Greetings to Members and Friends,

There are several (four!) news items to share with you today.

First, for those who are looking forward to attending Warbler Weekend this year, you can now register and pay online. Visit the event calendar for details and the registration form.  The April/May issue of the Cardinal will also have a registration form that you can cut out and mail in with a check, if you prefer.  The registration deadline is April 20 and attendance is limited to 150 people so sign up now to ensure your spot!

The next item is a request from the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis for St. Paul-vicinity volunteers.  The Minneapolis chapter is monitoring bird collisions at the Minnesota Senate Building, now through June 1.  Volunteers are being enlisted to help by walking around the building before 9:00 a.m. and reporting any dead birds. If you can help, please contact Jerry Bahls at jobaud@comcast.net or call him at 763-355-8726. The American Bird Conservancy has more information on bird collisions at https://abcbirds.org/glass-collisions/.

Next, is a business matter to bring to your attention.  As required in our by-laws, the proposed St. Paul Audubon Society budget for the coming fiscal year must be available for members to review and comment on for 30 days beginning April 1. The proposed budget was approved by the board at the March 7 meeting and you will find it here.

And last but certainly not least, the board would like to encourage nominations for new board members.  The annual election will take place in May, as usual, and all of the Officer positions (President, Vice President, Vice President for Communications, Secretary, and Treasurer), and two Director positions, are open for nominations.  In addition, there is room on the board for two more Directors. Board members initiate and lead many interesting projects in the areas of conservation, education, advocacy and outreach so it’s a great way to make a difference for birds! If you are interested or would like to nominate someone else, please contact Donn Waage, president, at donnw@yahoo.com.

That’s it for now, but watch for an exciting lineup of new bird walks and field trips being announced in the next issue of the Cardinal, coming out around April 1.

Happy Birding!

Martha Douglas
Vice President for Communications
Saint Paul Audubon Society