American Birding Association Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference

Hey gang,

This past weekend, YESC members ventured to the first-ever American Birding Association Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference! The conference was held at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, Delaware and featured a day full of incredible workshops, presentations, guest speakers, and of course... birding!

After a morning bird walk and opening remarks, the conference kicked off with a morning of presentations. Two presentations ran at the same time with one focusing on beginner birders and the other targeting more experienced birders. These concurrent presentations focused on field identification, types of optics, and an interesting segment on pursuing birding as a career.

 Derek Stoner of the Delaware Dunlins presents "Tails of Mistaken Identity: Birds of Different Feathers" to conference participants

 After two morning sessions, all participants met at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch for a session on identifying birds of prey in flight. Highlights included red-shouldered hawk and bald eagle!

YESC takes a break from identifying birds of prey to strike a pose!

After our morning at the Hawk Watch, we were treated to additional presentations and a speech from the 2012 ABA Young Birder of the Year, Marie McGhee. Marie recapped the highlights of her past birding year reflecting upon challenges of identification and the importance of field notes as a growing birder. An inspiring speech that motivated both participants and staff here at YESC!

We then enjoyed a lunch at the Hawk Watch (since we are able to bird while eating) before returning for additional sessions.

 

YESC members Ben Bussmann and Alex Heerding observe the study skins of birds of prey during "Do You Geek Hawks?" by Dr. Jean Woods

To close out the day, ABA President Jeff Gordon gave a rousing introduction to the conference's keynote speaker, the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest, Bill Thompson III. In addition to some wise words, Bill treated the audience to an excellent musical performance. 

 American Birding Association President Jeff Gordon

 Bill Thompson III reminds us to not let our babies grow up to be cowbirds!

Overall, the American Birding Association Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference was a great success! Over one-hundred forty people came and participated in the event. I want to send a special thank you to Bill Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and everyone at the American Birding Association who worked tirelessly to create such an inspiring and wonderful event!

 YESC members posing with Bill Thompson III

Until next time, bird up and get involved!

- BQ

 

YESC Canoe Adventure 2012

Hey gang,

On August 7th, 2012, YESC embarked on our very first canoe camping trip on the Susquehanna River in beautiful central Pennsylvania! The YMCA Earth Service Corps of Discovery II consisted of Alex, Kirsten, Emily, Yusuf, Harrison, Austin, Zach, Annalie, and myself over a physically strenuous four day, three night paddling experience of a lifetime.

The gear loaded up on the first day! We had to bring all of our food, water, and personal gear with us in our canoes.

Some serious guys out on the water!

 Every night we stayed on a different island in the Susquehanna River Trail System. Our first day was an eight mile paddle, and this was our first campsite location on Campsite Island 112. You can see master chefs Alex and Emily making our dinner: beans, cheese, Spanish rice, and chips. Spectacular!

Master navigator Kirsten on day two! Our second campsite was more difficult to find than the first, which made our arrival that much sweeter. After a ten and a half mile paddle, we were very excited to arrive until we realized our campsite was pretty overgrown.

As you can see, quite overgrown! A mix of Japanese Knotweed and Poison Ivy (yikes!) When we arrived, we had to clear space for our tents and gear to fit on the site. We then enjoyed a delicious dinner of mac & cheese and mashed potatoes.

A little post-dinner YMCA from Yusuf, Alex, Kirsten, and Zach!

The third day of our adventure was by far the toughest. We paddled twelve miles, which was our longest distance for the trip in one day. Also, we were paddling against the wind and made our paddle that much more difficult. We arrived at our third and final campsite for the trip, and my camera ran out of battery! No electricity to charge our devices while on the trip.

On the third night, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of lasagna and biscuits made on the fire! At the conclusion of dinner, dark clouds began to loom on the horizon, and we went into waterproof mode: All personal gear was placed in tents, dry bags were sealed and secured, community gear was properly stored, canoes were tied together and then to a strong tree, and we patiently waited for the storm over some smores on the fire. As we patiently waited for the storm to arrive, I checked the weather map on my phone. The map showed a strong band of storms approaching, bringing with it strong lightning, pea-sized hail, and 20mph winds! After thirty minutes of waiting, the storm never arrived. However, as we looked to our east, we observed an incredible sight over the mountain range. The storm was passing and just missed us! We were treated to the most incredible display of lights as we observed the passing storm from a safe distance. For almost an hour, we sat together and enjoyed this incredible spectacle. What a way to spend the final night of our journey together!

