Story Mill Community Park:
Story Mill Community Park is located on approximately 50 acres adjoining the old Story Mill in northeast Bozeman. SAS has worked with the City of Bozeman and The Trust for Public Land by hosting five spring Bird Walks, leading tours during the Groundbreaking Celebration and providing advice for placement of trails, benches and blinds. In addition to our annual Bird Walks, we now host a bird feeding station in the park located along the River Walk bird blind in the Nature Preserve. For more information on the bird-feeding station, click on this link
Trumpeter Swan Reintroduction:
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved the release of Trumpeter Swans on the Granger Ranch each year until 2021. This is part of a wetland habitat restoration project along O’Dell Creek in the Madison Valley IBA. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has released trumpeter swans on the ranch each year since 2012, and they want to continue doing so until they see swans nesting there successfully. We have financially supported this project since 2013. We will continue to work with MT Fish Wildlife & Parks this year with financial support and volunteers.
Berkeley Pit Mitigation:
Montana Resources, with assistance from the advisory committee (SAS, YVAS & MTA have representatives on the committee), developed a revised hazing plan to be implemented for the Fall 2017 migration period. The plan proposed using several new hazing methods, including but not limited to: propane cannons, lasers, fireworks, lights and drones. The committee generally approved the plan. SAS & YVAS included comments about the need to conduct a risk assessment for chronic and acute impacts to both resident and migratory waterfowl that use the pit. We are not sure where the committee is going from here, but expect to get a report from Montana Resources on how the revised hazing plan has worked. At a minimum, SAS, YVAS and MTA plan to keep monitoring the reports from Montana Resources and keep pressure on the agencies to require a broad risk assessment on the impacts of the pit.
Poo-Poo Project:
The Poo-Poo Project prevents wildlife entrapment in vault toilets throughout the US by installing safe and effective screens on the ventilation pipes. Each year thousands of cavity-nesting birds become entrapped and die in vertical open pipes, including mining claim stakes and ventilation pipes. In 2010, the Teton Raptor Center (TRC) addressed the vault toilet problem and installed 100 screens throughout Grand Teton National Park and surrounding National Forests. In 2013, the TRC launched the Poo-Poo Project and has distributed 14,500 screens to 575 partners in all 50 states, the US Virgin Islands and Canada. Sacajawea Auduboon Society became a Poo-Poo Partner in 2017, installing screens on vault toilets at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park and Missouri Headwaters State Park. Our goal is to continue installing screens at all area Fishing Access Sites in collaboration with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Monofilament Recycling Tubes:
Sacajawea Audubon Society is installing monofilament recycling tubes at popular fishing areas in collaboration with Montana Audubon and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Custer Gallatin National Forest Plan Revision:
SAS officially commented on the Assessment of Existing Conditions Report and succeeded in having an influence on the section regarding bird life in the forest. We will continue to comment on the plan and we will encourage SAS members to contribute and participate in the public input meetings.