Winter 2009 Field Notes Newsletter, Friends of Creamer's Field

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Friends of Creamer’s Field Winter 2009 Newsletter

Field Notes P.O. Box 81065 Fairbanks, AK 99708 907-452-5162 [email protected] creamerseld.org

Our MissionFriends of Creamer’s Fieldis a community based, non-

profit organization dedicatedto providing educational,

historical, and interpretiveprograms throughout the year at Creamer’s Field Migratory

Waterfowl Refuge.

Inside this issueAnnual Picnic .................... 4

Calendar of Events ........... 3

Camp Habitat .................... 9

Help Needed ..................... 4

Kids Nutty Chatter ............ 5

Membership Form ............ 9

Outdoor Almanac ............ 10

Preschool Program ........... 3

Quilt Rafe Winner ........... 4

Recent Events .................. 6

Thank You ................... 7 & 8

Visitor Center Hours ......... 2

Winter Trail Use ................ 2

Wish List ........................... 2

Go Green for the Holidays!Annual Green Holiday Sale at the Alaska Bird Observatory

Saturday, December 5th, 10 am–5:30 pm

Friends of Creamer’s Field will again team up with the Alaska Bird Observatory andthe Northern Alaska Environmental Center for the third annual Green Holiday Sale

This has become a very popular annual event and is a great way to get some holiday shop

ping done while supporting local environmental organizations! The sale will take placeat the Alaska Bird Observatory at 418 Wedgewood Drive on Saturday, December 5th, 10am–5:30pm. Photographer Jim Davis, artist Chuck Leake with

antler sculpture, Girl Scout Troop 220 with home-made birdfeeders, and Last Frontier Distributors with honey and seeds willalso be joining the sale this year. Many unique nature-themedgifts as well as gift memberships will be available for purchase,

and you can also nd out more about the participating organi-zations while you enjoy hot drinks and snacks. All sales benetthe participating organizations and families are welcome. Thisyear’s Green Holiday Sale is the same day as the Farmer’s Market

Bazaar, so plan to visit both and get something for everyone onyour gift list!

The Creamer’s Field Tree Lighting and Caroling program will

take place after the Green Holiday Sale at 6 pm at Creamer’sField. The tree lighting will be followed by hot drinks and cook-ies in the Farmhouse Visitor Center.

Pass the Hat Program Benets Nonprots

The Fairbanks Concert Association (FCA) in partnership

with the North Star Community Foundation (NSCF) areteaming up to offer a giving opportunity that supports local

nonprots and enhances our community. Friends of Creamer’s Field is participating inthis exciting program and we hope that you will support us by Passing the Hat!

At every FCA concert during the 2009-10 season, you will be able to earmark a gift

to Friends of Creamer’s Field and NSCF will match your contribution! So, if you give$100, NSCF matches it to make $200 going to Friends, AND FCA gets $100. Your dona

tion dollars are tripled and you have supported both Friends of Creamer’s Field and theFairbanks Concert Association!

Spread the Word, Give, & Build Community! Use the envelopes provided at FairbanksConcert Association concerts, donate by credit card or check and leave them in the hat

in the lobby. FCA’s next concert is the Eileen Ivers Holiday Concert on Sunday,November 29th, at 4 pm in the Hering Auditorium. This is a great opportunityfor end of year giving! We hope you will Pass the Hat! For concert information,tickets and more information about Pass the Hat, contact the Fairbanks Concert

Association at 474-8081 or fairbanksconcert.org.

Annual lighting of the bigspruce tree December 5th.

Photo by Ken Whitte



Page 2

Friends of Creamer’s Field

Board Members

Amal Ajmi

Cyndie Beale, Vice President

Bob Craig

Jeff Creamer

Roxie Creamer, President

Herbert Davis, Treasurer-elect

Martin Gutoski

Bill Holman

Joyce Kelso

Donna Krier

Herb MelchiorJoy Morrison

Jon Runstadler

E. Tom Robinson

Arlene Strandberg, Secretary

Non-Voting MembersAlexis Runstadler,

Development Director

Melissa Sikes,Program Director

Cathie Harms (ADFG)

Mark D. Ross (ADFG)

This issue of Field Notes wasproduced by Mary Zalar.

