August 5, 2010: "Red Cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) Ecology and Monitoring, Working to Recover an Endangered Species" - Kristina Witter, Wildlife Biologist, will tell us about an Eglin project to band RCW chicks then relocate them to suitable habitat in neighboring states. Volunteers needed!

September 2, 2010: "Red Tide and Other Harmful Algal Blooms" - Dr Allison Beauregard, Chair of the Mattie Kelly Environmental Institute at NWFSC, will report on the occurrence of harmful algal blooms in Florida and on Ride Tide related research in Choctawhatchee Bay.

October 7, 2010: "Issues Associated with Water Quality in Florida" - Linda Young of the Florida Clean Water Network will tell us what is happening to our aquifer, our streams and lakes and our bays and estuaries so we can ask our elected officials to make the right decisions for the people, wildlife and the environment.

November 4, 2010: "Introduction and Photo Tour of the Unique Amphibian and Reptile Communities of Eglin Air Force Base" - Kelly Jones, Wildlife Biologists, will present an overview of local herptofauna with an emphasis on some of the rare species, including Flatwoods Salamanders of Eglin AFB.

December 2, 2010: "Christmas Bird Count" - Donald Ware, CAS Count Coordinator, will get us ready for the annual CBC. Learn about the history of the CBC, the impact the count is having on understanding changes in bird populations and what birds we should look for.

January 6, 2011: "Environmental Legislation Which May Come Before the Florida House in 2011" - Honorable Matt Gaetz, State Representative District 4, will speak on pending environmental legislation, his position on the legislation and his thinking.

February 3, 2011: "Basic Bird Identification Techniques" - Lenny Fenimore will tell us how to get started identifying birds and is eminently qualified to lead us in the right direction.

March 3, 2011: "My Six-Year Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker" - James R. Hill, III, Ornithologist in association with the Cornell department of Ornithology and Auburn University will share his unique and fascinating story of searching the Choctawhatchee River for IBW’s.

April 7, 2011: "The Impact of Tropical Storms on Barrier Islands Pristine and Contaminated with Oil" - Rip Kirby, a Coastal Geologist from the University of South Florida, will report on his research on the changes in beach and dune structure on the Eglin reservation portion of Okaloosa Island.

May 5, 2011: "Biology and Population Status of Endangered or Threatened Shorebirds, Sea Turtles and Beach Mice on Okaloosa Island" - Erica Laine, Wildlife Biologist and volunteer coordinator for Eglin's Jackson Guard will discuss the research on some of the rare wildlife on Okaloosa Island and how volunteers are used to help with the research.

August 21, 2010: Navarre and Opal Beaches with Don Ware. Meet at Uptown Station FWB 7:30 AM ... 862.6582

October 2, 2010: Destin Pass Beach and Bay parks with Lenny Fenimore. Meet at Uptown Station 7:30 AM ... 863.2039

October 9, 2010: Fall bird banding site in Fort Morgan, AL with Gary Parsons. Meet at Uptown Station at 7:30 AM or Navarre Butterfly House at 8 AM ... 678-1461

October 23, 2010: Shoal River Sanctuary with Bob & Chris Larson. Meet at Food World, Niceville at 7:30 AM ... 651.0392

November 13, 2010: South Walton Courthouse Annex with Dee Nickerson. Meet at Winn Dixie, BWB 7:30 AM or at Annex at 8 AM ... 897.2035

January 15, 2011: Ivory-billed Woodpecker Habitat with Don Ware. Meet at Badcock Furniture, Niceville 8 AM ... 862.6582

March 5, 2011: Niceville area with Gary Parsons. Meet at Badcock Furniture parking lot 7:30 AM ... 678.1461

March 26, 2011: Fox Hill Property with Bob Reid & Betsy Clark. Meet at Food World, Niceville 7:30 AM and bring lunch ... 678.1926

April 2, 2011: Bluewater Bay Marina with Bob Penhollow. Meet at Winn Dixie, BWB 7:30 AM

April 9, 2011: Fall bird banding site in Fort Morgan, AL with Sylvia Cowen. Meet at Uptown Station at 7:30 or Navarre Butterfly House 8 AM ... 862.1963

April 30, 2011: FWB spray fields and holding ponds with Don Ware. Meet at FWB Coach-N-Four restaurant, 7:30 AM ... 862.6582

May 7, 2011: Dave Gordon's Wild World with Nelda Seever. Meet at DeFuniak Ext Office at 8 AM ... 939.9681

May 14, 2011: North American Spring Migration Count. Call Don Ware to volunteer ... 862.6582

August 6, 2009: "Bottlenose Dolphin Ecology, Stranding, and Rescue Response in the Choctawhatchee Bay Estuary" Steve Shippee, PhD Candidate, UCF, will present his research into dolphin ecology and habitat use in the Choctawhatchee Bay area and discuss the problem of dolphin interactions with recreational fishing.

