Webster Groves Nature Study Society - ATTENTION WGNSS Members!
Help save a prairie! The August 31st deadline is fast approaching.
To date, donations received totals $163,550, which 93%; but we need your help to get to $175,000 the total goal needed "To Save the Prairie."
These are the times we are waiting for. We have an opportunity to help save a hilltop prairie that is less than an hour's drive from St. Louis. As you are likely aware, prairie is one of the most endangered terrestrial ecosystems on the planet. Less than 1% of Illinois prairie remains and the Heartlands Conservancy is looking for help to purchase a small hilltop prairie and glade complex.
Please consider donating to this cause. Every little bit can help. Do not delay!
There is an approaching deadline and they are very close to reaching their goal.
Click the link heartlandsconservancy.org/support/save-the-prairie/ for more details, every donation counts.
Help save a prairie! The August 31st deadline is fast approaching.
To date, donations received totals $163,550, which 93%; but we need your help to get to $175,000 the total goal needed "To Save the Prairie."
These are the times we are waiting for. We have an opportunity to help save a hilltop prairie that is less than an hour's drive from St. Louis. As you are likely aware, prairie is one of the most endangered terrestrial ecosystems on the planet. Less than 1% of Illinois prairie remains and the Heartlands Conservancy is looking for help to purchase a small hilltop prairie and glade complex.
Please consider donating to this cause. Every little bit can help. Do not delay!
There is an approaching deadline and they are very close to reaching their goal.
Click the link heartlandsconservancy.org/support/save-the-prairie/ for more details, every donation counts.
Webster’s Champion Birder
Standing next to the new Blackburn Park Bird Sanctuary sign at the Feb. 3 unveiling are (left) Bill Duncan, president of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, and Rich Thoma, the society’s past president. | photo by Ursula Ruhl
Phoebe Snetsinger fans gather for Blackburn Park event By Don Corrigan, Feb 12, 2024
Admirers of the late champion birder Phoebe Snetsinger gathered at the entrance of the Bird Sanctuary at Blackburn Park in Webster Groves last Saturday. An avid naturalist, she turned a humble hobby into a worldwide adventure.
Snetsinger fans were happy to celebrate the unveiling of an informational structure dedicated to her birding accomplishments. They described it as great way to get an introduction to the “Bird Woman of Webster Groves.”
“It’s my privilege to unveil this new sign for the most famous birder of Webster Groves,” said Bill Duncan, who serves as president of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society. “This new display is dedicated to birding and to Phoebe Snetsinger.”
Duncan said what was there before was worn out and damaged, as might be expected for something 20 years old. So Rich Thoma, also of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, saw that something new was needed and took the initiative to get it replaced, according to Duncan.
A cursory study of the life of Snetsinger reveals a woman obsessed with identifying most of the approximately 10,000 bird species on the planet. She managed to make birding exciting.
Snetsinger risked all to reach her goal of spotting more than 8,000 bird species, traveling to exotic locales in Africa, Asia and Latin America on her birding adventures.
“She was a pioneer. Very few females were doing what she was doing when she started fulfilling her passion for birding,” said Peggy Oates of Webster Groves. “It’s amazing that some of her first birding was done right here in Blackburn Park.”
Snetsinger took a scientific approach to her birding, and took it seriously.
“She was not someone who said, ‘I saw this, and I saw that,’” Oates said. “She was very serious and methodical in documenting what she saw on her birding trips.”
Snetsinger has been the subject of several biographies. The book, “Life List,” by Olivia Gentile, is rated as great as any adventure novel. But it’s also a psychological portrait about a woman’s obsession with bird watching and the horrifying mishaps that she survived.
As Gentile notes, Snetsinger heard the words “terminal cancer” in 1981 at age 50. But those words simply ignited her passion — and her doctors were proven wrong. She did not yield to her medical death sentence.
Snetsinger spent the next 18 years globe trotting to stake out her quarry. On the way, she contracted malaria in Zambia, nearly fell to her death in Zaire, and was kidnapped and gang raped near Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
But no adversity curbed her enthusiasm. When Snetsinger died in a vehicle accident while birding in Madagascar in 1999, she had seen more bird species than anyone in history.
“I went out with the Webster Groves Nature Study Society birding group this morning, so it really made sense for me to just come out for this dedication,” said David French of Fenton. “I’m an Audubon Society member, but I like birding with Webster Groves Nature Study Society because their birding groups are smaller.”
French said it was his dad who got him into the hobby.
“He’s a big fan of the story of Phoebe Snetsinger and her taking up birding later in life. So, that’s also why I am here for this dedication,” he said.
Phoebe and David Snetsinger of Webster Groves had four children, who all were also birders.
Snetsinger’s fame as an international birder also brought attention to the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, to which she belonged.
The Bird Sanctuary in the east portion of Blackburn Park is a testament to her memory and achievements. The wooded area continues to provide a space where people can go observe birds.
For more information on Phoebe Snetsinger and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, visit wgnss.org.
