Meetings

Dinosaurs of Hell Creek

with Brian Buckmeier and Darren Maurer

Thursday, november 6, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd, Sioux City

Brian and Darren have been hunting dinosaurs for over 30 years.  They recently concluded an 8 month dinosaur display at the Sioux City Museum. 

Darren is a nationally know artist/illustrator and adventure seeker unearthing ancient treasures beneath the Earth’s surface. He has gained wide recognition from his work with the Ducks Unlimited. His field work began over 27 years ago in the late Cretaceous Hell Creek dinosaur deposits in North America where he has found the remains of the last remaining dinosaurs to roam the Earth.

Brian has been a private practice attorney for 37 years & a part-time magistrate judge for the past six years. As an avid dinosaur hunter for over 30 years, Brian’s discoveries and adventures are almost countless. His most significant find was in 2003, and this discovery was featured on the front cover of National Geographic December of 2007.

Dinosaurs of Hell Creek include T-rex, Triceratops, Edmontosaurus and Ankylosaurus.  See real dino bones for display & enjoy their slide presentation.    

The Loess Hills Audubon Society Board Meeting begins at 6:00 pm with Brian’s program beginning at 7:00 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend both the board meeting and the free program!

Join us for the Board Meeting at 6:00 pm before the program. Both the meeting and program are open to the public.

Images courtesy of Brian Buckmeier 2025, used with permission.

Darren Mauer and Brian Buckmeier.

Member & Friends Holiday Slide Show

Thursday, december 4, 2025 at 7:00 pm

Join us!

bring a holiday dish to share!

enjoy the fellowship of audubon members and friends, as well as our annual “Show and Tell” of members’ photos of nature, birding and travel experiences in 2025.

  a time of fun and celebration!

we hope you can participate!

deadline for photo submission is november 10 at midnight

(no exceptions)

When it comes time for your presentation, we will ask you to come up to the front and tell us a little about your photos.  Our organizer this year is Paul Roisen.

 Requirements for photos and Videos:

1.       Photos/Videos are to be from the 2025 calendar year.

2.       Submissions for each presentation is a TOTAL OF 10 (TEN) photos and videos combined.

3.       Please make sure your media is of reasonable quality (recognizable image).

4.       Presentations should share experiences focused on nature: flowers, birds, animals, trees, scenery and so forth.  Your backyard, travels around the Loess Hills, local-state-national parks, world travel and, of course, LHAS outings, etc.

5.       Please avoid submissions from non-nature related experiences.

6.       Family members may each have their own presentation should they so desire.

7.       You may team up with another person if that would make it easier for you.

8.       Photo formats: .JPEG, .PNG, and HEIC or they, likely, will not work in PowerPoint.

9.       Video formats:  MP4 and 3GP. 

10.    Photo sizes:  Minimum size: 500k and Maximum size:  2.5MB     I can help you downsize if necessary

11.    Video length and quality:  Maximum length:  90 seconds and quality of:  1080P for good viewing.

12.    Please let Paul know what order you wish to have me put your photos/videos in.  Either include the information when submit your media or call me and I can help you put them in order.

13.    Send all submissions to Paul via email or flashdrive to Paul.

Paul Roisen - roisenp1950@gmail.com AND 712-301-2817

Bill Huser & Jerry Probst Bird Program

Thursday, january 8, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd, Sioux City

Wildlife of Siouxland: The Past, Present, and Future

with Tucker Lutter from the Nature Conservancy

Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd, Sioux City

When you think of a vast wilderness fillled with Carolina Parakeets, Long-billed Curlews, Whooping Cranes, Swallow-tailed Kites, Ruffed and Sharp-tailed Grouse, Pronghorns, Swift Foxes, and Black Bears, does Siouxland come to mind? Believe it or not, all of these species and many more could be found in the region pre-settlement.

Join us for a presentation by Tucker Lutter, Western Iowa Assistant Land Steward for The Nature Conservancy in Iowa, as we envision what animals called the region home over two hundred years ago. We will also discuss the future of western Iowa - what lost species could someday return, what new species may arrive as the climate and ecosystems change, what species are on the brink of being extirpated from the region, and what this means for conservation efforts moving forward.

Why Garden?

Explore the benefits of Gardening

with John Buntsma, Iowa State University Extension

Thursday, march 5, 2026

at 7:00 pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd, Sioux City

John Buntsma, Master Gardener & Horticulture Engagement Coordination with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Sioux County, will discuss physical, mental and spiritual therapeutic values involved in gardening.  We all know the value of the produce and the taste benefits of home-grown vegetables.   Being outdoors has many health benefits for people of all abilities, and there are added environmental benefits of home gardening. There so much that we can learn from and about gardening – plants, flowers and nature.

Join us for a delightful evening with John Buntsma discussing gardening tips and experiences.

The Loess Hills Audubon Society Board Meeting begins at 6:00 pm with John’s program beginning at 7:00 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend both the board meeting and the free program!

Cutaneous Water Loss in Nestling Songbirds

with Jillian Murphy

Thursday, april 9, 2026 at 7:00 pm

(2nd thursday in april)
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd, Sioux City

Many of us know that birds don't sweat. But did you know they still lose water through their skin? Little is known about this physiological phenomenon, particularly in nestlings. Jillian’s research examines how cutaneous (through-the-skin) water loss changes throughout nestling development and what factors may affect it. During the presentation, Jillian will walk you through the first years' work on this project, giving you all the details you never knew you wanted to know.

Jillian Murphy has been a birder since the age of 9, and has studied birds since 2022 as an undergrad at Portland State University. Jillian is currently an MS student at the University of South Dakota, studying songbird development, nest microclimates, and their interactions.

The Loess Hills Audubon Society Board Meeting begins at 6:00 pm with Jillians’s program beginning at 7:00 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend both the board meeting and the free program!

May Program - TBA

Thursday, may 7, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd, Sioux City

This will be the last program until September 2026 when our next season begins!

Summer Break!

Back in September 2026 - at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

During Summers, be sure to check our Upcoming Outings page or our Calendar page to join us at some of the best birding locations in Siouxland!

A Look at our past programs during the 2024-2025 season.

THANK YOU for attending our 2024-2025 programs and an additional THANK YOU to our program presenters this past season. This would not have been possible without you:

• Steve Backus — Antartica, 5 September 2024 Zoom presentation

• Victoria DeVos — Rediscover Plymouth County Conservation, 3 October 2024

• Rod Tondreau — Western Prairie Plants in Iowa, 7 November 2024

• Loess Hills Audubon Members and Friends Holiday Photo and Video Show with Traveler’s Tales, 5 December 2024

• Matt Anderson — Cartoonist and Conservationist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, 9 January 2025

• Brian Hazlett and Ryan Allen — Campfire Tales at the Midpoint of Winter, 6 February 2025

• Vicki Baker — Wastewater Treatment Past, Present, and Future, 6 March 2025

• Mark Dixon — Floodplain Forests along the Missouri River: Past, Present, and Future, 3 April 2025

• Ty Smedes — Eagle Hunters of Mongolia, 1 May 2025