Tax ID# 92-0137107

Farmhouse Visitor Center

Winter Hours

The Visitor Center and Gift Shoplocated in the historic Creamer’

Farmhouse is open on Saturdayfrom Noon until 4 pm. Come on inafter a walk or ski to warm up witha hot drink. The entryway to the

Farmhouse is always open and is oneplace to go for information on upcoming programs, trail guides, and trai

condition information. The trails are

always open!If you are interested in volunteering in the Visitor Center, please call th

ofce at 452-5162. Training sessionwill be offered every month throughout the winter.

Friends’ Wish List

Please stop by the Farmhouse orcall us at 452-5162 to donate th

following:• a working baby monitor• birdseed• crane, bird, or wildlife themed cot

ton fabrics for potholdersWe’re also looking for members withwood working skills to• design and build a new donation

box for the Farmhouse entryway• repair our two crane signs for the

Visitor Center• repair four owl boxes.

Skiing, mushing, skijoring, snowshoe-ing, walking, snowmachining, and

trapping are just a few of the activitiesthat folks do at Creamer’s Field in the

winter.

Skiers and skijorers make use of theve miles of groomed trails throughoutthe winter months. The Alaska Skijor-

ing and Pulk Association (ASPA) has aseasonal use permit to post signs andgroom the trails on the Refuge. ASPA

volunteers groom the trails twice a week,weather permitting, and more oftenwhen it snows. These volunteers also rollthe walking trails after heavy snows. If

you and your pet have never tried skijor-

ing, the ASPA offers clinics for beginnershere on the Refuge. See http://sleddog.org/skijor for more information.

Cross country skiing is great here atthe Refuge—especially for beginnersand families. Trails are not tracked for

classic skiing, but with so many peopleskiing, it is easy to nd a set of tracks tofollow across the elds. Skate skiers canuse the ASPA groomed multi-use trails.

Skiing is not allowed at any time on theBoreal Forest Trail.

Many snowshoers, walkers and jog-gers also take advantage of the Refuge’sgreat central location for exercise duringthe short daylight hours. Dog ownersare particularly fond of the wide-open

spaces that Creamer’s Field providesin the winter and share the trails with joggers, mushers, and skijorers. Dogsmust be kept on a leash even during the

winter months to ensure the safety of other Refuge users, especially skijorers.

A loose dog can be very unpredictable.Snow machines are allowed on Cream-er’s Refuge, and although they provide agreat way to see the trails, speed is verydangerous. You never know when a skier,

hiker, snowshoer, or dog team is aroundthe very next corner, and snowmachinesmust allow other users the right of way.The snow machine policy is: “Slow is

safe.” Machines should travel under 20mph and ensure enough time to stop and

let other users enjoy Creamer’s Fieldin a safe, comfortable way. Snowma

chines should also respect establishedskijoring trails and not cross them ifat all possible. Four wheelers are not

allowed on any part of the Refuge atany time.

If you have not experiencedCreamer’s Refuge in the winter, we

encourage you to venture out andenjoy the well-maintained trails, thebeautiful scenery, birds, animals, andsunshine!

Winter Trail Use at Creamer’s FieldBy Melissa Sikes

Dogmushing at Creamer’s Field.



Page 3

Upcoming Eventsat Creamer’s Field

All events are free and located at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl

Refuge unless otherwise noted. Donations are graciously accepted.Call 452-5162 for more information.

Thanksgiving for the Birds ProgramSaturday, November 28th, Noon–4:00 pm

Join us for our annual family fun event! We will be make bird feedersout of recycled materials, and you can learn about our winter birds inFairbanks. Program is drop-in any time during the hours stated.

