[BCNnet] party time!

[bobolnk at ix.netcom.com]

Bird Monitors - Bird Counters – Bird Advocates – Bird Conservationists of all plumages – all are welcome to have some fun.  Bring a friend and nominate them for a Way-Out Wilderness Award – or share some fun and some great field stories with kindred spirits.  Food - Games - Good Times - Salt Creek Park, NE DuPage, a week from Sunday, 4-7 pm – hope you can make it.

(The details are pasted in below, however, you can get a formatted and more readable version at this link:  www.habitatproject.org )

Judy Pollock

bobolnk at ix.netcom.com

Celebrate autumn and the winding down of another glorious field season with other monitors, stewards, advocates, and friends, at: 

The Chicago Wilderness Habitat Hootenanny 
Sunday, September 18, 4-7 pm 
at Salt Creek Park in NE DuPage County 

If you’re musically inclined, bring an instrument (and a chair, if you have a favorite) for an impromptu music jam or two. Voices are instruments, too! Bring a dish to share if you like. Drinks, plates, cups, flatware, napkins, and ice provided. Bring kids and family, frisbees and footballs, and games to share with the rest of us. 

FEATURED EVENTS:
Stories from the field. Inspiring, funny, outrageous, unusual, or other interesting stories of monitoring, restoring, advocacy, and other work that we do. Contact us to reserve a two-minute time slot to tell your tale, or the tale of a friend: kglennemeier at audubon.org. 
Way-Out Wilderness Awards. Nominate a friend (or yourself) for one of the following awards: 
Cretin Award for discovering the most bone-headed use of natural land. 
Crystal Ball Award for the novice who found the target species before the experts. 
Duh Award for taking the longest time to identify the commonest species. 
Edison Award for the best improvised solution in the field. 
Flat Ear Award for most phone calls made in the service of conservation. 
Fools Award for making the biggest monkey of onesself in public. 
Fugitive Award for the most exciting run-in with the law while in the field. 
Glow in the dark Award for the most time spent at a computer for conservation. 
Hidden Jewel Award for the best unexpected find. 
Martyr Award for making the biggest sacrifice to do conservation work. 
Oops Award for the worst mis-identification of a species. 
Outback Award for getting lost the best and longest. 
Paparazzi Award for getting the most media coverage for conservation work. 
Pied Piper Award for recruiting the most people to your cause. 
Popeye Award for the greatest act of strength in the field. 
Spirit Award for the best attitude under the worst conditions. 
To Hell and Back Award for getting the most bruised and scraped in the field. 
Triple-A Award for the most harrowing vehicle experience. 
Tunnel Vision Award for being the most obsessed with a species or taxon. 
Twenty-first Century Award for the funniest technology mishap. 
Or create your own category for something really weird or entertaining that happened to some monitor, steward, or advocate you know! 
Contact us with your nominations: kglennemeier at audubon.org. 

Ask the Experts. Experts on stewardship, advocacy, plants, birds, butterflies, herps, and photography will be available for your one-on-one questions about restoration, identification, saving habitat, and more. 
Networking and Recruiting. We’ll set aside a period for representatives of local organizations to gather and share their groups’ missions with interested people. No tables, but reps might want to bring a name badge or a sheet of paper to identify their organization. Or bring flyers or “business cards” to share with each other. 

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
What’s the big ID? A table with specimens and pictures of various species, with names identified on the reverse side. For people who are excited about the identification skills they learned this summer and want to try them out. 
Kids’ Art Table. Adventures in nature art for kids and parents, led by local educators. 
Recycled Treasures. Bring books, field equipment, or other items that you no longer need but that others might appreciate. The table will be open for all to rummage through and find new treasures, regardless of whether you’ve brought something yourself. 
COME RAIN OR SHINE - We'll have shelter:
Sunday, September 18, 4-7pm 
Salt Creek Park in NE DuPage County. Located on the north side of Elizabeth Drive, east of Addison Road and west of Wood Dale Road. Exit I-290 at Rte. 83 and head north to 3rd Avenue (Oak Meadows Rd). Head west, then go north on Wood Dale Road, and west on Elizabeth Drive. 
RSVPs appreciated, to Karen Glennemeier at kglennemeier at audubon.org or 847-965-1150 x20. Contact Karen to reserve a time slot for Stories from the Field or Way-Out Wilderness Award nominees.