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DECEMBER EVENTS - Audubon Society

DATE

EVENT

 LOCATION
     
Wednesday, December 10th

AUDUBON MEETING TO FOCUS ON AVIAN INFLUENZA

 

 

 

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society's December meeting will feature a presentation about avian influenza.

The speaker will be Dr. Mark Abdy, a veterinarian and pathologist who has been researching and tracking avian influenza outbreaks.

The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. December 10 at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center on Shepherd Grade Road, just north of Shepherdstown. Room 105 of the Center's Instructional East Building.

 

The program is free and anyone is welcome to attend.

 

The term avian influenza refers to a wide group of viruses that affect both wild and domesticated birds.

Since the 1990s, most attention has been focused on a particularly deadly strain, H5N1, which can not only devastate commercial poultry flocks but also prove fatal to humans. Concerns are widespread that this strain may evolve into a new, highly virulent virus that could cause a major pandemic.

Among wild birds, waterfowl and shorebirds are most likely to be infected. However, the strains that affect wild birds are not usually virulent, and they are not directly transmissible to humans.

 

For more information contact Peter Smith at 304-876-1139 or pvsmith@frontiernet.net.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization, and is a member of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle and the Combined Federal Campaign.

 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center on Shepherd Grade Road, just north of Shepherdstown. Room 105 of the Center's Instructional East Building.
     
December 14 and January 3

AUDUBON SETS DATES FOR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS

 

 

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society has set December 14 and January 3 as the dates for its annual Eastern Panhandle Christmas Bird Counts.

The December 14 count will focus on Jefferson County. The January 5 count will focus on Berkeley and Morgan counties.

These local-area counts are part of a Christmas Bird Count that has been conducted throughout the western hemisphere every year since 1900 under the auspices of the National Audubon Society.

The purpose is to monitor the status and distribution of early-winter bird populations.

The data collected from this volunteer-based effort have been folded into what is now the longest-running database in ornithology, representing over 100 years of continuous information. This database is used to help spot trends in bird populations, which in turn can help identify shifts in environmental conditions.

Currently, over 50,000 volunteers across the Americas participate in each year's count.

Both experienced and novice birders are welcome to join in this season's Eastern Panhandle counts. Novice volunteers will be teamed with those who have more experience.

To register and/or to obtain more information, contact Nancy Kirschbaum by telephone at 304-876-6881, or by e-mail at nancyk500@comcast.net.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is a member of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle and the Combined Federal Campaign.

 		 The December 14 count will focus on Jefferson County. The January 5 count will focus on Berkeley and Morgan counties.