ORANGE AUDUBON SOCIETY INC
P O Box 941142, Maitland, FL 327941142 www.orangeaudubonfl.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Orange Audubon Society promotes public understanding of and an interest in wildlife and the environment that supports it.

CITIZEN SCIENCE, CONSERVATION AND NATURE EDUCATION PROGRAMS: During 2018, Orange Audubon Society (OAS) served its 2,000-household membership base and the general public (approximately 10,000) through a variety of educational classes, field trips, wildlife festivals, speaker presentations and other programs. Program descriptions and accomplishments included: 1) BIRDS OF PREY Classes-Participants learned raptor identification using a holistic approach, 2) BEGINNERS' BIRD WATCHING Classes-Beginners learned basic identification techniques and principles using habitat and anatomy as clues, 3) DRAGONFLY IDENTIFICATION Workshop-Participants learned about Florida's native and non-native dragonfly species, 4) FIRE ECOLOGY IN FLORIDA'S RED HILLS REGION-Participants learned about land stewardship and the necessity of fire for a healthy ecosystem, 5) NORTH AMERICAN WOLF Tour-Participants interacted with ambassador wolves at Seacrest Wolf Preserve and learned about their essential role of wolves as apex predators in maintaining healthy ecosystems and their challenges surviving in the wild, 6) SOUTH CAROLINA MAGICAL BIRDING-Participants were introduced to unique songbird breeding habitats in the Congaree National Park and A.C.E. Basin areas and witnessed an annual phenomenon, the synchronicity of fireflies, 6) BIRD MIGRATION Walks-First-time and experienced birders alike took leisurely morning walks during spring and fall migrations at Mead Botanical Garden, an urban park and migrant hot spot in Central Florida, 7) PHOTOGRAPHY Hikes on Orange County Green PLACE properties-Youth and family participants learned basic techniques and ethical principles of wildlife photography and were introduced to little known Green PLACE properties, 8) 31st ANNUAL CHERTOK FLORIDA NATIVE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Competition-Participants gained enhanced knowledge and their interest in Florida's native flora and fauna and natural areas was fostered by adhering to three basic eligibility criteria: subject matter must be native to Florida, must exclude human artifacts, and images must be taken following the NANPA code of ethical field practices, 9) CREATING BIRD-FRIENDLY YARDS Programs-OAS' guest speaker lineup included a presentation on creating bird-friendly yards to supplement parks as bird habitat, and OAS' co-sponsored Backyard Biodiversity Day at Mead Botanical Garden offered interpretive wildlife identification hikes and workshops where attendees learned how to help birds and other wildlife in their own backyards, 10) GUEST SPEAKER Presentations-Ten evening programs featured keynote speakers who shared their expertise on subjects including conservation of birds, the Florida Panther and other wildlife, the status of certain endangered species, the benefits of habitat restoration and other topics, and 11) WILDLIFE SURVEYS and CITIZEN SCIENCE Efforts-OAS and about 100 OAS volunteers increased scientific knowledge that is helping to solve conservation problems by recording data collected during wildlife surveys, Christmas Bird Counts and the 4th of July Butterfly Count conducted on city, county, state and federal public lands and a private preserve to determine baseline inventories and monitor wildlife populations; helped with Audubon Florida's EagleWatch and Jay Watch programs; and OAS promoted and volunteers contributed to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Backyard Bird Count, Feeder Watch and Nest Watch programs. SUMMARY: Orange Audubon Society's 2018 conservation and nature education programs and citizen science efforts increased participants' appreciation of the natural world and awareness of our responsibility to protect and preserve the Earth's natural resources for the benefit of wildlife and people.

BIRDING, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ECOTOURISM ON THE LAKE APOPKA NORTH SHORE: Orange Audubon Society (OAS) promotes the economic values of birding ecotourism as a means of helping to conserve the Lake Apopka North Shore (North Shore) restoration area, a Globally Important Bird Area, in its natural state. In 2016 OAS began a birding event now known as The North Shore Birding Festival with two goals: to showcase the 20,000-acre Lake Apopka North Shore's rich birdlife and natural habitats, and demonstrate its economic value as a birding "ecotourism" destination as defined by the International Association of Ecotourism: "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." OAS' January 2019 North Shore Birding Festival (NSBF) attracted over 250 participants from 40 Florida cities, 18 states, Canada and the United Kingdom who traveled to Central Florida to enjoy the natural wonders of the North Shore. NSBF participants boosted the local economy, learned the history of the North Shore's ecological decline that led to its acquisition by Florida taxpayers and current restoration efforts, and were introduced to its less well-known areas and increasingly popular Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, thereby helping to fulfill OAS' conservation and nature education mission.

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