September 3, 2009: "Hope Takes Wing" Gerald Murphy, a volunteer with Operation Migration, will present a video on the migration of whooping cranes to Florida.

October 1, 2009: "Gambia and Senegal: The Ladies Were Beautiful and The Birds Were Colorful. Or Was It the Other Way Around?" Ecologist and world traveler John Winn will transport us to these West Africa countries via his photographs of their birds, wildlife, people, and flowers.

November 5, 2009: "Beulah Laidlaw Nature Preserve, an Audubon Asset in the Panhandle" Neil Lamb, Bay County Audubon Society, will tell us about the fauna and flora of an Audubon of Florida preserve and the process of working with AoF to help manage it. A field trip to the Preserve will be on Saturday, November 7.

December 3, 2009: "Christmas Bird Count" Donald Ware will get us ready for the annual CBC. Learn how the CAS count started, some interesting past results, and what birds we should look for on the December 14 count.

January 7, 2010: "Water Conservation through Rain Barrels" Learn how to catch nature’s liquid bounty for future use from Sheila Dunning, Okaloosa County Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent.

February 4, 2010: "Searching for Florida's Rarest Butterflies" Mary Ann Friedman will tell us about the field survey work she is doing in NW Florida to help update the butterfly map of Florida.

March 4, 2010: "Native Plants for Birds and Butterflies" Learn from local author and passionate gardener Marie Harrison which native plants do well in our area and how to site them correctly in your landscape to encourage birds and.

April 1, 2010: "Photography of Panhandle Plants and Wildflowers" Patrick Gault, of Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, will present photographs of native plants and wildflowers from a variety of habitats and discuss flora photographing techniques.

May 6, 2010: "Digging up the Dirt on the Eglin Reservation" Joseph Meyer, an archaeologist at Eglin AFB, will use old photographs and actual artifacts in a presentation to take us into the past of our region’s largest natural area.

August 8, 2009: Birdwalk - FWB spray fields. Meet at Coach-N-Four restaurant, 7:30 AM. Don Ware ... 862.6582
September 19, 2009: North American Fall Migration Count. Don Ware ... 862.6582
October 3, 2009: Birdwalk - FWB area city parks caravan. Meet at Uptown Station parking lot, 7:30 AM. Lenny Fenimore ... 863.2039
October 15, 2009: Fieldtrip - Fall bird banding, Fort Morgan, AL. Don Ware ... 862.6582
October 16-18, 2009: Birdwalk - South Walton Back 2 Nature Festival, time & place TBD. Carole Goodyear ... 897.2666
October 31, 2009: Nature photography walk. Place and time TBD. Linda Holloway ... 376.0327
November 21, 2009: Birdwalk - FWB spray fields. Meet at Coach-N-Four restaurant, 8 AM. Don Ware ... 862.6582
December 14, 2009: Christmas Bird Count. Don Ware ... 862.6582
January 9, 2010: Birdwalk - Destin Bridge area /jetties. Meet in parking lot, west side of bridge, 8:00 AM. Lenny Fenimore ... 863.2039
February 6, 2010: Birdwalk - Niceville area caravan. Meet at Niceville K-Mart, 8:00 AM. Bob Penhollow ... 729.2602
March 6, 2010: Birdwalk - Valparaiso area caravan. Meet at Badcock Furniture parking lot, 7:30 AM. Pat Baker ... 678.2953
April 10, 2010: Birdwalk - Bluewater Bay area caravan. Carole Goodyear ... 897.2666
May 8, 2010: North American Spring Migration Count. Don Ware ... 862.6582

August 7, 2008: "Dragonflies" CAS Board Member Sharon Weaver will share photos of local dragonflies. We will learn why they are essential indicators of pond health and how to attract them to our own backyards.

September 4, 2008: "History of the Coffeen Nature Preserve" Susan Burch Paladini, resident manager for Coffeen Nature preserve will talk about it’s transformation from WWII missile launch site to Nature Preserve.

October 2, 2008: "Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge" Rescued animal ambassadors will accompany Patrick Gault, Assistant Director for ECWR while he discusses the refuge, their mission, and their future.

November 1, 2008: "Filming Nature" Filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus will discuss how an image can convey an important message when filming nature by telling stories, capturing images and creating partnerships.