Although storms did arrive around 4:45am that morning, it did not stop us from hitting the water and heading home. After bailing the water out of the canoes, we endured the rain as we paddled down the mighty Susquehanna. Below is a video taken on my phone from our final journey:



The final rapids, known as the Dauphin Narrows, were the sign that we knew we were close to our exit. Conveniently, the narrows were also the most treacherous rapids we encountered! 

 We encountered this popular landmark in the Dauphin Narrows. A replica of the Statue of Liberty! You can oftentimes see this statue from Route 322 when traveling to and from State College.

 We made it through the narrows!

One final group photo with the Statue of Liberty in the background!

After we passed through the narrows, we arrived at the exit for the trip. We unloaded our gear and canoes as we celebrated the completion of this incredible trip!

During our journey, we saw 36 species of birds. The highlights included bald eagle (incredibly high numbers,) caspian tern, common loon, a flock of 32 common mergansers, wood duck, great blue heron, great egret, and black-crowned night heron!

The trip was nothing short of spectacular! The teamwork and leadership skills presented by YESC participants was truly remarkable, and I am very proud of everyone who did such a fantastic job on the trip. As I said before, when the going got tough, YESC got going!

I think the photo of Harrison appropriately represents how we all felt after the trip:

Victory!!!

The YMCA Earth Service Corps of Discovery II was a great success! Looking forward to next year's adventure!

- BQ  

 

 

YESC Eco-Career Exploration was AWESOME!

Hey gang,

The YESC Summer of 2012 has certainly been one for the ages! Among all of the highlights of this summer, one of my personal favorites was our first-ever YESC Eco-Career Exploration week! This five-day program introduced our participants to different professionals in the environmental field. We learned about their career, formal and informal education, and other previous experiences that prepared them for their career. Below are some photos from the week:

YESC met with Andrew Donaldson of Land Studies to learn about the UMLY Property Management Plan

 We also met with Shriner Tree Care to discuss the world of Arboriculture. We then donned our hard hats for a tree removal project! 

Later in the week, we spent a day with Dr. Nate Rice on a tour of the Ornithology Department of the Academy of Natural Sciences! In addition to a tour of the study skins collection, we watched a demonstration on how to skin a bird!

 Bee hummingbird

 Male and female ivory-billed woodpeckers!

 Dr. Rice with an emperor penguin!

 Ben and Dani love their internship! Ben is skinning a hooded merganser, Dani is skinning a common merganser. What a mess!

On Thursday, YESC spent time with Gary Stoltz, the Refuge Manager at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Not only did we have an interesting dialogue about his career, but we were given an awesome driving tour to secluded parts of the refuge to learn more about its unique ecology!

YESC concluded the week at Waterloo Mills Preserve with the Natural Resource Manager for the Brandywine Conservancy, Kevin Fryberger. We were given a tour of the beautiful 170-acre property while we learned new strategies about invasive plant removal and management. Not only did we explore about an environmental career, but we learned new strategies to care for our own Cassatt Preserve back at UMLY!

What an incredible week! Thank you to everyone who attended, and a very special thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to mentor our participants. For those who missed this week, do not worry - we will be doing more career exploration throughout the year and next summer!

Time to finish packing for Tuesday's YESC Canoe Adventure trip. More on that later!

- BQ

YESC Conservation Boot Camp at Okehocking - Great Success!

Hey gang,

On the week of July 2nd, YESC began our second week of Conservation Boot Camp! This time, we spent a week of service at Okehocking Preserve in Willistown, Pennsylvania. We removed invasive vines, braved the heat, and enjoyed an incredibly productive week together!

 

 Invasive wisteria vines are no match for YESC! After only a short time, you can see how our work has greatly improved the life of this tulip poplar tree!

Two out of three weeks of Conservation Boot Camp are complete! Join us from August 13th-17th for our final week of service at UMLY!

- BQ

YESC Eco-Career Exploration Next Week!

Hey gang,

Join YESC for a ground-breaking week of career exploration in the environmental field! YESC will meet with professionals in different environmental careers to learn about their jobs, education, and extracurricular activities that qualified them for their position. The goal is for our YESC members to learn about different environmental careers they can pursue and what it takes to prepare for those career paths. Below is the schedule for the week:
 

Monday: We will spend the morning at UMLY preparing for the week, and the afternoon will be spent with Land Studies as we are invited to help with the UMLY Property Management Plan.
 
Tuesday: The certified arborists of Shriner Tree Care will be taking YESC on a project in the Cassatt Preserve at UMLY as we help take down a tree. Hard hats included!
 
