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Presque Isle

Erie National Wildlife Refuge

Allegany State Park

Welcome to the Presque Isle Audubon Society web site. PIAS is a chapter of the National Audubon Society and a member of Audubon Pennsylvania serving northwestern Pennsylvania including Erie and Crawford counties. It is named after Presque Isle, a peninsula on the shores of Lake Erie near the city of Erie.

Our mission is to promote the conservation and protection of wildlife, plants, soil, and water in relation to human activity; to initiate and carry out plans and activities which would contribute to the conservation and protection of these natural resources; and to provide opportunities to become more aware and appreciative of our physical and biological environment.

The Presque Isle Audubon Society provides educational and recreational activities throughout the year which are centered around the natural world and open to the public. PIAS holds meetings on the third Friday of the month in September, October, November, February, March, April, May, and June. A wide variety of field trips are offered throughout the year. PIAS publishes a newsletter, Tern of Events, every month except in January and July.

In addition to field trips and monthly programs, PIAS is involved in other nature-related activities. PIAS owns and maintains the 50-acre Laura Olsen Memorial Sanctuary in Crawford County, the 33-acre Fern Wood Sanctuary near Fairview, and is co-owner (with the Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania) of the 89-acre Titus Bog Sanctuary in Erie County. PIAS maintains a collection of nature books at the Nash Library of Gannon University and was instrumental in establishing the Presque Isle Research Library at Presque Isle State Park.

The Presque Isle Audubon Society provides volunteer services to the Erie National Wildlife Refuge and co-sponsors a biennial nature photo contest with the refuge. As part of the Important Bird Area Program, PIAS monitors breeding birds at Roderick Reserve. PIAS is a member group of the Erie County Environmental Coalition. The society is also a member of the annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage held at Allegany State Park, NY in June. We participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program. Our Education Committee provides free subscriptions to Audubon Adventures to numerous classrooms and school libraries in northwest Pennsylvania.

Enjoy the height of spring migration at Presque Isle State Park, a natural concentration point along the Atlantic flyway where 320 species of birds have been recorded. Take part in workshops and field trips geared for the beginner and the seasoned naturalist led by experts in the field such as Ted Floyd, Jerry McWilliams and Jen Brumfield. Attend the premiere of a film highlighting the birds, habitat and hot spots of Presque Isle in all seasons. Experience the rich variety of Presque Isle’s six distinct ecological zones including beaches, cattail islands, shrublands, aquatic habitats, and deciduous and pine tree forests.

Click here for a complete schedule of events.
Click here for a registration form.
Click here for Festival of the Birds brochure.

For more information send email to jrplkm@aol.com or phone 814-860-4091.

Now is the time to be thinking about your subject for this year's Members' Night. This is the night when you, our members, comprise the program. Anything nature-related is welcome. If you have a story to tell, adventure to relate, slides and art to show, poetry to read, information to impart, we would like to hear from you. In fairness to all, your program must be limited to five minutes. To participate, call Jean at 474-3395. If she not available, please leave your name and number on the answering machine at 868-4423, and Jean will get back to you. We welcome back veteran participants and we encourage new members and those who have never participated to join our Members' Night family. June is a new month for Members' Night, so let's make it a success.


PIAS monthly programs are FREE and open to the public.

Place: Tom Ridge Environmental Center
Address: 301 Peninsula Drive, Room 112
Social: 7:00 pm
Program: 7:30 pm

We welcome the new PIAS officers for 2007-2008:
PRESIDENT - Janet Price
VICE PRESIDENT - Mary Birdsong
SECRETARY - Bonnie Ginader
TREASURER - Kel McDonald

Executive Board Meetings are the third Tuesday of every other month. The dates for 2007-2008 are as follows: July 17, Sept 18, Nov 20, Jan 15, Mar 18, May 20, July 15.

All members are encouraged to attend at 7 p.m. at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Room 212, 301 Peninsula Drive, Erie.

The PIAS By-Laws are posted here in PDF format. Click on the underlined name.

It is time to start planning for the 50th Annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage weekend at Allegany State Park near Salamanca, NY. Bring your family and friends to enjoy the outdoors and discover more about the world we live in. There is something for all ages and interests. Over 90 different field trips, adventures and classes will be held. There will be evening programs, and speakers and a chicken barbecue on Saturday evening.

Allegany State Park consists of over 60,000 acres of forested hillsides and lakes. There are bike paths and over 70 miles of hiking trails. There are hundreds of cabins and campsites to stay in. The park abounds with wildlife, and it is not uncommon to see deer, beavers, porcupines, raccoons and an occasional black bear. There are incredible numbers of wildflowers, ferns, birds, butterflies and trees. Differences in habitat and altitude provide great birding.

For more information and to pre-register for the weekend see the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage website at: http://www.allegany-nature-pilgrimage.org or contact Lisa at lsdanko@hotmail.com or 814.898.0284.

Walk-ins are also welcome at Camp Allegany (our headquarters) in the Red House Area. To reserve a cabin or tent site in Allegany State Park call 1-800-456-CAMP (2267) or visit the reservation system on line at http://www.ReserveAmerica.com.

The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is organized by a committee of volunteers from the four regional Audubon Societies: Jamestown Audubon, Buffalo Audubon, Presque Isle Audubon, and the Burroughs Nature Club.

Go to our Conservation Page to read a short summary about the pros and cons of commercial wind farms.