Mary Porter-Solberg, co-chair of the conservation committee of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society (OPAS) contacted us, looking for volunteers soon. Here’s her ask:
Last winter, 5 Trumpeter Swans died from lead poisoning in Sequim. OPAS contacted Martha Jordan, Washington Swan Steward from the Trumpeter Swan Society. She met with the conservation committee and proposed a swan study for this winter to count swans and monitor their feeding grounds in Sequim to see if we can determine whether the lead is local or the swans have ingested it before arriving. Martha believes it is important to include Chimicum and Beaver Valley in the study once a week between November and March. She will provide training, which we are setting up for the latter part of October. If you can poll your members or conservationists for volunteers, then I believe she is willing to travel to Port Townsend and provide training in your local area.
Martha is currently in Montana for a week at a Trumpeter Swan seminar. However, she called me and provided more details of the study, which are included below:
1. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have provided detailed maps that we can use for the study. Shelley Ament (WDFW) has been allowed limited time to help with the study.
2. Training will be approximately two hours.
3. Swan identification is not necessary (whether Trumpeter or Tundra or other does not matter). Just count how many swans are feeding in what portion of the field.
4. Preferred daytime study hours will be between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
5. The majority of the study can be done from a car so people with limited mobility can be involved.
6. Martha would like to coordinate the volunteers and she needs the contact email addresses and phone numbers of volunteers.
7. For this year, 3 days a week for the study are optimum with 2 days ok, but not preferred. 1 day will not be especially helpful.
8. It is ok for volunteers to not be available the whole time period of the study. Just need as many as possible.
9. Chimicum and Beaver valley should be part of the study. One day a week should be ok.
10. Any more grants from WDFW are not forthcoming because of budget cuts. Martha’s time and our time will be voluntary, although she is looking into some other funding sources.
I hope you can help out, but I know it is short notice to round up volunteers.
Thank you,
Mary Porter-Solberg
phone: 360-683-8072
cell: 360-477-5229
email: hikernut AT qwest.net (replace the AT with the @ sign)