By Jean Zirnhelt
Weminuche Audubon Society
Please join the Weminuche Audubon Society on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. for our monthly chapter meeting.
This remote meeting will take place on Zoom. Please check the events list on our website, www.weminucheaudubon.org, for a link to the online meeting. All interested parties are welcome.
The topic of this month’s meeting will be the importance of wetlands, particularly those in our Pagosa Springs area. Eighty percent of all wildlife species use wetlands or riparian habitats at some point in their life cycle.
According to the EPA, “More than half of our original wetlands have been drained and converted to other uses.”
Geothermal sources in Pagosa Springs have created unique, warm-water wetlands and contribute to the rich diversity of birds we see along the Riverwalk in town.
Our presenter for the evening will be Randy McCormick. Prior to moving to Pagosa Springs, McCormick served as environmental manager at the National Estuarine Research Reserve in Naples, Fla., mandated to protect 110,000 acres of coastal wetlands in the western Everglades. He is a board member of the Weminuche Audubon Society and an active member in Pagosa Wetland Partners, a group of citizens committed to preserving important area wetlands habitats. Find out how you can be involved in this mission.