December 9, 2008: "Rare CBC Birds and the IBW Search" Celebrate the season during our Christmas Party lakeside in DeFuniak Springs where local birding expert and CAS Bird Count Coordinator, Don Ware will show slides of birds that we may see during the Christmas Bird Count and he’ll update us on the local IBW search.

January 8, 2009: "Gulf Sturgeons" USFWS Biologist Frank Parauka has monitored Gulf sturgeons for 20 years. His presentation will cover their life history, USFWS recovery plans, current population estimates in the panhandle and threats to habitat. He will demonstrate telemetry and tagging equipment.

February 5, 2009: "Geology of the Choctaw Basin" Dr Jonathan Bryan, Professor of Earth Sciences at NWF State College (F-OWC) will tell us all about the origin of the Choctawhatchee Basin and some of the strange creatures that once lived there.

March 5, 2009: "RCW’s" Kelly Jones Project Manager of the Virginia Tech Red-cockaded Woodpecker project at Eglin AFB will present an overview of the status of the RCW. In addition he will talk about how longleaf pine ecosystem management has preserved some amazing biodiversity in addition to the target species that are managed.

April 2, 2009: "Gopher Tortoises" Biologist Bob Walker of Nokuse Plantation will give a presentation on the conservation of gopher tortoises and the success of reestablishing tortoise populations from specimens relocated from throughout Florida.

May 7, 2009: "Flight & Migration" Alan W. Knothe, Education and Training Specialist at Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Preserve will speak about the physics of bird flight, flight adaptations, migration and navigation.

August 22, 2008: Bird Walk to Fort Walton Beach / Okaloosa County spray fields and holding pond, meet at Coach-N-Four 7:30am, call Don M Ware ... 862.6582
September 20, 2008: International Coastal Clean-up, 8-11am. Call Nancy Hussong ... 651-7131

September 20, 2008: North American Fall Migration Bird Count. Call Don M Ware ... 862.6582

October 11, 2008: Bird Walk to Okaloosa Island, meet at Destin Bridge West Parking lot 7:30am, call Lenny Fennimore ... 863.2039
November 8, 2008: Bird Walk to Fort Walton Beach area City Parks, meet at Uptown Station 7:30am, call Thelma Phillips ... 651-0508
January 10, 2009: Bird Walk to Bluewater Bay / Lake Pippin area, meet at Winn Dixie 7:30am, call Don M Ware ... 862.6582
January 24, 2009: Bird Walk to Niceville area, meet at Kmart 7:30am, call Bob Penhollow ... 729-2602
February 28, 2009: Bird Walk to Valparaiso area, meet at Badcock at 7:30am, call Pat Baker ... 678.2953
March 28, 2009: Bird Walk to Fort Walton Beach / Okaloosa County spray fields and holding pond, meet at Coach-N-Four 7:30am, call Carole Goodyear ... 897.2666
April 11, 2009: Bird Walk to South Walton Courthouse Annex area & Jolee Island inside Sandestin, meet at the Sandestin Publix at 7:30am, call Stacy Meader ... 218.9620

February 1, 2007: "Blue Birds" - Bill Davis of Gulf Breeze, FL will share his bluebird wisdom with us. Bill became concerned about the plight of bluebirds and began placing nesting boxes in rural Ohio where he monitored 125 boxes for twelve years. Now he monitors houses on Hurlburt. He will tell us how we can help to save this beautiful species. These meetings are free and open to the public.

March 1, 2007: "Racing Pigeons" - Joe Mosley, local homing pigeon racer will share his stories and birds. Flights as long as 1689 miles have been recorded by exceptional birds in competitions.

April 5, 2007: "Right Whales" - Frank Gromling of Flagler Beach, Florida is a business man, an educator and a writer. His book, Frank's Whales, is a story of Right whales, the only whales to calve in Florida waters. His presentation will be about his experiences with these fascinating animals of the sea.

August 2, 2007: "Mattie Kelly Environmental Institute" Dr. James R. (Bob) Richburg, OWC President will discuss plans for the Institute and answer any questions we have for him.

September 6, 2007: "Falconry" Summer Hargraves and her male Red-tailed Hawk, Polo, will teach us about Falconry which is the ancient sport of hunting quarry with trained raptors. Summer is in her second year of apprenticeship under a master falconer. Weather permitting we will have a flight demonstration.

October 4, 2007: "The Duck Rescue Network" Kendra Addington will speak about wild and domestic ducks and geese. She will bring some of her rescued ducks and teach about the care they need and why they needed to be rescued. You will learn what wonderful pets domestic ducks and geese make.