Star Party, Saturday, November 28th, 7:00 pm

Sponsored by the Fairbanks Astronomical Unit, the big telescope will

be out for general star viewing and the Farmhouse Visitor Center will beopen for hot drinks.

Green Holiday Sale

Saturday, December 5th, 10:00 am–5:30 pm

Join us for the 3rd annual Green Holiday Sale at the Alaska Bird Ob-servatory. Friends joins other local environmental agencies in offering

environmentally friendly and themed gifts. Proceeds support our orga-nizations.

Annual Lighting of the Spruce Tree

Saturday, December 5th, 6–8:00 pm

Join us for the annual lighting of the big spruce tree and caroling followed

by cookies and hot drinks in the warmth of the historic Farmhouse!

Holiday Open House

Saturdays December 5th, 12th, and 19th Noon –4:00 pm.

Join us for family fun at our annual open houses. We will be making holidayornaments and crafts using natural materials in the Farmhouse VisitorCenter. Program is drop-in any time during the hours stated.

Winter Solstice Walk

Saturday December 19th, 1–3:00 pm (walk begins at 1:15)

Come celebrate the joys of winter with a walk on the Refuge trails to cel-ebrate the changing of the seasons or specically when the sun is lowest inthe sky and we experience the shortest days of the year. Join us after thewalk for cookies and hot drinks! Meet at the Farmhouse Visitor Center.

Winter Nature Walk/Track Casting Program

Saturday January 16th, 1–4:00 pm (walk begins at 1:30 pm)

Join us for an afternoon of exploring the Refuge and learning about ani-mal tracks and signs. Participants will also make plaster casts of animaltracks.

Annual Winter Field Party

Saturday February 13th, Noon–4 pm

Join us for an afternoon of free winter fun out in the eld. Snowshoes fromBeaver Sports will be on hand for folks to try. The waterfowl pond clos-est to the Farmhouse will be cleared off for an afternoon of skating fun.Bring your skates and skis! Hot drinks will be available and the Farmhouse

Visitor Center will be open for warming up after skating.

✁

Preschool Nature

Discovery Program

W

e are continuing to offer thePreschool Nature Discovery

Program. This program is designedfor children ages 3-5 and is meantto instill a love of nature and theenvironment through reading books,

participating in a variety of funactivities, and direct contact withnature through walks on the Refuge.Creamer’s Field intern Shannon

Pearce will continue to organize andlead this program, but we are lookingfor someone who is willing to take over

from her starting next semester. If you are interested, give us a call.

The Preschool Program will takeplace on the second Thursday of

every month from 1–2:30 pm at theCreamer’s Field Farmhouse VisitorCenter. The cost is $3 per child andreservations are required as there is

a maximum of 15 children per classCall 452-5162 for reservations.

Dates & Themes:

December 10

SnowakesJanuary 14 Owls in the WinterFebruary 11 Birdfeeders

March 11 Animal TracksApril 8 GeeseMay 13 PondsJune 10 Mosquitoes

July 8 CranesAugust 12 Leaves

September 9 Camoauge

Make a bird feeder out of recycled materials at Thanksgiving for the Birds.

Photo by Melissa Sike



Page 4

Brenda Sadler, center, is presented the Gail Mayo Volunteer

of the Year award by Friends of Creamer’s Field DirectorsMelissa Sikes and Alexis Runstadler. Photo by Joy Morrison

Annual Membership Picnic

This year’s membership picnic was held on Thursday,September 17th. All who attended enjoyed lovely

weather, good food, and good company under our newevent tent in the picnic area. After a very short busi-

ness meeting in which all of the current and new Boardmembers were ratied by a vote of the membership, pastBoard members were thanked by Board President Roxie

Creamer. Alexis presented local architect Patty Peirsolwith an honorary lifetime membership for her work withthe Historic Buildings Committee.

