Jayhawk Audubon Society Needs Your Help!
The Jayhawk Audubon Society’s Board of Directors is looking for volunteers who are interested in working on JAS committees, including serving as committee Chairperson for positions listed as " Vacant." If you are interested in getting more involved in any of the following committees, please contact Gary Anderson at gjanderson1963@gmail.com.
Birdathon Committee
Annually held in early May, Birdathon is a JAS fundraising event where participants scan Douglas County and outlying areas for a 24-hour period to count and record as many bird species as possible. Sponsors pledge donations according to the total number of species observed by either an individual participant or by the Chapter as a whole. JAS uses proceeds from the Birdathon to benefit local conservation and environmental education projects and to support state projects through Audubon of Kansas. Volunteers are needed to secure pledges and participate in counting bird species.
Book & Feeder Sales
Members organize, order, and publicize various items such as bird feeders and educational books on birds, wildlife, and conservation to sell at monthly programs and annual birdseed sales.
Conservation Committee
Members monitor local, state, regional and national conservation issues that impact habitat for birds and other wildlife. Activities may include attending and/or participating in public meetings, city/county planning and commission meetings, reporting to the Board of Directors, and preparing written comments and letters. Local issues have involved the South Lawrence Trafficway, Haskell-Baker Wetlands, Clinton Lake Resort, floodplain regulations, Smart Growth, and participation in the Alliance for the Conservation of Open Space (ACOS). State issues have included Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Refuge, wind energy development in the Flint Hills, and roadside vegetation management. Vacant
Eagle Day Committee
Members help plan, organize and run the annual Kaw Valley Eagle Day each January.
Education Committee
Members primarily are involved in the Wetland Learners Project. They help with a variety of roles, including planning and implementing fieldtrips for area elementary and middle school students, facilitating activities at the wetlands during these fieldtrips, developing and maintaining components such as a website and a Facebook page, community and university outreach, writing grants for funding, and more. Members are looking at ways to expand the project to other audiences. Most roles are ongoing throughout the year. The need for facilitators conducting fieldtrip activities is greatest during fall and spring months. Activities can engage students through science, history, art, music, movement—almost any field of study or type of interaction that inspires increased knowledge, understanding and appreciation of nature.
Electronic Communications Committee
Members set up and maintain the Chapter website and member list serve. Volunteers with computing experience preferred.
Field Trips Committee
Members arrange and set up monthly outdoor field trip activities involving birdwatching and identification, Monarch butterfly tagging, fossil collecting, astronomy, photography, etc.
Historian
Member secures copies of Chapter documents (e.g., newsletters, correspondence, etc.) for submission to the JAS archives in the University of Kansas library system.
Hospitality Committee
Chairperson solicits volunteers to provide snack and beverage refreshments at monthly programs, and sends reminders and follow-up thank-you notes.
Membership Committee
Members receive new, transferring and expired membership subscription information for JAS members, update the chapter membership computer database, and prepare mailing labels for the chapter newsletter.
Membership Recruitment Committee
Members participate in activities to recruit and welcome new members at monthly programs and other public events where Jayhawk Audubon is represented.
Newsletter Editor
Member prepares and receives for editing articles to be included in the monthly newsletter, and completes layout and production of the newsletter for submission to local printer.
Newsletter Distribution Committee
Members prepare the printed monthly newsletter for mailing (folding, labeling, and organization by zip code) and submit to the U.S. Post Office.
Program Committee
Members identify potential monthly program speakers and topics for approval by the board of directors. Contact and arrange food, lodging and travel logistics with program speakers. Obtain program information and title, speaker information for advertising and introduction purposes, and host speaker at dinner prior to the program.
Publicity Committee
Members prepare and submit press releases, graphics, etc., to local newspapers and businesses for advertising monthly programs, Eagles Day, and birdseed sales.
Seed Sales Committee
Members plan, organize and conduct 2–3 birdseed sales per year. Activities include obtaining birdseed price quotes from local suppliers and prepare birdseed sale order forms for advertising in the JAS newsletter and website. Additional volunteers are needed at each seed sale to unload and load birdseed, collect payments and sell books and bird feeders.