November 1, 2007: "Sea Monsters" Dr. Jonathan Bryan will take us to the world of the Mosasaur, the largest lizard that ever lived on the earth. Dr. Bryan helped to excavate a complete skeleton of a Mosasaur in Alabama. The head of this great lizard is on display at the OWC Science building.

January 3, 2008: "Birds of the Philippines" Don and Carole Ware made a trip to the Philippines where they saw many exotic and beautiful birds. Don will share a professionally produced DVD and tell us of their encounters.

February 7, 2008: "Wildlife Art" John Harris is an award winning Florida artist. He's won the State Waterfowl Stamp competition three times and won the Florida Ducks Unlimited Contest 2002 Artist of the Year; he was also selected as the Michigan Ducks Unlimited 2006 Artist of the Year. He will share tips for budding artists and inspire us with his passion for wildlife. We will also learn about the importance of Duck Stamps.

March 6, 2008: "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" Taldi Walters, the Alaska Field Coordinator and a member of the Audubon Society's National Staff in Washington D.C., promises a stunning presentation showcasing some of the brilliant birds and vistas found in wild Alaska. As the debate over the ANWR takes on new dimensions, many other opportunities to protect Alaska's natural treasures are emerging.

April 3, 2008: "Biodiversity of Northwest Florida" Karl Studenroth is the founder of the Northwest Florida Environmental Conservancy in Jackson County, FL. The purpose of NWFLEC and its future Nature Center is the preservation and improvement of the natural and native ecosystems of NWFlorida. Karl's specialty is snakes, maybe he'll bring some?!

May 1, 2008: "Kids for Cubs" As a volunteer for Defender's of Wildlife, Nonie will present a program about our largest land mammal, the imperiled Florida Black Bear and how families of NWFlorida can live with them.

January 13, 2007: Bird Walk in Bluewater Bay/ Lake Pippin area. Meet at 7:30 AM Winn Dixie. Phil & Carol Goodyear 897-2666
February 3, 2007: Bird Walk to FWB/Okaloosa County spray fields & holding pond with Don Ware. Meet at 7:30 AM at Coach-N-Four restaurant parking lot on Lewis-Turner Blvd. All levels of bird watching experience, members and non-members alike are invited. For more information, contact Don Ware - 862-6582 or Bob Penhollow - 729-2602
February 16-18, 2007: CAS annual retreat. Location to be determined. Watch CAS website for more details.
March 3, 2007: Bird Walk in Sandestin. Meet at Mid-Bay Bridge Walgreens, Destin 7:30 AM Thelma Phillips 218-9620
April 7: Bird Walk at Shoal Sanctuary, Mossy Head. Meet at Niceville's Badcock parking lot at 7:30 AM. Robert & Chris Larson 598-0392
August 18, 2007: All day, wet IBW adventure to Morrison Springs! Meet at Badcock Niceville at 7:30 or 9:00 at springs. Don M Ware - 862.6582
September 15, 2007: North American Fall Migration Bird Count. Don M Ware - 862-6582
October 1-12, 2007: Fall Banding at Ft. Morgan and Dauphin Island. Carpools can be arranged by Bob Penhollow - 729-2602
October 13, 2007: Bird Walk Niceville/ValP area, meet at Badcock, Niceville at 7:30. Pat Baker - 678.2953
October 12-14, 2007: Alabama Ornithological Society Fall meeting, Dauphin Island, AL. Carpools can be arranged by Bob Penhollow - 729-2602
November 10, 2007: Bird Walk to the FWB/ Ok County spray fields and holding pond. Meet at Coach & Four at 7:30 AM. Don M Ware - 862-6582
December 17, 2007: Christmas Bird Count. To volunteer call Don M Ware - 862-6582
January 12, 2008: Bird Walk Bluewater Bay/ Lake Pippin area. Meet at 7:30 AM Winn Dixie.
March 8, 2008: Bird Walk to Coffeen Nature Preserve, Sandestin. Meet at Wild Birds Unlimited parking lot at 8:00 or 8:30 at Preserve.
April 12, 2008: Bird Walk for birds of Okaloosa Island. Meet at Destin Bridge West Parking lot 7:30. Lenny Fennimore - 863.2039
May 10, 2008: North American Spring Migration Count & International Migratory Bird Day. To volunteer call Don M Ware - 862-6582

