Upcoming Events

CVAS Monthly Meeting

This month, Bill Ostrander presents: "My Third New York State Breeding Bird Atlas in Review." The New York Breeding Bird Atlas is a statewide inventory of all the birds breeding in the state. A Breeding Bird Atlas occurs every 20 years in New York. The first Atlas was conducted from 1980 to 1985, the second from 2000-2005 and the third Atlas has been underway since 2020. The detailed survey of breeding birds provides a basis for more informed conservation of birds and their habitats.

Meet at Appleridge (Map), for a lively discussion about birding and a presentation from one of our knowledgeable hosts. A bird identification workshop precedes the program at 7:00 p.m.; the program begins at 7:30p.m. All are welcome to these free events. Appleridge is wheelchair accessible. You can connect on Zoom by sending a request to windingwayhorse@aol.com.

CVAS Field Trip: Northrup Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

Join us for a trip to the Northrup Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. Meet at Sperr Memorial Park, Kahler Road South (south of I-86 Exit 50) at 7:30 AM. We’ll look for neotropic migrants and other early fall migrants.

While on site take time to see the extensive additions to bird-friendly native plant gardens being developed by Mary Jane and Brian Dugan and look in on the progress of the installation of the Motus station.

CVAS Book Club

We hope you will join us for our discussion of Eight Bears: A Mythic Past and an Imperiled Future by Gloria Dickie. Read the book and meet to discuss it in the Conference Room at Appleridge, 168 Miller St., Horseheads.

Weaving together ecology, history, and mythology, Dickie explores the volatile relationship between humans and bears. She delivers a clear warning for what we risk losing if we fail to make room for the eight species of bears that have shaped our cultures, geographies, and stories.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will discuss Night of the Grizzlies by Jack Olsen. In this brilliant account of a sad chapter in America's vanishing frontier, Olsen traces the causes of the tragic events of August 13, 1967 in Montana's Glacier National Park. Human presence in wilderness, along with decreased habitat for bears, had reached a tipping point.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will discuss Conversations with Birds by Priyanka Kumar. In 20 essays, Kumar brings her childhood connections with birds of the Himalayas to life as she navigates the complexities of living and working in Los Angeles. "... seeds of transformation lie dormant in our hearts," she writes. "Sometimes it takes just the right bird to awaken us."

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will discuss Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of the Planet by Ben Goldfarb. Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb travels throughout the U.S. and around the world to investigate how roads have transformed our planet, while at the same time bringing death and disruption to millions of animals. He meets with conservationists, engineers, animal rehabbers, and community organizers to learn how they are creating a better future for all living beings.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will discuss Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille T. Dungy. In her memoir of motherhood, gardening, and environmental justice, Dungy recounts her seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden amid restrictions on what can and cannot be cultivated in her Colorado community. She warns of the perils of homogeneity in our gardens and in our communities, and why diversity always matters.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will discuss The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl. Renkl moves through the seasons, from a crow on New Year's Day to lingering bluebirds in December. She writes of "radiant things that burst forth in the darkest places, in the smallest nooks and deepest cracks of the hidden world." Original artwork is by Billy Renkl.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

Celebrate National Poetry Month! Bring a favorite short nature poem to share.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will discuss Our Little Farm: Adventures in Sustainable Living by Peter and Miriam Wohlleben. The Wohllebens invite readers to their farm, where they describe how to plant and rotate crops, harvest and preserve nature's bounty, and tend to the needs of their animals and environment. They live according to their values as they care for Earth, home, and family.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

CVAS Book Club

We will meet to discuss our next book list.

Directions: Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

Montezuma Audubon Society
The Montezuma Audubon Society has birding and boating events all season long! Visit the Montezuma Audubon website for more information and to register.

Birding Festivals
A great way to enjoy bird watching is by going to festivals—they're organized to get you to great birding spots at a great time of year, and they're a great way to meet people. Experts and locals help you see more birds, and you'll meet other visitors who share your hobby. While you're there, keep an eye out for Cornell Lab representatives, as they do attend several festivals each year. You can find a complete list of birding festivals here.