We invite you to attend our Meetings

We currently hold 9 meetings a year, including a picnic in May and three potluck dinners, and conduct various outings throughout the year. Meetings, with guest speakers, are held on the 4^th Friday of the month February through April and August through November with an annual meeting and program in January.
SIAS meets in the Fellowship Hall of the First United Methodist Church, 214 W. Main St., Carbondale. The Fellowship Hall is on the lower level of the Church. Take the elevator or stairway down to the Hall. For information about other upcoming activities please check our newsletters

These programs are free and open to the public.
August 26^th: John Schwegman - Mermet Lake

This will be an illustrated overview of animals photographed by John at Mermet Lake Fish and Wildlife Area over the past 51 years. John was manager of Mermet from 1965 to 1968 and has visited the area regularly since retiring near Mermet 20 years ago. Birds make up the bulk of species covered in this program, but mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fishes are also included. Some of the birds are very rare visitors that have been seen by John just once in over 50 years. New arrivals include Whooping Crane, Trumpeter Swan, Armadillo, Green Tree Frog, and Eastern Chipmunk. Accidental species are birds that show up rarely, often many years between sightings.

Sept. 23^rd: Mark Glenshaw - Great Horned Owls
Oct. 28^th: Cathie Hutcheson - Chile

View all the meeting details in the August newsletter.

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Of Interest

Wise Words

" Our economic system and our planetary system are now at war. Or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on earth, including human life. What the climate needs to avoid collapse is a contraction in humanity's use of resources; what our economic model demands to avoid collapse is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be changed, and it's not the laws of nature."

-- Naomi Klein

Who We Are:

The Southern Illinois Audubon Society (SIAS) is an organization of 100+ individuals who enjoy feeding, locating, and viewing wild birds and generally share an appreciation of nature. We have members of all ages and all walks of life, from as far north as Springfield and as far south as Metropolis.

The SIAS is an affiliate of the Illinois Audubon Society. Organized more than a century ago and headquartered in Danville, IAS is a non-profit conservation, education, and lobbying group that specializes in preserving habitat for birds through ownership and stewardship of important blocks of land.

What we do:

We offer monthly programs on nature related topics and organize nature outings to various locations, all free of charge and open to the public. Our members provide educational programs for local schools and other organizations and take part in volunteer programs directed at conserving birds and their habitats.

The Southern Illinois Audubon Society

sustains local bluebird trails. Some of our members monitor boxes from March through August, at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. More than 5,000 Eastern Bluebirds have been fledged through this project.
conducts multiple bird conservation surveys. Members conduct Breeding Bird Surveys, Christmas and Spring Bird Counts, Shawnee National Forest nesting bird surveys, shorebird surveys, and other surveys as requested.
supports avian ecology throughout Illinois SIAS supports habitat preservation and avian research projects in Illinois through donations to the Illinois Audubon Society and the Illinois Ornithological Society.
coordinates the Birding Blitz of Southernmost Illinois. This birdwatching contest fundraiser for Friends of the Cache supports habitat preservation and restoration in the Cache River Wetlands.
has given thousands of dollars to local organizations. Each year we raise and donate money to many worthwhile projects in our area such as Free Again Wildlife Rehabilitation, the Science Center of Southern Illinois, Friends of the Cache, and GreenEarth of Carbondale.

JOIN SIAS

I share the belief of many of my contemporaries that the spiritual crisis pervading all spheres of Western industrial society can be remedied only by a change in our world view. We shall have to shift from the materialistic, dualistic belief that people and their environment are separate, toward a new consciousness of an all-encompassing reality, which embraces the experiencing ego, a reality in which people feel their oneness with animate nature and all of creation.
-- Dr. Albert Hoffman