While each successive editor has inevitably left his mark on The Warbler, the publication has retained its essential character through more than twenty years. Always, it reports on the birds of the area: through stories of members’ sightings, and through the accounts of field trips. Secondly, it promotes conservation. Thirdly, it announces future programs and events and reports on those of the preceding month. Fourthly, it includes informative, educational articles, mostly by members. Fifthly, it gives news of members. To this may be added an occasional poem, a bit of humor, or some other frill.

Through the years the mechanics of production have changed. The editor continued to type the copy and paste up page dummies until 1976 – although Will Eaton began to type the Bird Reports in 1972. He continued to do this until January 1978. The format became less rigid. Before 1972, the stencils were cut by Fausta Waite, Nellie Schwabe, Arlene Brown and possibly by others of whom there is no record. From 1972 to 1978, they were cut by Marcia Scannell. The mimeographing was done, at different periods, in the Chatham Central School, by a professional firm in Pittsfield, by Ed Somers, and at the Audubon office in Stephentown. With the May 1978 issue the method of reproduction was changed to Xerox, with the work being done at the printing office of the Schenectady Community Action Program.

In connection with production, the work of Mary Mickle and Will Eaton must be noted. In the 1960’s, Mary began to collect the completed pages, assemble them, staple them, address and mail them. Will Eaton worked with her from 1972 to January 1978. It was he who drove hither and yon to pick up and deliver page dummies, and later the completed pates. Both May and Will asked to be relieved in January 1978. Since then, Rita Wyman has been carrying these responsibilities. Previously, for about two years, Rita typed much of the copy.

The Warbler is by as well as for members of the Alan Devoe Bird Club. The contributors through the years have been too numerous to list. A few, however, should be mentioned at the risk of some worthy omissions. The names of those who accomplished the onerous task of tabulating the monthly Bird Reports have been given in Chapter VII…When book reviews became a regular feature, they were written, at first, by Eleanor Turner. Later, for a long period, Vivian Burland contributed them regularly. And at one time it was Aden Gokay who kept members informed about new books of interest to birders. More than a dozen members have one or more reviews to their credit…Field trips are generally written up by the leaders; convention reports, by one of the delegates. The chairpersons of Conservation have also made noteworthy contributions by keeping the membership informed. These include Lee Burland, Margaret Childers, Bob and Elaine Suss…Our most prolific versifier has been Myra Smilow, whose flights of fancy are witty and delightful.

Over fifty members have been the authors of the longer, featured articles. Leading these is Dr. Edgar M. Reilly, Jr., who has averaged an article a year. As a zoologist, Ed speaks with authority on birds and mammals, but his presentation is always of interest to everyone. Following Ed, are these authors of five or more articles each: Lee Grace, Hortense Barten Knight, Eleanor Radke, Bea Shineman, Myra Smilow, Merle Suter, Henry Thurston, Wayne Trimm, and George Woodward. I shall not attempt to evaluate the longer articles. Each of the authors has his distinctive merit, whether it be factual knowledge or clarity of presentation or sensitive observation of nature or charm of style or still other merit.

Some distinguished non-members with special knowledge have written for The Warbler. Their contributions include:

There has been an occasional article by a friend of a member, and an occasional reprint, with permission, from some other publications.

In 22 years The Warbler has rarely been delayed, and only once did it skip an issue. That was in August 1972, between editors. This record and the continuing high standards of the publication reflect an active, healthy bird club.

In its first 22 years, the Alan Devoe Bird Club has had such a productive history that it is a challenge to think “What next?” Much of the pleasure and excitement shared by members in the early years arose from actions of creation — creating a club, creating a sanctuary — and seeing the concrete results of their labors.

Such a momentous opening act places a heavy burden on the players in the following parts of the drama. It is not as easy to sustain a consistent theme as it is to begin it, and the enthusiasm of the cast, if I may continue to use a metaphor, wanes as the central theme becomes obscured or conflictive.

Older members of the Club, legitimately reflecting on the great contributions they have made, may well grow weary of hearing appeals for work, materials, and funds. Many times I have heard the question, “Why can’t we just enjoy what we have done already?”

Other members, who turn to birds and birding as a primary source of relaxation and self-renewal, react negatively to requests for statistics, records, reports and so forth, feeling that this makes work out of legitimate recreation.

