Events

Events in October 2026

Annual Outings

Community Events

April

May

August

December

May

October

Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month from September through April. Speaker presentations are open to the public, providing environmental education to everyone in our community.

We sponsor outings and participate in bird- and conservation-related community events at the local, regional, and national level. We also participate in a number of community, regional, and even national events.

Sandhill Cranes near Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
*Photo: Doris Minnerath-Kneip*

These are outings that occur every year.

February

Great Backyard Bird Count – Saturday morning outing during the GBBC usually on Beaver Island Trail below the dam in St. Cloud.

Sand Prairie WMA – look and listen for Woodcocks in their mating ritual. Programming the date is challenging as we are still subject to snowstorms, but the display is always worth the effort.

Albany Wastewater ponds – migrating ducks and shorebirds

Avon Hills Folk School – We join with the Folk School for multiple “Intro to Birding” hands-on Bird Walks.

Peck Farm in Rockville – Annual picnic. This event has been held for the past thirty years.

Varying locations – Chimney Swift Sit. We choose a location where there is a migratory communal roost. In 2026 CMAS participated in a statewide monitoring study. We hope to identify additional communal roosts in the CMAS area.

St Cloud/Collegeville area – Christmas Bird Count. The CBC has been around for 125 years, and the St Cloud circle has participated since 1980. Brian Jungels is the compiler for the CBC.

CMAS members are also encouraged to participate in area birding events:

Birding Days at St. John’s Arboretum, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, and Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, and observing mating rituals of Western Grebes with Let’s Go Fishing on Lake Osakis.

10 1:00 pm: Buckthorn Removal in Honor of John and Linda Peck 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm October 10, 2026 In Honor of John and Linda Peck we are hosting a Buckthorn removal event at Rockville County Park near Rockville, Minnesota on October 10th, 2026 from 1pm to half past three. This is our chance to show our appreciation to the Pecks for all their contributions to CMAS and conservation in central Minnesota! Location – Meet at the picnic shelter at the Park at 1pm. Address – 11503 GLACIER RD, Rockville, MN 56369. See map below. October 17th, 2026 is our back up date if we get rained out on the 10th. Bring gloves, wear a long sleeve shirt or jacket, long pants and comfortable boots. Stearns County parks will provide pruners, hand saws and chemicals for the event. Removal is done by pulling small plants by hand and cutting larger plants and applying chemicals to the stumps. There is a bathroom near the picnic shelter. We will be working off-trail on somewhat uneven ground. Map showing Rockville County Park location iCal Google

21 7:00 pm: CMAS Meeting: Neonic Groundwater Contamination 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm October 21, 2026 Russel Groves of the University of WI, Madison will present via Zoom on groundwater contamination(s) associated with the uses of neonicotinoids. Details to follow. We will meet at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (3226 Maine Prairie Road, St. Cloud, MN 56301 – map below). There are no steps to enter the building or the meeting room, and a bathroom is available. The meeting is open to the public and will also be available on Zoom. Invite your friends and neighbors or request a Zoom link at centralmnaudubon@gmail.com. Refreshments and door prizes to follow the presentation. Map of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship iCal Google

Sand Hill Crane Viewing at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.