Audubon Birthday Sale a Big Success!

I'd like to thank all those who participated in the John James Audubon's Birthday Sale. The response was very strong-- so strong in fact, that I felt compelled to donate more than I originally had promised to give to Audubon California and sent a check for $1500. The donation will be divided into two areas; to the Kern River Audubon Preserve some to Audubon Chapters for their "At Home" project which teaches homeowners how to help the environment within their own yards.

The "Update" Fiasco

As many of you know, the first 10 updated volumes of the Songbird ReMix series were supposed to appear at DAZ for the Audubon Birthday sale-- most of them didn't. Although they were finished weeks before, many of the volumes didn't get the installers built and other weren't replaced in the DAZ system. DAZ apologizes for this and is trying to correct these issues. It's been frustrating for me because I can't see what's been updated and the communication has been sparse. I have decided to tell DAZ if all the installers aren't in place by the end of May, I will go start posting the updates on my own site starting June 1st. I'm sorry to all who've been inconvenienced during this debacle,

Next Project: Vultures and Condors

I've started my next bird project which will be Vultures and Condors. I'm hoping to have it in the DAZ store by late June or early July. It will be a stand-alone model as was the Turkey and Toucan . In fact, I'm using the turkey as a starting point... I guess that will give new meaning to the "Turkey Vulture" Morph :)

Here's a list of the species I hope to do for the package: (these are subject to change)

Status	Common Name	Scientific Name	Region
Critically Endangered	California Condor	Gymnogyps californianus	North America
Vulnerable	Andean Condor	Vultur gryphus	South America
Not threatened	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	North & South America
Vulnerable	Nubian Vulture	Torgos tracheliotus	Africa
Vulnerable	White-headed Vulture	Trigonoceps occipitalis	Africa
Vulnerable	Eurasian Black Vulture	Aegypius monachus	Europe and Asia
Not threatened	Griffin Vulture	Gyps fulvus	Europe and Asia

Become a Bird Brain

I know that a much of my information gets lost amongst SBRM users and there's no real way to respond, ask for help or comment to me regarding the series so I've created a AZMP group called "Songbird ReMix Bird Brains"

Bird Brain T-Shirts are available, too!

What's New in Downloads...

In the Motherhood Section: Female Ruby-throated and Anna's Hummingbird (these two characters only require the Songbird Remix package)

Next...

After Vultures and Condors. I'll be headed towards Songbird ReMix Shorebirds

REAL BIRDS from audubon.org

First of all, Californian Voters, Audubon recommends a NO on 98 and a YES on 99 in June.

Preserving a California Treasure:

Audubon California helps craft historic conservation pact

Up to 240,000 contiguous acres of spectacular and ecologically significant California wildlands will be protected under a precedent-setting agreement brokered by Audubon California and five other environmental groups with the Tejon Ranch Company. The agreement will protect approximately 90 percent of Tejon’s rich natural habitat from development and open new opportunities for Californians to enjoy this tremendous landscape firsthand.

“If you look at a map of California, you can see just how big a victory this is for Californians,” said Graham Chisholm, conservation director for Audubon California. “The protected area is immense – 375 square miles – and the only place in North America where four distinct ecoregions meet on one property.”

Tejon Ranch encompasses more of California’s natural beauty and diversity than any undeveloped area of the state. Located at the junction of the Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevada, central and coastal mountains, the enormous parcel is home to precious native grasslands, oak woodlands, Joshua tree woodlands and conifer forests. It is home to the endangered California Condor and more than two dozen state and federally listed plant and animal species.

Audubon California and its partners in the environmental community have secured a hard fought victory for California’s environment through intense negotiations. Ultimately, these negotiations presented a unique opportunity to settle the ranch’s future and avoid decades of piecemeal legal wrangling with little likelihood of gaining the extensive habitat protection and funding for long-term restoration and management that this represents.

In exchange for major conservation concessions, Audubon California and its partners will agree not to oppose three development projects on 10 percent of the Tejon Ranch. These developments will still be subject to public review and applicable federal and state environmental protection laws.

“This comprehensive negotiated solution is a window of opportunity to preserve the ecological integrity of the Tejon Ranch,” said Dan Silver, chief executive officer of the Endangered Habitats League.

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