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Last Updated: July 08, 2020

Kyleen Austin's presentation "Exploring the Waters Of The Pacific Northwest", that was canceled in March, has been rescheduled as a live-streamed event on Youtube at 2 PM, June 28, 2020.

The YouTube channel can be found here.

It is the story with photographs of Austin's epic journey kayaking from Alaska to Washington during Summer, 2019.

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Last Updated: November 01, 2018

Naturalist and photographer Dan Streiffert will bring his program of bird photographs and descriptions of a recent trip to the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to Kelso on October 23, 2018 at 7 pm at the Kelso Senior Center.  Most of us will never get to visit this vast and remote area, often called the "Serengeti of the north."  Join us for this intimate view.

Streiffert is a retired engineer, nature photographer and member of the Washington State Audubon Conservation Committee.

The program is free and open to the public.

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Last Updated: March 27, 2018

For fifty years, Bob Pyle has been visiting the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in search of butterflies, his own sense of the great tradition of Bigfoot, and natural history in general. In this reminiscence, he shares stories and revelations of the wildness and wonder of the GP as viewed through all these lenses, and asks what we are likely to leave behind for the following generations of lovers of the public woods.

The national forests have gone through many flavors of extraction and protection over the years, and the threats continue, whether through resumed logging targets, mining, or off-road motors.

While considering just which is the more unlikely phenomenon--butterflies or Bigfoot--Pyle has come to view both as barometers of the ultimate health and well-being of the Wild GP.

Signed copies of the new edition of Where Bigfoot Walks and The Butterflies of Cascadia will be available following the talk.

Robert Michael Pyle attended his first conservation hearing for the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in 1967, when he was a young vice president of Seattle Audubon Society. He has been a resident of Gray's River on the Lower Columbia, and a student and writer of its natural history, for forty years.

His twenty-two books include Wintergreen, The Thunder Tree, Chasing Monarchs, Mariposa Road, two collections of poems, and one novel. Magdalena Mountain, coming in August.

The talk will be held on Friday, March 23 at 7 PM at the Kelso Senior Center.  The Center is located at 106 NW 8th Avenue in Kelso, just across from Joanne's Fabric Store near Ocean Beach Highway. Doors will open by 6:45 and a donation of $5 is suggested

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Last Updated: February 28, 2018

Ocean acidification is caused by rising carbon dioxide concentrations and affects the world’s ocean.  In this talk we will explore why this is happening and what role the oceans play in our global carbon cycle.  After understanding what ocean acidification is, and what some of its implications for biology are, we will turn attention to the situation in Pacific Northwest waters.  Our understanding of ocean acidification has grown thanks to both scientists and shellfish growers, working together to further define this phenomenon and its status.  Regional policy makers have recognized this problem and are funding further research on ocean acidification to better understand its impacts in Washington.

Dr. Jan Newton is a Senior Principal Oceanographer with the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington, and affiliate faculty with the UW College of the Environment.  Jan is the Executive Director of the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS), which is the regional association within the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) for the Pacific Northwest U.S. Her work through NANOOS seeks to bring knowledge of ocean conditions to stakeholders for their use in decision making in myriad contexts, safeguarding public economy, health, and safety. Jan is a biological oceanographer who continues to study multidisciplinary dynamics of Puget Sound and coastal Washington waters, including understanding effects from climate and humans on water properties. An appointee to the Washington Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification and the West Coast Panel on Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia, Jan is now co-Director of the Washington Ocean Acidification Center at the University of Washington and is researching ocean acidification and its effects in local waters with many partners.

WHAS sponsors this free program on February 27, 7pm at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington in the lecture hall of the Health and Science Building, HSB101. 

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Last Updated: November 02, 2017

Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor are sites of regional and hemispheric importance for shorebirds and waterfowl, supporting nine Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and two Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network sites of hemispheric importance: one designated at Grays Harbor and one pending at Willapa Bay. As the fourth largest estuary on the U.S. West Coast, Grays Harbor supports a diverse array of birds and marine wildlife, including exceptional numbers of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. Willapa Bay is one of ten major flyway stopover points on the West Coast, and it is a vital wintering area for waterfowl and shorebirds and the last remaining breeding area for Western Snowy Plovers in Washington State.

Audubon’s work in these areas is aimed at protecting Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor birds and habitats from ongoing and emerging threats related to pesticides, oil, shipping, and climate change, and building local community support for avian conservation. Conservation success in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay will require the full power of the Audubon network in Washington and, in particular, the dedicated actions of trained Coastal Ambassadors. 
More information is available on Washington Audubon's website here:

Program Purpose

Cultivate an informed constituency and build sustainable community support to 1) raise awareness and inclusion of avian values in coastal management, 2) build constituency for birding ecotourism, 3) mobilize community-based conservation

Timeline:

First meeting and group planning session on October, 26, 2017 from 6-8pm at Cranberry Museum, 2907 Pioneer Rd, Long Beach, WA 98631 - RSVP here

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Last Updated: April 27, 2017

Willapa Hills Audubon Society is pleased to announce our public program for April 2017.  With so many opportunities in our state for birding, hunting, fishing, photography and just getting outdoors, it is critical that we have someone to watch out for the rich fauna that we all enjoy.  Make plans to attend this free program and learn how you can help protect our beloved natural resources.  

