TAKING FLIGHT: Audubon society launching A junior chapter in pahrump

The Red Rock Audubon Society has formed a junior club in Pahrump geared toward engaging and educating children ages 7 to 15 about birds and conservation of wildlife habitat.

The new youth chapter was formed with the goal of helping children to be more aware of the natural world, according to Red Rock Audubon Society Communication Chairperson Holly Brice. The club meets twice per month where the children focus on a bird and its nesting, feeding and migrating habits.

The group has so far learned about resident birds such as the Roadrunner and the Gadwall. On Wednesday, club members learned about Burrowing Owls in the Pahrump area.

The focus on Burrowing Owls is timely, according to Program Education Chairperson Darlene Feener, because it is currently breeding season for the species. The children learned that Burrowing Owls do not dig their own burrows, instead they rely upon foxes or other animals to do the task for them.

Other resident species that Pahrumpians should be on the lookout for are the many species of warblers, including Lucy’s, Townsend’s and the Yellow Warbler. These birds, Feener said, can be found in Mesquite trees throughout the area. Another rarely sighted bird that has taken up residence in Pahrump is the Bushtit. They can be found populating brush along east Basin Road, she said.

Mallard Ducks are also prevalent throughout Pahrump waterways, Feener said.

Each meeting has an educational component where children learn about a species by playing interactive games, creating art, challenge and reward programs, community projects and field trips.

In addition to studying bird feeding habits, the children have also learned about the most common bird predator - a domesticated cat. The group has created educational drawings and posters depicting the dangers that domestic cats present to wild birds. Those posters will be hung in local veterinarian offices throughout the Pahrump Valley to help educate the public.

The children are also participating in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Junior Duck Stamp Program where selected drawings will be turned into a postage stamp, according to Brice.

Future plans for the club include a local Earth Day celebration at Ian Deutch Park where they will sponsor a two-liter bottle challenge and a “Fill the Bill” game.

The club is seeking new members and depending on the success of the Pahrump chapter, may expand to form a junior chapter in Las Vegas.

The club meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Building, also known as the 4H Building, located at the intersection of Calvada Boulevard and Dandelion Street in Pahrump.

For more information visit www.redrockaudubon.com/jr-audubon.html or attend a meeting. The next chapter meeting will be held on April 1.