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.
Upcoming Programs
The Birds and Plants of the Columbia Basin Shrub-steppe. Andy Stepniewski
Thursday, October 24. 7:00-8:30 PM. Yakima Area Arboretum, 1401 Arboretum Drive, Yakima. This program is only in person. It will not be recorded.
This program takes you into Yakima’s backyard. It will introduce you to the plants and birds of the shrub-steppe ecosystem, much loved by many hikers when in its glorious springtime bloom. But, there is much more to the shrub-steppe than its wildflower show. This vegetation zone has evolved in the semi-arid Columbia Basin of eastern Washington. It is actually an ecosystem boasting a surprising mosaic of plant communities. Many are dominated by various species of sagebrush, though some have nary a sage plant in sight. These communities are based on various differences in physical characteristics such as precipitation, slope and aspect, and soil depth. Each of these quite distinct communities hosts a unique assemblage of birds and other wildlife. For example, you will find Horned Larks prefer the more barren sites, often with rocky or thin soils. The threatened Sagebrush Sparrow likes some bare ground to forage in. Others such as Sage Thrashers, Brewer’s Sparrows and the endangered Greater Sage-Grouse depend on high quality native bunchgrasses mixed in with the sagebrush.
The shrub-steppe is an endangered ecosystem as over 60% of the original landscape in Washington has been converted to various forms of agriculture and much of the remaining habitats are often degraded by invasive weeds. So, in this program I will also touch on the daunting conservation issues facing this landscape.
Andy and Ellen love the shrub-steppe and have shared their passion for this landscape for over 20 years with classes, especially with various Audubon chapters across the state.
Lithosol mosaic on Cowiche Mountain, photo: Ellen Stepniewski
Bitterbrush and Buckwheats on snow Mountain, photo: Ellen Stepniewski
Sage Thrasher on Big Sagebrush, photo: Ellen Stepniewski
Previous Program
An eastern Washington native, Eric Heisey is a contract biologist and photographer who specializes in working with birds, increasingly in the world’s tropics. In fall 2023, Eric spent three months working in Peru, collaborating with a local NGO to survey the birds of a dynamic, human-impacted landscape in the Amazon rainforest. After his work in Peru, Eric ventured to Kenya to visit a bird-watching friend and explore the fantastic country. Over the course of this incredible four month adventure, Eric observed almost 1,200 species of birds, watched lions herd zebras into a flooded river, saw the coolest frog on the planet, took part in two excellent Big Day efforts, and deepened his knowledge and perspective of tropical conservation considerably. In this talk, Eric presents his photography, stories, and lessons learned from living in some of the world’s most fascinating environments.
More 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.
2024
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
You can now watch our monthly program whenever it is convenient for you! Programs are available in real time (so you can ask questions) or as recordings from a link on our website.
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.