April 15, 6:30 p.m. Program: Overabundant Free-Roaming Horses Impact Vital Rates of Greater Sage-Grouse

Cheyenne Audubon members invite the public to a free talk by Jeff Beck in the Cottonwood Room at Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave.  Dr. Beck is a Full Professor with the University of Wyoming in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.
He will present his 15-year study of the impacts of free-roaming horses on greater sage-grouse numbers in central Wyoming. Dr. Beck’s research broadly encompasses habitat ecology and management with a focus on linking resource selection and fitness of vertebrate populations in rangelands, with a particular focus on evaluating the efficacy of conservation practices and policy for species that inhabit sagebrush ecosystems.

We will take Jeff to dinner at 4:45 at Good Friends, 507 E Lincolnway, Cheyenne. If you are interested in joining us for dinner with Jeff, please contact Lorie Chesnut at cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com so that we can reserve enough seating.

April 22, 6:00 p.m. – Monthly Board Meeting
Contact us at cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com if you would like to attend and participate in helping to plan chapter activities, or if you are interested in volunteering in some of our activities. This meeting will be held at the Laramie County Conservation District Office, 1923 Whitney Road.

April 25, 8:00 a.m. – Country Club Bird Survey
Contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he can let you know if there are any changes. The count will start in the Country Club’s clubhouse’s main parking lot. These outings are free and open to everyone, but please let Grant know you are coming.

April 26, 6:00 a.m. – Field Trip – Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Viewing

We will meet at the Pilot Truck Stop in the front parking lot (off I-80 Exit 367, also known as the WHR exit, 8020 Campstool Road) for departure at 6:00 a.m. sharp. It is about a 40-mile drive to the lek area. We will be driving east on I-80 then north to an area north of Hillsdale.  We hope to see grouse dancing on their lek as well as other spring prairie birds.

We will carpool to the lek site as much as possible to keep the number of vehicles to a minimum. The outing will be about three hours, so we should be back to the truck stop by 9 a.m.   If you are interested in going, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, and can let you know if the plans change for any reason.