Press Conference
Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. (CU)

Thursday, May 10, 2007 - 11a.m.
Union Lake Wildlife Management Area- Boat Launch (off Carmel Rd.)
Contact Information

Jane Morton Galetto, President Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. 609-774-5853

Topic: World Series of Birding – CU's First Birding Team

Jane Morton Galetto, President Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc.

Introduction of Team Members

Diane Jones – Team Captain

Janet Crawford- in Myrtle Beach
Pam Higginbotham
Karen Johnson
Katharine Patterson- hasn't come up from Maryland as yet
Clay Sutton

Staff Support

Jane Morton Galetto and Renee Scagnelli—How was the Frog Slog last night?

This year some of our birding members led by the enthusiasm of Captain Diane Jones have decided to raise dollars for CU by putting together a world-class team to enter the World Series of Birding. Our team's name is CU Birding Cumberland County and our mascot is the osprey, thus the team members' moniker is the "Fish Hawks." The team's name is the same as the County's birding guide that was updated and improved by the CU membership. We look at this occasion as an opportunity to share with others the wonders of our local wildlife. What one might see if they visit or live in Cumberland County. This is our opportunity to stress that our wild areas not only provide clean water and air, but a host of wonders for the public to enjoy, be it wildlife watching, hiking, canoeing, kayaking or simply a nice view.

As we go through these topics and introductions you will see that birders are as diverse a group as their quarry.

So who are these "Fish Hawks?" Well, they are simply very talented birders! But are also very interesting individuals beyond their birding talents.

Diane Jones from Maryland and her world-traveling birding sidekick Pam Higginbotham from Atlanta GA often go birding while Pam's husband is off golfing (or is that the other way around). If any wayward exotics should venture to the coast of Delaware Bay this Saturday, they will likely be tallied by this expert twosome. Yet these two globe- trotters continue to return to Southern NJ for some of their favorite birding anywhere.

Katharine Patterson also lives in Maryland where she conducts tours for youngsters at the Irvine and Oregon Ridge nature centers. She is a bluebird trail manager and is very active in the local 4-H program with her children. They shepherd a flock of sheep on their family farm. Katharine has a degree in Early Childhood Education and before taking leave to raise children she was a Child Life Therapist working with hospitalized children and their families. She is currently finishing up a Certificate in Environmental Studies at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. She serves on the boards of the Natural History Society of Maryland and Baltimore County Agricultural Resource Center.

CU Officer/Corresponding Secretary Karen Johnson and her fellow CMBO naturalist Janet Crawford are truly local aficionados having led many local field trips throughout our region. Karen works at the Upper Cape Branch of the Cape May County Library where she orchestrates natural history talks. Janet Crawford recently relocated from PA to her favorite stomping grounds, Cumberland County of course. She is a recently retired FBI agent, and we expect her to ID the birds as well as she has ID’ed the suspects. And yes, Janet does carry a tape recorder.

Additionally, from our survey team of Clay Sutton and naturalist Jimmy Dowdell, author/ornithologist Sutton will bring his keen observation skills to bear. It is rumored that Jimmy has been doing some scouting for the team, as have other CU members Brian Johnson and Treasurer Tony Klock.

Introduce Karen Johnson - At our Annual Chili Dinner Karen won a Chili Bowl for the enthusiasm she shares with aspiring young naturalists who attend our Raptor Discovery Days. This year CU volunteers took over 500 students and one marsh rat on hikes and birding tours.

Karen Johnson – History of World Series of Birding- What is the World Series

The World Series of Birding is a competition sponsored by NJ Audubon Society. It is held in the state of New Jersey every year on a Saturday in May during the height of the spring bird migration. It has been held every year since 1984 when famed author/ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson led the winning team. Teams spend as much as 24 hours trying to see as many species as possible, either in the entire state or a single county.

Today people participate from all over the world and have raised millions of dollars for various conservation organizations by taking pledges for the number of species identified. Competing teams each donate to their preferred charities.

For many years Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. (CU) has had members that participate in the event raising dollars for other charitable organizations. But this is our first CU sponsored team.

Introduce Diane Jones-

Why CU formed a team- by Diane Jones, Team Captain

Diane Jones has been involved in birding all of her life as the daughter of birdwatching parents. But she didn’t truly get hooked on birding until she started coming to Southern New Jersey to participate in NJ Audubon Society events. She has been spending more and more time birding in Cumberland County and has discovered what a wonderful area it is for enjoying the natural world. Since CU has played such a large role in protecting these wonderful areas she decided to form a team to raise money for CU. Diane also enjoys the natural world while riding her horse in Maryland. She has perfected what she calls ‘horseback birding’, birding-by-ear while on the trails. She also enjoys wildlife gardening and birding travel as mentioned earlier. In spite of all these hobbies she finds time to work as a computer programmer at the Social Security Administration.

Introduce Clay Sutton- by Jane Morton Galetto

Author Clay Sutton is a naturalist and biologist. He is an author and co-author of numerous books, magazine, and journal articles. He and his wife, Pat Sutton, are co-authors of How to Spot an Owl, How to Spot Hawks & Eagles, and How to Spot Butterflies in the popular Houghton-Mifflin series. Their newest release is Birds and Birding at Cape May. He also co-authored Hawks in Flight with famed birders Pete Dune and David Sibley. But most importantly to our team he is the author of Birding Cumberland, A Birder's Guide to Cumberland Co., NJ. In addition he works as an environmental educator, birding tour leader, and environmental consultant. A lifelong resident of southern New Jersey, he is a founding member of the South Jersey Land Trust and a former member of the Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Clay was the Cumberland County coordinator for the Breeding Bird Atlas Project. He and his wife Pat are former compilers of the Cumberland Christmas Bird Count, and live “just over the border” from Cumberland in Cape May County. Cumberland County is among his very favorite places to bird.

Clay Sutton- Will speak on diversity of wild areas and what the team or visitors to the region might expect to see. And why natural areas are important to the health of our residents.

Introduce Pam- by Jane Morton Galetto

Birder Pam Higginbotham- In addition to her birding skills Pam hails from Atlanta GA where she is a Bank of America VP of Network Services. We have asked her to discuss why someone would commonly travel to Southern NJ to go birding as she does, and as a banker we thought it fitting for her to address what these visiting wildlife observers mean for the local economy.

Pam Higginbotham- Will address the dollars and sense of birding.
See statistic sheet entitled "The Economic Impacts of Wildlife Related Recreation in NJ"
And
"Wildlife Watching and Economics"
One in three NJ residents participate in wildlife-based recreation in NJ.
Of all 50 states, NJ ranks #6 in the amount of economic activity created by in-state wildlife viewing activities!
The number of people who fish NJ's marine waters each year outnumber the population of Rhode Island.

Who is Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River
and Its Tributaries, Inc.
We are a charitable non profit association with over 450 memberships whose mission is:

Mission Statement
“Citizens United is dedicated to protecting the watershed of the Maurice River and the region known as Down Jersey, thereby enabling current and future generations to enjoy the environmental, recreational, cultural and scenic resources of this Wild & Scenic global treasure. “CU empowers individuals, organizations and neighboring communities to promote the region’s enduring well-being and quality of life. CU invites participation and fosters responsible stewardship. CU supports education, awareness, and informed decision-making utilizing field work, research, and advocacy.”

Birding Cumberland, A Birder's Guide to Cumberland Co., NJ
Is available at
Bogart's Bookstore, High Street, Millville & Booksmith, Cumberland County Mall