National Wildlife has announced a grant program for endangered species work, for non-profit projects in the $3,000-$7,000 range. ONHS is applying for funds to continue and expand its northern monkshood project, to be used for propagation, restoring exterminated populations, protecting declining populations, and assisting with molecular genetics work.

No update

No update

The Biodiversity Research Institute has not yet granted any money for 2003-2003 grant applications, supposedly because the money comes from the State's Environmental Protection Fund, which has not been disbursed yet. Regardless, the Institute is already accepting proposals for 2003-2004, which ONHS has submitted.

Dr. Adams reported on the upcoming symposium being planned by the Catskill Institute for the Environment. It will be February 28th, at Hartwick College, and the topic is Sustainability Science. Speakers of national significance will be featured in the morning session, and the afternoon will focus on Catskill region applications of sustainability in community development, watershed protection, forest management, and agricultural practices. One of the national speakers is Dr. Robin O'Malley of the Heinz Center in Washington D.C., who has spearheaded the production of a publication on National Ecosystem Indicators.

Denise Royal, is a post-doc at the Rutgers University Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis. She has been working in conjunction with the US Forest Service for the past five years, while getting her PhD. Her presentation was on monitoring hemlock stand decline due to the hemlock wooly adelgid using remote sensing.

Aaron and Chris will be leading a bald eagle watching trip to Mongaup Falls Reservoir in Sullivan County tomorrow, as part of The Catskill Center's calendar of events. They also reported on a couple of recent snowshoe hikes they went on.

Dr. Adams said that someone reported to Forest Ranger Patty Rudge that they saw a river otter near the Weyside Motel in Big Indian. This is the first report of a river otter in the Esopus system; Dr. Adams thinks it's probably only a matter of time before otters make their way into the system on their own, and thought it might be fun to have an award for the first reliable sighting of otters. Aaron said that he has not encountered any otters in his stream monitoring or education work, but he and Nathan from The Catskill Center did have a unique sighting last summer, on the East Branch Delaware River near Downsville. They watched a very large sea lamprey up close, making a redd in the streambed by picking up and moving rocks with its mouth. Apparently the lampreys are known to move up river attached to Shad, or sometimes just swimming on their own.

Francis said that even though he may have missed getting a photograph of an uncommon Queen Butterfly last summer, he did not miss the opportunity of recently snapping a picture of a partially albino black-capped chickadee that has been frequenting his bird feeder. He said the chickadee has an all-white head, rather than the characteristic black.

Chris passed around a flyer he received announcing an upcoming talk at Rutgers University on the endangered species of northern New Jersey.