Alexis and Melissa thanked the 2009 volunteers and

presented the Gail Mayo Volunteer of the Year Awardto Brenda Sadler. Brenda is a long-time volunteer forboth Friends of Creamer’s Field programs and in theVisitor Center. She also coordinated the brunches for

this year’s Design Alaska Wild Arts Walk and the CraneFestival. The Gail Mayo Volunteer of the Year Award ispresented annually to one or two volunteers who have

made an outstanding contribution of time and energy

to Friends of Creamer’s Field. The lovely plaque listingthe winners hangs in the back room of the Farmhouse.Our deepest thanks and congratulations to Brenda and

all of our 2009 volunteers. The evening concluded withthe door prize drawings. Door prize winners were BettyCarlson, Pat DeRuyter, Cathie Harms, and Jane Sellin.

Members’ Help Needed on

Committees

We are looking for members to join the following Friendsof Creamer’s Field committees. All of our commit-

tees meet in the Farmhouse and are made up of Friends of

Creamer’s Field Board Members, staff, and members. Call

us at the ofce at 452-5162 for more information.• Spring Migration Celebration planning committee meets

January through May once a month for an hour with an

additional 2-3 hour time commitment closer to the eventwhich occurs at the beginning of May.

• Design Alaska Wild Arts Walk planning committee meets

January through June once a month for an hour with anadditional 2-3 hour time commitment closer to the eventwhich occurs at the beginning of June.

• Crane Festival planning committee meets year-round once

a month for an hour with an additional 2-3 hour time

commitment closer to the event which occurs at the endof August.• Fundraising & Membership committee meets year-round

once a month for an hour to plan and coordinate Friendsof Creamer’s Field fundraising efforts.

• Camp Habitat Advisory Board meets year-round once a

month for two hours with an additional participation in2-3 publicity or fundraising events for Camp Habitat.

Quilt Rafe

T

he quilt rafe drawing was held on Sunday, August23rd at the end of Crane Festival. This year’s lovely

almost king-sized quilt was created and donated by SherryLewis and Jude Czopek. Jamie DeVries graciously donatedthe quilting. This year’s qulit rafe winner was BarbaraMcLaughlin of Oakland, California. Congratulations toBarbara and thank you to Sherry, Jude, Jamie, and all of

the ticket holders. The annual quilt rafe is one of Friendsof Creamer’s Field’s most successful fundraisers.

Memorialize a Bench at

Creamer’s Field

Dedicate one of our newly installed benches at Creamer’s

Field to special people or loved ones. We will workwith you to design a cast bronze plaque, to be installed on abench in an area of the Refuge that you select. Benches for

memorializing are currently available along the margins ofthe west viewing eld, along the Farm Road Trail, and onthe Boreal Forest Trail. A donation of $1,000 to Friends ofCreamer’s Field is requested in order to have a new memoria

plaque made and installed on the bench you have selectedPlease contact Alexis at 452-5162 if you are interested intaking advantage of this opportunity.



Page 5

KidsNuttyChatter

© W. D. B e r r

y

Winter Birds in Interior Alaska Not too many bird species spend the winter here in interior Alaska. Those that do can

usually be attracted to a well kept feeder. Bird feeding is a great way to learn about thewildlife in your neighborhood, but you should be a responsible bird feeder. Here aresome tips:

Keep your feeders clean! – Wash once a month with a 10% bleach solution.

Window Collisions – Break up the reflection with decals, mobiles or raptor shaped cut-outs.

Quality Food – Be sure to feed high energy foods such as black-oil sunflower seed, thistle seed, or suet. Avoid seed mixes with mostly millet (small roundyellow ball-shaped seeds) as they have little nutritional value. Avoid feeding them

bread, as it has little nutritional value and will fill their stomachs but cause themto starve.

Remove When Winter is Over – Take your feeders down in the spring when the

insects return. Most winter birds eat insects in the summer, and can readily find

this delicious energy source.

A Fun and Unique Winter Bird Feeder You Can Make1. Make toast in toaster.2. Cut toast with cookie cutter.