Snetsinger fans were happy to celebrate the unveiling of an informational structure dedicated to her birding accomplishments. They described it as great way to get an introduction to the “Bird Woman of Webster Groves.”
“It’s my privilege to unveil this new sign for the most famous birder of Webster Groves,” said Bill Duncan, who serves as president of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society. “This new display is dedicated to birding and to Phoebe Snetsinger.”
Duncan said what was there before was worn out and damaged, as might be expected for something 20 years old. So Rich Thoma, also of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, saw that something new was needed and took the initiative to get it replaced, according to Duncan.
A cursory study of the life of Snetsinger reveals a woman obsessed with identifying most of the approximately 10,000 bird species on the planet. She managed to make birding exciting.
Snetsinger risked all to reach her goal of spotting more than 8,000 bird species, traveling to exotic locales in Africa, Asia and Latin America on her birding adventures.
“She was a pioneer. Very few females were doing what she was doing when she started fulfilling her passion for birding,” said Peggy Oates of Webster Groves. “It’s amazing that some of her first birding was done right here in Blackburn Park.”
Snetsinger took a scientific approach to her birding, and took it seriously.
“She was not someone who said, ‘I saw this, and I saw that,’” Oates said. “She was very serious and methodical in documenting what she saw on her birding trips.”
Snetsinger has been the subject of several biographies. The book, “Life List,” by Olivia Gentile, is rated as great as any adventure novel. But it’s also a psychological portrait about a woman’s obsession with bird watching and the horrifying mishaps that she survived.
As Gentile notes, Snetsinger heard the words “terminal cancer” in 1981 at age 50. But those words simply ignited her passion — and her doctors were proven wrong. She did not yield to her medical death sentence.
Snetsinger spent the next 18 years globe trotting to stake out her quarry. On the way, she contracted malaria in Zambia, nearly fell to her death in Zaire, and was kidnapped and gang raped near Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
But no adversity curbed her enthusiasm. When Snetsinger died in a vehicle accident while birding in Madagascar in 1999, she had seen more bird species than anyone in history.
“I went out with the Webster Groves Nature Study Society birding group this morning, so it really made sense for me to just come out for this dedication,” said David French of Fenton. “I’m an Audubon Society member, but I like birding with Webster Groves Nature Study Society because their birding groups are smaller.”
French said it was his dad who got him into the hobby.
“He’s a big fan of the story of Phoebe Snetsinger and her taking up birding later in life. So, that’s also why I am here for this dedication,” he said.
Phoebe and David Snetsinger of Webster Groves had four children, who all were also birders.
Snetsinger’s fame as an international birder also brought attention to the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, to which she belonged.
The Bird Sanctuary in the east portion of Blackburn Park is a testament to her memory and achievements. The wooded area continues to provide a space where people can go observe birds.
For more information on Phoebe Snetsinger and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, visit wgnss.org.
Upcoming field trips and natural history group meetings can be found in this newsletter and at wgnss.org, and on Facebook. Also, previous general meetings can be found on YouTube. Look for an article on E. O. Wilson later in this issue of Nature Notes.
The Webster Groves Nature Study Society is pleased to announce that applications are being accepted for the following 2023 scholarship grants:
Bo Koster Grant for Nature Study This is an annual award to support fieldwork of a college student in natural history. The Bo Koster Grant honors long time WGNSS member Bo Koster, an avid birder and researcher in diabetes. Click HERE for more information.
Menke Scholarship to Improve Wildlife Habitat This scholarship’s goal is to increase and improve wildlife habitat in Missouri, and honors Don and Nell Menke, long-term members of WGNSS and lifelong birders/ wildflower experts, and honors their son, David Menke, a wildlife park ranger all his professional life. Click HERE for more information.
Mickey Scudder Scholarship in Field Biology This is an annual award to support the field work of a graduate student in natural history. This scholarship honors long time WGNSS member Mickey Scudder, who is well remembered for her infectious enthusiasm towards field work, particularly with wild birds. Click HERE for more information.
Bo Koster Grant for Nature Study This is an annual award to support fieldwork of a college student in natural history. The Bo Koster Grant honors long time WGNSS member Bo Koster, an avid birder and researcher in diabetes. Click HERE for more information.
Menke Scholarship to Improve Wildlife Habitat This scholarship’s goal is to increase and improve wildlife habitat in Missouri, and honors Don and Nell Menke, long-term members of WGNSS and lifelong birders/ wildflower experts, and honors their son, David Menke, a wildlife park ranger all his professional life. Click HERE for more information.
Mickey Scudder Scholarship in Field Biology This is an annual award to support the field work of a graduate student in natural history. This scholarship honors long time WGNSS member Mickey Scudder, who is well remembered for her infectious enthusiasm towards field work, particularly with wild birds. Click HERE for more information.
WGNSS Nature Book Club, Virtual Zoom Meetings
The WGNSS Nature Book Group normally meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Due to the Covid pandemic we will be meeting on Zoom until further notice. Email John Christensen at [email protected] several days before the meeting to receive your Zoom invitation.
