THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! By Ed Barrios, Volunteer Coordinator

Transcription

1 May 2014 ATTACHMENT: MIGRATION CELEBRATION CONTENTS Page 1 Thank You! Thank You! Page 2 MC 2014 Sets Attendance Records Page 3 Volunteers Staff MC-2014 Events! Page 5 Photo Contest Art Gallery Exhibit Page 6 Meet the Committee Ed Barrios Ed has been the Migration Celebration Volunteer Coordinator for as long as anyone can remember. Ed is a member of the Class of 2004 and serves the TMN-COT Chapter as State Representative. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! By Ed Barrios, Volunteer Coordinator Well, once again we had a good great Migration Celebration event. It would not have been possible without all of you volunteers! Not only did we have a great event we had a record-breaking event. Marty Cornell has been analyzing the data for Here are the results: Kickoff Dinner: 221 attendees a record! Saturday: 1,084 attendees 17 below the 2011 record. Sunday: 661 attendees another record!. Total three-days: 1,966 another record! We strive to make this a better event each year for the public and for the volunteers. So please send me any feedback you have both positive and improvement comments. The planning committee reviews every one of your feedback s. I know many of you were tired after this event, including myself, but it was also rewarding with all the compliments we get from the visitors. Also it is such a joy to see the wonder on the faces of so many children and adults. Thank you on behalf of the Migration Celebration Planning Committee. Ed Barrios Migration Celebration Volunteer Coordinator President Friends of the Brazoria Wildlife Refuges barrios@refugefriends.org For more photos of Migration Celebration 2014, see Attachment A or go to Texas Master Naturalist Program Cradle of Texas Chapter Chapter News May 2014

2 2 Chapter News May 2014 Attachment 2 Migration Celebration 2014 Sets Attendance Records By Peggy Romfh, Vice President The 2014 Migration Celebration (MC) concluded on a positive note with record attendance, good weather, great volunteers and lots of satisfied families. From the lines that started early in the morning to go on marsh-buggy rides to bird banding, fishing, the raptor shows, butterfly tent, photo contest, and countless other events, the nature weekend was a huge success. Attendance numbers for the event were compiled by Marty Cornell using survey data recorded by Becky McClendon. These data showed 221 people at kick-off dinner (a record) 1,084 people Saturday at MC (17 below record set in 2011) 661 people Sunday at MC (a record) 1,966 total attendance all three days (a record) TMN-COT volunteers play a key role in all the MC event days, from baking Kahlua chocolate cake or roasting meat for the dinner to parking cars, driving vans, staffing event stations, and set-up and take-down from Friday Monday of MC. Over 250 volunteers helped from Friday to Sunday. The numbers are slightly lower than in 2013 when the MC event hours were longer. KICK-OFF DINNER Cooking and Serving SET-UP AT SAN BERNARD NWR Set-up Per Marty, a survey of participants showed that the whole repertoire of outdoor activities, especially for children, seems to be the big attraction of MC. In 2014, the biggest reason people like MC is to enjoy nature and have fun! I would like to think the variety of nature encounters that Migration Celebration offers to kids and their families is the reason we are successful. Birds of Prey Shows and Marsh Buggies are the biggest attractions but how do you measure the impact of the first time to touch a reptile, shoot a bow and arrow, cast a fishing rod, sweep for bugs, touch an animal pelt or skull, see alligators and birds in the wild, have butterflies land on your hand, view the micro-world with a microscope, and kayak the creek. Hopefully, we ignite a lifetime of interest in the natural world. David Plunkett, Chairman, Migration Celebration Texas Master Naturalist Program Cradle of Texas Chapter News May 2014

3 3 Chapter News May 2014 Attachment 3 Volunteers from TMN-COT, Refuge Friends, and Other Groups Staff Migration Celebration Events Volunteer Sign-in Information Center Bowhunting Birds of Prey Program Butterfly Encounter Bug Sweeping Fish Casting Fish Prints Photo Contest Reptiles Van Driving Texas Master Naturalist Program Cradle of Texas Chapter News May 2014

4 4 Chapter News May 2014 Attachment 4 Volunteers from TMN, Refuge Friends, and Youth Groups Staff Migration Celebration Events (continued) Touch Tank Marsh Buggy Bird Banding Bake Sale Face Painting Photos Kids Choice Microscopes Reptiles Art Table Photo credits: Neal McLain, Dick Schaffhausen, Pete Romfh A note to ponder: the future naturalists of Brazoria County may have attended Migration Celebration in 2014! More MC-2014 photos: Texas Master Naturalist Program Cradle of Texas Chapter News May 2014

5 5 Chapter News May 2014 Attachment 5 PHOTO CONTEST ART GALLERY EXHIBIT Coming Up: Photo Contest Exhibit A Focus on Nature III: The Art of Photography Art Gallery Center for the Arts and Sciences April 29 June 1, 2014 Opening Reception May 3-7:00 PM Sponsored by Phillips 66 Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences 400 College Drive Clute, TX Map: Use Entrance C from College Drive Sarah Heller This exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Sarah Heller. Sarah was a long-time member of the Art League and an energetic supporter of Migration Celebration. Sarah served as a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges and was a member of the Migration Celebration Committee. She served as Migration Celebration Publicity coordinator in BEST IN SHOW Fighting Side of Me by Jackie Reid Photo taken in Ecuador PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER Free Flight by Mary Lou Reid KID S CHOICE WINNER. Hoot by Johny Mahler Texas Master Naturalist Program Cradle of Texas Chapter Chapter News May 2014

6 6 Chapter News May 2014 Attachment 6 MEET THE COMMITTEE Migration Celebration is produced by the following organizations: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Texas Mid-Coast National Refuge Complex. TMCNWRC is a unit of the USFWS Southwest Region 2. It administers the following properties in Brazoria and Matagorda Counties: Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge; Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge. Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges. FOBWR is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the wildlife refuges. FOBWR raises funding through donations, grants, and gifts to help fund wildlife refuge projects, educational programs, and other activities. FOBWR members are dedicated volunteers who work at our area refuges and with our community. Migration Celebration Planning Committee consists of members from both of the above organizations. The Committee meets regularly during the weeks preceding Migration Celebration to plan events, procure supplies, recruit volunteers, and raise funding. Members of the Committee are shown in the photo below. Photo: Ed Barrios Migration Celebration Planning Committee Front row, kneeling: Donna Jablecki (bake sale), Mickey Dufilho (Junior Naturalist program), Ravi Singhania (kickoff auction administrator), Jeanne Manry (Treasurer). Back row, standing: Richard Schaffhausen (publicity and Facebook editor), Torry Tvedt (exhibitors), Tom Taroni (bird banding), Marty Cornell (executive chef and information center coordinator), Tom Schneider (USFWS), Neal McLain (lighting), Denis Mudderman (photo contest), Shane Kasson (USFWS), Phil Huxford (Birds of Prey Program), David Plunkett (Migration Celebration Committee Chair), Ron Bisbee (chef and van driver), Ed Barrios (volunteer coordinator) Texas Master Naturalist Program Cradle of Texas Chapter Chapter News May 2014