Wednesday: YESC will get a backstage tour of the Ornithology Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA to observe rare wildlife specimens! We will even have some special guests meeting us there!
 
Thursday: The Refuge Manager of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, PA will give us a private tour of both the refuge and the Cusano Environmental Education Center!
 
Friday:  YESC will meet with the Natural Resource Manager of the Brandywine Conservancy for a tour of the beautiful Waterloo Mills Preserve to learn how he manages the preserve. We will spend the afternoon at UMLY. 



Please join us by registering at the Welcome Center ASAP! This is a program unlike anything we've ever done with YESC and will be an incredible experience to prepare you to enter the environmental field!




- BQ

Congrats to Dani Smith!

Hey gang,

As some of you may know, Dani Smith has had a real banner year with YESC this year! Between her victory as captain of the World Series of Birding team and receiving the Trevor Conlow Award, she has had an incredibly rewarding year! In addition to these two accolades, Dani has been recognized by other organizations because of her involvement with YESC.

On April 18th, Dani was one of the recipients of the Front Porch Trust Scholarship award. She was recognized by the Front Porch Trust Board of Trustees for her volunteer efforts throughout her time in YESC. 

 Dani with her fellow winners and PA State Representative Duane Milne

 Great Valley High School Guidance Counselor Jeff Martin, Dani, and BQ

Dani reading her essay to the attendees of the scholarship banquet

In addition to her scholarship award, the latest issue of Great Valley High School's "Surveyor" features Dani as she describes the World Series of Birding. Check out the article here:

In addition to her accomplishments in YESC, Dani and Ben Bussmann are both completing the second year of a summer internship with the Ornithology Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA. Through this internship, they are taking their interest in birding to the next level as they complete this once in a lifetime opportunity! For those who will be joining us on Eco-Career Exploration, we will be spending a day with Dani and Ben at the Academy as they and their mentor, Dr. Nate Rice, give us a behind the scenes tour of the Ornithology Department.

Needless to say, we are all very proud of Dani and her accomplishments during her time here at YESC. She truly exemplifies the qualities of a Trevor Conlow Award winner!

- BQ

YESC Awards Banquet & BBQ

This evening, YESC hosted the 2nd annual end-of-year Awards Banquet and BBQ for participants and their families. Please see the video and photos of the event and award winners below.

Video presentation of the "Trevor Conlow Award" recipients and members of the YESC Hall of Fame, including this year's 2012 recipient.

 Families enjoying the BBQ dinner and social time.

 BQ meeting and greeting with families.

Jeff Scott, Environmental Education Director (left), chats at the podium with Brian Raicich, Team Leader for Youth Development, and Brian "BQ" Quindlen, YESC Coordinator. 

 A slide from the opening presentation about the YESC program.

 Lindsay Hennessey, Camp UMLY Assistant Director, presents the Youth & Government program, a branch of YESC.

 Naiya McClay, recipient of the "Amish Weapon Award - Ivory Bill Female" recognizing the middle school female student with the greatest number of service hours of the past year. 

 Yusuf Romaine-Elkhadri, recipient of the "Amish Weapon Award - Ivory Bill Male" recognizing the middle school male student with the greatest number of service hours of the past year. 

 Rita Concannon, received the "Amish Weapon Award - Apgars Moose Female" recognizing the high school female student with the greatest number of service hours of the past year. Accepting on her behalf was Jacob Haag.

 Ben Bussmann, recipient of the "Amish Weapon Award - Apgars Moose Male" recognizing the high school male student with the greatest number of service hours of the past year. 

Danielle Smith, the 2012 "Trevor Conlow Award" recipient and newest member of the YESC Hall of Fame, with Brian Raicich (left) and BQ (right).

YESC End of the Year Family BBQ & Alumni Service Project!

YESC End of the Year Family BBQ

Saturday, June 2nd - 4pm - 7pm

This weekend, we will honor the hard-work and dedication of our YESC participants at the 2nd annual YESC End of the Year Family BBQ. At the event, YESC will present its highest honor, the Trevor Conlow Lifetime Achievement in YESC Award. In addition, we will recognize the highest number of service hours given by both a middle school and high school boy and girl between June 2011 to May 2012 through the presentation of the Amish Weapon Award.


In anticipation of the debut of Saturday's 2011 - 2012 video, check out last year's YESC 2010 - 2011 video recap:


The event will run from 4pm - 7pm in the Johnson Room, and you MUST RSVP via the Evite event sent to your email address. Please follow the invitation's instructions on what to bring!