3. Spread either peanut butter or

shortening on the toast cutout.4. Place cutout into tray of birdseed to

coat it.5. Attach a piece of string, yarn or

ribbon for hanging. Try unbending a paper clip and fashion it into a

needle. Thread with string and poke ahole at least 1” from the edge. Knot

at the top.

The 3 Most Common Local Bird Feeder Species –

Black Capped - Chickadee Redpoll Downy Woodpecker

©W.D. Berry



Page 6

By Melissa Sikes

As if to make up for the

long spell of smokydays this summer, we expe-rienced an unusually warmand long transition into the

cold and dark of winter.ADF&G biologist CathieHarms dubbed this au-tumn as the “never-ending

August,” and many wouldagree with her. Averagetemperatures in both Sep-

tember and October wereway above normal, reach-ing above 50° on manydays in early October. The

ponds on the field didn’tice up until after October15th. We didn’t have signi-cant snowfall until October

26th, providing a reason fora small group of geese toremain on the elds long

after they would have nor-mally own south for thewinter. All the nice weatherprovided enjoyable days

for many of the Friends of

Creamer’s Field events.We held the rst series

of Art Workshops August17th –20th, during the weekleading up to the SandhillCrane Festival. These work-

shops were led by many

local artists and Mavis

Muller, the Crane Festivalguest speaker. Topics in-cluded photography, water-color, drawing, and basket

making. The workshopswere such a success that wehope to offer another series

in the future.The 12th annual Tanana

Valley Sandhill Crane Fes-tival held on August 21,

22, and 23 was a fabuloussuccess. Mavis Muller wasa very creative, entertain-

ing and personable festi-val speaker. Her energybrought a very enjoyableand creative side out of

many festival attendees.On Friday, Mavis shared amultimedia presentationon the Creamer’s Barn all

about her burning basketprojects in Homer andother places. On Saturday,

she coordinated the con-struction of a large crane

sculpture out of hay andother natural materials

which was viewable fromthe observation platformalong the Farm Road traillong after the festival end-

ed. Pictures of the hay

crane were sent to 350.org,

an organization dedicatedto raising awareness abouthealthy levels of C02 in the

atmosphere. Mavis also in-troduced her new book (inprogress) about bringingthe teachings of cranes into

our everyday lives.We also had great pre-

sentations by Mark D. Ross

on drawing cranes, RandyCompton and Jeff Bourqueon birds of prey, and Kyle

Campbell and Sue Guerswho presented researchdata from bird studies onthe Refuge. With variedand creative crafts, en-

tertaining crane callers,great music and food atthe brunch to great food

at the Tex-mex, and muchmore, all who attendedfound something to do.There were also thousands

of cranes, geese and ducksthat graced the eld duringthe festival. Many thanksto all the sponsors and won-

derful volunteers whosededication and energyhelped make this event so

successful.The Fall Equinox Walk

on September 19th was acolorful and warm foray

The Never-ending August at Creamer’s Field Refuge

into the trails of Creamer’s

Field. Many thanks to CaraWardlaw-Bailey for leadingthis walk.

Unusually warm tem-peratures and no snowhelp to make the AnnualCreepy Critters program on

October 24tha well attendedand successful event. Theprogram focused on Waspsproviding visitors with a

chance to learn more aboutour local wasp species as

well as the opportunity toask experts questions. Visi-tors were able to talk to alocal bee keeper, the insectcurator from the UAF Mu-

seum of the North, and twofolks from the UAF Coop-erative Extension Service

With different levels ofcrafts, some honey-basedsnacks, and a very suc-cessful series of wasp nest

hunts, attendees had awonderful afternoon.

On October 30th, Cream-er’s Board Member Martin

Gutoski coordinated a StarViewing Party, and over 40people attended to enjoy a

wonderful clear night com-plete with dancing bandsof northern lights.

A Hay Crane was created by Mavis Muller and Crane Festival participants during the August Crane Festival. Photo by Derek Sike

Steve Petersen from Toklat Apiaries shares his knowledge at theCreepy Critters program. Photo by Derek Sikes



Page 7

Thank You to Our Volunteers and Supporters

• Thank you to Cara Ward-law-Bailey for leadingthe fall equinox walk onSeptember 19th.

