With a June 30 deadline for the Audubon Nature Center’s 2015 Nature Photography Contest, you can submit photographs from your collection or you still have time to shoot new ones for online entry. This photograph, “Mushrooms” by Elizabeth Miller of Meadville, Pennsylvania, was a finalist in the 2014 competition.

JAMESTOWN – The deadline is drawing near for submitting photographs to the Audubon Nature Center’s 2015 Nature Photography Contest.

Now in its seventh year, the photo contest helps fulfill Audubon’s mission of connecting people with nature.

Photographers with any level of experience are encouraged to submit their favorite images. Entry is simple, as all submissions are made online. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, June 30, 2015.

Cash prizes for the contest are awarded in two divisions – youth and adult – with three categories each, for a total of six winners.

Images of both winning entries and finalists from previous contests as well as details for the 2015 competition are online at www.jasphotocontest.com.

The Jamestown Audubon Nature Center’s 2015 Snowflake Festival is coming up on Saturday, February 7. Horses, alpacas, sled dogs, reptiles, arachnids, and birds of prey like owls and the Nature Center’s resident Bald Eagle are some of the animals that visitors will be able to enjoy.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Audubon Center and Sanctuary’s 2015 Snowflake Festival is set to take place this weekend and there’s plenty of events and activities scheduled to take place.

Planners at Audubon are excited to announce that Paul Fehringer will be returning this year. He’s a licensed wildlife rehabilitator who founded Wild Spirit Education program.

A variety of vendors will also be on hand and will have hand-made items like winter wear, pottery, jewelry and greeting cards. Demonstrations of outdoor cooking, spinning, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing will add to the fun.

The day-long event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., also features horse-drawn sleigh rides, kicksled demonstrations by Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, crafts, a Chinese auction, naturalist-led winter nature walks, alpacas and other live animals, door prizes, kids crafts, behind-the-scenes tours of Audubon’s resident bald eagle, and more.

Times for special activities are:

• 10:30 a.m.: Hike with a Naturalist – Explore the grounds with a guide and see what is happening in the winter world (repeats at noon and 2 p.m.).
• 11 a.m.: Wild Spirit Education Program – Daytime Sky Hunters. See live birds of prey up close and learn all about their unique ways of surviving as a daytime hunter.
• Noon – 4 p.m.: Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides
• Noon: Hike with a Naturalist
• Noon: Wild Spirit Education – Meet and greet the live owls and other birds of prey and their handlers up close. Ask questions and get great photos.
• Noon: Kicksled Demonstrations outdoors by Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue (repeats at 1, 2, and 3 p.m.)
• 1 p.m.: Wild Spirit Education Program – Owls. Learn all about owls and the awesome ways they get around at night.
• 1 p.m.: Kicksled Demonstrations
• 2 p.m.: Hike with a Naturalist
• 2 p.m.: Kicksled Demonstrations
• 3 p.m.: Kicksled Demonstrations

Admission to the Snowflake Festival is $6; children 3-12 are $2, and those two and under are free.

The Audubon Center and Sanctuary is at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, New York, and Warren, Pennsylvania.

To learn more, call (716) 569-2345 or visit jamestownaudubon.org.

JAMESTOWN – Doors Open Jamestown returns in 2 weeks! Join us on Jan. 17 and celebrate a day that features FREE admission at a variety of local attractions.

Participating venues for this year include: Busti Grist Mill; Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame; Fenton History Center; Infinity Visual & Performing Arts; Jamestown Prendergast Public Library; Jamestown Audubon Center & Sanctuary; Jamestown Gateway Train Station; Jamestown Savings Bank Arena; Lucille M. Wright Air Museum; Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy; Lucille Ball Little Theater; Reg Lenna Center for the Arts; Robert H. Jackson Center; Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.

Additionally, this year’s Doors Open will feature raffles and specials at area-favorite restaurants.

Organizers will continue to post more information on this year’s event on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoorsOpenJamesown.

The 2012 Jamestown Audubon Nature Photography Contest received entries from around the world. The winning photo in the Adult Wildlife category is “Leaping for Prey” taken by Gerald Wilders of Toms River, New Jersey.

JAMESTOWN – Monday, June 30 is the deadline for the Jamestown Audubon’s 2014 Nature Photography Contest.

According to officials, the annual competition, now in its sixth year, helps fulfill Audubon’s mission by connecting the photographer with nature and inspiring the viewer of the images to connect with nature.

Photographers with any level of experience are encouraged to submit their favorite images and prizes will be handed out to the top participants.

Images of winning entries from previous contests as well as details for the 2014 competition are on-line at www.jasphotocontest.com.

Jamestown Audubon

JAMESTOWN – The annual Audubon Council of New York State’s Fall Meeting will be coming to Chautauqua County this year.

Jamestown Audubon president Ruth Lundin says the event – which will bring 75 representatives from various Audubon agencies from across the state – will take place Oct. 17 – 19 at the Chautauqua Suites Hotel and Expo Center in Mayville.