YESC Alumni Day Service Project

Sunday, June 3rd - 10am - 2pm

This Sunday, YESC will embark on one of its largest service projects of all time! YESC will hold its first-ever Alumni Day Service Project from 10am - 2pm.  Close to 800 native wildflowers and grasses have arrived for YESC and Alumni to plant in our meadow restoration project this Sunday. Over the next two years, YESC will plant over 3,000 plants in this area to create habitat for pollinators and birds in UMLY's Cassatt Preserve.

Work along YESC Alumni and staff as we begin the first step of this incredible project. Please bring a hand shovel or trowel, lunch, water bottle, and sunscreen. We also recommend a hat and work gloves to help with the project.

All of us here at UMLY are incredibly excited over this weekend's festivities. Please make every effort to attend and lend a hand!

- BQ

News Coverage of UMLY's Win!

UMLY's Youth Birding teams in the news: T-E Patch

A Celebration 10 Years In The Making

On Saturday, May 12, Upper Main Line Y's high school birding team, the B.B. Kingfishers, crossed the World Series of Birding finish line just before midnight as winners of their division and the "Pete Dunne Future Leaders in Birding Award".

The team, lead by captain Danielle Smith, Ben Bussmann, and Nathaniel Sharp, tallied 173 species with their 24-hour full state run, birding north to south throughout New Jersey. The win capped a celebration of ten years of participation by the Upper Main Line YMCA in New Jersey Audubon Society's World Series of Birding. This was the first win by an UMLY high school team in the very competitive high school division. UMLY's high school teams had finished in 2nd place the previous two years. The high school team joins four UMLY middle school teams that have won over the last ten years (2004, 2006, 2007, 2011).

UMLY B.B. Kingfishers, 2012 High School Champions.

From left to right: Mike Mostello (YESC staff), Nathaniel Sharp, Danielle Smith, Ben Bussmann, Shanna Babiak (YESC staff), Brian Raicich (Team Leader of Youth Development).

Danielle Smith, team captain, addresses the awards banquet with Eric Stiles, New Jersey Audubon Society's President and CEO.

The 173 species tallied was 7th overall when placed with the adult teams. For Danielle Smith, a graduating senior from Great Valley High School, this was her final World Series of Birding as a youth participant. Smith has participated on UMLY's youth birding teams since 7th grade. Joined by Ben Bussmann, a junior at Conestoga High School, and Nathaniel Sharp, a sophomore at Strath Haven High School, the team has a combined 17 years of World Series of Birding experience.

UMLY's middle school team, Duck Duck Duck Duck Duck Brant!, finished with 135 species for 5th in the middle school division. Captain Austin Smith was joined by Tyler DiAndrea, Liam Gallagher, and Yusuf Romaine-Elkhadri.

UMLY's 2012 Youth Birding Teams

"One of the best highlights was a Screech Owl, in the Lake Ocquittunk area (Stokes State Forest, Sussex County), leaning out of a tree cavity in the daylight. That was awesome." Danielle Smith shared at the awards banquet. She also thanked UMLY's Environmental Education Center, the team's drivers and Y Earth Service Corps staff Mike Mostello and Shanna Babiak, and Marleen Murgitroyde and Sheila Lego of New Jersey Audubon Society and organizers of the World Series event. But the biggest thank you went out to Brian "BQ" Quindlen, UMLY's Earth Service Corps Coordinator and mentor for the birding teams. Quindlen was unable to join the teams at the World Series due to an academic conflict - his graduation from Temple University's College of Education.

Quindlen participated as a student in the World Series from 2003-2006 with UMLY and now leads the birding program with Y Earth Service Corps. He leads weekly classes, starting back in January, to teach UMLY's youth teams to identify over 200 birds by sight and sound in preparation for the World Series. In May 2002, BQ and I walked into the Cape May Bird Observatory asking how UMLY could participate in the World Series of Birding. The next year we had our first two teams competing on the Big Day and the rest is history.

This program provides leadership development opportunities for students while working within a team structure. They learn about the importance of land conservation, within New Jersey and throughout the Philadelphia region, that provides vital habitat for birds and wildlife. The World Series of Birding places them right in these wild areas to see and hear first hand the great diversity of bird life these parks, forests, and preserves support. Connecting kids with nature to develop an appreciation of the natural world is a goal of youth development at Upper Main Line YMCA. I am very proud of the accomplishments of this year's students and all previous participants that have made the last ten years of this youth birding program at UMLY such a success. Congratulations to all!

Brian Raicich

Team Leader of Youth Development

Upper Main Line YMCA