• Thank you to ChrisSampson for donating

a Creamer’s Dairy milkbottle to Friends of Creamer’s Field.

• Thank you to Mary Za-lar for her excellent work

on producing the Field

Notes newsletter againthis year.

• Thank you to this sum-

mer’s dedicated vegeta-ble garden volunteers.

The Anna CreamerFarmhouse VegetableGarden was a bit smallerthis year but providedmany produce donations

to the Stone Soup Café.• Thank you again to the

Fairbanks Garden Clubfor planting and tending

the lovely owers aroundthe Farmhouse this sum-mer.

• Thank you to ConnieStricks for her book do-nations to the Friends of Creamer’s Field natural

history library.• Thank you to Julia Brice

for volunteering her timeto catalog some of our

historic dairy items aspart of the Earth QuestInternship program run

by the National Fish andWildlife Service.

• Thank you to GVEA fortheir donation of two

energy audit gift cer-ticates for MembershipPicnic door prizes.

• Thank you to Sarah De-Gennaro who did a ter-ric job again this yearas our Crane Festival

Intern and for paintingthe lovely mural on the

new Fair booth table.• The 2009 Tanana Valley

Sandhill Crane Festivalwas supported in part by

a 2009 City of FairbanksHotel-Motel Grant.

• Thank you to our Au-

gust Refuge Hosts, Gail& Gerry Strickland.

Farmhouse VisitorCenter Volunteers

Joyce BatemanNancy Bayer

Bob CraigChristol Creamer

Jeannie CreamerRoxie CreamerPat DeganPat DeRuyterRay Hadley

Sandra KrampsMartie LacherSherry LewisGrace Matthews

Gail MayoAnn MorganLinda Mosher

Karen NorrisBrenda SadlerKathy Taylor YokelCara Wardlaw-Bailey

Marilyn WhiteheadCaroline Wolf Chris VillanoMary Zalar

Nature Walk LeadersA hearty thank you to ourtalented and knowledge-

able nature walk leadersfor sharing Creamer’s Fieldwith our visitors.Rich Ackerman

David BehrTrish BlakeKyle CampbellChristol Creamer

Sarah DeGennaroDennis DegnanKathy Dubbs

Bill Holman

Elizabeth LowerGrace MatthewsSue McCallister

Karen NorrisBetty Pixley

Andie RiceSuzanne Richards

Mark RossTami SeekinsMona ShriberNicole Swensgard

Cara Wardlow-BaileyMary Wyatt

Saturday Mornings

with an ArtistThank you to the artists

who gave their time tomake Saturday morningsduring the summer full of

creative energy.Barbara BurleighRandall Compton

Timmie Sue EdgerleyPeter FriciloneSarah HolmNikki Kinne

Herb & Hilda Melchior

Tom NixonJamie SmithCorlis Taylor

Christine “Okiku” ThomasAdele Wiejaczka

Fair Booth VolunteersJoyce Bateman

Cyndie BealeMarian BenhamMary BurtnessKyle Campbell

Betty CarlsonJim ChumbleyBob Craig

Jeff & Christol CreamerSusie CreventstenJude CzopekPat Degan

Pat DeRuyterSarah DeGennaroClarice Dukeminier

Ray Hadley

Phyllis HagglandShirley HarrisBill Holman

Patty KastelicDon KielyDonna KrierSherry Lewis

Elizabeth LowerGrace MatthewsGail Mayo

Herb & Hilda MelchiorJeanette Moore

Joy MorrisonPatty Peirsol

E. Tom RobinsonJon Runstadler

continued on page 8

This year’s Fair Booth featured a new mural on the table frontcreated by Sarah DeGennaro. Photo by Joy Morrison