In its Constitutional statement of purpose, the Alan Devoe Bird Club sets forth the enjoyment of birds and other wildlife as a primary reason for its being. The inner joy obtained from being outdoors with birds, and with committed birders, is the emotional springboard for our organization’s life. For many, this sharing is enough, and we should honor that.

For others, however, it is not enough, and this is a point where I think a critical question of future membership hangs. The enjoyment of birds and wildlife, both plant and animal, is not the entire reason for our Club’s existence. There are two other stated purposes: the study of that wildlife, and the encouragement of the conservation of natural resources. In a general sense, we regularly meet all the Club’s Constitutional charges when we follow our annual rite of educational meetings, field trips, The Warbler publication, and Sanctuary maintenance. Yet, once again, in terms of the critical question of membership, I do not believe that these things, vital as they are, are quite enough.

We are living in an insane world where the pressures of change, development, exploitation, inflation and depression confuse us all and compel us at once to yearn for escape and for meaning. Many of us take consolation in our rural environment and want to close the door on the world. Yet the world comes to us. It is simply a matter of time before the tide of development from Albany to New York envelops us all, a local reflection of a global phenomenon. The landscape that will present itself to members of the Alan Devoe Bird Club on its 40th anniversary in 1997 will be different from the one we see today. Whether we want it or not, change will occur.

I believe that an organization like ours can have a great impact on whether that change is environmentally good or bad. We can become a voice for the wild things around us. We say we love the birds, the animals, the plants, the wild places. Others do not care for their existence, often because they neither see these wild things nor understand their significance. Usually people try to protect what they love and to provide for its nurture and survival. I believe that we who love wild things must speak for them now, and consistently in the future, if they are to survive—and ultimately if we are to survive.

I do not believe that the message has to be elaborate. Wild things have a way of surviving nicely if they are left alone. Leaving them alone is what is difficult for humans. Too often “conservation” has come to mean experiments in managing wildlife for our own use, rather than learning how to conserve on our own consumption of natural resources, including land and animals, so that we all can continue to survive to together.

To me, the membership of the Alan Devoe Bird Club in its early years was especially courageous and visionary in accepting the initial gift of land that has grown into our present 140-acre Wilson M. Powell Wildlife Sanctuary. Over the past two years, I have observed a slow, steady growth of our membership, people from many places joining our Club because they have been to our Sanctuary or heard of it. The physical act of joining ADBC thus becomes a vote for conservation.

In future years, it is my hope that the Powell Sanctuary may become a model and an inspiration for the preservation of unmanaged habitat, conservation of energy, and reverence for life. These things, I believe, are necessary for the web of life to continue for us all. One wildlife sanctuary such as ours is not enough for one county, and our membership encompasses many counties. I am not advocating that the Alan Devoe Bird Club own sanctuaries elsewhere, but I am hoping that other groups, private and public, will urge that land be set aside for the protection of wildlife and the renewal of the human spirit.

I would hope that not too long from now our membership will reevaluate a plan formulated when the Sanctuary was first acquired-- to build a nature center within its bounds. However, I would propose that the center become an energy model, implementing such concepts, for example, as heating by solar convection, and recycling human waste by, for example, installation of a Clivus Multrum. Acquiring recognition as we hope to do, from the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization will give us the freedom to apply for grants of money, if we so choose, to carry out this sort of demonstration, and possibly to consider hiring a part-time educational staff.

If I were to summarize my dream for the future of the Alan Devoe Bird Club, it would be that we, through our informed, documented communication of the meaning and needs of our loved wild things, and our sharing through education and personal experience our wildlife refuge, would begin to develop around us an ever-growing community of like-minded people who would be as excited about building the structure of our conservation work as our early members were excited about laying its foundation.

My own personal awakening to wild life and to the natural world began with birds. For a time birding was my hobby and remained so until I visited Tinicum Wildlife Refuge outside Philadelphia one day and found not birds, but rats sitting within arm’s length of me as I sat on the marsh’s edge. The rats were from the huge municipal dump at the edge of the refuge. The observation platforms which had afforded views of hundreds of waterfowl which had once fed in the marsh had rusted and fallen down; the ducks and geese were gone because the water level had been altered from garbage dumping operations. On that day, I realized that I would never forgive myself if I knowingly participated in such senseless destruction of the life resources of a bird. This is a commitment that will be tested again and again in future years for me, and for others who share it in the Alan Devoe Bird Club and in all other organizations which share our aims.