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Program and Agency has a strong desire to expand citizen awareness and to invite active public involvement and participation.  They are offering an opportunity to be part of an alliance that has a positive influence on conservation, the outdoor heritage, public safety, and the state's natural resource based communities.

WDFW is calling that opportunity a Shared Values Alliance.  This alliance forms an open line of communication to identify existing and potential problems facing our natural resources and the communities that are impacted by them. This open communication line allows for constructive problem solving and discussion, to achieve positive results for forward progress. This project-oriented approach ensures that Fish and Wildlife Police Officers and the Agency are connected with changing public and resource-based industries' values and needs. We welcome the opportunity to engage with local chapters to provide awareness, listen to your ideas, and encourage active participation within this statewide conservation endeavor.

Mike Cenci is the Deputy Chief of Washington Fish and Wildlife Police and oversees land and marine patrol operations. He has been with the agency for three decades - 27 of those years in natural resources law enforcement. One of his responsibilities is supervision of the Statewide Investigative Unit, which focuses on large-scale natural resource crime and illegal trafficking. He also worked as a Deputy Sheriff in a rural County, and U.S. Special Agent with NOAA Fisheries.

Becky McRoberts is the Community Outreach Liaison with the Washington Fish and Wildlife Police. Becky wears many hats, but her main mission is to connect with local communities through the formation of a Shared Values Alliance. She has held several community outreach positions in the past, focused on both agriculture and natural resources in Oregon, California, and Michigan.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 19 from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm in Lecture Room HSB 101 on the campus of Lower Columbia College.  HSB 101 is the round building across the street from the Longview Public Library.  A Question and Answer session will follow the presentation.  Reservations are not required and the program is free to the public. 

For more information call:  Larry Brandt (360) 200-4580. 

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Last Updated: April 26, 2017

This year Willapa Hills Audubon Society will take a different approach to its annual meeting.  We will combine the first quarter 2017 board meeting with the annual meeting for WHAS members and a no host dinner for all members and invited guests.

The meeting and dinner will be held on Friday, March 17 from 6:30 PM until 8:30pm at Vernie's Pizza (360.578.9561) at 900 Triangle Shopping Center in Longview, WA.  For those unfamiliar with the mall, Vernie's is located at the intersection of 10th street and Washington Way.

Since the dinner is no-host, members will be able to choose from Vernie's menu of pizzas, sandwiches and salads.  Wine, beer, coffee, tea and soft drinks are available.  Members will pay for their own meals.

There will not be a program scheduled with this meeting.

A side note:  Friday, March 17 is St. Patrick's Day.  While we have a reserved space to meet, the restaurant may be crowded and noisy.  Parking may also be problematic. 
Will you be wearing green to the event? 

For additional information, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.call Larry Brandt at 360.200.4580

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Last Updated: April 26, 2017

Blue Grouse - Image by Alan Bauer

On November 15, Willapa Hills Audubon will host a program by well-known Washington photographer, naturalist and historian Alan Bauer. Alan is a professional photographer and a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest. Having grown up on a large family farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley he is now calling Washington State his home for the past 29 years.

The title of his program is "The Natural World Puts on a Show--Celebrating What's Right With the World!"

Alan Bauer's presentation starts at 7:00 pm in the Lower Columbia College Science Lecture Hall in Longview, WA. Admission is free and coffee and tea will be provided. For last-minute directions/changes due to weather etc check back here.

Celebrate what’s right with the world! Sometimes we just have to slow down or look more closely, but there is always something fascinating to appreciate right around us. Come spend an evening with professional photographer Alan L. Bauer as he shares an image intensive presentation sharing many of his personal celebrations. From hiking to birding to just standing still looking at what’s nearby, everywhere is something worth celebrating and making each day a better experience!

His work has been published in Backpacker, Odyssey, Northwest Runner, CityDog, Northwest Outdoors, Northwest Magazine, Oregon Coast, and Northwest Travel magazines to name a few.  Alan is perhaps best known in the region for his photography and co-author work with publisher The Mountaineers Books as part of the new "Day Hiking" guidebook series.  Waste Management, Columbia Basin Credit Union, University Volkswagen/Audi (Seattle) Seattle Children's Hospital, Bicycle Adventures, the City of Duvall (WA), and the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge represent some of the recent corporate sales of Alan's images.

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Last Updated: April 26, 2017