Page 8

Brenda Sadler

Susan SharbaughRachel ShivelyGerry Stewart

Taian TrujilloKate WoodJohn & Kathleen Wright

Art Workshops SeriesFriends of Creamer’s Fieldoffered a series of art work-shops August 17th-20th.Many thanks to the follow-

ing artists for sharing theirtime and talents:Jim Allan

Boyce BushEllen HarneyJoyce KelsoJill Marshall

Darleen MasiakMavis MullerGael MurakamiTom Nixon

Mark D. RossDerek SikesVladimir Zhikhartzev

Sandhill Crane FestivalThank you to all the won-derful volunteers who madethis year’s Crane Festival

an enjoyable and success-ful one. Many hands madethis truly a communityeffort. We wish to extend a

very big thank you to ourInvited Guest Speaker, Ma-vis Muller, who shared her

wonderful creative energy

with all who attended thefestival. Also special thanks

to our presenters:Jeff BourqueKyle CampbellRandy Compton

Sue GuersMark Ross

John Wright

2009 Crane Festival

Special DonorsABR, Inc.Alaska Bird Observatory

and its Board members

Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Alaska Feed Co.

Arctic AudubonThe Artworks

Friends of Creamer’sField Board members

DateLine Digital PrintingHot Licks Homemade Ice

Cream

Dr. James MiearsNorth Star Golf ClubDr. Phyllis PendergrastUAF Cooperative Exten-

sion ServiceWedgewood Resort

The WoodwayFestival Art Exhibit

Thank you to these photog-raphers who displayed theirwork for the crane photog-raphy and art exhibit.

Scott ChesneyJim DeWitt

Joyce Kelso Chuck Leake

Herb Melchior Kenelm Philip David Shaw John Wright

Silent Auction Donors

The following kind individ-uals donated items to the

Crane Festival Silent Auc-tion that raised over $800for Friends of Creamer’sField:

Amal AjmiBeaver SportsJan CannonCraig Cheledinas

The Cookie Jar RestaurantEl Dorado Gold Mine &

Riverboat DiscoveryGulliver’s BooksGail MayoMavis MullerNew Horizons Gallery

Jon & Alexis RunstadlerMelissa SikesRon Teel

Sandhill Crane FestivalVolunteers

Joyce Bateman

Cyndie BealeDavid BehrHeidi Benson

Tricia BlakeLaurie BoeckKyle CampbellSusan Campbell

John CogdillChristol CreamerRoxie Creamer

Pat DeganSarah DeGennaro

Laurel DevaneySamantha Fish

Susan GraceMary Lee GuthrieRay HadleyBill Holman

Kathleen HovdaFrank KeimSandra Kramps

Donna KrierMartie Lacher

Sherry Lewis

Coty MayGail MayoBud Marschner

Jamie MarschnerThom McLeanDebbie MillerJoy Morrison

RJ NelsonMary ObergShannon PearcePatty Peirsol

Dennis RogersE. Tom RobinsonJon Runstadler

Ethan RunstadlerVreni RunstadlerBrenda SadlerTami Seekins

Susan SharbaughDerek SikesKaley Sikes

Chris TaylorMarilyn WhiteheadCaroline Wolf John Wright

Mary Zalar

Creepy CrittersThe Creepy Critters Pro-gram was all about wasps

this year, and perhaps wechanged a few minds aboutthe beneficial aspects ofwasps and bees. A specia

thank you to our invitedexperts for sharing theirknowledge: Steve Petersen

from Toklat Apiaries, DerekSikes from the UAF Mu-seum of the North, andDiane Claasen & Cathy

Taylor from the UAF Coop-

erative Extension Service.Creepy Critter Volunteers

Christol & Jeff CreamerDennis DegnanKaren & Alda NorrisShannon Pearce

Jeanne RingstadMark D. RossRachel ShivelyKaley Sikes

The Crane Festival Brunch was held under Friends of Creamer’sField’s new tent. Photo by Melissa Sikes



Page 9

Become a member of Friends of Creamer’s Field, make a donation, or renew your membership.(Please check the renewal date in the corner of your mailing label.)

qNew Member qRenewal qDonation $______

q$15 Students & Seniors q$20 Individual q$40 Family q$75 Supporter

q$100 Contributor q$250 Steward q$500 Patron* q$1000 Lifetime*

qPatron and Lifetime: please check here if you would like to receive a Randall Compton print of Creamer’s Dairy

signed by the Creamer family with your membership (valued at $150).