Newcomers are welcome! For more information contact John Christensen.
The WGNSS Nature Book Group normally meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Due to the Covid pandemic we will be meeting on Zoom until further notice. Email John Christensen at [email protected] several days before the meeting to receive your Zoom invitation.
Newcomers are welcome! For more information contact John Christensen.
WGNSS ORNITHOLOGY GROUP
Thursday and Saturday Bird Walks!
Contact David at [email protected] for details
WGNSS trips are free and open to all!
Thursday and Saturday Bird Walks!
Contact David at [email protected] for details
WGNSS trips are free and open to all!
WGNSS Nature Photography Group Field Trips!
Interested in participating in WGNSS Nature Photography Group activities?
Send your contact information to Miguel Acosta.
Visit the WGNSS Nature Photography Group website here,
check current Nature Notes, or the WGNSS Facebook page for details and updates!
Interested in participating in WGNSS Nature Photography Group activities?
Send your contact information to Miguel Acosta.
Visit the WGNSS Nature Photography Group website here,
check current Nature Notes, or the WGNSS Facebook page for details and updates!
WEBSTER GROVES NATURE STUDY SOCIETY
Membership Application/Renewal – September 1st to August 31st
Membership Application/Renewal – September 1st to August 31st
August is the time to renew your annual WGNSS membership dues: $15 yearly with online color Nature Notes! (if you still want to receive printed copies of Nature Notes (in black and white) by mail, the price is $20.00 per year.) Two new options are offered this year: $300 lifetime membership, Nature Notes online. and $135 ten year membership for the price of nine years, Nature Notes online. If you have already renewed, THANK YOU!
Membership dues can be paid through PayPal using the 'Donate' button below!
"Nature Notes" is our Newsletter - join WGNSS to receive the latest issues! Nature Notes features spectacular photographs and articles about botany, birding, entomology, and conservation by expert authors, and is available by USPS or e-mail.
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Past issues are available for download from the Nature Note archive page.
Submit your articles, photographs, or events to Steve Turner, the Editor of Nature Notes.
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The 100th Anniversary of WGNSS featured in the Webster Kirkwood Time:
photo by Gwyn Wahlmann
Webster Groves Nature Study Society General Meeting
First Wednesday each month, 7:00 p.m. at Webster Groves Library
First Wednesday each month, 7:00 p.m. at Webster Groves Library
Events page photo slideshow credits:
Tower Rock in Misssissippi River by Casey Galvin - 1st place in Habitat category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Honey Bee on Bloodroot flowers by Abby Lee-Fairbanks - 1st place in Botany category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Waterfall, by Ryan Fairbanks - 3rd place in Habitat category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Peregrine Falcon, by Casey Galvin - 1st place in Birding category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Ice on LaBarque Creek, by Nels Holmberg - 1st place in Habitat category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Bronze Tiger Beetle by Ted MacRae - Grand Prize 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Summer Tanager by Mike Thelen - 2nd place in Birding category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Beach Wolf Spider by Ted MacRae - 1st place in Entomology category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Least Sandpiper by Casey Galvin - Honorary Mention in Birding category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Missouri Evening Primrose by Anne McCormack
Victoria Glade with Fremont's Leather Flower and Indian Paintbrush by Anne McCormack
Ruby-throated Hummingbird male by Casey Galvin
Wild Hydrangea with Harvestman by Anne McCormack
Red-spotted Purple Butterfly on Paw Paw by Anne McCormack
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Eastern Blazing-Star by Anne McCormack
Duck Creek by Casey Galvin
Join WGNSS!
Webster Groves Nature Study Society
PO Box 190065
Saint Louis MO 63119-6065
Tower Rock in Misssissippi River by Casey Galvin - 1st place in Habitat category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Honey Bee on Bloodroot flowers by Abby Lee-Fairbanks - 1st place in Botany category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Waterfall, by Ryan Fairbanks - 3rd place in Habitat category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Peregrine Falcon, by Casey Galvin - 1st place in Birding category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Ice on LaBarque Creek, by Nels Holmberg - 1st place in Habitat category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Bronze Tiger Beetle by Ted MacRae - Grand Prize 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Summer Tanager by Mike Thelen - 2nd place in Birding category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Beach Wolf Spider by Ted MacRae - 1st place in Entomology category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Least Sandpiper by Casey Galvin - Honorary Mention in Birding category, 2013 WGNSS Photo Contest
Missouri Evening Primrose by Anne McCormack
Victoria Glade with Fremont's Leather Flower and Indian Paintbrush by Anne McCormack
Ruby-throated Hummingbird male by Casey Galvin
Wild Hydrangea with Harvestman by Anne McCormack
Red-spotted Purple Butterfly on Paw Paw by Anne McCormack
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Eastern Blazing-Star by Anne McCormack
Duck Creek by Casey Galvin
Join WGNSS!
Webster Groves Nature Study Society
PO Box 190065
Saint Louis MO 63119-6065