Collier County Audubon Society

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Collier County Audubon Society ~ 1020 8th Avenue South, Suite 2 ~ Naples, Florida ~ (239) 643-7822

Brad Cornell and his family will perform a concert at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Naples on Wednesday, December 8. Learn more...

Randy Wayne White featured speaker at February Feathers & Friends

Randy Wayne White, New York Times best selling author of sixteen novels, four volumes of non-fiction, a cookbook, a PBS documentary, and magazine columnist, will be the featured speaker at the February 10 Feathers & Friends Gala fundraiser for CCAS and Corkscrew. Learn more...

Thank you to all our members who came out to Roy's Restaurant in Bonita at the Promenade on Friday evening, July 30, to help support a summer fundraising event.
Thank you also to Roy's in Bonita for sponsoring the event.
We look forward to doing more events with you in the near future! Stay tuned to more information on the next summer dinner event.

A non-native orchid from Southeast Asia has been found naturalized in Lee and Collier Counties. Brenda Thomas, from CREW, advises, "If you see this orchid, pull it up!" Learn more...

Kohl's Care Team pitches in, builds bird feeders in 'U Gotta Go Green' program

We would like to extend a very heartfelt "thank you" to the Kohl's Corporation, the Kohl's Cares crew.
The "U Gotta Go Green" event was a huge success. The associates that participated at our table were extremely helpful, conducted themselves in a very professional manner and were excellent representatives of the Kohl's Corporation.
With their help, we were able to build over 90 bird feeders out of recycled materials for the children who attended the event. We heard many positive comments throughout the day regarding your Kohl's Cares team.

Pepper Ranch to open on selected Saturdays for birding and hiking

The Pepper Ranch will open on non-hunting Saturdays from November throuh April for birding and hiking. Learn more...

Thank you to Love Yoga Studio which donated $536 to CCAS from a Global Mala Peace Celebration held at its studio on September 19.
The donations comes for the work we've done with our Shorebird Stewardship Program monitoring the nesting shorebirds and monitoring the shore line for signs of stressed or injured birds that may have been affected by the Gulf oil disaster.

A grant from the Collier County Audubon Society is providing students at three Immokalee elementary schools with special outdoor learning opportunities. Learn more...

Read about our collaborative efforts with other organizations to protect the Florida Panther and its habitat through the Florida Panther Protection Program.

Audubon of Florida partnered in an Invasive Species Task Force in October, 2009, to combat the spread of non-native invasive plant and animal species. Volunteers can help report and/or remove these species. Learn more...

U.S. district judge Jose Martinez revoked the 2007 environmental permit for the Mirasol project on October 26, questioning data collected by the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Learn more...

The Ramsar Convention, based in Switzerland, has accepted the United States recommendation that Corkscrew Swamp be designated as a Wetland of International Importance. Learn more...

Brad Cornell honored with Trailblazer award for sustainability work

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Southwest Florida District Council announced its 2009 winners for the newly created Sustainability Awards. Brad Cornell was the winner of the ULI Trailblazer Award. Learn more...

Collier County Audubon would like to thank Whole Foods Market in Naples for once again sponsoring all of the refreshments at our monthly programs this season. This generosity and support is greatly appreciated.

Help is needed to persuade the National Marine Fisheries Service to ban surface longlining and preserve the fragile Gulf ecosystem. Learn more...

If you are interested in helping monitor shorebirds and devoting the time to help with this project, please email Brad Cornell or call him at the Audubon office, 643-7822.

Audubon was one of the organizations that received a substantial amounts of the Toyota grants and will in turn be issuing grants to the Audubon chapters across the country. Check out the Together Green website to see such grants.

Avoid plastic bags at grocery and other stores. Why? Check this multimedia link: The dangers of plastic bags.
Beware of plastic water bottles too! Why? Find out more in the "Living Green" section on our Conservation page.

An article by Bill Thompson, founding publisher of Birdwatcher's Digest

Collier County Audubon Society is endorsing Project Innovation. Please go to www.projectinnovation.cc for additional information.

Brad Cornell receives 2009 Trailblazer Award for commitment to sustainability policy
The Sustainability Awards were created to annually recognize and celebrate progress made by individuals, organizations or corporations towards making the region more sustainable. This platform will provide an opportunity for future sustainable practices to build off of the successes of others and to take note of lessons learned along the way.
To be sustainable means to change our communities and our economy to utilize and restore our environment so that our actions today do not compromise future generations. People and organizations that demonstrate innovation, leadership and have a positive impact on the region were invited to submit nominations for the Sustainability Awards. Entries were reviewed and considered by a panel of jurors selected by the District Council. The winners were determined by a majority vote of the panel.
The 2009 winners were:
Trailblazer Award (for an individual whose personal work has helped to shape the sustainability movement in the Southwest Florida region): Brad Cornell, Collier County Audubon Society for his long term commitment to developing environmental policies in Southwest Florida
The jury commented that "Brad demonstrates a passion and a sustained commitment to be involved in issues facing the region. His long standing commitment and collaborative approach towards sustainable policy development was clearly articulated in this nomination." Brad is pictured above receiving the award from Ray Judah, Lee County Commissioner.
Impact Award (for demonstrating measurable results that positively impact Southwest Florida): Charlotte County School Board for its efforts to rebuild "sustainably" following Hurricane Charley
The Charlotte County School Board (CCSB) provided the leadership skills and foresight to incorporate energy efficiency and environmental design criteria into rebuilding six of the school district's 20 schools after Hurricane Charley in 2004. In addition, CCSB is striving for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star Label at all existing schools. CCSB have embodied the essence of creating healthy and comfortable spaces for learning while conserving energy, water and natural resources.

Corkscrew Swamp named internationally important wetland
Audubon of Florida's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has been listed as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands promotes conservation of wetland habitats around the world, from the Florida Everglades to Africa's Okavango Delta. Corkscrew is the second Audubon sanctuary in the United States to receive the prestigious designation. Audubon's Beidler Forest in South Carolina, was designated in 2008.
Nearly 200 species of birds thrive in Corkscrew, renowned as home to America's largest nesting colonies of Wood Stork, a federally endangered species. The storks nest in majestic 600-year-old bald cypress, reaching heights of 40 meters, in one of the largest remaining stands of virgin bald cypress trees in the world.