Form Your Team Now for Audubon

year at Duke University. Each year this fund, created in his memory, provides a $500 scholarship to a college-bound high school student or a college student who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an environmental field.

The winner of the 2022 Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship was Charlie Milliman of Cattaraugus, New York, then a student at Jamestown Community College. While at JCC, Milliman was president of the Earth Awareness Club, the Student Representative on the campus Tree Committee, and a member of the Jamestown chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Additional money raised beyond the scholarship funds will help cover annual expenses including visits to the vet, food, and other necessary items to keep Audubon’s animals healthy. These expenses include approximately $5,000 annually. This year’s goal is to raise $4,000 to fund the 2023 scholarship and to offset some of the animal care expenses.

Saturday, April 29, through Sunday, May 7, are the dates for the 2023 Audubon Community Nature Center Birdathon fundraiser. The event raises money for the Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship and for care of Audubon’s animal ambassadors. Charlie Milliman (right) of Cattaraugus, New York, the winner of the 2022 scholarship, is pictured birding with Audubon Nature Educator Chelsea Jandreau.

You can decide whether to bird for 24 hours straight or a few hours every day. At least 60% of the team must be present to count. Though teams of one are accepted, to be eligible for awards a team must consist of two people.

This year’s “Top Birders” will receive special recognition through ACNC’s e-newsletter. Awards will be given to the teams that see the most birds, raise the most money, or have the most unusual sighting.

If you aren’t a birder, you can visit the website and support your favorite team and/or the cause. Donors can contribute based on the number of birds seen or by making a flat contribution.

To participate in or contribute to the 2023 Birdathon, go to Go.RallyUp.com/ ACNCBirdathon2023.

There is no fee to participate.

For any questions, contact Audubon Public Engagement Specialist Jeff Tome at JTome@ AudubonCNC.org or (716) 569-2345. For help with registration, call the reception desk at (716) 569-2345.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, onequarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike more than five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The health benefits of hobbies

Maintaining physical and mental health often requires a multi-faceted approach. Eating well, exercising and reducing stress are part of a healthy regimen, but those are not the only components of a healthy lifestyle. Hobbies can have a positive effect on overall health. Hobbies can seem like ways to simply pass the time or alleviate boredom.

But a deeper exploration could shed light on just how healthy hobbies can be. In fact, it is essential to carve out time for hobbies because they can be so beneficial.

According to a study published in Aging

Clinical and Experimental Research, participation in leisure activities positively influences self-perceived well-being and depressive symptoms. “The blue zone” refers to the areas of the world that have the longest-living people on the planet, which include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; and Ikaria, Greece, among others. Participation in activities that bring out a creative side leads to an increased sense of well-being that is good for long-term health. They also can reduce cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, and it can negatively affect energy, mood and sleep. While most leisure activities regularly engaged in can have positive effects on health, those that focus on a combination of physical and mental stimulation are most beneficial. Women looking to change their daily routines may want to focus on these health-boosting hobbies.

• Dancing: Laugh, sweat and learn some footwork in a dance class. It can make exercise fun for those who find traditional exercise does not keep their attention.

• Kayaking: There’s something serene about being on the water away from the hustle of life on land. Kayaking strengthens the body, but the calm of taking in the water and scenery nourishes the mind. Experts agree that outdoor hobbies add another benefit since sunlight helps the body release neuroreceptors that trigger more positive thoughts.

• Gardening: Gardening is physical, requires planning, involves spending time outdoors, and yields tangible results through thriving plants. These are all factors that promote good health.

• Fostering animals: Fostering animals offers them an opportunity to spend time in domestic settings before being adopted by permanent owners. For the foster person, having a dog involves going out on walks and play sessions in the backyard. A sense of purpose comes from helping out needy animals, and this hobby also taps into physical wellness.

• Volunteering: Being a presence in your community can foster social engagement and boost emotional health.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, the 2022 Nature Photography Contest winners, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 - 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for nonNature Center members.

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.

It also can keep you physically active. Various hobbies can be good for the mind and body, which makes it worth anyone’s effort to make more time for recreation and leisure.