Programs
Yakima Valley Audubon Society provides programs for the benefit of members and the public at the Yakima Area Arboretum. Program topics, dates and times are announced in the newsletter, Calliope Crier, and on our website.
October Program
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 7:00 pm. Yakima Area Arboretum
Andy and Ellen Stepniewski
A Month in Western Canada: From the Prairies to the Arctic—Sampling an Incredible Mosaic of Habitats
In May and June, Andy and Ellen Stepniewski journeyed north into Canada, exploring an extraordinary array of landscapes and biomes. Beginning in the vast prairies of southern Alberta, they traveled northward into the continent-spanning Boreal Forest. Continuing along the Alaska Highway through British Columbia and the Yukon, they explored the fabulous 550-mile Dempster Highway, a ribbon of gravel winding through one of North America’s largest wilderness areas.
Their journey continued to the Northwest Territories and the frozen Arctic Ocean. From there, they headed south along the more coastal Stewart-Cassiar Highway to Prince Rupert, where they boarded an overnight ferry across Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.
On the journey home from Prince Rupert, Andy and Ellen traveled through British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, adding a final major collection of species in Canada’s “pocket desert”—a northern extension of the shrub-steppe habitat found around Yakima.
This presentation will highlight the remarkable mosaic of ecosystems they encountered, along with some of the key birds, mammals, and other organisms they observed during this memorable natural-history journey through western Canada.
About the Presenters
Andy and Ellen Stepniewski are lifelong naturalists with a deep appreciation for birds, wildlife, and the natural world. They enjoy exploring new landscapes and sharing their experiences and discoveries with others. Their month-long journey through western Canada offered an extraordinary opportunity to experience the region’s diverse habitats and wildlife—and the warm welcome of its people.
Roadside Black Spruce bog. Photo: Ellen Stepniewski.
Willow Ptarmigan. Photo: Ellen Stepniewski.
Alpine Tundra. Photo: Ellen Stepniewski.
Sandstone Ranch with Rockies in the background. Photo: Ellen Stepniewski.
Upcoming Programs
Dec 3, 2026
Tom Kogut
Svalbard: In Search of Arctic Wildlife
Jan 28, 2027 (Zoom only)
Glen Mendel – Badgers in Washington: What is Known/Not Known and Why it Matters
Feb 25, 2027 (Zoom only)
Bryony Angell – Birding for Her: A Decade of Perspective Writing About Women in World Wide Birding
March 25, 2027
Seth Hulett
Conservation Ranching
April 22, 2027
TBD
May 27, 2027
TBD
Past Program
Steve Dougill
How to Count 4 Million Birds: Veracruz and its River of Raptors
North America hosts the largest raptor migration in the world each fall in Veracruz, Mexico. But it’s a lot more than just the birds of prey; there are millions of migrating songbirds and storks and pelicans and anhinga … and clouds of dragonflies and colorful butterflies. It’s also a compelling story of the biologists who grew up in the small rural communities, and the non-profit that runs the counts and education programs, forges conservation partnerships with local landowners and hosts several MOTUS towers. Steve was lucky enough to work in Veracruz for a season and will tell that story and explain how to count millions of migrating raptors.
Steve Dougill grew up birding as a young kid in the UK and has been keen on wildlife and conservation ever since. He has worked in many different wildlife positions around the world in both paid and volunteer positions. He now splits his time between getting paid to work with endangered birds in Southern Nevada in the summer and leading bird tours for part of the winter. In between his work, Steve resides in eastern Washington close to the Idaho State border.
Steve is very energized to share birds and their conservation with others. He has been president of a local Audubon group in Oregon and has headed up some fun citizen science projects. He guides bird tours, loves birding with an energetic group, and loves supporting the local guides and non-profits he partners with. More information can be found on his website.
(left) Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, photo: Steve Dougill. (right) Swainson’s Hawks, photo: Steve Dougill.
Recorded Programs
The following programs and videos can be found here: YVAS Facebook page. At the top of the Facebook page, click on “More.” A drop down menu will appear. Click on Videos.
2026
September 2026 – Steve Dougill. How to Count 4 Million Birds: Veracruz and its River of Raptors. Watch the recording here. Enter the passcode, 7q@Fj12U
2025
January 23, 2025 – Exploring Madagascar’s Otherwordly Wildlife – Jason Fedorra
2024
March 28, 2024 – Whose Track is That? Exploring for Wildlife Sign – Deborah K. Essman
April 25, 2024 – Tropical Wildlife and Conservation, Peru and Kenya – Eric Heisey
2023
October 26, 2023 –Bluebird Country – Karen Zook
August 24, 2023 – Travels in Africa – Deborah Essman
May 25 , 2023 – Nutcrackers and Whitebark Pine – Taza Schaming
March 23, 2023 – Wild America 2022 – Andy Stepniewski
February 23, 2023 – Woodpeckers 2 – Denny Granstrand
January 26, 2023 – Madagascar – Eric Heisey
2022
December 8, 2022 – Forests and People – Ken Bevis
October 27, 2022 – Tahoma’s Biggest Stories – Jeff Antonelis-Lapp
September 22, 2022 – White-headed Woodpeckers – 20 years of Research in WA – Jeff Kozma
August 25 ,2022 – The Secret Life of the Deserts of the Pacific NW – Mike Denny
May 26, 2022 – Yakima Valley Audubon’s Vredenburgh Bluebird Trail Marks its 40th Year! – Andy Stepniewski
March 24, 2022 – Bird’s Eye View – Gina Roberti
February 24, 2022 – Westport Seabirds – Bill Tweit
2021
December 2, 2021 – Australia – Dennis Paulson and Netta Smith
October 28, 2021 – Special Birds of Mount Rainier – Jeff Antonelis-Lapp
September 23, 2021 – Birding Guatemala’s Highlands – Jason Fidorra
August 26, 2021 – My Woodpecker Big Year – Denny Granstrand
May 27, 2021 – Shrubsteppe Conservation – YVAS
April 22, 2021 – Condors in the Greater Northwest – Jack Nesbit
March 25, 2021 – Our Backyard Bumbles: An Introduction to Washington’s Bumblebees – David Jennings
January 28, 2021 – Cottonwood – Rivers and Reproduction – Katrina Strahmann
2020
December 3, 2020 – Charles Bergman – Every Pengiuin in the World – A Quest to See Them All
October 29, 2020 – Crows: Clever, Curious, and Charismatic with Loma Pendergraft
September 24, 2020 – Biology and Conservation of Washington Butterfliest with Dr. David James
Zoom Program Viewing Tips
When meetings include watching via Zoom, follow these directions.
To view the live presentation on your laptop, tablet, or smart phone, simply click on this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85751241932?pwd=K0lseGlvbng4WGlKN3NaeEdaL2VTQT09 about five minutes for before the program is scheduled to begin (6:55 PM). The host will let you into the meeting shortly. If this is your first Zoom meeting, you may be asked to download the Zoom viewing app, (this does not require you to have your own Zoom account). Be sure to answer ‘yes’ to the questions about joining with video and audio so you can see and hear the presentation. For your personal privacy, your own device’s camera is automatically in the off mode when you join the meeting—please mute your microphone.
Please hold questions until the end of the presentation. You may unmute and turn on your video or use the chat function and the host will read the question for you. For Zoom issues during the meeting, please use the Chat button to alert the host.
Links to the recorded programs will be provided on the website a few days following the program.
Yakima Audubon is committed to bringing you information about our natural world. Please let us know at info@yakimaaudubon.org what you think and what we can do to improve this experience for you.