South Bend - Elkhart Bird Alliance

10/14/2026

Due to unforseen circumstances tonight's walk at the SBEBA Wildlife Sanctuary is canceled.
Apologies that this walk never got advertised on FB but a few may know about it from our newsletter.

09/30/2026

Don't forget about Saturday's native plant sale at Pinhook Park. Arrive early. Things sell out quickly.
Or, scan the QR code for a list of online vendors accepting pre-sale orders.

09/30/2026

Kevin's Eagle Scout project (an Osprey viewing stand at St. Patrick’s County Park) is almost finished, but he could still use a few volunteers. He will be working on Friday, October 9th from 9a.m.-5p.m. Any help you could give during those hours would be appreciated.

He will finish up the remainder of the decking and balusters, but also plans to clear out the brush on the hill beneath the deck. He needs a drill for the deck if you can bring one and anything that would help us clear out the brush.

Please email Kevin [email protected] and copy [email protected] if you are able to help.

Thank you to everyone who has helped so far.

09/17/2026

🚨🚨Important info for St. Joseph County regarding 2 major proposals. Both concerning data centers. 🚨🚨

⚠️CALL TO ACTION FOR ST JOE COUNTY INDIANA⚠️

As of today, we have SIX DAYS until the SJC Council Public Hearing/Meeting on Tue., Sept. 22 at 6:00 p.m. There are 2 major proposals that everyone needs to be aware of and offer help.
Meeting Location: 4th Floor Chambers, County-City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46601

Proposal #1 – Proposed Ban on Data Centers in SJC
Email all of the SJC Council members to support/VOTE YES! on this data centers ban like other Hoosier counties. Take a moment to write a single email (super-easy!), then send it to: [email protected] All 9 council members will receive it.

Proposal #2 - Proposed TIF districts: expands industrialization of Granger/gives Microsoft more space & infrastructure to expand their data center complex well beyond 900+ acres.
Email all of the SJC Council members to oppose/VOTE NO! on these massive proposed TIF districts from Bill Schalliol, executive director of the SJC Economic Development Dept. It’s an abuse of the TIF district option by state statute, is fiscally irresponsible to funnel millions of dollars into Bill Schalliol’s budget for his own control with no elected public officials’ oversight or control, and does not benefit the entire county.

*If enough public pressure is placed on Council members, we might get a win! It’s also possible that if Bill Schalliol doesn’t have the votes lined up by Friday, he might pull the proposal and wait until later to put it back on the agenda under more favorable political conditions. We’ll see!*

What more can you do?

➡️Plan on attending the Sept. 22 County Council meeting next Tuesday. In-person is best. Plan to speak on specific agenda items listed above when those come up on the Agenda for discussion & a vote, and/or plan to speak during Public Comments at the end of the Agenda if one or both above items have been postponed for a vote. If you are unable to attend in-person, the next best thing is to attend online via Zoom and speak out from there. And, WEAR GREEN!

09/15/2026

Most birds migrate at night. Lights cause birds to become disoriented & then they become exhausted. This frequently causes them to crash into windows. Please turn off unnecessary lights during nights of heavy migration.
You can find migration alerts for your state here:
Purdue AeroEco Lab Lights out alerts https://share.google/tzPwnzTKgKcOJyyfS

Thanks to Denver Audubon for the infographics.

09/12/2026