Lundin noted that the Buffalo Audubon Society will join Jamestown Audubon to host the event. In addition to the 27 active National Audubon Society chapters of New York State and the staff of Audubon New York in Albany, Western Pennsylvania chapters of National Audubon will also be invited.

Jamestown’s Audubon Center & Sanctuary is at located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, New York, and Warren, Pennsylvania.

For more information, call (716) 569-2345 or visit www.jamestownaudubon.org.

Maryland wildlife ecologist David Brinker has appeared in National Geographic, on National Public Radio, and was pictured recently in the Los Angeles Times. His presentation on Northern Goshawks will highlight the Audubon Center & Sanctuary’s Thanksgiving with the Birds on Saturday, November 23.

JAMESTOWN – The Audubon Center & Sanctuary is again celebrating a dinner tradition that dates back to 1965:  great food, great company, and a fascinating talk.

On Saturday, November 23, Thanksgiving with the Birds will begin with a community soup pot, followed by a scrumptious turkey dinner and an enlightening program.

A presentation on Northern Goshawks by Maryland wildlife ecologist David Brinker will highlight this year’s event. Brinker has appeared in National Geographic, on National Public Radio, and was pictured recently in the Los Angeles Times.

At 11:30 a.m., folks will gather around the outdoor soup kettle for which they can bring a small container of their favorite broth-based soup to add to the mystery brew.

Audubon provides the roasted turkeys and beverages for the indoor buffet dinner that begins at 12:30. Participants are asked to bring a side dish (dressing, vegetables, potatoes, salad or dessert) and their own table service, including a mug for soup.

During his 1:30 presentation, Brinker will educate and entertain with a talk about Northern Goshawks. He will cover the natural history, ecology and conservation issues surrounding eastern populations of these secretive birds, an important component of healthy northern forests.

A lifelong camper, fisherman and grouse hunter, Brinker has a B.S. in Ecosystems Analysis (Wildlife Ecology) from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. He is currently a regional ecolo­gist for the Maryland Depart­ment of Natural Resources’ Natural Heritage Program, where he works on biodiversity conservation and creating a Maryland Natural Areas system.

Audubon’s Blue Heron Gift Shop will be open for holiday shopping.

Cost is $6/person. Because this is such a popular event and seating is limited, reservations are required by Monday, November 18, 2013: call (716) 569-2345, email info@jamestownaudubon.org, or use the on-line form by clicking through the Program Listing at http://jamestownaudubon.org.

The Jamestown Audubon Center & Sanctuary is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, New York, and Warren, Pennsylvania.  Winter hours for the Nature Center and Blue Heron Gift Shop are 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays and Saturdays, Sundays 1-4:30 p.m. Bald Eagle viewing and trails are open dawn to dusk daily.

To learn more, call (716) 569-2345 or visit http://jamestownaudubon.org/.

The Water Chestnut Plant

JAMESTOWN – Local officials and organizations are continuing their effort to keep an invasive plant species from taking over our area waterways.

Over the weekend dozens of volunteers arrived on Chautauqua Lake to help in the effort to locate the invasive Water Chestnut species. This week, volunteers are being asked to continue in the effort, this time at the big pond at the Jamestown Audubon.

Jamestown Audubon President Ruth Lundin is asking residents to stop by the Audubon on Tuesday for a mass water chestnut pulling. According to Lundin, if they are not removed, they will choke out both plant and animal life in waterways throughout Chautauqua County and the Conewango watershed of Pennsylvania.

Scheduled pull dates for this week are:

• Tuesday, July 23, 9 a.m. to noon
• Wednesday, July 24, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• BIG PULL: Saturday, July 27, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Lunch and debrief at 11:30; some people will go back out Saturday afternoon, also.

Additional dates are slated for next week –

• Sunday, July 28, 2 to 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 30, 9 a.m. to noon
• Wednesday, July 31, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Volunteers are asked to attend as many of the pull days as possible and to spread the word for more volunteers. Everyone should wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes.  They are also asked to let Audubon know when they are coming by calling (716) 569-2345.

The Nature Center was constructed in two phases. The original section was built in the 1970s; the addition was dedicated in 1992. The original furnace and air conditioner still service one story of the old section.  After an assessment, Audubon applied for and was recently awarded a grant to replace this worn out equipment.

More than 16,000 people visit the Nature Center each year.  In addition, through a permit with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, it houses several animals for educational purposes, including fish, turtles, a toad, a snake, and some frogs.

The Audubon Center and Sanctuary is at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. For more information, call (716) 569-2345 or visit www.jamestownaudubon.org.

The grant will be used specifically to begin implementing components of Audubon’s Education Master Plan. The initiatives that will be focused on in 2013 include Program Effectiveness With Limited Budget through Walking Field Trips and Schoolyard Field Trips, Extending Audubon’s Reach through Internships and Junior Counselor program, Public Programs including expanding Owl Day to a full festival, and Engaging 21st Century Learners

To learn more about the Center and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345 or visit http://jamestownaudubon.org/.