Red Tails September/October 2026
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AWA Shrub-steppe Conservation Committee Report
by Margaret Heming
The purpose of Audubon Washington’s Shrub-steppe Committee is to promote the restoration, sustainability, and conservation of Washington's fragile and heavily threatened Shrub-steppe habitats, protecting native biodiversity and declining populations of sagebrush-dependent songbirds and wildlife.
I have been serving on this committee for the past two years. We meet by Zoom about every 6 weeks. I am one of sixteen members representing eight Audubon chapters in eastern and central Washington state. Two Oregon chapters also participate, as well as staff from Audubon Washington.
Here’s some background info. A Shrub-steppe is a dry, semi-arid grassland ecosystem characterized by an open layer of shrubs like sagebrush mixed with perennial bunch grasses. It receives slightly more rain than a true desert, usually just enough to support woody plants and grasses, but not enough for tall trees. 80% of our state’s Shrub-steppe has been lost in the past 125 years. There are complex reasons for the loss, including conversion to agriculture, development, wildfire, over-grazing, and fragmented ownership.
Over 200 bird species, 30 mammal species, and many unique reptiles live here. The Greater Sage-grouse, Pygmy Rabbit, Burrowing Owl, and Sagebrush Sparrow depend entirely on this fragile, sagebrush-dominated ecosystem. Habitat conservation is the primary focus of Audubon; thus, protecting Shrub-steppe is of vital importance.
I will end this report with the Agenda of the July 28th meeting of the committee. In later reports, I plan to describe more details of the work of the committee.
Agenda:
Ranching Update (Seth Hulett)
Shrub-steppe mitigation banking program – Benton County: Are other jurisdictions working on similar? (Debbie Berkowitz)
Potential development at Umatilla Chemical Depot and associated issue of how OR and WA can best work together on Shrub-steppe issues (Debbie Berkowitz)
Clarify committee goals and function and discuss if there’s interest in development of annual plan (all)
Potential date for next meeting – Tuesday, September 8, 3-5
The answer to number 2 is “yes.” Grant County is working on a mitigation program. More about that later, after I educate myself further.
Sources: North Central Washington Audubon, Wikipedia, Washington Audubon
Burrowing Owl. Photo by Margaret Heming Pygmy Rabbit. Photo courtesy Oregon Zoo Burrowing Owl. Photo by Margaret Heming Greater Sage-grouse. Photo courtesy Wikipedia. Shrub-steppe Landscape from WA Fish and Wildlife. Sagebrush Sparrow. Photo by Margaret Heming Sagebrush Sparrows
Thank You So Much!
by Margaret Schiffner, Treasurer
CBAS is so grateful and often amazed to receive donations for our Ron Van Nurden Memorial Scholarship Fund from across the USA. Donations from the following were received during this summer: Anders Pytte, Washington, VT; Smart Payables, Englewood, CO; The Spevak and Pilger Family Fund sent by Vanguard Charitable, Burtonsville, MD (two times); Hilary McGhee, Cambridge, MA: J.P. Morgan Donor Advised Fund, Jenkintown, PA; The Blackbaud Giving Fund, Charleston, SC (two times), and Marie-Agnes Denise Stephens, North Manchester, IN. We are overwhelmed by the generosity!
It is also so important for our chapter’s day-to-day expenses to have members who renew their memberships with either $25/year for an individual or $35/year for a family. Thank you Martin and Ann Schempp, Ephrata; Chris Braunwart, Othello; and Diana Escure, Quincy (our newest member!)
Finally, we want to thank individuals for their contributions to this newsletter: Paula Zanter-Stout (bird stamps, and photography), Margaret Heming (report from Audubon WA Shrub-steppe Conservation Committee), Margaret Schiffner and Gayle Talbot (Thank yous), Naomi Hanvey (graphic design skills), and A&H Printers (always a great print job).
Levi Kukes' Letter to CBAS
Editor's Note: An excerpt of this letter was published in the print version of the newsletter, a continuation of another excerpt published in the July/August issue. The letter has been reprinted in full below, as it was in the online edition of the last issue.
I am beyond grateful to be writing this letter in acceptance of the Ron Van Nurden Memorial Scholarship for the 2026-2027 school year. Your support over the past year has made a huge difference in my college experience, and has allowed me to explore a variety of opportunities that I would not have otherwise been able to. I am, however, remiss to be missing your annual meeting for the first time since first applying for this scholarship in 2024. This summer I am working as a Forest Service Biology Crew Technician, specializing in plant identification, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This biology crew is investigating the relationship of grass succession, health, and annual growth with grazing and drought treatments.
My primary responsibilities so far have been related to monitoring growth, collecting measurements, and assisting with soil sampling. My crew has also been working on plant identification and will collect cover estimates for each species over the next few weeks. Our measurements will be analyzed alongside measurements from the past four years, and will provide ranchers with a template for utilization after different doubt intensities and timing.
Even though I may not be present at the meeting this year, I have more than felt your presence over the last school year. This year I was able to engage in a variety of classes, clubs, and research opportunities, some of which will carry over to next semester. I am happy to report that I maintained a 4.0 GPA over the last school year and truly enjoyed all of my classes. I am an active member in the Range Club and Society for Ecological Restoration. Last February I was able to attend the annual Society for Rangeland Management meeting and participated in the plant identification contest, Undergraduate Rangeland Management Exam, and Extemporaneous speaking. All of the contests taught me a lot, and gave me opportunities to connect with professionals in the field of rangeland. The most exciting portion of the last two semesters, however, was getting to engage in research alongside Dr. Timothy Prather and Dr. Senay Ugur. Last semester I launched my first research project on utilizing micropropagation in restoration. I used micropropagation, a common agricultural technique, to produce clones of Catabrosa aquatica (a rare semi aquatic grass) for restoration. I am thrilled to be investigating this topic, and I am grateful for this opportunity.
Thank you all so much for your continuous support. I cannot even convey to you the
difference you have made in my life! I am, again, very disappointed to be missing your meeting as it is a highlight of my summer. I hope to see you all next year and I will have plenty of stories to share!
Sincerely,
Levi Kukes
Bird & Wildlife Watching!
American White Pelicans. Photo by Paula Zanter-Stout.
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