Payment:qCash qCheck qCredit card Visa or MasterCard (circle one)

Card Number _________________________________ Expiration Date ______

Signature ____________________________________ VCode*: ____________ *3 digit code on card back

Name __________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________

City ___________________________ State _________ Zip __________

Phone __________________ Email ________________________________

qThis is a gift membership for the above name from _________________________________

qI have a new mailing address, phone, or email.

qI would like to receive my newsletter via email.

qI would like to volunteer. Please contact me with information about upcoming volunteer orientation sessions.

Friends of Creamer’s Field is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is fully tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.

Membership Response Form (or renew online at creamersfield.org)

Friends of Creamer’s FieldPO Box 81065

Fairbanks, Alaska 99708

907-452-5162 (ofce)

907-459-7309 (Visitor Center)email: [email protected]

website: creamerseld.org

Camp Habitat is Huge SuccessBy Adele Wiejaczka, Camp Habitat Director

With record enrollment and a top notch staff, the 2009 CampHabitat season was a huge success and a lot of fun! With the

help of local donations and grants, the Camp Habitat curriculumhas been updated to offer a wide variety of developmentally-ap-propriate activities for the campers in an easily accessible format for

staff. This summer Camp Habitat hosted the rst Camp Habitatinternship for an undergraduate environmental education student.This position allowed the camp to raise the bar in instructor/stu-dent ratio, continued curriculum development, staff training, and

overall positive energy.One of the highlights of the camp season was the overnights

held in the Boreal Forest at Creamer’s Field Refuge for the WaterStrider and Refuge Adventurer students. After campers picked

their ll of berries, staff dressed up as entertaining characters for avariety of skits, and songs were sung and games played throughoutthe evening. If you were walking on the Boreal Forest boardwalk

on one of those nights, you might not have seen our camp, butyou would have heard the Camp Habitat campers “Going on aBear Hunt” or singing the “Fungus Song.” With a new tent forthe Camp Habitat village and the highest number of returning

staff, we anticipate a stellar 2010 camp season.

A Camp Habitat group hikes on the west feld trail.Photo by Andrew Althof



F r i e n d s o f C r e a m e r ’ s F i e l d P . O . B o x 8 1 0 6 5

F a i r b a n k s , A l a s k a 9 9 7 0 8 w w w . c r e a m e r s f i e l d . o r g

I s i t t i m e t o r e n e w y o u r m e m b e r s h i p ?

Night Gliders

The squirrel bunches up;

ready to leap “spread eagle”,

unfurling its parachute like

cape: loose skin that extends

from front to hind leg on each

side of the body.

At the nal moment

before landing, the tail

goes back and the hind

feet shoot forward.

Upon landing, it scurrys to

the opposite side of the tree to

elude pursuing predators

such as owls.

Large eyes help them see

obstacles in the night. The

at feathery tail is a rudder

for steering.

Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) are common in interior Alaska,

in fact as common as the noisy red squirrel.

Because they are truly nocturnal and secretive many

folks haven’t seen them. But those who have,

invariably saw them in “ight”.

Outdoor AlmanacCreamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge

Now that nights are long, it’s time to nd the

m o r e :

Le a r n

Sat, Nov 28, Noon - 4 p.m. at Creamer’s Field

Make feeders from recyclable materials.

Thank sgiving for the Birds

Activities for all ages: in the farmhouse.

F ly ing Sq u i r r

e ls

make a f eeder; a t trac t f lying sq uirrels

Documents

Winter 2009 Field Notes Newsletter, Friends of Creamer's Field