Saint Paul Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count will take place on Saturday, December 18, 2021. This year’s count
will be modified to conform to guidelines set by the National Audubon Society for conducting a COVID-19 safe and socially-distanced count.
Supporters say the time is now to restore Pig’s Eye dumpsite, using money from the federal infrastructure bill and the state budget surplus.
ST PAUL, Minn. — When Tom Dimond walks through Pig’s Eye Regional Park, he sees nothing but opportunity, a chance to clean up a legacy landfill and deliver a functioning park to surrounding neighborhoods and the city at large.
It’s known as Pig’s Eye Regional Park, covering 1,300 acres southeast of downtown St. Paul, including Pig’s Eye Lake and adjacent land. But it’s never been fully developed because of the toxic chemicals that were dumped there for decades, between the 1920s and 1970s.
Article in the January 11, 2022 Star Tribune
The St. Paul City Council is asking the state for funds from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the state’s $7 billion budget surplus to help clean up years of pollution near the underutilized Pig’s Eye Lake.
St. Paul Audubon Society Treasurer Kiki Sonnen has visited Pig’s Eye Regional Park since the 1970s. The park is part of a major North America flyway for herons, who nest there and travel up to 30 miles around the region to feed before returning to Pig’s Eye.
Abidas Ash, bird biologist and lead bird bander for the program in Belize, will talk about the current MoSI (Monitoring of Overwintering Survival of Neotropical Migrants) program and how they have been working as a network. She will talk about the current status of each station, providing data on total banded birds, species diversity, and interesting finds so far. In addition, she will talk about the future of the program and bird conservation in Belize.
Abidas Ash is from Belize and grew up learning about sustainable agriculture, permaculture, and conservation from her parents, who have been practicing sustainable farming for 50+ years. She has a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Belize. As an undergrad, she learned about bird conservation and bird monitoring techniques. She worked at a field station for 2 ½ years, where she expanded her skills and knowledge in bird banding. She then joined the University of Belize Environmental Research Institute, where she has been leading the MoSI program for the past six years. She is the lead bird bander for the different MoSI stations and has conducted many training sessions and demonstrations with students and community members.