January 14, 2006: Bird Walk to the Coast Guard Woods on Okaloosa Island and the west jetties of Destin Pass. Meet at 7:30am at Uptown Station or 7:50am at west side of Destin Bridge parking area. Lenny Fennimore 863-2039
January 18 - February 8, 2006: "Birding 101" Lenny and Nonie team up for a beginner's birding class for OWC Primetime. Registrants will meet Wednesday's 7:30am at OWC Niceville. $40. To register, call OWC Primetime, 729-6085
January 19 - March 9, 2006: "Bird Watching for Casual Observers" UWF-Center for Lifelong Learning, FWB. Thursdays, 8-11am. Class will focus on identification by field marks, behavior, and sounds. All levels of experience welcome. Thelma Phillips 651-0508
February 4, 2006: Bird Walk to the Fort Walton Beach/Okaloosa County spray fields and holding pond. Meet at 7:30am at Coach and Four. Donald M. Ware 862-6582
March 4, 2006: Bird Walk to Niceville spray fields. Meet at 7:30am at the Shell station at Palm Blvd and SR 285. Pat Baker 678-2953 April 1, 2006: Bird Walk in Bluewater Bay area and Lake Pippin. Meet at 7:30am at BWB Winn Dixie. Phil and Carole Goodyear 897-2666

April 10-23, 2006: Spring bird banding, Ft Morgan. Car pools can be arranged. Bob Penhollow 729-2602

April 21-23, 2006: Alabama Ornithological Society Spring meeting. Car pools can be arranged. Bob Penhollow 729-2602

May 6, 2006: Bird Walk to Shoal Sanctuary. Mossy Head with Bob & Chris Larsen. Meet at 7:30am at Niceville's Turkey Creek. Bob Penhollow 729-2602

May 13, 2006: North American Spring Migration Count. Call Donald M. Ware 862-6582 to volunteer. Sept 14-Nov 1, 2006: "Bird Watching for Casual Observers" at UWF/ CLL Lifelong Learning. Register with Thelma Phillips 651-0508
September 16, 2006: North American Fall Migration Bird Count. Don Ware 862-6582
September 16, 2006: International Coastal Clean-up, 8-11 AM Nancy Hussong 651-7131
Oct 4-Nov 8, 2006: "EcoTrek" OWC Primetime Register with Nonie Maines 862-9588
October 7, 2006: Bird Walk to Pt. Washington State Forest guided by Thomas D. Beitzel. Meet at the Publix on CR395 at 7:30 AM.
October 13-15, 2006: Alabama Ornithological Society Fall meeting, Dauphin Island, AL. Carpools can be arranged by Bob 729-2602
November 4, 2006: Bird Walk to Glenwood and Ferry Parks. Meet at FWB KMART parking lot. Thelma Phillips 218-9620
December 2: Bird Walk to Valparaiso/ Niceville area. Meet at Niceville's Badcock parking lot at 7:30 AM. Pat Baker 678-2953
December 18: FWB area Christmas Bird Count. To volunteer call Donald M. Ware 862-6582

October 6, 2005: Vernon Compton, Project Director for Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership will present a program about trees. He will talk about the best native trees to plant in high wind areas such as those prone to hurricanes. He will also discuss the importance of trees to stormwater management.

November 3, 2005: For a break from our traditional lectures, CAS will feature Dr. Dave Gowan; Florida State University's Spider Guy. Dr. Gowan will present a slide show on "The Arachnids Among Us". If you have spiders around the house that you would like to identify, feel free to bring them in (using suitably secure containers of course). After the program, Dr. Gowan will show us how to track down the octipedal beasts outside in the courtyard, so bring your flashlights.

December 1, 2005: Mr. Bobby Harrison who teaches art and photography at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama will be our speaker. On June 9, 2004 he reported seeing an Ivory-billed Woodpecker flush from near the base of a bald cypress about 15 meters in front of him. As the bird swooped up to land, the broad white trailing edges of the wings were especially visible. After 20 years of searching, his dream of finding the Ivory-billed Woodpecker came true in the Big Woods of Arkansas.

For more information about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, visit the CBS web page at: CBS Ivory-billed Woodpecker Story (Click on the video to the right to see Bobby Harrison's interview)

October 26, 2005: Fall Carnival at Ferry Park CAS will hand out candy to Trick or Treaters and the Eventure nightwalk will be held simultaneously at this event. Volunteers will be needed to assist in mini-walks along the creek.

October 8, 2005: Beginner's Bird Walk to the west jetty of Destin's East Pass.
October 14-16, 2005: Alabama Orinthological Society Meeting at Dauphin Island.
October 22, 2005: Field Trip to Fort Pickens if August trip proves productive. If not, visit to Fort Walton Beach's Ferry and Gleenwood Parks.
November 5, 2005: Beginner's Bird Walk in Valparaiso