NEWER HISTORY

In 2003, the Sanctuary was protected by a conservation easement by the Columbia County Land Conservancy.

In 2006, David and Susan Cathers of Armonk and Old Chatham New York donated 6.9 acres of land to the Alan Devoe Bird Club. These acres are also protected by a conservation easement through the Columbia County Land Conservancy. The parcel is located on the eastern most boundary of the Sanctuary.

Twenty six years have passed since Kate Dunham wrote her “What Next?” piece for the ADBC History, 1957-1979. Much has happened in the world between 1980 and 2006. I do not purport to recount the year to year accomplishments of the Alan Devoe Bird Club in that time span. But rest assured, the club continued birding, sponsored educational programs, conducted May’s Century Run/Birdathons, the Christmas Bird Counts and maintained and reported bird records. Of course the Sanctuary has been maintained and improved. In Columbia County, many threats to bird and wildlife habitat were proposed and defeated. To name a few: a nuclear power plant on the Hudson at Stuyvesant, a solid waste burn plant in Stockport and related landfills and most recently, the proposed St. Lawrence Cement plant in Greenport. We can all breathe a breath of fresh air that these habitat threats failed.

In this time span, many positive developments have occurred. The Columbia County Land Conservancy (CLC) was formed and has preserved much farmland and wildlife habitat. Our own Wilson M. Powell Sanctuary has been protected by the CLC. Recently, the Cathers, of Armonk and Old Chatham added 6.9 acres of protected land to the Sanctuary as well as protecting their own 20 acre parcel adjacent to the Sanctuary and east of Reilly Pond.

Also established in this time period were, Borden Pond, Hand Hollow Conservation Area, the Lewis A. Swyer Mill Creek Preserve, State Land at Nutten Hook, Harvey Mountain, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, The Greenport Conservation Area, Ooms Pond Conversation Area, Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Center, Drowned Lands Swamp, the Martin Van Buren Nature Trails and many more. Throughout the ADBC’s past 26 years, the club has advocated for the creation of these areas as part of our charge to protect bird and wildlife habitat.

I was struck by the many and varied areas as I worked on the Where to Bird section of the ADBC website. There are 22 areas noted there and of course we could add any dirt road in the county and our own backyards as places to bird.

The Warbler has been produced monthly, on schedule and distributed to the members. Its pages have contained wonderful articles recounting trips, activities and bird count records.

All this has been accomplished by the very dedicated hard work of many members, past and present. For example, Roland Drowne, an early club member, has been deeply involved with Sanctuary work and production of The Warbler for many many years. Kate Dunham and Elisabeth Grace have guided the club, served on the board, chaired the Sanctuary committee, participated in the bird feeder program and always challenged us to do more. Marion and Willard Ulmer have helped with the Sanctuary, the planning, The Warbler. Susan and Henry Scheck have also contributed endless hours to club work. Bill Cook has maintained the bird records and reports for numerous years. Nancy Kern became editor of The Warbler and is an avid birdathon and Christmas Bird Count participant. We thank all our members for the contributions they have made to club activities over the past 26 years.

I am continually impressed by the professional and academic character of the ADBC, the high standards and the great contribution this club has made to the community. Our club members and county residents are better off today because of the club. Just as in Kate’s 1979 essay, today there are club members who principally enjoy birding, those whose interest is bird records and reports and those who advocate for protection of bird and wildlife habitat. These principles are intertwined and connected. The club is diverse and welcoming, a place to volunteer, learn, meet others and make friends who have a common goal: birding.

We are living in a world of change. Townships throughout the county are developing comprehensive plans to determine land use for future years. County residents continue to protect land through the CLC. More land along the Hudson River is also being protected by the State. All this is coupled with the pressure to build more homes and remove farmland from active production. We are also entering a time of climate change and global warming. Climate change is bound to have a profound effect on birding and bird and wildlife habitat.

How will these changes affect us in the next 25 years? Through the birding efforts of ADBC members, change will be observed and tracked. We will be participant observers and reporters of change.

As the ADBC enters is 50th year, we launch our website. We trust that the website will be well received and spread the word far and wide — that Columbia County is the place to bird — and that there is a wonderful bird club committed to the enjoyment of birds. Although the birds, wildlife and their habitat can not verbally communicate, the birds and the land call to us. We do not own the earth, we are the earth. As part of the earth, we listen and watch the birds.

I close with two Native American messages: