In this week's issue it's "Beauty and the Beast." The beauty is the Tufted Flycatcher above, the purple Martins below, and other birds you can see during our field trips (whether our regular ones or the special ones at the Tucson Bird and Wildlife Festival). There is beauty in every volunteer opportunity too—the beauty of fellowship and accomplishments for birds and the environment. 

The "beast" is this week's conservation alert, which you will find four panels down. While policing our border is important, it does not justify waiving most other laws—including environmental laws—in order to further facilitate the work of the Department of Homeland Security. That is what a bill introduced by John McCain in the Senate, and a parallel bill in the House of Representatives, would do. Let your lawmakers know how you feel about this.

Reply to this email and let us know what your environmental policy priorities are!

- Kendall Kroesen, email editor

We Need Your Help for Purple Martin Questionaire

Tucson Audubon is partnering with researchers seeking participants for a study of Purple Martins nesting in Arizona. They are interested in the timing of their arrival, nest building date, and other important events in a martin’s life which can be recorded. The timing of these events is important when determining the effects of climate change. With your help we can gain an increased understanding of how these changes are influencing their behavior.

The Purple Martins that nest in southern Arizona are a distinct sub-species know as Desert Purple Martins and they favor saguaro cavities as their nest sites. If you know of any Purple Martins nesting this season in southern Arizona that you have access to for observational purposes, please consider filling out an online survey located here:
http://goo.gl/forms/CYd8lWegnx

Donation Request of Video Recording Equipment
The Arizona Important Bird Areas Program and the Tucson Bird Count need a video camera to show the world some of the fun conservation-oriented field activities we conduct. If you have a video camera that you are not using and would like to donate to Tucson Audubon please contact Jennie at jmacfarland@tucsonaudubon.org or bring it by our Nature Shop on University Blvd just west of 4th Ave. Thank you!

Image by Henry McLin

Tucson Bird and Wildlife Festival

Field Trips – More Openings and New Trips Added! Register NOW!

Friday, August 14
Madera Canyon Sampler ($50) | 5:30AM – 12PM: 1 seat
Sweetwater Wetlands ($25) | 6 – 10AM: 5 spaces
Huachuca Mountains ($105) | 5AM – 3:30PM | lunch included: 6 seats

Saturday, August 15
A Grassland Sampler of Birds and Wine ($105) | 5:30AM – 4PM: 2 seats

Sunday, August 16
California Gulch Adventure ($105) | 5AM – 4PM | lunch included: 11 seats
Montosa/Florida Canyon ($85) | 5:15AM – 2PM | lunch included: 1 seat
Willcox Shorebirding ($50) | 5:30AM – 12PM: 4 seats

Workshops and Evening Programs
The festival is a chance to spend time with two world class birders: Paul Baicich and Rick Wright. Register today for their workshops and evening programs, as well as workshops with Homer Hansen and Karen Krebbs.

Volunteer Opportunities For YOU This Summer

For all these volunteer opportunities contact Sharon Long at slong@tucsonaudubon.org; 520-209-1811.

2016 Annual Gala

Wine Procurement
Would you like to be a part of facilitating a new raffle at our 2016 Gala? If you enjoy finding interesting wine, being out in the community, and spreading the word about the important conservation work that Tucson Audubon does, then this opportunity is for you! Your task would be to procure a variety of quality wines for a Wine Raffle, by approaching specific local merchants and grocery stores, as well as some of the vineyards in the Sonoita and Elgin area. You will be given all the tools you'll need to make this task easy and enjoyable. The goal is to secure about 30 bottles. If they have bird, wildlife or nature related labels, all the better, but that's not essential.

Tucson Bird & Wildlife Festival
August 12 – 16, 2015

Are you an early bird? Rise and shine to help out in these areas:

• Field Trips: Van Packer and Lunch Food Prep

If you prefer to work a bit later, we still need help in the afternoon and evening:

• Field trip sandwich pickup in pm
• Van Greeter/sweeper
• Book signing/Check-in for evening programs

• Planning and shopping for van/lunch snacks           
  

• Planning/shopping/setting up daily breakfast/snacks/coffee for Volunteers in Volunteer Break Room at the Riverpark Inn

**Ideally you could commit to these two jobs for the entire festival**

Click here for more details if you are interested in any of these positions. We have multiple shifts available on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the festival. Shifts are 2 to 2 1/2 hours long. Your support is critical to the success of this event!!

Tucson Audubon's Mason Center

For all these volunteer opportunities contact Sharon Long at slong@tucsonaudubon.org; 520-209-1811.

Tucson Audubon Takes Action on Federal Senate Bill 750

The agencies under the Department of Homeland Security already has unprecedented authority to operate on federal public lands along the Southwest border with Mexico. The REAL ID Act of 2005 allowed waivers of local, state and federal environmental and archaeological protection laws. Now Senate Bill 750, introduced in the senate by John McCain and cosponsored by Jeff Flake, will waive even more laws in the face of Border Patrol and other DHS operations. Tucson Audubon, in cooperation with Defenders of Wildlife and several other environmental organization, has written letters to senators opposing these waivers. Please read the latest letter, located at the top of the list of Tucson Audubon position letters. Take action yourself by sending a similar letter to your senators and your congressional representative.Or you may want to use the Sierra Club's automated action alert system for sending a letter on this topic. Here's a link to the text of S. 750 and the companion bill in the house, H.R. 1412. 

Don't Let the Heat Keep You From Birding!

July 5—Sunday 6:30 - 9:00 AM
Hummingbird Morning @ WOW Arizona
Trip Rating:Easy/Moderate Walking Distance .1-.5 kilometers Ground Conditions: Pavement/Gravel/Dirt pathways
Leaders Christopher Vincent & MaryEllen Landen 520.907.8735 cj@wowarizona.org

July 11—Saturday 6:00 AM
Santa Ritas
Leader: Clifford Cathers: 520.982.3272 or AZCliffy@Q.com

For more field trip information and to sign up for trips, go to our field trip page.

Save The Last Dance

A new book by award-winning photographer, Noppadol Paothong, and noted outdoor writer, Joel M. Vance, strives to rescue grassland grouse from the brink of extinction by showing the world what it stands to lose. This 204-page hardbound book, Save the Last Dance—A Story of North American Grassland Grouse, captures the dazzling beauty of seven grouse species whose populations are diminishing across the prairies and plains of America

The book covers the following species: Heath Hen, Greater Prairie-Chicken, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken, Greater Sage-Grouse, Gunnison Sage-Grouse, and Sharp-tailed Grouse, along with conservation efforts to save these species.

Available now at the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop $45.00

NOTE: The Nature Shop will be closed for annual inventory from June 29 through July 4. Come in Thursday, Friday or Saturday of this week for your pre-Independence Day purchases! 

Opticron Trailfinder 3 WP 8x42
The Opticron T3 Trailfinder’s clever combination of wide-angle optics and fast focus system fitted into a compact body clothed in textured rubber armor help create a comfortable, easy to use range of binoculars equally suited to general wildlife observation as well as more specialist pursuits such as hunting, field archery and birdwatching.

MSRP $210.00 Member Price $189.00

Nature Shop Wish List

To help demonstrate the technology of digiscoping in the shop we are looking for one or all of the following:

• iPhone 5 or S5
• iPhone 4 or S4
• Samsung Galaxy (any generation)
• Also, an iPad for use at offsite events

Visit the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop Today

—Tucson Audubon Staff
(image by Angela Pritchard)