On Saturday, September 29 River Bluffs Audubon Society (RBAS) members plan a field trip to Prairie Garden Trust  near New Bloomfield. The 180- acre area, which often hosts over 50 different species of birds, was originally owned by Herb and Joan Domke. 

      As their interest in gardening expanded into an appreciation of the natural landscape, they began to focus on enhancing what was there and adding more native plants.

White oak woods were thinned and managed for long-term growth and visual appeal.

      Meandering paths now draw attention to the abundant spring wildflowers and birds attracted to the area which includes ponds of varying depths.      Lotus, water lilies, pickerel weed, arrowhead and southern blue flag were given homes in the mucky

bottoms and damp edges, which in turn attracted more varieties of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

      In spite of all these changes, one habitat remained out of character. Old fescue fields stood as poor reminders of the native prairies that once enriched a third of Missouri. So in 1986, they began the long effort of converting fescue to a diverse mix of native grasses and flowers.

      Although Herb passed away in 1991, the board

Text Box: Prairie Garden Field Trip Scheduled Sept. 29

next to Birders' Exchange.

      Columbia birders Edge Wade and Julie Fisher will serve as hosts. Ingrid Ayub, a Costa Rican guide with 16 years experience guiding 12 to 21 birding groups a year, will lead the group. Hidden Treasures Botanical Tours of Columbia, MO, and Unique Adventures of San Jose, Costa Rica, are offering the trip.

      The package price of $2,995 includes round trip airfare from St. Louis. A detailed itinerary and registration form are at www.hiddentreasuresbotanicaltours.com. Under “Select a Country” click on Costa Rica and then on Birding Tour (March 2008) when the Costa Rica page appears.

      For additional information, contact Mary Kroening, 573-881-6316 or e-mail hiddentreasures@centurytel.net
Text Box: Costa Rican Birding Trip: Continued from Page Two

River Bluffs Audubon Society (RBAS) received an invitation to have a free booth at an event called Mid-MO Outdoors hosted by the Cole County 4-H 

Text Box: created to manage this irrevocable trust continues the effort. The primary efforts to date have focused on developing the habitats (converting fescue to native plantings, creating more savannah-like borders between the fields and the woods, etc.). To carpool to the Prairie Garden Trust for this field trip to see resident and migrating birds, plan to meet other RBAS members and their guests at the State Information Center, 600 W. Text Box: Foundation. This will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 8 at the Cole County Fairgrounds. Mid-MO Outdoors is being held in conjunction with the 31st Annual Fall Festival sponsored by the Cole County Extension. Advance information says about 3,000 usually attend this event. The purpose of the event is to get kids interested in outdoor activities. RBAS plans to have a display and some information to give away, plus a couple of games for kids. If anyone is interested in spending an hour or two staffing the display, please contact RBAS president Celeste Koon at 636-5593 or e-mail her at celestekoon@ hotmail.com. Text Box: RBAS Seeks Help with Booth at Outdoor Festival on Sept. 8th