Connecting People
With Nature
Wachiska Program and General Meeting —
Thursday, October 9, 7:00 PM, Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street,
and also via YouTube link: https://youtube.com/live/GUskOgTz9DY?feature=share
The Grassland Phoenix:
Restoring Northern Bobwhites
with Kyle Martens, Director of Conservation Programs for the
National Bobwhite & Grasslands Foundation
Kyle Martens is the Director of Conservation Programs for the National Bobwhite & Grasslands Foundation. Martens has been exploring rural landscapes his entire life. He is originally from the Sioux City, Iowa area. Kyle received his masters degree from UNL in 2020 researching conservation program design and is currently in his third year in the natural resource sciences doctoral program in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources. He has incorporated his passion for rural communities into his research by creating an online survey to help explore and measure resilience in Nebraska’s Sandhills.
His presentation,“The Grassland Phoenix”, recounts his journey from the family farm in northwest Iowa to supporting the Foundation’s mission to restore Northern Bobwhites across their historic range in the southeastern and central U.S.
Bobwhites, like many other grassland species, have dramatically decreased in numbers since the 1970s. Through a mix of geospatial prioritization, conservation stewardship, and programmatic design, Kyle and his team aim to enroll
thousands of private landowners across the Bobwhite’s range into grassland-friendly conservation practices.
In his presentation, Kyle suggests that the story of the Bobwhite is actually the story of rural America. He explores the relationship of rural population and wildlife decline, while offering a narrative of hardship and hope. However decoupled the two appear, Kyle argues that restoring natural communities cannot have hard stops for people or for wildlife. If we are to stave off grassland species decline, Kyle suggests we need to recall our shared history on the landscape: past, present, and future.
Kyle splits his time from his home in Lincoln to restoring his family’s land to native tallgrass prairie in northwest Iowa.
You can learn more about the National Bobwhite & Grasslands Foundation by visiting their website: www.nbgif.org
Join Wachiska on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM at Lincoln’s Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. This free, in-person talk will also be live-streamed on YouTube at:
https://youtube.com/live/GUskOgTz9DY?feature=share
No registration needed.
Kyle splits his time from his home in Lincoln to restoring his family’s land to native tallgrass prairie in northwest Iowa.
You can learn more about the National Bobwhite & Grasslands Foundation by visiting their website: www.nbgif.org
Join Wachiska on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM at Lincoln’s Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. This free, in-person talk will also be live-streamed on YouTube at: https://youtube.com/live/GUskOgTz9DY?feature=share
No registration needed.
October 2025 Calendar of Events
October 9 General Meeting and Speaker Series, 7 PM
Unitarian Church
October 11 Fall Migration Bird Survey 8 AM Prairie Pines
October 12 Music in the Pines: Wachiska's Migration Celebration
4 PM - 8 PM Prairie Pines Nature Preserve
October 13 Conservation Committee via zoom, 6:30 p.m.
October 13 Deadline to Order Birdseed
https://www.wachiskaaudubon.org/spring-seed-sale
October 18 Wagon Tongue Creek Preserve Tour 2 PM
October 21 Board Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 p.m. via zoom
October 22 Planned Giving Workshop 6:30 PM
Lincoln Community Foundation
Join Wachiska Today
Become a member of the Wachiska chapter of the National Audubon Society and support environmental conservation, education, and outreach in Southeast Nebraska.
Click HERE for details.
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In September 2021, the Wachiska Board adopted the National Audubon’s Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as the Chapter’s own goals:
The birds Audubon pledges to protect differ in color, size, behavior, geographical preference, and countless other ways. By honoring and celebrating the equally remarkable diversity of the human species, Audubon will bring new creativity, effectiveness and leadership to our work throughout the hemisphere.
Wachiska Audubon Society's vision is to share the experience and love for nature and help protect its diversity.
Join friends and neighbors to show your concern about our climate and our elected officials. Stop by the Wachiska office and pick up your Climate yard sign.
Signs that say “VOTE with CLIMATE in Mind” are available for $10 each. They are made of material that will hold up well to the elements and come with a metal holder to push into the ground. You are encouraged to put your signs out now for the fall elections. Since they are so durable, they could easily last three or four years even if kept out all year.
NEW! Wachiska is on YouTube
The photos on this website were taken by Wachiska members. Many thanks to Bruce Wendorff,
Linda Brown, Paul Johnsguard, Tim Knott, Stu Luttich, John Carlini and Elizabeth Nelson.