PVBC Meeting Minutes: October 2, 2024
Club President, Myrlene Staten, opened the meeting promptly at 7:00 p.m. with 23 people in attendance.
President’s Introductory Comments
Myrlene announced the PVBC Fundraiser with Wild Birds Unlimited on October 19th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Charlottesville Wild Birds Unlimited is located at 810 Twentyninth Place Court, Charlottesville, VA 22901. 50% of all sales will be donated to the Club. Members will be on hand to talk to customers about birding, the Piedmont Virginia Bird Club and the Club’s service to the community.
Please wait until October 19 to buy your bird seed from Wild Birds Unlimited in Charlottesville! Encourage others to do the same and feel free to advertise this fundraiser.
Myrlene then had attendees share interesting recent bird sightings. Folks reported still seeing hummingbirds occasionally at their feeders.
Scott Connuck, Membership Chair, provided an update. The Club now has 217 active members. Dues help fund meetings, educational programs and birding kits.
Upcoming Field Trips and Events
An update was provided regarding upcoming field trips at the following locations:
Saturday, October 5th, at 7:30 a.m., First Saturday Bird Walk at Ivy Creek Natural Area
Saturday, October 19th, at 9:00 a.m., Nature for All Bird Walk, at Riverview Park
Saturday, October 26th, at 8:30 a.m., Quarry Gardens at Schuyler.
Saturday, November 9th, at 8:00 a.m., Bellair Farm (joint field trip with Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO))
Saturday, November 16th, at 8:00 a.m., Panorama Natural Burial
Featured Presentation (Recording Available)
Scott Connuck introduced our speaker, Jessica Roberts, with Wild Virginia, who is presenting about its Habitat Connectivity Program and specifically about Connecting Virginian Habitats for Resilient Communities and Ecosystems.
This talk described the work of Wild Virginia’s Habitat Connectivity Program, which works to enhance ecological connectivity through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Virginia is top ten in the nation for wildlife-vehicle conflict and is in desperate need of wildlife road crossings and protected habitat corridors. As the creator and manager of Virginia’s Habitat Connectivity Hub and co-leader of the Virginia Safe Wildlife Corridors Collaborative, Jessica works to make connectivity information accessible to everyone. She also works to bridge gaps between policy and practice by engaging communities, legislators, and diverse stakeholders—including other nonprofits, Tribes, and governmental agencies—to push for crossing and corridor legislation and organizing local connectivity projects. Wild Virginia’s efforts drive impactful conservation actions that promote safer roads, facilitate wildlife movement, and bolster climate resilience across Virginia.
Adjourn – next meeting November 6, 2024, at 7 p.m., at Ivy Creek Natural Area Education Building. Our speaker will be Jenny Gaden, presenting about the area Christmas Bird Count.
