the trails. From Rte 17 (I-86), take the Kahler Road Exit. If coming from the west, turn right onto Kahler Road. If coming from the east, turn left onto Kahler Road. Just south of I-86, turn right into the parking lot.

Community Programs

Our free, family-friendly Nature Strollers program runs from May to December, and we hope you'll join us for this and our other popular programs throughout the year, including:

Bird Sleuth | A lively program for school-aged children that teaches key concepts, including diversity, adaptations, food webs, and more, through hands-on learning.

CVAS Book Club | The CVAS book club meets on Thursdays. For meeting information and a list of the books we'll be reading, please click here.

National Audubon Society

Chemung Valley Audubon Society is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. The NAS is an invaluable resource for any Audubon enthusiast.

Native Plants for Your Home and Garden

Bring birds and pollinators to your home today by growing native plants. Find the best plants for the pollinators and birds for your yard. Growing bird-friendly plants will attract and protect the birds you love while making your space beautiful, easy to care for, and better for the environment. Explore native plant resources here.

DEC Launches I Bird NY

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched I BIRD NY, an initiative to build on increasing access to the state's vast natural resources and promote low-cost opportunities to explore the great outdoors and connect with nature. The program launch took place at the Utica Marsh Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Oneida County...

10 Things You Can Do for Birds

While any time of year is a good time to do something for the birds, it's finally spring, and therefore it's a great time to plant a garden, share your passion for birds with your family and friends, and make a difference for birds here, there, and everywhere. Visit Audubon and read about 10 Things You Can Do for Birds.

Lyme Disease

It's here, and it's spreading! Awareness and knowledge will take you far in avoiding ticks and Lyme Disease during your nature exploration.